By Cheryl Lee Latter

From South Bend To North Bend – My Twin Peaks Trip Across the US

March 3rd- On this day in Twin Peaks – it’s all about visions: Cooper seeing the giant and elderly waiter, Maddy has a premonition of her blood on the carpet, and the Major sees Bobby’s future.

There can’t be many more exciting things than waking up in the real Twin Peaks with a whole day of exploring ahead.

I had my heart set on seeing the falls without a crowd of other people around, so we set off bright and early for the Salish Lodge and Spa, the hotel that doubles as the Great Northern high above the water.

Even seeing a glimpse of that familiar exterior from the road as we approached was exciting enough, and entering the big double doors was like coming home once more.

Before you even step inside, the warmth and woody incense smells make it clear this is a place to relax and be pampered.

In the dining room, I was greeted by name at the front desk, ‘You must be Cheryl,’ and swept to a window table which basically overlooked the opening credits of Twin Peaks. The mist in the trees seemed to have been placed there purely to set the tone for our day. Even then, it couldn’t have been more perfect.

Our waitress, Sandy, brought coffee, which comes with a full ‘coffee service’ – milk, white sugar, brown sugar, whipped vanilla cream, and chocolate sprinkles.

She then brought us complimentary biscuits – or scones for us Europeans – with butter, homemade jam, and their famous ‘honey from heaven’ service, where honey is poured from high above to represent the waterfall.

Already on a sugar buzz, I momentarily regretted ordering pancakes, but changed my mind when they came with maple syrup and blackberry compote. I tried them with every sugary item already on the table, and was soon bouncing off the walls and ready to attack the day.

Sandy made an extra effort when discovering we were Peaks fans, quoting from the show when pouring coffee, and bringing us a driving guide to the filming sites. We felt very welcome indeed.

An obligatory trip to the Salish gift shop put that excess energy to good use.

After breakfast we walked around the building to the falls viewing platform. They are every bit as wonderful as can be expected, and as an extra bonus, the weather and colours were just like on the show, misty and ethereal and falling in slow waves. Just as I had hoped, there was no-one else around, and we spent some time enjoying the peace.

Whether it’s the power of the water, the nearby hydroelectric plant, or just the Native American spirit, there is a tangible energy that you can feel recharging you from the feet up. All my daily anxieties melted away into the beauty around me. It was transcendent.

As if we weren’t energised and caffeinated enough, after a quick drive around we headed for Twede’s diner, aka the RR, to meet our dear friend Jill.

It’s a strange sensation to walk into somewhere thousands of miles from home, and to already know it completely.

‘How does it feel to be in here?’ Jill asked.

‘Weirdly normal and familiar,’ I replied.

‘That’s because you’ve come home.’