Extreme Golf
City slicker reveals ups and downs of golf in Cathlamet

There are two valid reasons to play Skyline Golf Course. One of them is to have Mary Remer tell you one of her interesting stories; the other is to have an enjoyable round of golf.  Mary and her husband, Mike Remer, took over a long-term lease and have operated the course since February 2005.  Let me describe Skyline to you first; then I’ll tell you a bit more about Mary and her family.

A quick glance at the score card showing 4170 yards, a slope rating 102 and a course rating 63.4 would make one think this is a brisk walk in the park. Those ratings indicate a very easy course. You actually play the course twice from different tees and use a second hole cut in each green for the second nine holes. You know which flag to shoot at by its color.  I remember seeing only one flag stick from the tee box—you actually have a short downhill
par 3 on # 3.

The day we played, the weather was beautiful and sunny.  We would only be playing the “front” nine, so why rent a cart, right?  We were so glad we had a cart—city slickers call this “extreme” golf. Trust me, that is an understatement.  You don’t play far to realize this is serious, narrow, hillside, up and down golf.  Many of the shots are “blind” and, in some cases, you don’t see the green until you get within 100 yards. The smart thing would be to play with a “short” set of clubs, starting with maybe a 4 or 5 iron.  The holes are short, but you must keep the ball in play.

As an added problem, I had managed to leave my favorite iron, my sand wedge, in a greenside bunker and was lost without my “sandy,” because I use it frequently on the fairway.  Luckily, the couple playing behind us retrieved it for me.

Mary said Skyline has two markets—family adventure, mostly for the kids, and  “extreme” golf, for the country club set. There is no dress code,” although clothes are required (Mary is “modest,” she said).  Green fees are $25 for 18 holes, a cart is $20.  You need a cart like you need a life jacket when you’re ship-wrecked on the Pacific Ocean.  Recently, a foursome of marathon runners actually walked the full 18 holes.

One great advantage of hillside golf is the terrific view possibility—this time of the Columbia River. Don’t let the view distract you however, this is a “tight” golf course. Take an extra sleeve of balls in case you land a shot in the woodlands and maybe suffer a bit of disorientation during your search.

This golf course is for families and is operated by the Remer family. With a long-term lease, they plan to be in Cathlamet for a while.  Mike Remer is a maintenance man and occasional golfer.  Mary spends most of her time in what she calls her “hay field.” As near as I could determine, that term also refers to her multitude of flower boxes and other beautification projects.

Their four boys are serious golfers. Sean, Skyline’s on-site club professional, is a graduate of the San Diego Golf Academy. A qualified instructor, he gives lessons and runs local golf academies for kids.  Another son, Nick, is a playing professionally at Bermuda Dunes in Palm Desert.

Skyline has an active men’s club.  Accordingly, every Wednesday is men’s day.  Ladies haven’t demanded equality yet, but probably will soon. Yearly membership is $495.

Mary describes herself as a “raconteur” (one who excels in telling anecdotes) and I believe her. She knew I was doing a short piece for Columbia River Reader.  Once she got rolling, there was one story after another. Some of her tales were golf-related, many were not, but all were colorful and interesting.
The greens are beautiful now and well maintained.  Greens are prone to disease and require endless
“hands on” maintenance.  The whole project seems daunting to me, but Mary and her family seem up to the task.  Call 360-795-8785. Mary will probably answer the phone. When you go, expect to be greeted with a firm handshake and strong eye-contact.

Cathlamet is becoming a “destination experience,” as more people are realizing there is much to see
and do in this river town. If you’re going west on State Highway 4, a left will get you to an interesting downtown area and a right on Boege Street leads to Skyline Golf Course. Enjoy your day!  If you find a barely used Titleist 3 in the woods, save it for me, will you?

Why Whittle?
Carving art and whimsey in wood

While looking for a gift for his goose-hunting brother, Duane Van ran across a wood-carving pattern for a pair of geese – one flying and one sitting. He already enjoyed oil painting and drawing, but, as hobbies, “they weren’t totally satisfying,” he recalled. He decided to try his hand at woodcarving.

Over the years since then, he has acquired many wood carving implements, but his first project required only X-acto knives and sandpaper.  He started with a block of bass wood, a hardwood from the Midwest known for its tight grain and ease of carving. The geese, miniatures with a 7-inch wingspan, took about a month to carve.  People might not think a month is a long time to make a piece of art, Van said, but it was slow going.

“It is (a long time) when you don’t know what you’re doing,” he joked. “I figured if  I wrecked it, I could burn it and nobody would know.” Since then, he has made about 200 more individual pieces, including birds, fish and Kachinas.

Van paints most of his finished carvings, using acrylics applied with a brush or airbrush, but many other carvers are “purists,” leaving the wood natural. Woodcarvers proudly point out that their craft is not “just whittling,” Van said. “It’s an art form.”

Most projects take research, patience and skill. When carving his pieces, Van said, “there’s a point where I hate ‘em.”  That’s when his carving seems crude and the piece hopeless. But then, “it starts to live a little. When you start to see it come to life,” he explained, “it gives you a satisfied feeling.” With fish carvings, that moment is when he puts the eyes in.

Van, who has competed in woodcarving contests and won numerous awards, explained, “If you’re going to carve and compete, it’s research, research, research. You can’t carve something if you don’t know what it looks like.”

