Cascade Wanderer
Adventurer
A few years back when I first heard of the WABDR (Washington Backcountry Discovery Route) I chuckled a little, as it was just a bunch of Forest Service and other roads, many of which I'd already driven & ridden, just in the course of life. Then, bit by bit I became more intrigued. It really is a cool idea, Oregon to Canada, primarily via dirt roads. 600 miles of dirt roads! Cool. Ran into some folks who invited me to accompany them next year, in 2015, and I decided since I live quite close to the center of the WABDR, I should pre-run it this year to gain familiarity with the whole route. What started as a simple pre-run, became a fun adventure all by itself. I did it in several chunks, biting off a bit at a time as my schedule allowed. Did roughly 400 of it via Jeep, and 200 of it via my Suzuki 650 Wee Strom. I'll arrange this report from south to north, rather than chronologically. Makes more sense south to north, or north to south instead of mixing it all up the way I actually did it!
Started the southern portion from Hood River Oregon. I took my time getting down to Hood River, stopping along the way to check out old mining ruins on Blewett Pass, stopping in the semi-ghost town of Liberty, driving the wonderful Yakima River Canyon, and spending some time at the Goldendale Obesrvatory. After all, it was supposed to be an interesting trip.
Remnants of a long-abandoned mining operation on Hwy 97 near Blewett Pass:
Liberty:
Arrived in Hood River, Oregon and met my friends at the wonderful open-air Farmer's Market. Bought dinner, then walked across the street and took in a fun concert before camping for the night. The next morning we headed out, northbound for the WABDR in two vehicles, Tad's 3/4 ton GMC pickup and my white Jeep, looking tiny next to his truck. The first day on the WABDR was on pretty nice Forest Service roads, with some washboard thrown in. Views are constricted by tremendously thick forests. We did stop and check out the ice cave, but at this point in the summer, there wasn't a lot of ice left. Still, it was refreshingly cool in the cave. Camped that night at an improvised site we discovered along the way.
Onion & Chicken on the MSR Whisperlite. Waiting for the tortilla....
The next morning we fueled up in Packwood and ate breakfast.... At the saloon of course! Only a couple of breakfast places avail in town, pizza place or the saloon. Breakfast was good. Stopped on Hwy 410 to admire a waterfall:
Ascended Bethel Ridge. Wow - I'd been over this route before, on my motorcycle, but the route seems much rougher and rockier than it was just a few years ago. We also had to deal with quite a bit of mud from recent thunderstorms. Some of the fallen trees were hanging low over the route, and a rig much taller than 6' might have trouble squeezing through. We saw a few other 4x4's, a couple of ATV's and some motorcycles, but for the most part, Day 2 was just our little group.
The climbs up Cleman Mountain and Untaneum Ridge were rocky & rough under the brilliant sunshine. We camped that night just off the crest of the ridge in some trees.
The next morning we made it as far as Ellensburg, and were going to continue north, but ran into a Road Closed sign due to the still ongoing wildfire. Shook hands and said goodbye. The route to this point was fairly easy, though the mud holes, and rocky climbs on day two deserve some respect, as does the tight, winding route through the trees on Bethel Ridge. I was impressed with how my buddies, Chuck & Tad, handled their big 3/4 ton pickup through the tight areas!
More northerly sections coming up...
CW
Started the southern portion from Hood River Oregon. I took my time getting down to Hood River, stopping along the way to check out old mining ruins on Blewett Pass, stopping in the semi-ghost town of Liberty, driving the wonderful Yakima River Canyon, and spending some time at the Goldendale Obesrvatory. After all, it was supposed to be an interesting trip.
Remnants of a long-abandoned mining operation on Hwy 97 near Blewett Pass:
Liberty:
Arrived in Hood River, Oregon and met my friends at the wonderful open-air Farmer's Market. Bought dinner, then walked across the street and took in a fun concert before camping for the night. The next morning we headed out, northbound for the WABDR in two vehicles, Tad's 3/4 ton GMC pickup and my white Jeep, looking tiny next to his truck. The first day on the WABDR was on pretty nice Forest Service roads, with some washboard thrown in. Views are constricted by tremendously thick forests. We did stop and check out the ice cave, but at this point in the summer, there wasn't a lot of ice left. Still, it was refreshingly cool in the cave. Camped that night at an improvised site we discovered along the way.
Onion & Chicken on the MSR Whisperlite. Waiting for the tortilla....
The next morning we fueled up in Packwood and ate breakfast.... At the saloon of course! Only a couple of breakfast places avail in town, pizza place or the saloon. Breakfast was good. Stopped on Hwy 410 to admire a waterfall:
Ascended Bethel Ridge. Wow - I'd been over this route before, on my motorcycle, but the route seems much rougher and rockier than it was just a few years ago. We also had to deal with quite a bit of mud from recent thunderstorms. Some of the fallen trees were hanging low over the route, and a rig much taller than 6' might have trouble squeezing through. We saw a few other 4x4's, a couple of ATV's and some motorcycles, but for the most part, Day 2 was just our little group.
The climbs up Cleman Mountain and Untaneum Ridge were rocky & rough under the brilliant sunshine. We camped that night just off the crest of the ridge in some trees.
The next morning we made it as far as Ellensburg, and were going to continue north, but ran into a Road Closed sign due to the still ongoing wildfire. Shook hands and said goodbye. The route to this point was fairly easy, though the mud holes, and rocky climbs on day two deserve some respect, as does the tight, winding route through the trees on Bethel Ridge. I was impressed with how my buddies, Chuck & Tad, handled their big 3/4 ton pickup through the tight areas!
More northerly sections coming up...
CW