In which we go from Ellensburg to the Renslow Trestle and beyond

Time to move forward:  

47°00'05.2"N 120°31'58.2"W   Thorp to Ellensburg Rodeo Grounds

  directions:

Head southeast on Thorp Hwy

Turn left to merge onto I-90 E toward Ellensburg

Take exit 106 for US-97 N toward Ellensburg/Wenatchee

Continue onto US-97 N

At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit onto W University Way (which becomes E. University, stay on it)

Turn on E. 9th Ave

Entrance to camping site is on the left.

 

OR  stay on University Way to E. 10th and turn right on N. Alder St. (across from Dairy Queen)

Entrance to camping site is on the right.

Thanks to months of mushroom hunting each year, my mare is 98% bombproof when tied up and abandoned for an hour or more.*

*there was an incident in Warden this year, but it wasn't her fault...
and we haven't got to that part of the narrative yet!

 

It's less than 10 miles from our campsite in Thorp to the rendezvous point at Ellensburg City Limits. 

Which is good, because Fiddle wasn't the only squirrely horse on that trail, and between wild roses on both sides (prickly!) and the trestle bridges over live railroad tracks, we wanted to get this leg of the trip over ASAP.

Of course, arriving at city limits doesn't mean we're done.  

Many years ago, the city paved over our trail and built a university on top of it, which means we need an alternate route to continue forward.  

Police cars lead the parade, followed by wagons, then bicycles, then horses, and finally,
the honeybucket truck.

The solution:  a police-escorted parade through town.

Fiddle wears her bug sheet and mask mostly to protect her from dusty gusts of wind

We thought it was really windy in Ellensburg.  In reality, it was a little breezy.  The real wind came later in the trip.

After camp was settled, our friend Laurie came to visit, and we all went out to lunch.
It feels weird and wonderful to eat in public again (we are all fully vaxxed).

Back in camp after lunch, I take my first good hard look at the wear on my horse's shoes.  Not too bad...yet.

39 miles on this shoe so far.

The next morning started early (of course) because we were about to do a Tremendous Historic Thing:  cross over I-90 on the newly-restored Renslow Trestle.

46°58'13.1"N 120°18'19.4"W   Ellensburg to Renslow

 directions

Leave camping area, turn right onto E. 10th (University Way), which becomes E. Vantage Hwy

Turn right onto Parke Creek Rd  1.2 mi

Sharp left onto Stevens Rd 0.8 mi

Slight right toward Stevens Rd 200 ft  (lots of twists, stay on the road)

Slight right onto Stevens Rd, go under I-90,

Go past Boylston road (keep left)

 Campsite is on the left, past the vault toilet.

 

 

On the trail to Kittitas.  Photo by David Honan

The trestle was originally built in 1909, about 60 years before that stretch of the highway was constructed.  Trains stopped running over it about 40 years ago.  The concrete decking was added in 2020, one of the few state construction projects that continued through the pandemic.

Andrea is a board member for the Palouse to Cascade Trail Coalition, and spoke at the brief ceremony that celebrated the grand opening of the trestle, which completes a connection between two parts of the PtCT (not to be confused with the PCT, the Pacific Crest Trail, which runs north/south instead of east/west).

Andrea says words

And then:  we headed for the trestle!

I was not first across the bridge--the lead riders got there at least 30 minutes before the
main part of the group.  But we did cross over boldly in front of a horse-drawn wagon!
photo by David Honan

On arriving at the Renslow side of the trestle, I was delighted to see the new kiosk that our group had erected earlier in the Spring.

Look!  I'm on the sign!

Closeup:  Andrea took this photo of the Dragon and me on the trail in 2019

Early bedtime in camp at Renslow (after another visit from a taco truck, of course), because the following day is one of the longest and most challenging part of the trail.

46°51'53.8"N 119°58'07.3"W  Renslow to Huntzinger Boat Launch (Wanapum Dam)

 directions:

Head northwest toward Stevens Rd 5 s (154 ft)

Take Vantage Hwy to Wanapum Rd 30 min (22.6 mi)

Turn right onto Stevens Rd 2.7 mi

 Slight left toward Stevens Rd   200 ft

 Slight left onto Stevens Rd 0.8 mi

Sharp right onto Parke Creek Rd  1.2 mi

Turn right onto Vantage Hwy 17.8 mi

Continue onto Wanapum Rd  249 ft 

 

Continue onto Huntzinger Rd  5.2 mi, camping is near the boat launch.

 

We call this section the "Dam(n) ride" because it is 21 hot, dry miles that end just downriver from a Very Large Hydroelectric Dam.  

When I did this portion of the ride in 2019, my horse was an idiot and I was exhausted by the end of it.

To my surprise (and delight), there was no idiocy at all.  We went forward on a loose rein all day!

My noble steed at the lunch stop

We had all kinds of weather on this trail.  But it was still pretty awesome!

Finally, the Columbia River was in sight.

The river!  (at about 11:00 in the photo)

Our camp is getting smaller as people drop out

53 miles on this shoe, the toe is beginning to wear down

Our camp on the Columbia is in a pretty spot, but the corrals and highlines are required to stay on the gravel parking lot, which Fiddle considers most unsatisfactory for rolling.

She really wants to roll, but not on those rocks!

The Beverly Bridge over the river isn't finished yet (it's scheduled to open in September), and the next section of trail from Smyrna to Marengo burned last year and can't be used now.  

The SS Reindeer is packed and ready to roll forward!

So, the next morning, we packed up everything--camp and horses--for a long portage to the town of Warden.