Beastly Breakfast Eat, Ride Through Northwest Trek

Northwest Trek, the wildlife park near Eatonville, Wash., is offering “breakfast with the beasts” on Saturday, Dec. 30. A keeper will describe how he feeds the park’s free-roaming herds, and the breakfast will be followed by a tram ride.

The price is $12 for adults; $8 for kids 12 and under. For more information, call (360) 832-6117, extension 166.

Some other holiday-related activities and travel packages:

Fireworks will be shot off the top of Grand Coulee Dam at midnight Dec. 31, part of the region’s annual Winter Wonderland celebration. For information, call the Chamber of Commerce at (800) 268-5332 or (509) 633-3074.

The Inn at Semi-Ah-Moo, near Blaine, Wash., is offering a “Home for the Holidays” package through Dec. 28. The package includes overnight accommodations for two, a live Christmas tree in every room, dinner for two and more.

The inn, a Wyndham resort, is the only 1995 Mobil Travel Guide Four Star and 1995 AAA Four Diamond resort in the state. For more information, call (206) 682-6979.

The Alexis Hotel in Seattle is offering Winterfest and New Year’s Eve packages. The Winterfest package is available through Dec. 30. Packages include overnight accommodations, evening wine and hors d’oeuvres, continental breakfast, and a morning paper. Prices range from $140 to $180.

The New Year’s Eve package includes champagne, an optional five-course dinner, continental breakfast, a morning newspaper, and a 4 p.m. checkout the next day. Prices range from $210 to $465 based on single or double occupancy and dinner option. For more information or reservations call (206) 624-4844 or (800) 426-7033.

The Edgewater, on Seattle’s waterfront, is offering a “Remembering 1945” New Year’s Eve package to commemorate the end of World War II. The package includes overnight accommodations, a bottle of champagne, buffet dinner, a terrace view of the city’s New Year’s eve fireworks, and big-band dancing. The price ranges from $290 to $330 per couple, depending on room style; for information, call (206) 728-7000.

Giving at home: A couple of gift ideas for yourself if Santa doesn’t quite come through:

Lonely Planet, noted for high-quality guidebooks to the world’s exotic regions, has just published its first guide to the Pacific Northwest.

This 883-page book is stuffed with stories, maps, photos, anecdotes and suggestions for places to stay, restaurants and things to do. It’s also got decent coverage of Idaho, a state omitted in many “Northwest” guidebooks. Overall, a useful book, though a bity pricey at $20.

The Salish Lodge, at Snoqualmie Falls, has several packages available as gift certificates. They include a massage package that includes a night’s lodging, two 30-minute massages, and a $75 dining credit, for $400; a celebrations package with one night’s lodging, a $75 dining credit and champagne on arrival, for $280; and breakfast for two (with no lodging) for $60.

The lodge is a few miles north of Interstate 90, about a half hour from Seattle, and makes a nice stopover. For information, call (800) 272-5474.

“The Unoffficial Guide to Skiing in the West” (Macmillan, $14) is about skiing, period. It covers more than 50 ski mountains and ski trails in the West and Canada, with statistics, tips, recommended trails, mountain charts, information for beginners, and much more inside information.

There’s also a listing of ski package operators, but not much about specific accommodations or restaurants, which means this would be a better book for a hard-core skier than a novice.

The guide, by the way, predicts that Schweitzer Mountain Resort “is about to explode on the national scene” because of its growing number of amenities.

Riding the rails:

Princess Tours will offer seven tours of the Canadian Rockies in 1996, with four of the tours featuring daylight rail travel. Canada tours start at $989 per person, and can be combined with Alaska tours, with prices starting at $1,789 per person. If reservations are booked and deposited by Feb. 14, discounts of up to $1,500 per couple are available.

For more information, contact any travel agent. For brochures, call (800) LOVE-BOAT.

Rocky Mountaineer Railtours will offer 16 tours from May 5 to Oct. 17, 1996. Packages range from one night/two days to 11 nights/12 days. All include a two-day daylight rail trip through the Canadian Rockies. Prices range from $363 to $3,159 per person in U.S. funds, based on double occupancy.

For more information or reservations, call Rocky Mountaineer Railtours at (800) 665-7245.

Winter carnival: Visit Sandpoint for 10 days of winter fun Jan. 19-28. Activities include a parade, snow sculptures, snowshoe softball, Schweitzer Day, Christmas tree burning and more. For more information contact the Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce at (208) 263-2161.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo

MEMO: Send information about travel opportunities around the Pacific Northwest to: Travel Editor, Features Department, The Spokesman-Review, P.O. Box 2160, Spokane, WA 99210.