August 11, 2018 was our sixteenth wedding anniversary. Gabriel only had one day off for it this year so we had to choose carefully how to spend it; we opted for a day-trip to the beautiful Snoqualmie Falls. (As fans of Jacob and Addie's engagement scene in Love Will Find A Wheel may have worked out, we have a soft spot in our hearts for the romance of waterfalls.)
Snoqualmie Falls.
The origins of Snoqualmie Falls might be described in two different ways: through the medium of legend, or that of science. The people of the Snoqualmie tribe tell a story of the falls being created by dukʷibeł, the moon, who was the son of a star and a woman who was brought up to live among the Sky People; it was at Snoqualmie Falls that Moon the Transformer created all the rivers and filled them with fish. Modern geologists report that the falls were created when an active seismic fault cut an ancient volcano in half 20,000 to 60,000 years ago. In more recent history, the town of Snoqualmie was platted in 1889, and in the 1890s a hydroelectric power plant was constructed at the falls. The Victorian power plant is still in operation today, together with a second plant built in 1911.
There are viewing areas for the falls across from the top of the cascade and near the bottom of the 270-foot cataract. The falls are Washington state's second-most popular tourist attraction (after Mt. Rainier) and viewing space was tight, but the crowds were pleasantly respectful as everyone took turns stepping up to the railings. It was delightful to hear the tongues of many lands which filled the air as visitors from around the globe gazed on the beautiful falls. After we'd seen the falls from the top, watching the plunging waters and the mists which drifted from them, we hiked down the short but very steep trail to the bottom. The scene was an iconic Northwest forest, with towering evergreens, picturesque nurse stumps, and closely-crowded berry bushes on either side of the trail.
We weren't the only ones to be attracted to the romance of the falls: when we arrived at the viewing area at the bottom, a young couple there had just that moment gotten engaged. There is something about the powerful rush of waters that calls out to the hearts of lovers.
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After we'd seen the falls from the bottom we climbed back up the trail again and had a very special anniversary lunch at The Attic restaurant at the Salish Lodge. Perched atop the falls, the Salish Lodge was originally built as The Snoqualmie Falls Lodge in 1916, and is now owned and operated by the Muckleshoot tribe. To people outside the Pacific Northwest, the Salish Lodge is perhaps best known for the role it played in a television series: it served as the set for "The Great Northern" hotel in David Lynch's Twin Peaks. (This fact is referenced in a subtle, "twinkle-in-the-eye" way in the menu: when our bill came after lunch I had to smile when I saw my dessert listed as cherry pie and "Damn fine coffee" —an oft-repeated quote from the series.)
When we first entered the restaurant Gabriel asked if we might have a window seat but they were all full at the time. Fortunately for us, though, the best window seat in the whole restaurant opened up before our order came. We each went over to peek out at the falls while we could, and consequently one of the waitresses kindly asked if we'd like to switch tables. Naturally we did, and we found ourselves with a spectacular view. My seat faced the main waterfall while Gabriel's, across from me, looked out on a smaller rush of water across from the main torrent. Between the two, we had a spectacular view out to the mountains. As we ate, a heavy squall of rain moved in; we watched it rush in over the conifer-covered slopes of the mountains, then for a few minutes the forceful rain was our whole view out the picture windows. Then the rains moved on and the waterfalls emerged again: beautiful Northwest weather.
After lunch we went back out to the waterfall one more time, then we entered the town of Snoqualmie itself.
The old historic town center is utterly charming; we found the 1890 train station particularly sweet. We enjoyed looking over an antique locomotive on display outside, then I cooed over the beautiful old wavy glass windows and flash glash on the depot itself as well as lovely wood panelling inside the building.
As we passed through the gift shop (formerly the ladies' waiting room), the woman working there struck up a conversation with us. When she asked about our clothes and I said we dress this way all the time, her jaw dropped. "Are you the woman whose book I'm reading?" She asked excitedly. As it turns out, she'd just finished reading the chapter on communications in This Victorian Life. It was especially fun for me to meet someone who's reading one of my books right now. When we'd been at the restaurant for lunch, I'd noticed a woman at the next table had a paperback novel with her, and I'd told myself that if I ever saw someone "in the wild" with one of my books, then I would consider that I had achieved true success as an author. This was remarkably close!