Wood carving is not an exact science and sometimes the knife slips a bit, but, “you can fix most boo boos,” he said. “I couldn’t begin to tell you how many fins I’ve broken and replaced.”

Van also carves Kachinas, representing spirit beings of the Pueblo people. He first saw the figures while visiting the Four Corners area (intersection of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Colorado) as a boy.
“I always liked them . . . never could afford them,” he said. Kachinas the same size Van makes can sell for $10,000 and higher, he said, depending on the reputation of the native carver. Van’s  aren’t exactly the same as authentic native-made Kachinas, however. Out of respect, he always includes
one tiny deviation from reality, like a color or other detail. 

“They’re a sacred item among the Hopi tribes. I wouldn’t want to duplicate a Kachina,” he said. His

colorful collection includes versions of a butterfly girl (Manu Poli) and Mowgli, the great horned owl.
Woodcarvers aren’t “all old people,” he said. “We (retired people) are the ones that have the time, but there’s a lot of fine, young carvers.”

If you go:
Lower Columbia Wood Carvers 21st Annual Show • FREE
Sept. 24 - 25, 10 a.m.
Cowlitz County Expo Center, Kelso
Carving Demos, Items for sale. Info, 360-577-1102
The Show will draw carvers from all over the Northwest. Featured artist Thu Nguyen, a Viet Namese carver from Seattle, will show classical sculpture in natural wood with exotic finishes. Items for sale would make ideal Christmas gifts, Van said, but lookers shouldn’t expect bargain prices. “People sometimes come with a bazaar or garage sale mentality. But wood carving is an art form, not a craft.” Prices will reflect that, he said.
Lower Columbia Woodcarvers meets monthly at the Longview Senior Center and  welcomes visitors and new members. For more information, call 360-577-1102. Duane Van, currently the president of the 80-member  club, said woodcarvers are special. “They’re the nicest people,” and are open and helpful even in competition.

Hike Oregon's Cascade Head
Big Trees, Butterflies and the Sea

Looking for a surreal adventure that will take you from lazy, sunset walks on the beach to the euphoric adrenalin rush of a challenging coastal prairie hike overlooking the Pacific Ocean?  Hike Cascade Head near Lincoln City, one of the most picturesque and photographed spots on the Oregon coast.

In the early 1960s Cascade Head was destined for development,º when volun-teers organized and raised funds to purchase the property. In 1966, they turned 300 acres over to the Nature Conservancy (an international, non-profit organization dedicated to preserving the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters natural communities of plants and animals need to survive).

Cascade Head is recognized, ecologically,  as one of the few remaining coastal prairies and home to one of the remaining endangered populations of the silverspot butterfly. Cascade Head’s unique ecosystem provides a perfect environment for the full life span of the butterfly, which lays its eggs in the fall in the host plant, the meadow species of a rare blue violet. Hatching within 16 to 26 days, the larvae winter over, protected by the violet, and emerge in the spring to feed on the leaves. The orange and brown butterfly, with its black veins and silver-spotted under-wing surface, emerges in late July to September, feeding off the nectar of the yarrow, pearly everlasting, Canada goldenrod and Douglas aster.

After parking your car at Knight Park, you reach the trailhead by following a roadside trail. The hike begins with a moderate climb just over a mile, through 50- to 150-year old Sitka Spruce and Western Hemlock, majestic in size.  We hiked in mid-July, enjoying the regal spikes of foxgloves. Crossing over an architecturally eye-catching wooden bridge, we eventually broke into a meadow of waving red fescue and wild rye. We caught glimpses of Indian thistle, paintbrush, lupine, and wild iris mingled amid the grasses and were lucky to find several blooms of the endangered checker-mallow, which has found a safe haven in the Coast Range of Oregon.

Once in the meadow, at about 0.6 miles you will come to the lower viewpoint.  For the next 1.5 miles, you begin a climb with a 1200-foot elevation gain, reaching an upper viewpoint and, eventually, the upper trailhead. It’s a heart-ticking challenge, but at the top you will find a piece of heaven.

If the Pacific Ocean were not stretched out to the west, one might envision the prairies of eastern Washington. Resting in the grass reeds, you overlook the magnificent coastline with the Salmon River Estuary meeting rugged basalt cliffs. While taking in the tranquility, I noticed an early silverspot butterfly flittering by and was able to sneak up on it and capture it with my camera’s lens. Exploring further, I found a viewpoint overlooking an isolated beach where sea lions are known to sunbathe.

Now, I must admit— I cheated!  My husband, Blaine, dropped our daughter and me off at the upper trailhead and we hiked down. He met us at the Knight Park parking lot, so there is an easier option.
We stayed in Lincoln City, rising each morning for a crisp walk on the beach, sometimes hopping from rock to rock exploring the tide pools containing an abundance of sea urchins and starfish.  The evenings brought the quiet stillness of burnt orange to red sunsets.

We lazily worked our way back to Longview, stopping at the Blue Heron French Cheese Factory in Tillamook, sampling their palette- pleasing cheeses, wines, and sauces. There were many photo opportunities from viewpoints along the road, my favorite stop being at Cape Kiwanda. Stopping at Tolovana Park just south of Cannon Beach, we savored the flavor of Mo’s famous clam chowder. Of course, a trip to the Oregon coast would not be complete without a visit to Haystack Rock.
In mid-September, you will still be able to catch the Douglas aster in bloom.  Picturing the butterflies flitting from blossom to blossom,  I already have a yearning to go back.