It’s the last dam summer at Olympic National Park

by Kraig Becker on

There are big changes in store for Olympic National Park, which is located in the Olympic Peninnorthwest corner of Washington state on the Olympic Peninsula. The park is an interesting combination of Pacific Coast beaches, lush rain forests, and snow capped mountains, with some of the best scenery in the Pacific Northwest. But part of the landscape there is changing dramatically, and by next year it will be altered forever.

In 2011, as part of a plan to remove the Elhwa River Dam, Lake Mills and Lake Aldwell will both be drained, allowing the river to flow freely once again. This is a wonderful ecological move, as it will open up more than 70 miles worth of waterways to let the native salmon swim free, but it will also have an impact on the paddlers who have enjoy kayaking and canoeing through the Elhwa Valley. By next summer, that will no longer be an option.

To celebrate this historic event, the Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort and Lake Crescent Lodge are offering the Last Dam Summer Package, which ranges in price from $206-$229, and includes lodging, a box lunch for each person for each day of your stay, water bottles, a waterfall trail map, and informational material about the impact of the dam removal. To book the package, simply use the promo code: OLYLDS10 when booking your stay.

As if getting the opportunity to paddle two lakes that won’t exist next year wasn’t enough of an incentive to visit Olympic, there is also a new trail to explore as well. The recently established Olympic Waterfalls Trail is sure to be a hit with visitors who want to explore all the stunning waterfalls that the park is famous for. The new trail offers a variety of ways to access these natural wonders, including paved, wheelchair accessible trails, scenic forest roads, and traditional hiking trails. Several of the falls can only be reached by kayak or boat as well, which adds even more of an adventurous element to the trip.

To take advantage of the new trail, four of the park’s lodges, which include Lake Quinault Lodge and Kalaloch Lodge, in addition to the two mentioned above, are offering the Olympic Waterfall Trail Package. This option includes all of the same amenities, at the same rates, as the Last Dam Summer Package, but allows visitors to coordinate a multi-night stay across multiple lodges that fall along their route. To take advantage of this deal, use promo code: OLYWFT10.

Both of these deals are good through October 30th. For more information check out OlympicNationalParks.com.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]

Washington’s farm tour season kicks off at Tonnemaker Family Orchard

by Laurel Miller on

Despite a late spring, Western Washington is gearing up for farm tour season. At Seattle’s U-District, Ballard, and West Seattle farmers markets (as well as the flock of smaller, seasonal neighborhood markets), stalls are advertising celebratory summer kick-off tours of dairies, cheeseries, farms, and ranches. One of my favorite vendors is Tonnemaker Family Orchards, a 132-acre, third-generation, certified organic farm in Central Washington’s Frenchman Hills. The family grows over 400 different varieties of fruits and vegetables. At the height of summer, their stall is an explosion of color, overflowing with crates and bins of melons, heirloom tomatoes, and up to 230 varieties of peppers. The family’s produce turns up in some of the Seattle region’s most acclaimed restaurants, including Spring Hill, Tilth, Poppy (chef/owner Jerry Traunfeld recently vied for the title on an episode of “Top Chef Masters”), and The Herbfarm.

The Tonnemaker’s are hosting a farm tour on June 27th, to coincide with the beginning of their cherry harvest: they grow over 12 varieties, including esoterica like the Black Republican, and Sonata. There will be a guided walking tour led by the Tonnemaker brothers (farmer Kole, and his brother, market manager Kurt), and a chance to shop at the farm stand. Lunch is by Seattle chef Matt Dillon (not that Matt Dillon, but still a celebrity in the world of chefdom), using ingredients from the farm. Dillon, co-owner of The Corson Building and the opening-at-any-second, relocated Sitka & Spruce, is a 2007 Food & Wine Best New Chef, and champion of local farmers and food artisans.

The Corson Building, a miniature urban farm-in-industrial-neighborhood, is one of my favorite restaurants on the planet. It’s not cheap, but it’s a beautiful example of how the parameters of “locally-sourced” food are changing within the restaurant industry, and how communal dining can be a unifying experience. Did I mention Seattle has what is perhaps the most progressive urban farm scene in the nation, and that summers are spectacular, even if you never leave the city?

Farm tour tickets are $60.00 self-drive, or $100.00 with chartered bus; registration deadline is June 13th. Fees for all farm tours help support family farms, local food security, and education about sustainable food systems. Local Harvest is a great national resource for finding farm tours, markets, and other events in your area.

Traveling culinary competition makes for swine time

by Laurel Miller on

Two garish, heavily-tattooed girls approached me and my friend Adrienne, and pointed their weapons at us. “Pig liver mousse?” asked the blonde, aiming a whipped cream dispenser at me. Her brunette counterpart stood silently, wielding a squeeze bottle of barbecue sauce and a tray of meaty tidbits.

Welcome to the second annual Cochon 555, a lard-fueled, traveling circus of five chefs, five winemakers, and five pig carcasses. It’s actually a 10-city tour, with each destination’s chefs engaging in “friendly competition” for a great cause: “to promote and preserve heritage pigs, and breed diversity in local and national communities.”