Night-time found us back home again, in our house which was completed the same year Snoqualmie was platted as a city —just one year before that train lovely depot had opened. As we drifted off to sleep, snuggled in each other's arms, we talked of what a perfect day it had been, and how beautiful the waterfall was. We were already making plans to go back soon!
***
In a seaport town in the late 19th-century Pacific Northwest, a group of friends find themselves drawn together —by chance, by love, and by the marvelous changes their world is undergoing. In the process, they learn that the family we choose can be just as important as the ones we're born into. Join their adventures in
The Tales of Chetzemoka
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First Wheel in Town:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance
In the summer of 1881, a Pacific Northwest town is buzzing with curiosity over a mysterious package received by handsome young Dr. Brown. Kitty Butler, the town dressmaker, is as curious as anyone else. She only knows one thing about that crate in the post office: everyone else's guesses about its contents are all wrong. When Dr. Brown unpacks the crate and reveals the first bicycle the town has ever seen, he wants to share his enthusiasm for this revolutionary new piece of technology —but encounters overwhelming hostility instead of the excitement he'd expected. The only one who seems positively interested is the pretty young widow Kitty Butler, and Dr. Brown soon realizes how much he needs her support…
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Love Will Find A Wheel:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance
"I'm sure he'll be glad you're here —once he gets used to it." When Jacob Simmons arrives in Washington Territory in the summer of 1882 and receives a glacial reception from his uncle Silas, he appreciates Dr. Brown's encouraging prediction but doesn't have much faith in it. Jacob's not even sure Silas will have time to get used to his presence, let alone consider him welcome. If the young man can't meet the draconian requirements of a contract with his business investors, he'll face exile and financial ruin, thus fulfilling old Silas' prediction that he would be just as dismal a failure as his father. His whole future rests on finding a market for a remarkable new machine —and he'll need help selling them. ***
Addie Kellam is an incredibly lonely young woman. She's more comfortable with books than with other people, yet she longs for the sort of romance she reads about in stories. It's something she fears she'll never experience herself, since even friendship seems elusive. She envies the cameraderie her brother finds in his cycling club, but the only bicycles in the town of Chetzemoka are specifically designed for men. There aren't any wheels for women anywhere —are there?
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A Rapping At The Door:
A Victorian Cycling Club Suspense Story
When the delivery of a mysterious letter to Silas Hayes' mansion is followed by the arrival of a beautiful young woman who claims she can communicate with the dead, Nurse McCoy sniffs trouble in the wind. It's obvious to her that the newcomer is after Silas' fortune, but he is helplessly in awe of the medium's eerily intimate knowledge of his past and her seemingly supernatural abilities. Meanwhile, Kitty Brown's yearning to reach out to the departed spirit of her first love is making her push away her new husband, just when she needs him the most. The whole situation is a dreadful mess, and McCoy's got to straighten it all out before Silas' nephew and his bride come back from their honeymoon. Honestly, she doesn't know how any of the fools in this world would get along without her…
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Delivery Delayed:
A Victorian Cycling Club Romance
It's obvious to everyone in the Chetzemoka cycling club that Lizzie and Isaac could make each other very happy —but really, does anyone follow their friends' hints when it comes to affairs of the heart? A prim schoolmarm and a stoic steamship captain are hardly the people to discuss their sentiments, in spite of all that everyone else does to bring them together. Love seems so easy for other couples, yet for these two the smallest challenges loom as huge obstacles. Just when progress finally seems possible, a well-intentioned little girl steps in with the kind of help they'd be better off without. Will the situation be resolved before it's too late, or will Isaac ship out for good?
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A Trip and a Tumble:
A Victorian Cycling Club Story
Time for a vacation —step right up! When Felix's newspaper sends him up to Victoria, B.C. to report on a visiting circus Ken inevitably tags along, "like a dutiful puppy", as Addie says. Meanwhile, Jacob's sent north to Victoria as well, as an ambassador for the cycling company he represents. Addie tells him to keep an eye on the chums, but no one ever could keep Ken and Felix from stumbling into scrapes. When a vivacious high-society belle and a surprisingly timid circus bicyclist enter the picture, things heat up quickly. Be prepared for a grand circus pageant —let the show begin!
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