Wenas Wildlife Area Exploring Run
Hosted by Eastern Washington Off Road
Report by Clay Graham. Photos by Clay Graham / Eastern Washington Off Road
On September 12th, 2009 we meet up at the Sheep Company Road entrance.
Only two rigs on this run, Craigen’s and mine. CentalGrand rode shot-gun in my rig. My three little boys and puppy came too.
We use Bell Tel. Road to get up on Umtanum Ridge. We turned on Durr to drop off the North Slope.
Here is looking down toward Ellensburg.
At Umtanum Creek we stopped for a break.
We saw something standing on the ridge above us.
There were some goats looking down at us.
Odo trying to cross the water without falling in. Kind of in a strange way.
Trouble x 4.
After a short break we headed on up the ridge. The Longhorn Sheep just watched up drive on by.
At the end of Durr Road we turned up the Ellensburg Pass.
A few miles down the gravel road we turned off onto Hanson Pond Road.
Hanson Pond.
We worked out way up Manastash Ridge to the observatory.
We lucked out that there was a guy there that offered us a tour of the observatory.
The basement area had bedrooms.
Heading upstairs to see the telescope.
This was upstairs.
There are rooms between floors.
Back on the bottom floor.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/nskkoZlYKSQ]
Video by Craigen
Our group of the day.
Looking at Mt. Rainier from the Manastash Ridge Observatory.
Looking back at the towers on Durr road we had pasted earlier.
We turned on Mud Flats Road and headed down to the North Fork Wenas Road.
After getting on the pavement I started looking for a Green Dot to take us back up onto Umtanum Ridge.
Later I found out I missed the first Green Dot road which I though was this one. This was is call Black Canyon Road.
Here we found out this Green Dot road stops.
We headed on down North Fork Wenas Road toward Wenas Lake.
We turned off onto Hessier Flats Road.
We turned onto Kelley Hollow Road. At the top we stopped for a break.
Next we turned onto the Ridge Road and then back down Durr Road to go back home.
This was a fun day thanks to the people who came.
Eastern Washington Adventures
is an Outdoor Recreation Information Center that holds many free events.
