Twisp and Shout

Once a year The Gourmands take a culinary excursion together to celebrate fabulous food, special wines, and many years of friendship. In past years the Rolphes, Jacklins, Stanleys, and Thilos, have explored the offerings of Sooke Harbor Resort (Vancouver Island, British Columbia), Napa Valley, and Walla Walla's Wine Country. This year's travel took us to Sun Mountain Lodge in Washington's beautiful Methow Valley. The road trip to our destination was sprinkled with excellent pit stops, including the magnificent Grand Coulee Dam.

Built from 1933-1975, the dam is 550 feet tall and nearly a mile long. The so-called "Eighth Wonder of the World" is the first structure created by man to exceed that of the Great Pyramid which was built around 2,595 BC.



Built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation, Grand Coulee Dam is the largest electric power-producing facility in the United States and one of the largest concrete structures in the world.



From the Dam we resumed our journey and headed to Twisp where we satisfied our Sunday brunch appetites at the Twisp River Pub. Situated on the banks of the picturesque Methow River, the popular pub served burgers to some, Eggs Benedict to others and beers to the rest of us. After a particularly cool and rainy Idaho Spring, we especially savored the sunny deck overlooking the river.




Before leaving Twisp, we made a quick stop at the Cinnamon Twisp Bakery. Even though we were delightfully "fed up" with our brunch/lunch at the Pub, we found room to sample the Bakery's famous "Cinnamon Twisp."


Arguably the best cinnamon twist I've ever had, we were thrilled to learn we would be making a return visit on the backside of our Sun Mountain trip.