By Cheryl Lee Latter

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

On this day in Twin Peaks: Introduction to Windom Earle, Donna does her own investigating, Meals on Wheels, Just You and I, Maddy sees Bob!

At home I don’t have a view, so waking up in this fabulous house with my balcony overlooking the river and the misty trees really is heaven. Honestly, my latest objective is to somehow win the lottery so I can stay here forever.

After a few days of famous PNW rain, the sun was out, bright and strong, and the air held the taste of Spring. We decided to spend the day exploring closer to Seattle and Bellevue, and to make a couple more pilgrimages that were important to us while in the area.

First we headed towards Lake Washington to visit Kurt Cobain’s house. The area is lovely and feels so peaceful, with a quiet park right next to his former home. As we approached the house, the MP3 player switched to Smells Like Teen Spirit. The trip really was more perfect by the minute! We spent a little time in the park, then walked round the corner to where we had parked the car to sit on the beach at Denny Blaine Park awhile. It was a gorgeous sunny morning.

Heading back, we stopped at the Hi-Spot Cafe in Madrona for lunch. I’ve never eaten so well in my life as I have on this trip. I’ll miss the food as much as anything else. 

Then we took a long drive to the Kiana Lodge, where we were once more meeting up with Jill.

In planning, I had confused Bainbridge Island with Mercer Island, so had underestimated the distance between our target locations for the day. Bainbridge, the site of the Kiana Lodge, which doubled as the interior of the Great Northern and Blue Pine Lodge, is quite a way out, but is well worth the trip.

The drive is a long one, but goes through so many of the lovely scenic towns that line the Puget Sound. With the weather we had, it was very pleasant.

The Kiana Lodge is a popular wedding and event location, so always contact ahead of time to make sure you can get access. They were very nice and welcoming when we contacted them, and gave us lots of information about interesting things to see. 

Inside, it’s pretty compact, and Peaks locations are everywhere. It smells like wood in the most wonderful way, like polish and incense. Its a heavenly scent. It’s fun to walk around and recognise the Great Northern lobby, the Norwegians’ meeting room, Ben’s fireplace, the Horne family dining room and spiral stairs. 

Outside, on the beach, is the most iconic sight of all – the huge log that Laura’s body drifted against as she washed up on the morning of Feb 24th. It is a stony beach, with a fabulous view of the Lodge (including the doors that Catherine and Josie were standing against in the Pilot), and Pete’s fishing spot. 

We stayed for a while, finding shiny stones, sea glass and tiny crabs. It was a pretty perfect way to spend an afternoon. Such a beautiful location. 

Driving back, we chose a shorter route, and accidently drove onto the Bainbridge-Seattle ferry! We were glad we did, though. I live on an island, and our boats are bumpy and bouncy at the best of times. This one was perfectly smooth, a fun 30 minute trip, and ended with a clear view of the full Seattle skyline. What an experience! 

That night, despite our exhaustion, we ended with a trip to Smokey Joe’s, Sarah Palmer’s trucker-bashing local, and a meet-up with some lovely fans who live in the area, Jill, Mary, Seth, Karl, and another visting fan, Martin. Our energy was low, but our contentment levels high.

This may have been the best day yet.