This trip was supposed to have taken place in early May, as a scouting trip for new camp spots for Memorial Day weekend… However, work got in the way. So, we rescheduled for late June, as a scouting trip for new camp spots for July 4th weekend… However, work got in the way. So, we re-rescheduled for mid-August, as a scouting trip for new camp spots for Labor Day… By now you get the idea, but we FINALLY made things work this past weekend as nothing more than an excuse to get out of town for a while.
The general plan was to explore an area familiar to each of us, showing the other some of the highlights. My traveling companion for the weekend is a co-worker of mine, Ellis, and he’s got a mostly stock ’05 Rubi that he uses strictly for hunting season and weekend jaunts around town. It’s only got a little over 12k on the ticker, and he bought it brand new... Anyhow, his stomping grounds are up North of Ellensburg, in the Naneum Forest area. Unfortunately, this area has just recently fallen under the Green Dot program, which basically means any road or trail that is not clearly marked with a green dot is effectively closed. Ellis was shocked at the numerous trails that were now closed, as his hunting areas are now severely limited unless he wants to hike several miles in some pretty steep terrain… Even his hunting camp, which was established some 65 years ago by his great grandfather, is now inaccessible by road. Interesting side-story: his great grandfather, at the tender age of 11, was in charge of the hay wagons supporting the release of elk from Yellowstone Park to that area of Washington back in 1923!! The area I chose was the Manastash Ridge, coming from the Ellensburg side up and over the top and back down to Cliffdel. Along the way we ran into the AWORC bunch enjoying a leisurely trip along 694 helping with the Pick Up A Mountain effort. About that time it began to rain pretty heavily and the fog was rolling in along the top of the ridge. Our stop and the Funny Rocks was brief, as the wind was howling and the rain was driving its way through every open gap in my ailing (thanks to tipping into that tree well last year at Rim Rock) soft top… We bombed down Milk Creek and headed for home, arriving back in Tri-Cities around 4:00pm Saturday afternoon. All told, we traveled about 300 miles and each of us saw a lot of new ground and generally enjoyed an excellent two-day trip.
On to the pics…
Naneum and Manastash 9-19/20-08
Naneum and Manastash 9-19/20-08
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...
Serious time constraint is an understatement... Wifey and the babies were waiting not-so-patiently for me at home. Otherwise I certainly would have stopped in for some grub and pitched in on the cleanup effort. For what it's worth, we did manage to collect a kitchen bag full of trash on the Barber Springs Road just before we connected with the 694 trail and found the AWORC group
And yes, the camp site was great and it's ALWAYS nice to sit around a fire and listen to the woods. We heard several elk bugling through the evening hours and again early the following morning. A few bow hunters were also trying their best imitations, which at times provided some comedic relief
And yes, the camp site was great and it's ALWAYS nice to sit around a fire and listen to the woods. We heard several elk bugling through the evening hours and again early the following morning. A few bow hunters were also trying their best imitations, which at times provided some comedic relief
Yep, I've wheeled one of those, too...
We have a short run at the Ahtanum on the 25th and then a Halloween party at 6 PM if you guys want to come.Danny wrote:Ceg, you guys planning a run this weekend? A couple of us haven't been out much this summer for one reason or another and would like to make a run. Thought that if you're going we'd tag along.
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 3 guests