Peace And Quiet And Real Food

HIDDEN VALLEY RANCH, Kittitas County - When the dinner gong rings at Hidden Valley Ranch, they say you can hear it nine miles away in Cle Elum.

But if that were true, half of Cle Elum would come for dinner.

The gong is LOUD! And that's good. If you stay at Hidden Valley, you won't want to miss a meal.

We first heard the gong at 6:30 p.m. on a recent Friday, shortly after the two-hour drive from Seattle and checking in for a weekend's stay and some cross-country skiing.

Along with a dozen or so other newly arrived guests, we gathered at the main ranch house, wondering what to expect.

The ranch house - which serves as kitchen and dining room - was built in 1921 and has a wide porch around three sides. That's where the dinner gong - an iron triangle - hangs from a beam.

Inside, we sat on benches around varnished picnic tables, surrounded by knotty-pine walls and Western decor - old saddles, branding irons, bridles, chaps, antique rifles, wagon wheels, a pair of snowshoes.

The ranch's brochure had advertised ``real Western cookin' '' - and we weren't disappointed.

Dinner was roasted chicken, real mashed potatoes (with genuine lumps!), chicken gravy, fresh mixed vegetables, homemade whole-wheat rolls, and chocolate ice cream. We helped ourselves to free seconds, then lingered over several cups of freshly brewed coffee.

Our party - two couples and a toddler - decided we could eat

heartily that night, and work it off skiing.

Hidden Valley Ranch, 700 acres of rolling hills, open meadows and ponderosa forests, is crisscrossed with about 20 kilometers of groomed ski trails. And the entire area is closed to snowmobiles.

On that late-January weekend, the snow at Hidden Valley was a little too thin for skiing. (That's unusual; by the following weekend they had plenty of snow.) So on Saturday we drove up toward Blewett Pass - a half-hour away - and skied some roads and trails off Highway 97. The beautiful Teanaway Valley is even closer, just north of State Route 970. Although it is open to snowmobiles, we saw only a few in several hours of skiing on Sunday.

In the spring, summer and fall, the ranch's trails are for horseback riding. Hidden Valley has a herd of 27 riding horses - all bred, broken and trained at the ranch. Horses are available for all levels of riders, and guides lead rides several times a day.

The summer schedule includes a rodeo ``playday'' with amateur horse racing, barrel racing, and ``posse polo,'' hayrides and a chuck-wagon breakfast in a nearby meadow. Classes on bird watching, flower identification and photography are offered twice a year.

Looking up at the stars from the ranch's outdoor hot tub and heated swimming pool can help take away the soreness or chill after a day of riding or skiing.

Or there is the recreation hall in the center of the ranch grounds where you can cuddle up on overstuffed couches in front of a blazing fire, while sipping a glass of wine or a cup of hot chocolate.

Above the stone fireplace is an impressive set of eight-point elk antlers. The walls are decorated with several animal pelts - cougar, fox, raccoon, and a big polar-bear rug. Wagon-wheel light fixtures, a pair of old wooden skis, and cowboy boots filled with dried cattails complete the Western atmosphere.

The hall also has ping-pong and pool tables. For more sedentary folks, there's a card table and a wall full of books - ranging from Louis L'Amour western novels to ``The History of Philosophy.''

If you feel like a midnight snack, head up to the main ranch house, where a plate of muffins and cookies is left out for guests.

The guest cabins are comfortable but rustic. Don't expect luxury.

One cabin, called ``Appletree,'' is a tiny hand-hewn log structure that was the second schoolhouse in Kittitas County. It's almost as old as the ranch's original homestead cabin, which was built in 1895. The other cabins aren't quite that old, but they still have a decidedly western flavor.

Our two-bedroom cabin, with a shared bathroom in between, had high beamed ceilings and quilted curtains on the windows. One bedroom also had a bar sink, a small refrigerator and a round table with four chairs.

On a cold winter night, the cabins may be a bit chilly. The windows are only single-pane glass, and a

Dutch door tended to let in drafts. An electric wall heater in one corner of the room didn't quite heat up the other three corners.

One member of our party slept in her long johns, even between flannel sheets under a layer of blankets and a comforter.

In the morning, coffee is ready at the main ranch house by around 7 a.m. In case you're still asleep at 8:30 a.m., the breakfast gong is sure to wake you.

Breakfasts are like the dinners: big and good. French toast, sourdough pancakes, homemade biscuits, cranberry-nut muffins, scrambled eggs, bacon, melon, juice and coffee.

The proprietors will pack trail lunches on request: thick sandwiches on soft rolls, chips, granola bars, apple sauce, and fruit juice were in our brown bags. If you hang around the ranch during the day, they provide a lunch buffet.

Bruce Coe, who runs Hidden Valley Ranch with his wife, Kim, and his brother, Matt, are part of the family that has owned the place since 1968.

The Coe family had leased the ranch to a string of different operators who ran it with varying degrees of success. When their father threatened to sell Hidden Valley Ranch four years ago, Bruce and Matt - who were then living in Los Angeles - made a big decision.

``We decided this place was too important to let it go from the family,'' says Bruce. ``So we told dad not to sell. We'd come home and run the ranch.''

Bruce was a carpenter in L.A.; Matt was in the horse business, skills suited to the operation.

Hidden Valley Ranch is the oldest continuously operating guest ranch in Washington state, Bruce believes. Formerly a homestead farm and working horse ranch, it first opened to guests in 1947.

Some cabin renovations are planned, but they want to maintain a small, relatively inexpensive, relaxed family-oriented resort.

``We don't want too many amenities,'' Bruce says. ``We just try to keep it as honest as possible. We want comfort at reasonable prices.

``We love kids and we think it's important for families to be able to spend time together at a traditional guest ranch like this.''

The ranch accommodates 40 to 45 guests on a typical weekend, although last Labor Day Weekend 65 stayed there - with many youngsters outside in sleeping bags.

``That was about our limit,'' Bruce says with a laugh, ``but people sure had a lot of fun.''

At Hidden Valley Ranch, it's easy to have fun.

IF YOU GO:

-- Getting there: Take I-90 east to Cle Elum (Exit 85), then follow SR-970 for eight miles to Hidden Valley Road. Turn right and drive three miles to the ranch.

-- Price: Depending on the cabin, prices range from $59 to $69 per person per night, double occupancy, and $35 per child (aged 2 to 8).

-- Meals: Prices include dinner on check-in day, breakfast on check-out day, and all meals in between. (Two ``bunkhouses'' with kitchens are also available for larger groups.)

-- Horseback rides: $15 per person for 90-minute rides.

-- Cross-country skiing: no charge for guests; $4.50 for day visitors.

-- Information: Address: HC 61, Box 2060, Cle Elum, WA 98922. Phone: 1-509-674-5990.

(John Hamer is associate editorial-page editor of The Times.)