By Liv Stecker
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Vintage Signs Beckon Passers-By |
The fondest
memories of my youth involve a grassy lakeside in the sunshine and a tan boy in
corduroy shorts, beckoning from the rocking turquoise shell of a paddleboat on
choppy waves. It’s the late 1980s, and nothing beats corduroy and paddleboats
for a middle-school girl in the dead of summer. The shorts have fallen out of
fashion temporarily, but the boat still rocks in the dark blue water every
summer off the shore of Lake Gillette, nestled high up in the mountains above
Colville where Beaver Lodge has stood since 1948.
Lake Gillette From the Lodge 1968 |
There isn’t much
grass right now, but Beaver Lodge Resort is in full swing as the snowmobilers
pile in for the annual Gold Rush Fun Run, perfectly timed with a several inches
of new snow and sunshine to rival the peak of July. In August of 2014, Beaver
Lodge changed ownership, and new owners Dick and Marlene Nichols bit off a
piece of Stevens County nostalgia that may have been more than they bargained
for – in both the work and the reward. “It’s been enjoyable, it’s been what we
thought it would be – busy!” Dick says.
Growing up in
the Colville area, both Dick and Marlene had visited lake as youngsters, as
well as bringing their own children out occasionally to stay at the Forest
Service campgrounds during the summer. Both of Dick’s parents were mail
carriers in the 1950’s on the Highway 20 route when he was a child, back when
the mail carrier also served as taxi service and grocery delivery for the
remote families on the lakes. Dick and his siblings (one brother is now the
mail carrier for the same route) would ride along with their parents on the
routes. Looking for a new adventure after many years of employment in Colville,
Beaver Lodge presented itself to the Nichols over and over again until, for
them, the timing was right. Marlene says that it’s the perfect spot for Dick to
practice his fix-it skills and keep busy. She balances a part time job at the
Stevens County Superior Court with her time at the lodge, where they spend the
better part of their week living and working now – coming full circle for Dick
and his youth spent near the Little Pend Oreille Lakes.
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The restaurant,
while no longer serving hard alcohol, still offers a wide variety of wine and
beers, of the macro and microbrew variety, and a full menu, including Prime Rib
dinner every night, a treat worth the drive for the dedicated carnivores among
us. Guests can watch the game on a big screen TV in the dining room, and WiFi
is available for the visitors that aren’t enjoying the break from cell service
and technology. The Nichols fenced in an outdoor beer garden area off of the
deck which almost doubles the restaurant seating area in the summer season.
In addition to
the nostalgic paddleboats, rowboats and the ever popular canoe, the Nichols’
are looking into expanding the recreation rentals to include Stand Up Paddle
Boards, an ideal sport for the Pend Oreille Lakes and their many summer
visitors. The pristine, snow covered lake also beckons snowmobilers and
snowshoers, who can skip the seasonal (and altogether reasonable) dock fee of
$5.
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For Valentines
Day, Beaver Lodge Resort is offering a cabin rental and dinner with two drinks
at $99 a night for a standard cabin, $129 for a deluxe cabin (with a private
bathroom). A quiet dinner for two including two drinks is $45 if you don’t want
an overnight stay in cozy cabin. For almost any holiday, it’s worth the 24 mile
drive from Colville to find out what Beaver Lodge Resort has to offer. Try the
prime rib and drink a cold beer overlooking the spectacular lake year round,
enjoy the memories from years past and plan some new ones for the future at
Beaver Lodge.
For more
information, visit the website: http://www.beaverlodgeresort.org or call 509-684-5657 to make
reservations for your next adventure in the woods.
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