Rimrock Roads and Trails

[Jerry]

Rimrock Roads and Trails
July 7, 2007

We had a wonderful group of people, fantastic weather and some neat places to explore on our tour north of Rimrock Lake. Joining the caravan were Brian & Lizzy with daughter, Beth, and son, Kyle, who was on leave from the US Army (our MAIN MAN) and all four of them fit into their zebra-painted Jeep Wrangler YJ; there was Steve, aka "Adventurer" from pnwadventures.com and his daughter Korinne touring in their Toyota FJ80 Land Cruiser; and Kelly drove his new Jeep Wrangler JK managing to get it all dusty again; and us, Jerry & Evelyn, driving our "something's making a squealing noise" Jeep Wrangler YJ.

We met at the Trout Lodge Restaurant on Highway 12 a few miles east of White Pass where we had breakfast and enjoyed a fun conversation while watching humming birds and a field mouse in the garden outside the windows.

After waiting a respectable amount of time for latecomers we started our tour by driving a couple of miles west on Highway 12 and turning off on the Wildcat Creek Road. Except for the first half-mile of asphalt the road was gravel with an average amount of washboard. The plan was to drive all the roads within the main road system and that we did. At the top of the first road we came to a landing that offered a great view of surrounding mountains including Bethel Ridge where we spotted a small forest fire. Smoke was spread over at least an acre and the first thing that came to mind was to report it to the Forest Service. Chances are it had already been turned in and our call would be more of a hassle than anything, but what if it hadn't? Given our high elevation my cell phone had service so I called "911" and was connected with the Wenatchee National Forest. They were really nice and told me the main fire was started as a controlled burn a few weeks prior and their people were on site. A new fire, next to the controlled burn, started the day before as an out-of-control campfire. They thanked us for calling so it worked out okay.

While I was calling in the fire the rest of our gang hiked up higher for a better view. There was a neat rock formation at the top of the hill below which a hawk soared closer and closer to where we were parked. That road was typical of most of the secondary roads starting with a climb in elevation and turning around at a landing on top. On the way down from one landing we spotted a cow elk about 50 yards off the road lying in the brush. Maybe she was hot and needed a rest or maybe she had calved and we didn't see her baby. Either way we watched briefly and left her alone.

The views of surrounding mountains were great, but I was hoping for some fantastic views of Rimrock Lake and the Cascade Mountain Range. The more we drove the further we ventured from the lake. We passed some neat dry camps and saw a lot of interesting scenery including an eagle's next in a far-off tree, but it would be most of the day before we spotted the lake.

We made a few stops along the way for our camera buffs, Kelly, Kyle and Steve and took those opportunities to let Steve's and our dog out to stretch. One stop in particular was most enjoyable next to Wildcat Creek and a small waterfall. It was nice listening to the creek in the background while talking with our fellow travelers.

As we left the Wildcat Creek area and drove toward Russell Ridge we passed an interesting rock formation with huge slabs of basalt poking out of the earth at weird angles. Much of it had broken off into squared boulders that littered the base of the formation. The whole area had several interesting rock formations.

We were well into the afternoon when we reached Russell Ridge and finally got a peek-a-boo view of Rimrock Lake. It was hot, dry and dusty so we pretty much passed the lake views on our way up the ridge. At the end of the primary road were a couple of two-track roads that we followed to their end. They were nothing more than skid trails that had been kept open for hunters, but it was our nature to explore so we did. One of the roads presented us with some great views of the surrounding mountains and saw the forest fire and Bethel Ridge from a completely different angle.

After taking a poll we decided to head back to civilization for a late lunch, but not until we stopped for some photos from our perch above the lake. I must say that water looked mighty inviting even from a thousand feet above. In relative terms we "zoomed" back to the highway and found ourselves seated, once again, at the Trout Lodge Restaurant where we ended the tour.

Evelyn and I would like to thank everybody for coming. You guys and gals made our day and we hope to see all of you again soon.

Jerry from Yakima

[Steve]

We had a great time on the trip. I appreciate that the group waited for us.

I took a few photos of the trip that you can view at Rimrock Roads and Trails Photos

Here are a few to start.

[grimmwit]

Hi Steve,

I enjoyed Jerry's trip report and your photographs.

I've posted my photos for anyone who might have participated or be interested....

http://kgrimm.smugmug.com/Groups/346100

I snuck in a couple of shots that I took of Mt Rainier from Skate Creek Road on the way home. What a gorgeous day!

Grimmwit

[grimmwit]

I rearranged my galleries, and as a result, the link changed. Sorry for the confusion - below is the new link:
http://kgrimm.smugmug.com/Backroad%2...rthwest/347101

[Jerry]

Nice pics, Kelly. Both you and Steve have a good "eye". I envy your talents. Could I twist your arm to post a link to your photos on the Backroad Drivers page? Nothing elaborate, just 1000 words or so...
Thanks,
Jerry

[Ceg]

I real would have like to have went on this trip. I already had plans as I do this weekend every year. I was riding quads on Divide Ridge over Rimrock. Here is one of the views of Rimrock from Divide Ridge near Louie Way Gap.


More pics of our run at: http://cegranch.com/all/2007-07/do-the-dew.html