Pacific Northwest Backroad Adventures

Who would have thought that a Friday trip to the Whiskey Dick Road Management Area near Ellensburg, Washington would bring out more participants than most weekend trips.

Well Jerry (aka SoggyMountain) picked a wonderful day for a Backroad Drivers Northwest tour of the Whiskey Dick. Hands down, this was the warmest day of 2008 to date.

The meeting place that morning was the Bar 14 restaurant in Ellensburg. In attendance for the days trip was of course Jerry from Yakima driving his full size Jeep SJ Wagoneer; (and if I get the names wrong, please forgive and let me know to correct them) Phil and his son Travis from Newcastle, driving the white Ford Explorer; Paul from Tacoma driving the other Ford Explorer; Jim (stucky) driving the white Chevy Pickup (I forgot to ask where Jim was from); Trish and Tammy from Bothel driving a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon; John and Cindy from Monroe driving a Jeep Wrangler Rubicon; Sid from Renton driving his Jeep Wrangler, Peter and Don (I forgot to ask where they were from or if I did, I didn’t write it down) driving the Sportsmobile van; myself in my 80-series Toyota Land Cruiser; and Bill from Ellensburg who joined us for breakfast but had to supervise a fencing property today so he couldn’t join us.

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The photos I shot during the Backroad Drivers Northwest trip to the Whiskey Dick Road Management Area are now posted for your viewing. You can view them at Exploring the Whiskey Dick

Enjoy.

May 12-18, 2008 has been proclaimed “Bear Awareness Week” by Washington state Governor Christine Gregoire.

As reported by the The Grizzly Bear Outreach Project (GBOP):

Governor Gregoire established Bear Awareness Week to encourage people to learn more about our ursine neighbors, how to avoid conflicts with them, and to appreciate these majestic creatures in Washington - one of just four states that is wild enough to still support both species of bear.

This is great information for all of us who spend time enjoying the outdoors. If you haven’t encountered a bear yet, you eventually will.

Read more about Bear Awareness Week Activities at Governor proclaims official Bear Awareness Week

Here are some photos from a run to the Capital State Forest near Olympia, Washington on Tuesday, February 26, 2008. You can view the photos at Capital Forest Run Photos

Even though we never found that perfect Christmas tree, we had a great time with some great people under beautiful blue skies on this year’s Christmas Tree run to the Cle Elum, Washington area.

We all met for breakfast at the Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum. Already seated upon our arrival were Jerry (aka soggymountain) and Evelyn from Yakima, Brian (aka Photog) and Cindy from Gig Harbor, Valerie and her mother Ellen from Bothell and Kent, and friends of Ellen’s (whom I did not get their names). Of course I can’t forget to mention my wife Martha, daughter Korinne and our dog Tareva.

After breakfast, we headed out of town to the Roslyn Cyclery in Roslyn to purchase our tree permits. We were the only family on the hunt for a Christmas tree, everybody was out for the fun of it. After getting the permit, we headed out of town, past Ronald towards Salmon la Sac.
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LAS VEGAS, Nov 14, 2007 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ — Columbus Geographic Systems (GIS) Ltd. (”Columbus”) (OTC Pink Sheets: CGSE) today unveiled Ranger - its latest off-road navigation application. This is a robust navigation system aimed at the fast-growing market for recreational, off-road and outdoor enthusiasts - whether off-road driver, skier, hiker, mountain biker, or camper.

Ranger is a cutting-edge navigation software providing location-based, Global Positioning System (GPS) mapping, navigation, and information solutions for the off-road environment. Ranger works on a range of devices including Car PC, PDA, and Personal Navigation Devices (PND). Columbus will offer Ranger for cellular phones by the first quarter of 2008.
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On Thursday, I made a run into in Salmon la Sac area just north of Roslyn, Washington off the Cle Elum River. My intentions for the trip was for a scouting trip for the upcoming Christmas tree run on 12.08.07. But of course with fresh snow on the ground, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for some snow photographs. There is definitely a learning curve when shooting photos in the snow.

On the way home, I drove a few back roads instead of driving I-90 all the way home. There are a few addition photos of other areas also.

To see all of the photos I shot that day, visit Cle Elum River & Area 11.29.07.

A great trip report was posted on the forum by Moxta from Auburn, Washington. Their adventure started in Ellensburg and took them up and over Manastash ridge via the Barber Springs Rd and FS-1701 to the Little Naches area off SR-410. The trip included snow and will probably be one of the last wheeled vehicle trips in that area before the snow settles in for the winter.

Read the entire trip report at Ellensburg to 410.

Over on the forum, Jerry (aka soggymountain) posted a great trip report from our adventure to the L.T. Murray Wildlife Area near Cle Elum, Washington last Saturday (11.10.07). We had excellent weather and a great turn out for the trip.
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Yesterday (Saturday, 11.03.07), knowing very well that the falls was already dried up, I made the two mile hike to Snoquera Falls (Trail #1167) near Camp Shepherd off State Route 410 (east of Greenwater, Washington). I wasn’t concerned about the views, I just needed to get some exercise (plus its cheaper than driving around at $3.00 a gallon).

The hike climbed steadily through the forest from the trailhead near Camp Shepherd. No great views of the surrounding country side, mostly old growth forest with some deciduous trees mixed in (note there would be some great fall colors within the forest in late September).
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