Graham Family Farm NW

4W613 Work Party, 50 K Run Aid Station, & Green Lake Fire
By Clay Graham / CegPics.com

This story starts in the Fall of 2008 when we finally moved on with an idea we had been thinking about for a long time. Members of the All Wheelers Off Road Club and Eastern Washington Off Road made it happen.

Phantom-309 asked Hellieson Lumber for a lumber donation for some trail signs and they were happy to donate some 2x6s.

Phantom-309 used a router and added the works to the 2x6s.
This is what they looked like when we got them.

In February 2009 I went to Stein’s ACE Hardware in West Valley for some paint.
Stein’s set us up with a discount on some paint for the signs.

IORE donated three 4×6 post.

The younger members painted 3 sides of the 2x6s.

On July 8th, 2009 the younger members painted the back sides of the 2x6s.

July 9th, 2009 BlindPilot came over to paint the letters.

99 helped paint some of the letters since it was getting late.
BlindPilot worked late into the night to get the signs finished.

On July 10th, 2009 we headed up to the Ahtanum Sno-park to set up camp for the work party and to help with the 50 K Gray Rock Trail Run.

Around 7 PM I took two West Valley Firemen (Bob Goss and his partner) up to see where the DNR temporary moved the Gray Rock Trail for the 50 K Run.

On Saturday July 11th, 2009 I got the rigs set up for both events.

The Tweety Jeep had the trail signs and tools in/on it for 4W613. Also the table for the 50 K Aid Station.

99’s Side Kick was loaded with the Aid Station supplies.

We headed up Jackass Road and set up the Aid Station at the Gray Rock Trail.

Runner food.

Some of the Aid crew volunteers.

A fire broke out about a mile and a half up the road.
A lot of fire crew trucks came through.

The rest of our 4W613 work crew showed up around 10 AM.

We headed off to do some trail maintenance leaving 99 and some of the kids to work the Aid station.

On the way we stopped to look off Foundation Ridge at the fire near Green Lake.

On down 4W613 at the Gray Rock Trail we started work.

Place new signs here!

Here is a water crossing on the Gray Rock Trail we had to add a hard bottom to.

We forgot the level and had to use a water bottle.

I had to leave the work party to get 99 and crew from the 50 K Aid Station.
I took this picture as I drove by the fire area.

The fire got bigger and the DNR asked that we take our work party out the other
end of 4W613 since the fire looked as it was going to jump Jackass road (FS1020).

Back down at the work party they were finishing up the projects at the south end of the meadow.

The illegal trail is block off.

Guido and Bubz putting up the last sign.

Now to work on the north end of the meadow.

Next we headed on up the trail to the Dome Peak Trail Head.

We took the signs down to take back and restore.

At the Upper Meadow we put a Green Dot marker back up with the new tools Havo made.

At the Strobach Mountain Trail we removed the signs with air.
We do not know why we did not think about using air sooner.

Looking back at the fire from Strobach Mountain.

Here are the new tools Havo made for our club.

We were done for the day and headed out the Strobach Mountain Trail.

I broke off from the group to go get my wife’s car on Jackass Road.
After getting the car, on the way down I ran into the ORV Deputies.
They were up there making sure everyone was out since the area we being close because of the fire danger.

We went back to the Sno-park to our tow rig and headed home.

This was a good day for us but not so good for the forest that was on fire.
On this day we logged 57.5 volunteer hours with the DNR for the 4W613 signs project.

I want to thank everyone that was part of the 4W613 signs project.
A special thanks to Hellieson Lumber for donating the 2x6s, IORE for the 4×6 post and to Stein’s Ace Hardware for the discount on the paint.