19 Mile House - Toutle, WA

Lunch Stop... Not Far From Mount St. Helens
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In August, Don and I practically screeched on the brakes when we spotted this place on the Spirit Lake Highway. The little house had once been known as the

​19 Mile House.

30 minutes before, we had visited Mount St. Helens. We were headed for Portland and we were hungry, when we spotted the cute little house. The fresh looking banner, between the dormer windows had words that welcomed us.

Riverside Dining!  We saw no river, but the front porch was inviting. We headed towards the house, passing a dead tree, that looked like some we'd seen near the Mount St. Helen's.

Volcanic History

We headed up the stairs to the little cafe, with lots fresh knowledge about the volcanic eruption in 1980.

The little house-like building looked like it had its own history and stories to tell. I secretly hoped there would be a local or a server, who had some memory of the eruption.

Knotty Pine
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We stepped inside and found a couple of homey rooms, with lot of knotty pine!

There were displays of before and after pictures of Mount St. Helens, along with  lots of knick knacks around the fireplace. This all looked perfect, except the weather was gorgeous and everyone wanted to be outside.

 
​The Porch View
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We stepped out onto the porch and found every table full. But at least we got a quick peek of the river below.

The Toutel River
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We didn't get to sit at a table with a view of the Toutel River, but we did get seated on the side porch. Our table had a decent view of an apple tree, with some pretty tempting apples.

Menu Studies
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The little restaurant was too busy and the staff was way too young, for getting any information about the restaurant's history. The menu wasn't very helpful either. Evidently the little restaurant had recently changed hands and was called Fire Mountain Grill. We decided against the Big Foot Burger for $25.00. 
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 Quick Feast
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Don went for the chicken sandwich, which was decent. My dull iceberg salad was spiffed up a little, with yellow peppers and a tasty ranch dressing. The chili was tangy and hot. The food wasn't memorable, but the setting was just right.

Through the Arbor 

​I could have added to the dining adventure by taking the pathway down the hill to check out the restrooms. Instead, we headed for the car and ended up having a fun 20 minute conversation with a dad and his sons, who were traveling in an odd camper.

Just as we headed off, I suddenly spotted Big Foot, standing at the edge of the lawn. Or did I? I looked back, but the growth blocked my vision. I couldn't convince Don to turn around, so I'll have to wait until our next visit to see if there really was a Big Foot, lurking on the property!