TIO Oregon: Mosier & Arlene Burns’ Zee Shackteau

20 Nov TIO Oregon: Mosier & Arlene Burns’ Zee Shackteau

Mosier, foreground, down toward Hood River

Stay tuned…. There will be a Telluride connection…

Always is.

Mosier, Oregon:

The population of Mosier, Oregon was not always 421. There were even fewer people, about 280 locals, living in the picturesque hamlet when Arlene Burns discovered the place in 1992.

Mosier, Autumn Orchards

First settled in 1854, situated between The Dalles (desert) and Hood River (rainy), Mosier is one of the communities that make up the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. While the local economy has been centered around the area’s thriving fruit orchards – and many young people are returning to the fertile region to develop organic farms –  recently recreational tourism has been on the rise because Mosier turns out to be a mecca for outdoor adventure: waterskiing, windsurfing, paragliding, sailing, rafting, kiteboarding, stand-up paddle boarding, fishing, road and mountain biking, and hiking (to fields of wild flowers in spring, vintage “Sound of Music.”) There are regular farmers’ markets, art walks once a month and great wine tasting. (Mosier and surrounds boasts a growing wine business.)

Although the Pacific Northwest is generally known for gray rainy days throughout the year, Mosier appears to be an exception to the rule because the two nearby mountains (Hood and Adams) hold the clouds.

“They (the neighboring town of Hood River) have rain. We have rainbows,” said Arlene.

For us, Mosier was a last stop on our (truncated, thanks to super storm Haiyan) vacation to Southeast Asia, en route back to Telluride. It was also a great excuse to visit our friend Arlene, a former director of Mountainfilm in Telluride – and so much more.

Prior to settling in Mosier, Arlene had been in perpetual motion, throughout the 1980s exploring hidden niches of the Himalaya, South Pacific, Southeast Asia, Eastern Africa, North/Central/South America, Mongolia and Russia by ocean, river, cliff, elephant, horse, tractor, train, rickshaw, camel, tank, fishing boat, yacht, hang glider, windsurfer, sailplane, airbus, local bus, balloon, bungee, and on foot. (Recently she learned to fly planes.)

Arlene’s career has been just as heady as her explorations and sense of adventure: film and video production, on-camera talent, photojournalism, keynote speaking, outdoor industry consulting, international guiding.

Those who caught the 1994 action/adventure thriller, “The River Wild,” have some idea who Arlene is – even how she speaks and the way she moves. For the film, she was Meryl Streep’s stunt/photo double, (one of two), her trainer and coach/technical adviser. For Meryl in peril to be credible, the actress decided to model her character, Gail Hartman, an expert guide, on Arlene, who has several first descents to her credit.

And it was “The River Wild” that made Arlene’s investment in Mosier possible.

Zee Shackteau

Arlene’s compound, including Zee Shackteau:

Kathmandu had been her last address. Her new address had to meet very specific criteria: close to a major airport, with easy access to international routes, particularly Asia, access to mountain adventures, and a close-knit community.

Mosier in a nutshell.

Arlene bought her present home, a 1910 original, in 1992, hauling $100,000 cash in a suitcase to the closing. (Remember she had been out of the country for 13 years. A closing meant emptying out the mattress.) In 1995, she purchased the property across the street, where the resident yurt morphed into the go-to venue for dinner parties, music events, and town meetings. In 2001, she acquired the property that became the recently remodeled guest house dubbed “Zee Shackteau”: once a  shack; now a chateau (Mosier style).

Columbia River, from the Deck

The guest house is about 2100 square feet  which includes three dedicated bedrooms and enough convertible space to easily sleep six. There are two decks, one with an unobstructed view of the Columbia River all the way to the protected park on the other side; and one facing the rising sun. Covered parking provides a great place for assembling and storing gear. A creek with its own species of salmon runs through the compound, where eagles and egrets play.

You can too.

Zee Shackteau (and surrounds) is paradise – minus the constant pling pling of the harps.

(A family hoping to put down roots for awhile? Mosier Community School is purportedly one of the best in the state.)

For further information, go here.