I needed to get out in the woods and try out my 3 season Yeti. So a bike pack trip to Central Washington and the John Wayne Trail was where I headed. The trail is an old rail bed that used to go from Seattle to Chicago and is the longest rail to trail in the US. 2 hours and 90 miles later I arrived in Cle Elum, my camp was along the Yakima River about 14 miles east. My trusty Surly Straggler was loaded and off I went.DSCN1029.jpg
It was warm for Veterans Day which made for a nice evening around the fire, I had a packit gourmet for dinner and sipped a little Crown Royal to toast what would have been my Dads 81st BD and my fellow Veterans. It rained off and on all night and a freight train came rumbling by about 130 am which was a good time to answer the call. My feet got a little cold using the Yeti and will try a different pad for my lower legs but overall I was very warm in my 20 degree Ghost Pepper tq thanks Loco Libre. Lots of condensation on the underside of my tarp, not sure why maybe humidity? I did have one side in porch mode all night?DSCN1040.jpgDSCN1039.jpgDSCN1038.jpgDSCN1044.jpgDSCN1032.jpg
I saw lots of Mule Deer and one big 4 pt buck. Watched a family of Otters feeding in a pond and had about 50 Turkeys roost in some Ponderosa Pines just up the hill from me. I guess we all spent the night in the trees. I missed the fall colors by about 2 weeks, too much rain in October and the leaves littered the area.DSCN1051.jpgDSCN1041.jpgDSCN1033.jpg
All in all it was a great trip about 30 miles total and some light rain on the ride out. I hope to ride the entire length of 300 miles which will take me to the Idaho border and the town of Tekoa Wa next spring.
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