Hello Rahne,
This certainly was an adventure,and i was fascinated to read you story.I can
write a book about some adventure i had going in to isolated places this to
find one species of Dragonflies,Saw myself beeing stranded and the Mountain
rescue going to find me,this as this two girls what got lost near Gold Bar
Wash.
Call you self lucky you did not got stuck or blew you tires out.One year a
couple lost a car going up in Wenas some place and the motor blew up.Myself
in 1987 hit a big rock and it put a hole in the waterheater.But the birding
is so great in Wenas,and where can you get so many species of Flycatchers in
one place.Wenas was part of our birdathon to ad some species what you could
not find any place out.

Ruth Sullivan
Tacoma
godwit at worldnet.att.net
----- Original Message -----
From: Rahne Kirkham <rahne at mindspring.com>
To: tweeters <tweeters at u.washington.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, June 06, 2000 12:58 PM
Subject: addendum to Christine's description of our Wenas trip


> A new motion picture release!
> Alive 2:The Trip to Wenas!
>
> Christine Vadai filled you all in on our wonderful birding trip on the
> Umptanum rd to Wenas, Crab Creek and Vantage but what she didn't tell you
> was the real life adventure we had. As if 111 species on one trip were not
> enough!
> We got on the Umptanum rd in Ellensburg and, except for dancing for joy
over
> the prairie falcon, it was uneventful. Then Christine started noticing
that
> her cellular phone was showing that there was no service available. She
kept
> checking periodically but I didn't think it mattered since I knew her
truck
> was both strong, fairly new and beautiful and nothing could possibly
happen
> to us.
> I had affirmed to Christine that I knew the way to the campground at Wenas
> as I had been there several times both with Seattle Audubon and alone. She
> obediently took the right fork and our adventure began. First the road
began
> to deteriorate rapidly, attaining ruts and holes that I didn't remember.
We
> went for miles and reached an uphill path surrounded by nothing but
manmade
> crushed up rock. This was definitely not familiar. We had passed workmen
on
> the road so maybe during the last year they had redone the road. We went
on
> but I knew we should have reached the campground by then so we turned
around
> and took another fork that looked kind of familiar. We passed the
beautiful
> creek and deciduous trees I remembered. Yes, this had to be it. It looked
> familiar until the road was flooded and we ended up driving up the
> streambed! (Thank God for 4-wheel drive.) Bouncing like mad, I wondered
how
> had Audubon had its yearly campout if the road was flooded!? Then I saw
the
> bridge...in fact we went under the bridge...or part of a bridge...It was
> collapsed at the far end! The water got deeper and deeper so we decided to
> turn back. Only there was no room to turn. Christine said,"Don't worry. My
> four wheel drive can handle it and we began to turn around." I trusted her
> until I looked out my window and saw the ground! I started to loudly pray!
> We did get turned around without the truck falling on its side and headed
> out. I sat pondering how a place could change so much in a year when
> Christine said,"What would you have done if the truck had tipped over with
> no service for the cellular?" I started having visions of us being
trapped
> and hungry until one of us was inspired by the movie, Alive. This made me
> glad the truck had not fallen over.
> Finally, we reached the crossroads where we started our adventure. I said,
> just for a kick, let's see what's down this other road? We rounded a bend
> and there it was, Wenas Campground in all its glory. I had led Christine
> down the wrong road all along.....
> Opps!
> Rahne Kirkham
> Federal Way, Washington
> rahne at mindspring.com
> "For the human spirit is virtually indestructible
> and rises from the ashes as long as the body
> draws breath." Dr. Alice Miller
>