Articles
Television's Twin Peaks & the Salish Lodge and Spa
by David Ortmann
written for PASSPORT magazine, July 2006
"Who killed Laura Palmer?"
It remains one of the most asked questions in television history, second only to "Who shot J.R?" In creating the mystery surrounding the death of homecoming queen Laura Palmer, David Lynch and Mark Frost grew an entire town and culture around her. The town was called Twin Peaks, a quirky, off-beat berg nestled high in the remote mountain of northern Washington state, whose denizens favored strong coffee and sweet cherry pie and were given to demonic possession, clairvoyance, and the ability to commune with the spirits of the forest, as well as the usual prime time predilections of adultery, graft, drug-addiction, and murder.
Americans grew to love Twin Peaks and a small, dedicated group of fans, who communicate online throughout the year, gather each July in Snoqualmie and North Bend Washington where portions of the series were filmed. This subculture has a loyalty to both Lynch and Peaks that would rival that of the heartiest Star Trek convention, despite the show's cancellation after only two seasons, notwithstanding high ratings and a solid following.
Yes, Laura, Twin Peaks lives on. The Annual Twin Peaks Festival (www.twinpeaksfestival.com) attracts many stars of the show and die-hard fans who spend a weekend holding Twin Peaks costume contests and screening Peaks episodes in between eating, drinking, and touring through the sites where the series and it's pre-quel (Lynch's darkly misunderstood Fire Walk With Me) were filmed.
PASSPORT magazine enjoyed a strong cup of coffee at Norma Jennings' Double R Diner (Twede's Café, 137 North Bend Way), visited the Blue Diamond Motel (named, in actuality, The Mt. Si Motel, 43200 SE North Bend Way), and scaled the Twin Peaks that gave the town it's moniker (Mount Si). Sadly, much of the area has changed and some of the sites (particularly the Packard Sawmill) are in a state of gross neglect.
Not neglected, is the thriving Salish Lodge Lodge and Spa (www.salishlodge.com), which served as the exterior of The Great Northern Hotel in the series. The Salish is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains just 30 miles east of Seattle. The majestic and roaring Salish Falls were featured in Twin Peaks' opening credits and have become synonymous with the show. The One-Armed Man even hid beneath the falls while searching for Laura's killer. If you do not know what we are talking about. watching the series on DVD will change you perspective on the art of American television, and perhaps your life. The Twin Peaks Gazette (http://www.2000revue.com/tp/store/tp.php) has excellent recommendations on what to watch and how, to allow today's viewer the same experience as savored by those viewers who sat glued to their sets, cheery pie in hand, during the last two years of the 1980s.
The Salish is a luxurious Spa with an extraordinary selection of dining experiences in their Main Dining Room, Attic Bistro, and Kayak Café. We enjoyed a heated stone massage and then soaked in healing spring waters before sitting down to a five-course meal including Creamy Chestnut Soup, a Miso Glazed Yellowtail Tuna, and a sampling of items from their dessert menu. We could still taste the hand crafted green apple sorbet and the dark rich French Roast coffee as we sat in the Jacuzzi style hot tub back in our room slowing becoming mesmerized by the blaze in the fireplace and the concert of sound from the waterfall outside the window.
Though the Salish probably won't be the first choice for the business traveler, as the room rate begins at $399, it is truly a treat and should be experienced fully from waterfall hike to sumptuous meal, at least once.
In closing, it was interesting to learn that The Salish Falls are longer than its wider and more famous relation, the Niagara (perhaps finally settling that argument about the importance of width versus length once and for all).