John Wayne Trail 2014: Day 7

From E-burg west, the trail was maintained and park property

I started the next day feeling great and looking forward to better trail in the future. The trail west of Ellensburg has been maintained very well as part of Iron Horse State Park. It was still a dry and hot day but there was a nearby river to cool the air and I steadily gained elevation toward the cascade range. All of this was very welcome after many days of hot, dusty, dry, trail with gaps where bridges used to be and locked gates across it.

The Yakima river was always near

Cool old converted bridge

So pretty

There were waivers to sign outside the tunnels

More windmills on the west side of the valley

Happy to be here

Cool old farmhouse

There were lots of signs along the trail

There were lots of irrigation canals in the valley

All along the trail were old pieces of the original railroad

There were more and more trees as I rose out of the valley

As I approached Cle Elum, I saw a really cool outdoor museum of sorts. There were signs all along the trail but there were plenty here. There were also plenty of artifacts on display from the time the railway used to be in use. What I found interesting was the history of electric engines! I had no idea that was a thing and I don't want to write much because I will likely get it wrong. But there was a big powerhouse for that purpose.

Bridge over the Yakima river in Cle Elum

An original train car

The old Cle Elum train station

An old powerhouse. Apparently, they had electric powered trains!?

More Yakima river

Definitely more forested than before

300 miles! Most of the way to Seattle but only 1/2 of my trip

As I got higher in the mountains, the air got cooler and cooler. It was nice. Another nice thing was the grade of the trail. The railroad laid tracks pretty flat and with a low and steady grade. That meant I could keep up a good pace climbing the mountain and didn't have to worry about switchbacks or climbing up and down hills. It was just a continuous almost flat trail. I would regularly pass signs where old train stops had been.

The mountains bid me come exploring

Lake Easton. My campsite is over there somewhere.

Yakima River above lake Easton

I finally arrived at Easton State Park around dinner time. It was so beautiful there at a mountain lake when I had been in Eastern Washington a few days earlier. I rode my bike around the lake to get to the campground and got a hike/biker campsite. I felt very special walking in without a reservation and taking one of those spots! I even made a small campfire to celebrate!

Lake Easton from the north

My first Hiker/Biker spot!

Made a little fire from twigs and stuff just because

As I went to bed I tried to prepare for the Seattle area, which I would be riding through over the next couple days. It would be something of a shock the next day seeing hundreds of people. I never saw a single person on the trail all the way from Idaho to the west side of Ellensburg on this day. Tomorrow, I would rarely be on my own.