Treasure Of The Methow Inn, Ranch Part Of Conscientious Arrowleaf Project

Remember that twangy electric-guitar theme song that launched each episode of the classic western TV series “Bonanza”?

Well, that’s what my mind’s ear cued up as I rode my horse - oops, I mean, as I drove my Isuzu Trooper into the parking lot at Freestone Inn, 16 miles west of Winthrop on the North Cascades Scenic Highway.

The lodge’s western ambience was perfect, inside and out. There were the rustic log walls, the elaborate stone fireplaces, the jetted tubs, the pan-roast king salmon with wild mushroom strudel…. On second thought, Adam, Hoss and Little Joe never had it this good back on the Ponderosa.

The 12-room Freestone Inn, which opened last month, is the centerpiece of Wilson Ranch, a 94-acre resort that includes a 30-seat restaurant, two lakeside houses, six cabins and a five-acre, stream-fed pond stocked with embarrassingly eager trout. Plans call for another 11 rooms at the inn, plus eight more lakeside homes and another 10 private residences.

But this may just be the beginning. If developers get the go-ahead from Okanogan County Commissioners on Tuesday, they’d like to begin work on Arrowleaf, a 1,200-acre destination resort that eventually will add another 690 homes and condominiums, a golf course, swimming pool, tennis courts, trail system, performing arts center, and retail and office space.

As ambitious as Arrowleaf sounds, it’s actually considerably smaller than the ill-fated Early Winters Resort proposed 22 years ago. Back then, the Aspen Corp. envisioned six times as many residential units on the same land, with 8,500 downhill skiers a day flocking to nearby Sandy Butte. The effect would have been to more than double the population of the enchanting 70-mile-long Methow Valley.

After strong grass-roots opposition killed the Early Winters project, R.D. Merrill Co. of Seattle acquired the land in 1992 and, through interviews, polls and public meetings, tried to determine what level of development was acceptable to local residents.

The result is Wilson Ranch, a sort of Arrowleaf in miniature. “This is a showcase of what we want to do with the rest of the property,” explained my host, project manager Jim Cullis.

The centerpiece is Freestone Inn, which incorporates many of the log-building techniques Seattle architect David Leavengood picked up while teaching and designing at Montana State University.

Lodgepole pine logs connected by iron hardware and traditional joinery rise 30 feet to the ceiling of the main hall. A massive, free-standing stone fireplace separates the restaurant from a comfortable sitting area.

A few steps away is the library, a cozy alcove stocked with secondhand books about cowboy life, critters, forest management and fairy tales. (But you’ll have to read Norwegian to fully appreciate one volume - a cross-country skiing book titled “Langrenns Teknikk.”)

Here and elsewhere throughout the inn are handsome ironwork elements fabricated by local artisans - fire screens, towel bars, light fixtures and western-theme room markers detailed in Braille.

Also adding to the lodge’s distinctive character are the numerous vintage photographs taken of, or by, late ranch owner and hunting guide Jack Wilson, a well-known valley resident after whom the resort is sentimentally named. An ethereally backlit silhouette of Wilson on horseback resides on the lobby fireplace mantel.

Rooms at Freestone Inn, each with private deck or balcony, range from $70 to $200 depending on size and season, and include a buffet breakfast. The two-and three-room lakeside homes go for $120 to $400 a night, depending on season and number of bedrooms used. And Jack Wilson’s old hunting cabins - completely refurbished, of course - cost from $60 a day for an off-season studio to $175 for a high-season, two-bedroom unit.

Chef Jeff James emphasizes Northwest cuisine with lunch dishes such as hickory-barbecued Washington chicken and Granny Smith apple salad ($6.95), and roast rack of Ellensburg lamb ($23.50) for dinner.

Besides the trout pond - perfect for summer swims or winter skates - the grounds include hot tubs, saunas and Jack’s Hut, where guests can seek advice or rent mountain bikes, fly rods and cross-country skis.

The quality of design, materials and craftsmanship is so exceptional throughout Wilson Ranch, it’s hard to imagine how the place can turn a profit with so few rooms and restaurant seats. In fact, by itself it probably can’t.

But the Merrill Co. - a diversified, family-owned Seattle business that began in 1924 harvesting timber on the Olympic Peninsula - hopes Wilson Ranch will undo the damage done by the original Early Winters proposal and persuade skeptics that sensitive development, even on the scale of Arrowleaf, can be a good thing for the Methow Valley.

Company-financed surveys suggest most valley residents support a “low-density, environmentally sensitive, self-contained resort community.”

Indeed, moseying around nearby Winthrop and Mazama, it’s easy to find local entrepreneurs willing at least to give the Arrowleaf developers the benefit of the doubt.

Of course, not all residents embrace the Arrowleaf proposal. Among the opponents is Lincoln Post, newly elected president of the Methow Valley Citizens Council, a 20-year-old group numbering several hundred that has challenged Arrowleaf’s environmental impact statement.

But even Post, a baker who moved to the valley five years ago, concedes the Merrill Co. deserves high marks for integrity. “I’m encouraged by how willing they’ve been to meet with valley residents to discuss issues,” he says.

Those concerns include the impact of wood stoves and motor traffic on the valley’s air quality, the project’s effect on water quality and quantity, and maintenance of wildlife corridors through the 4-mile-long riverfront parcel.

“Growth is inevitable,” Post says, “but there are a lot of decisions associated with growth. Our group is dedicated to making sure the valley develops in a conscientious and careful way.”

In 25 years - the estimated time it would take to complete Arrowleaf - the Methow Valley may bustle with year-round tourism from Seattle (155 miles away) and Spokane (210 miles).

But for now, Freestone Inn and the rest of Wilson Ranch remain an undiscovered treasure, offering fine food, excellent accommodations … and vacancies.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color photos

MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: IF YOU GO Wilson Ranch is an easy four-hour, 210-mile drive from Spokane that takes you through rolling wheat country, past Grand Coulee Dam and along the scenic Methow River. Head west on U.S. Highway 2, then take state Highway 174 just past Wilbur; 21 miles beyond Grand Coulee you pick up state Highway 17, which takes you into Brewster; take U.S. 97 to Pateros, then follow Highway 20 up the Methow Valley to Winthrop, Mazama and Wilson Ranch. Reservations for Freestone Inn or any of the Wilson Ranch cabins can be made by calling (800) 639-3809. Summer is expected to be the busy season at Wilson Ranch, with opportunities to fish, hike, swim, raft, mountain-bike, ride horse or just relax. But winter offers its own special appeal, thanks to the Methow Valley Sports Trails Association’s 175 kilometers (105 miles) of groomed cross-country ski trails. Numerous special events occur throughout the winter, including ski-shoot biathlons, races and a ski rodeo. For more information, contact the trails association at (509) 996-3287. In winter, you can hear the group’s trail report at (800) 682-5787. The Methow Valley is dotted with resorts, B-and-B’s, motels, campgrounds and private cabins available in all price ranges. For lodging information, contact Central Reservations at (800) 422-3048 (outside Washington, call (509) 996-2148). Upcoming community events include Winthrop Rodeo Days, Aug. 31-Sept. 1; Winthrop Antique Auto Rally, Sept. 14-15; the Methow Valley County Fair, Oct. 5-6; Methow Mountain Bike Festival, Oct. 4-6; and Winthrop’s October West celebration, Oct. 12-13. For details, contact the Winthrop Chamber of Commerce at (509) 996-2125.