Next Stop
Issue: May/June 2009
Destination: Olympia
A walk on the wild side in Washington’s capital city
Ientered through the 11-foot-tall fence door behind the “Keep Gates Closed at All Times” sign, unaware that I was about to experience one of the most surreal moments of my life. Megan Moskwa, director of education at Wolf Haven International, who was giving me a midmorning tour of the wolf area, told me I wouldn’t hear the wolves howling—most likely—because they typically only do it at dusk or dawn, or when they hear high-pitched noises. About three minutes after those words left her lips, the wolves pursed theirs, tilted faces skyward, and every last one of the 52 lupines began to howl. Then, maybe 10 minutes later as we exited the preserve area, they did it all over again—almost as if to say goodbye.
Surprisingly enough, that was my introduction to the Olympia-Tumwater area. What followed was a day of rubbing elbows with baby chicks, lambs and pigs while sipping the award-winning apple cider at Lattin’s Country Cider Mill & Farm; getting up close to the vintage airplanes of the Olympic Flight Museum; sinking my teeth into the best Northwest berry cobbler known to mankind at the Iron Rabbit Restaurant; and then learning hundreds of historical facts told by Olywalks’ Dixie Havlak during her walking tour of Olympia. All this, and I had only scratched the surface of things to do in the capital city. With each turn of a street corner I found something new to check out the next time I return.
Neither Moskwa nor I know for sure why the wolves howled that morning, but one thing is for certain: Their calls will always lure me back to Olympia.
in a nutshell:
Wolf Haven (www.wolfhaven.org); Lattin’s Farm (www.lattinscider.com); Olympic Flight Museum (www.olympicflightmuseum.com); Olywalks (www.olywalks.com); Olympia/Lacey/Tumwater Convention & Vistors Bureau (www.visitolympia.com).
YUM:
Budd Bay Café (www.buddbaycafe.com); Iron Rabbit Restaurant & Bar (www.ironrabbit.net); Waterstreet Café & Bar (www.waterstreetcafeandbar.com);
and for the best coffee in Olympia—Batdorf & Bronson Tasting Room(www.batdorf.com).
ZZZZZs:
The Inn at Mallard Cove (www.theinnatmallardcove.com); Phoenix Inn Suites Olympia (www.phoenixinn.com).
