THE HEATHMAN LODGE

5/11/2002

Heathman Lodge
The Heathman Lodge
(Three pictures are overlapped to make this one picture.)
(click on any thumbnail to see a larger image)

We put our things for the getaway into the car and stopped by Subway, for lunch on our way to the Heathman Lodge. When we finished, Dotti called up the hotel on the off chance that they would have our room ready, even though it was only 12 noon. As it turned out, they did! So, we headed straight over, rather than stopping by the mall first.  

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Lobby
Main
Stairway
Dotti on
the stairs
Split log
steps

The number of trees that were put to beautiful use in creating the Heathman Lodge has to be large. When we walked into the lobby, found ourselves in a world of wood. From the split log steps on the wooden stair case, to all of the banisters, the wall paneling, and of course the check-in desk, our eyes were seeing wood. We could see the round log shape being used to frame everything, support everything and decorate everything. Wood, wood, everywhere. The first impression it gives, from the outside is that of a huge log cabin. However most of the actual outside wall surface is wood shingle rather than split logs. Inside there is more wood in the halls, framing all of the doors. In the rooms the furniture has a rustic wood look. But the guest rooms are fully modern.

When we started to get used to seeing the wood, then other things started to stand out for us: the leather covering on the overhead lights; the Indian blankets draped over the railing on the upper level; and the bare old style canoe frame hanging on the wall, awaiting its hide covering. Everything tended call back to the 1800s when Oregon became a state, with lumber and Indians both being prominent in the lives of the pioneers.

heathman10.jpg (58 kbytes)After checking in, we moved our stuff into the room. Here is my lovely Dotti at the door of our room. We decided to stay in a suite because it had some nice extra touches that we were looking forward to trying.

heathman9.jpg (98 kbytes) We opened the door, and we very quickly decided that this suite was marvelous! In the photo, all the way to the back of the living room, you can see the door opening up onto the spacious balcony. To the right (not shown) is a dining table, and a small kitchen, including a sink, refrigerator, and microwave. To the left you can see a second table, for the computer of course, and to the right is a stuffed lounging chair.

The fireplace, which along with the couch, is on the left, and out of view, was gas operated, had a pilot, and was on a timer so you didn't have to worry about turning it off. Although I did not open it, I believe there is a television in the large cabinet on the right in the picture. heathman1.jpg (94 kbytes)

Naturally the first thing we did is to make a beeline outside onto the spacious balcony, where there was a wooden bench, surrounded by the wood of the building's exterior bracing and decoration. The near view was of the parking lot, but there were trees surrounding that, and a great deal of greenery in view, along with many attractive buildings. We tested it out, as you can see in the photos, and the bench was quite comfortable.

On the Balcony
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The bench
Dotti and Al
on the bench
Looking
along the
outside wall

heathman37.jpg (115 kbytes) As you can see, we started the day dressed as sort of a matched set, with red tops and denim for my jeans and for her skirt. Later on, Dotti changed into the dress that we bought for her at the mall that day special for dinner. =>

We had one issue with the balcony area that the hotel cleared up quickly for us. There were several wasps busily building a nest right over our bench, on the ceiling overhang for the balcony. Members of the hotel staff were up in a jiffy and had it knocked down for us, so we could enjoy the view without worrying about getting stung.

heathman2.jpg (108 kbytes) The king sized bed was very comfortable, and when we checked out the bedroom and the bath, we were very happy with the amount of room we found. The bathroom was so large that it should qualify as a legitimate room on its own. (Our little Holiday Inn hotel room we had when we visited Victoria, BC was not much larger than the bathroom in this suite.) There was a small dressing area in front of the bathroom door, with full sink and counter area, and the walk-in closet. In the bathroom there was another full sink and counter area; his and her sinks, as it were. The bath was loaded with mirrors. All around the Jacuzzi (that you can see Dotti pointing to in the picture) there were mirrors, and there were additional large mirrors surrounding the sink area.

We next headed outside to take some pictures. We started off in the front of the Hotel. There was a fishpond with a small waterfall and some gold fish swimming in it that were a couple of feet long, and well fattened up. The entire entryway was covered in wood, for both the Hudson's Restaurant, and the hotel itself.

In Front of the Hotel
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Dotti in front
of restaurant
Dotti and Al in front
of the fishpond
Main
Entrance

heathman11.jpg (125 kbytes) We next headed out back to see what the path was like. It was green and beautiful. Along the right, there stood a line of trees and bushes that virtually formed a fence all along the way. On the left was the lodge walls, covered with wood, heathman13.jpg (115 kbytes) fronted by green bushes, with decorative flowers in bloom. As we moved down the path we approached the iron gate that is the exterior entry point for the patio next to the indoor pool. The entry points are protected all around the Hotel by electronic locks that are opened with the guest room keys.

heathman14.jpg (93 kbytes) Once we got inside the pool area, I took a picture of Dotti standing in front of the pool. And we decided to take a little movie too. (Click here to view movie.)



Misc. Hotel Shots
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Totem Pole
In Lobby
Dotti overlooking
Restaurant
Painting in
Restaurant
Mingling area
Fireplace
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Our room
3rd Floor left
Dotti on
Balcony
East end
of Hotel
Al waiting
for dinner

The stairs in this hotel go all the way up from the ground floor to the top. (In the Sheridan in St. Louis, they did not go all the way down to the first floor in the tower, so we had to take the elevator at least part of the way.) We were up and down the stairs many times, and even used the elevator a couple of times to spare Dotti's feet, which were beginning to complain about the high heels she was wearing by the end of the day.

We did some shopping at the mall across the street, and acted like tourists. All and all it was a wonderful weekend. We split the money up that the very generous attendees of the Dotti's II conference had given us for a getaway weekend, and used half for this stay, and then we have a second weekend already scheduled for the coast, where we will use the other half of the money. (Thank you to all who were so kind to Dotti and me!)