Watching Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Gunsmoke’s Matt Dillon and Miss Kitty, and, of course, Bonanza's Hoss, Little Joe, Adam and Ben Cartwright as kids we learned of those early days in our part of the country: tumble weeds tumbling through vast open spaces, sparcely populated by 'Cowboys and Indians' and always with mountains in the distance. . .
So it shouldn't be surprising that one of our favorite stays in Central Washington was at a place that put us right in the 'Old West'; a step back in time, and less than a three-hour drive from Seattle.
We stayed in this 'room' at Cherry Wood Bed and Breakfast, in the heart of Yakima Valley wine country.
The bed and breakfast is a working ranch in the midst of an agricultural area, so the rates include a hearty ranch breakfast. Had we had the time, for an additional price, we could have saddled up and taken a trail ride tour of local wineries. I must admit that our taste of the 'old West' was nothing at all like those black and white television shows where they pulled a thin bed roll off the back of the saddle and hunkered up on the hard pack by the campfire for warmth.
Our stay was for an article I was writing about ‘glamping’. . . , that cushie-kissed means of 'camping in comfort'.
We did have our own old wooden "outhouse" to use when nature called. However, hidden behind these wood walls was a fresh-scented, plastic 'Port-a-Potty' which was pumped and cleaned regularly.
We brushed our teeth and washed up under the watchful eye of the self-appointed morning hygiene supervisor.
When we stepped inside the ‘door’ – an opening in our canvas walled tee-pee -- we found ourselves surrounded by luxury:
We offered a toast to the 'Old West" as we sat on the wooden swing, near the campfire pit watching the sun set over the far-distant Cascade Mountains, sipping our glasses of Yakima Valley wine.
It is TP Thursday so click this link to Budget Travelers Sandbox and take a quick trip around the world through the lenses of my fellow travel bloggers. And watch for the return of Washington Wednesdays, WAWednesdays, next week on Travelnwrite. This year's tales will begin at Iron Springs Resort at Copalis Beach.