Heritage livestock are domestic breeds that are threatened with extinction due to the demands of modern agriculture. In the words of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, “Modern food production now favors the use of a few highly specialized breeds selected for maximum output in a controlled environment.”While some may find it ironic and hypocritical to eat, glorify, and promote animals in the name of saving them, you’re entitled to your opinion. For the rest of you, not only do heritage breeds help to preserve genetic diversity, but they also taste better. Many heritage breeds possess a “true” flavor inherent to the animal, i.e., pork tastes…more porky. Heritage breeders in general also have an emphasis on animal welfare, sustainable farming and animal husbandry practices, and regionality, as they’re generally small, family outfits. It’s hard to argue with those ethics if bacon makes you salivate.

I attended Seattle’s Cochon 555 on May 23rd to support the cause, as well as watch local chefs like John Sundstrom (Lark), and Tamara Murphy (Brasa) duke it out. Each competitor is chosen based on their support of local food sourcing and commitment to sustainability; the pigs are sourced from ranches dedicated to preserving heritage breeds. While the chefs prepare tasting plates (they’re allowed free rein on preparation method) for the guests, local family winemakers keep the grape flowing. Guests help select the winning chef by voting for their favorite, along with a panel of 20 judges. The victor of each destination is crowned “Prince or Princess of Porc,” and moves on to compete in the Grand Cochon finale, to be held June 20 at the Food & Wine Classic in Aspen.

Cochon 555 also includes a VIP “Meat & Greet” with local foods and producers, a “Swine & Spirits” mixology showcase, and- my favorite- a demonstration breakdown of a whole pig carcass. San Francisco’s Ryan Farr of 4505 Meats (and producer of the best damn chicharrones on earth) made a guest appearance in Seattle, and proceeded to dismantle a 140-pound pig before an awestruck audience. The results were raffled off, leaving each lucky winner clutching a package of pork to their chest.

Adrienne and I wandered around, sampling everything from tortellini with pig brains in a pork dashi, to apple-bacon ice cream, and red velvet cupcakes with whipped (sweetened) lard frosting. Not everything was good, mind you, and I can live a full life without eating the lard-shortbread version of a Snickers bar ever again, but chef Chester Gerl’s (Matt’s in the Market) cochinita pibil, a Yucatecan-style preparation made from a Red Wattle pig from Lazy S Farm in Kansas , was outstanding. I also thorougly enjoyed the mini “ultimate BLT” of chef Adam Stevenson’s (Earth & Ocean) cocoa-cured bacon, bologna, and smoked coppa, with tomato jam.

While the $125 price tag ($175 for VIP pass) is too steep- at least, at the Seattle event, where the food and drink ran out before the sun even began to set, it’s for an important cause. Even if you don’t eat meat, there’s a dire need for more humane livestock management, and stricter regulation on livestock production, waste management, and processing. As we used to say at the meat shop I once worked at, “Praise the Lard!”

Photo of the Day (04.10.10)

by Mike Barish on

Strolling along the shore at sunset can be magical. But is it better to be alone so that you can enjoy some quiet introspection or with someone so that the setting can help set a mood that you hope to sustain back at your house with some wine and a Barry White CD? Are sunsets best enjoyed in solitude or with company? There are merits to both. On the one hand, enjoying nature’s beauty alone allows you to reflect on the day’s events, their context in your life and what promise the following day may hold. On the other, sharing such a moment with a loved one allows you to get lost together and feel as if the rest of the world has ceased to exist. I wonder if Flickr user Andy Bokanev was with anyone when he captured this stunning image at Puget Sound. I wonder if he likes Barry White.

Have a picture of nature setting a romantic mood? Submit your images to Gadling’s Flickr group right now and we might use it for a future Photo of the Day.

Outdoor Research invites you to climb a northwest icon

by Kraig Becker on

Outdoor Research, manufacturer of a full line of great outdoor gear, is giving adventurers the chance of a lifetime with their Climb A Northwest Icon sweepstakes. The contest will send one lucky winner to Washington state, where they’ll have the opportunity to climb Mt. Rainier, led by one of the best mountain guide services in the business.

To enter the contest simply click here and fill out the online entry form any time between now and September 30th. Later this fall, the winner will be announced, and sent off on a 3-4 day guided climb of Rainier, led by International Mountain Guides, a company that has experience on peaks from the Himalaya to the Andes and beyond. The contest includes round trip airfare to Seattle, and $1500 worth of gear from Outdoor Research as well. The prizes don’t end there however. Two second place winners will each receive a Mithril Jacket courtesy of OR, while five third place winners will each get a pair of Outdoor Research Arete Gloves. The contest is is open to residents of the U.S. and Canada only.

Standing 14,411 feet in height, Rainier is the tallest mountain in Washington, and one of the top climbs in all of North America. To reach the summit, climbers will have to cross a massive glacier, the largest in the contiguous United States, and ascend a vertical prominence that is taller than the legendary K2. Depending on their experience, and the weather conditions, most people will reach the summit in three days, where they are treated to an outstanding view of the landscapes around them, including two massive craters that are remnants of the mountain’s volcanic past.

On a personal note, I have a number of gear items from Outdoor Research, and after months of use, they continue to impress me. They may not be as well known as some of the other, larger, gear manufacturers, but they do produce high quality gear for all kinds of activities. I highly recommend them for your next outdoor adventure.