In which we go from Easton to Cle Elum to Thorp on our long ride

Part 1:  Meetup in Easton, Easton to Cle Elum, Cle Elum to Thorp

We meet in Easton, a small town in the middle of Snoqualmie Pass.  

47°13'08.7"N 121°09'37.0"W   Double K Retreat Center 620 Tall Timber Trail, Easton

 directions:  

I-90 to exit 71

Take Railroad St. to Tall Timber Trail

I'm including the GPS coordinates and driving directions for each camp in these posts so they will be easy to find--one of my frustrations on the ride in 2019 was a lack of clear directions to places.  One of the longtime riders met up with me a few weeks before the ride and together we created a document (now available on the ride website) to make the information available to everyone...but we still had people get lost because they hadn't printed the directions before we got out of wifi range.  Sigh.

Anyway.

Our camp is hosted by the Double K, a church retreat center that provides us with large indoor meeting spaces, a huge grassy field to park in, and access to water so our tanks are full.  

The camp is conveniently located less than a city block from the trail, which is handy.

The Dragon fills her tanks.  She knows what happens next!

 

Apparently, some horse or horses always get loose in this camp.  I guess it's a tradition?  This year, three horses romped around the field, showing no interest at all in being caught.  Finally, a neighbor to the property rounded them up, and with help from a 911 dispatcher, returned the runaways.

Considering the proximity to I-90 and some very fast-moving traffic, I'm very pleased that the Dragon doesn't think the grass will be greener on the far side of her enclosure fence.

Camp in Easton

Dinner at the Double K is catered by a taco truck.  MmmMm, tacos!

I can never sleep late in camp, so I was up early taking pictures on ride day.

Early morning camp in Easton

Here's the routine:

*  Get up early, feed horse and self

*  Tack up horse, tie her to a tree.

*  Load up corral panels and everything else.

*  Have rig loaded and engine running by 6:30am  (I volunteer for Parking Committee, which leaves camp 30 minutes before the main group.)

Tied to a tree in Easton

47°10'55.8"N 120°57'29.0"W  Easton to Cle Elum

 directions:

Head north on Tall Timber Trail towards Iron Horse Rd.

Tall Timber Trail turns left and becomes Railroad St.

Turn right on Tree Farm Rd.

Turn right to merge onto I-90 E towards Ellensburg

 

Take exit 84 from I-90 E.

Continue on W. 1st St.

Turn right onto S. Cle Elum Way

Turn right onto Madison Ave

Turn left at the 2nd cross street turning left onto 6th St.

Turn right onto Milwaukee Ave.

Continue onto N. Milwaukee Ave, trailhead is on the left.

Once the rigs are all parked in our next camp site, the riders board the bus and ride back to the place we left horses.

Masks on the bus

For the first three days of the ride, bicycles, buggies, wagons and carts leave before mounted riders.  

That's a safety thing:  horses who are new to sharing the trail with weird contraptions are much less spooked by wheeled vehicles if they (the horses) are able to "catch up" to stuff from behind, rather than be "chased" by the buggies.

After the wheels are gone, it's time to make hoofprints.

I rode the first few days of the ride with joan and her mules.  We shared the trail with joan last summer at Silver Ridge Ranch.  

Fiddle thinks that Buckshot the mule is very handsome.  Buckshot thinks that Fiddle is correct.

Heading out on the trail, day 1:  joan burlingame and her mules + me and the Dragon
photo by David Honan, used with purchase.

This section of trail features good footing and beautiful views, plus a lot of grass for horses to snack on as they mosey along.  11 miles to Cle Elum, a nice, easy day to start.

We haven't done much training for long distances this year because of the pandemic, so
walking most of the trail for the first week was a good choice.

In Cle Elum, dinner is provided by Smokey's BBQ, located in the old train depot.  

Jim made an excuse to come visit me (he brought more warm socks!  and a jar of marmalade!) and had a plate of BBQ before heading home again.  

Jim was the only visitor I got this year, but
I was able to call home most nights.

In the mountain camps, the nights are a little chilly, and rain was forecasted.  I put on a rain sheet before bedtime--which also helped keep my horse cleaner, something I appreciate the following mornings!

She is always at home in a camp corral, no matter where we are

We learn a bit about the history of the places we visit, and hear about the trail ahead each night at camp meetings.

You can tell we're in the mountains in this picture,
because we aren't all huddled together in the shade

The next morning, we do it all again. 

47°04'36.1"N 120°41'05.7"W   Cle Elum to Thorp Mill

 directions:

Follow N. Milwaukie Ave, Milwaukee Ave and Madison Ave to S. Cle Elum Way:

Head northeast on N Milwaukie Ave toward Main St

Continue onto Milwaukee Ave

Turn left onto 6th St

Turn right onto Madison Ave

Turn left onto S. Cle Elum Way

 

Turn right onto W. Railroad Ave

Turn right onto S. Oakes  (goes over I-90)

 

Merge onto I-90 E

 

Exit I-90 at exit 101 (near Thorp Fruit Stand)

Go left off of exit, follow Thorp Hwy north to Thorp Mill.

Turn right into mill parking lot, through the gate, stay left to campsite.

I got very streamlined in my camping practices at the two long rides I did in 2019, and it didn't take much reminding to get me back into those habits again.  

More good footing and horse snacks on the trail from Cle Elum to Thorp

There are two short tunnels on the trail to Thorp.  One doesn't even rate a flashlight, it's so little.  The other takes 57 breaths to get through, as I documented on the fall ride in 2019.

I was having so much fun singing through this tunnel that I didn't get photos or video.
This picture is from the 2019 trip.

The Dragon loves this kind of trail

This ride is 17 miles, so there's time for a lunch break at the midpoint--and there is a conveniently-located vault toilet and picnic table (aka "mounting block") at exactly that spot.

Fiddle snacked on grass while I ate my peanut butter sandwich

You never know what you might meet along the trail.  On this stretch, we saw llamas!  

Or maybe alpacas?  I can't really tell the difference.  Anyhow, nobody died.

In Thorp, the camp is furnished with very long, tasty grass for the horses, but there is no water available.  Only two days in, and I was already appreciating the extra water tank I'd added to my rig for this journey.

This mare knows what to do in camp:  EAT.

Next up:  Ellensburg, Renslow, and the "Dam(n) Ride"