Mountain Springs Lodge – Plain, WA

About twenty five minutes from Leavenworth you can find Plain, WA, home to the lovely Mountain Springs Lodge. They are located just up the road from the cute Plain Hardware Store in Leavenworth so be sure to stop there on the way! Read more about Plain Hardware in my article about our Leavenworth trip.

mountain springs lodge sign
front of lodge
diving through Plain, WA
sign
some of the locals
bundled up
sleigh ride
sleigh
pond
on the sleigh
hot cider
cider break
fire
fire pit

At Mountain Springs Lodge we did the Sleigh Ride and Dinner combo and despite the fact we went in fairly full, we were very happy we did the dinner!





First, after checking in we were taken out to a large red sleigh. Unfortunately, it was raining when we did the sleigh ride, but there were blankets provided which helped a bit. The sleigh was pulled by two large horses who were wearing bells. The scene was a gorgeous valley covered in white snow and our driver, Ty, was very friendly. We went out over the meadow where one could get a good look around at the valley, then up through the woods where we spotted wild turkeys!




Ty pulled up to the barn for a fire and some hot cider, and our son got a chance to play around in the snow.





We then returned to the Beaver Creek Lodge, which is part of the Mountain Springs Resort, for dinner. We were a small group, comprised of the three of us and other two couples. We arrived to find the fireplace lit and three round tables set up near it with white cloths and twinkle lights along the mantle, and quiet music playing. It was really a pretty scene. A selection of Washington wines is available and I went with the Jones of Washington Merlot, my husband and son went with iced tea. The tea was unsweetened and we had a lively discussion about the merits of Sugar in the Raw, but the problem of getting it to dissolve in your tea…yes, this is what over forty looks like folks!

wine list
wine list 2
fireplace




We started with warm focaccia bread, balsamic and roasted garlic cloves (enough to keep away even the hardiest of vampires!). Next came a salad adorned with walnuts, goat cheese, and cranberries. The main course was a filet mignon served with a brandy mushroom sauce and house smoked salmon. The filet was cooked perfectly and was nice and tender. Now, when I hear smoked salmon, I usually think of the sort you put on your bagels, but this was baked smoked salmon and, having lived in the NW for many years, my husband and I have had a lot of salmon and this one definitely stood out as one of the best preparations we’ve had.

Bread and Garlic
salad
salmon and steak
chocolate cake
carrot cake
snowmobiles
gift shop
conference center
break time

The chef came out to check on everyone and when I asked where the salmon came from I was shocked to hear they just get it through Cisco. It goes to show, that if a chef is great, they can make amazing things happen! The chef’s name was Duncan and he explained how he put the salmon in a brine for two days before smoking it then baking it and covering it with a Lemon Beurre Blanc Sauce. Bravo! Oh, and I should note that the meal also came with vegetables (fresh green beans the night we were there) and garlic mashed potatoes.



For dessert we had the carrot cake and chocolate ganache cake. The carrot cake was just o.k. but the chocolate cake was really very good. It was a lovely meal with great food and service in front of the Grand River rock fireplace in the Beaver Creek Lodge…definitely a nice evening.


The Mountain Springs Lodge offers a variety of activities as well as lodging. For more information on the Mountain Springs Lodge please visit their website at http://www.mtsprings.com.



 Happy Travels!
-Hollin

Hollin Stafford
Hollin Stafford

Hollin holds her degree in Sociology and was a flight attendant for United Airlines up until the time she had her son. She, her husband and son are now happily living with their three dogs in Portugal. Hollin home-schools so they can explore the globe, and teach through experience. When not writing about travel, Hollin’s focus is on writing fiction. Her work has received rave reviews from critically acclaimed agents and editors. She has a unique voice embodied through rich descriptions of shared human condition. She recently published her first YA novel, Degrees of Light and enjoys writing literary short stories. In 2017 she was listed on Glimmer Train's honorable mention list and was considered for the Fulton Prize from The Adirondack Review. Her short story, Blue, was featured in Literary Mama’s 2018 Mother’s Day Edition. She is originally from California.

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