Have you ever seen the reality TV show Treehouse Masters? A few years ago my husband and I binged the whole series. It follows Pete Nelson, a master builder, and his team as they design and construct custom treehouses for clients, ranging from simple retreats to multi-story homes with kitchens and bathrooms. Nelson’s company, Nelson Treehouse, travels the country, combining art, science, engineering and carpentry to exceed their customers’ dreams. Mister Rain enjoyed the show so much that he purchased a t-shirt with the company’s name on the front and an architectural drawing of a treehouse on the back.
While in the Seattle area, we made plans to visit a place about an hour from our rental house with spectacular views of Mount Rainier. What you may not know is that she, the mountain, is elusive. Logging onto a web cam positioned to face Rainier before we headed out, it did not look as though she would reveal herself that day. It was the only time in our schedule that we could make the attempt so we did. Mount Rainier never came out.
A few days before, I had stumbled upon information about Pete Nelson’s only public treehouse, located in the side yard of a coffee shop in Pete’s home town of Fall City, Washington. We would not be far from it during our hunt for Mount Rainier. All I told my husband was that I had a little surprise for him that was not a Roadside Attraction*. He was game, following my directions to where he did not know. Approaching the address, I instructed him to look for Aroma Coffee. He immediately saw the line out the door of the establishment. As he searched for a place to park, I casually mentioned that we were here to see a Pete Nelson treehouse.
Leaving our car in the alley behind the coffee house, we made our way to the side of the building. There it was. Mister Rain climbed up into the treehouse, taking in every detail, recognizing many of Pete’s trademark features.
When we left Aroma Coffee, we stalked . . . er, drove by . . . Pete’s home / shop, then found his resort, Treehouse Point. Here you can stay in one of seven one-of-a-kind treehouses. We pulled into the parking lot in order to take a few quick pictures, ignoring the Registered Guests Only signs. We do it all for you, friends.
A hundred episodes, eleven seasons, a couple of fans and an act of trespassing. For one afternoon, we climbed out of reality TV and into reality treehouses.
* If you would like to read any of the Roadside Attraction stories, type “Such A Fine Sight” into the search bar on this site.
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