Wenas Wildlife Area Exploring Run (Sept 12th, 09)

[Ceg]

Wenas Wildlife Area Exploring Run
September 12th, 2009

On September 12th, 2009 we meet up at the Sheep Company Road entrance.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-01.jpg

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.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-02.jpg

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.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-03.jpg

At Umtanum Creek we stopped for a break.
We saw something standing on the ridge above us.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-04.jpg

There were some goats looking down at us.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-05.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-06.jpg

Odo trying to cross the water without falling in. Kind of in a strange way.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-07.jpg

Trouble x 4.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-08.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-09.jpg

After a short break we headed on up the ridge. The goats just watched up drive on by.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-10.jpg

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.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-11.jpg

Hanson Pond.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-12.jpg

We worked out way up Manastash Ridge to the observatory.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-13.jpg

We lucked out that there was a guy there that offered us a tour of the observatory.
The basement area had bedrooms.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-14.jpg

Heading upstairs to see the telescope.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-15.jpg

This was upstairs.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-16.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-17.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-18.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-19.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-20.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-21.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-22.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-23.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-24.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-25.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-26.jpg

There are rooms between floors.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-27.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-28.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-29.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-30.jpg

Back on the bottom floor.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-31.jpg

Our group of the day.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-32.jpg

Looking at Mt. Rainier from the Manastash Ridge Observatory.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-33.jpg

Looking back at the towers on Durr road we had pasted earlier.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-34.jpg

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.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-35.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-36.jpg

Here we found out this Green Dot road stops.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-38.jpg

http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-37.jpg

We headed on down North Fork Wenas Road toward Wenas Lake.
We turned off onto Hessier Flats Road.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-39.jpg

We turned onto Kelley Hollow Road. At the top we stopped for a break.
http://www.aworc.com/event-reports/2009/09/Wenas-Wildlife-Area/12-40.jpg

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.

[Jeepscum]

Great run report I havent seen that much LT before. I wonder what the story is on the observatory? What is the use and who does the funding come from?

[benw]

http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/l ... e/mro.html (http://www.astro.washington.edu/users/laws/MRO/home.page/mro.html)

[Craigen]

Here is a vid of the observatory:
[youtube:1xow7aeq]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nskkoZlYKSQ[/youtube:1xow7aeq]

[Ceg]

Here is a vid of the observatory:Cool! :thumbright: