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Quilomene/ Colockum Rambling's

8K views 42 replies 16 participants last post by  promo 
#1 · (Edited)
Once again the window for Spring desert riding in E. Washington is beginning to open up. One of my favorites is the Quilomene and Colockum wildlife areas across the river from Ancient Lakes. Not the best destination for riders looking for maintained single track... though there are some sections of routes that have "weathered" down to what you could call "single track"... they're definitely not maintained. Big spring snows (and melt-offs) the last few years have probably affected some routes as well. This is just a really big "outback" area of WA., with miles and miles of old rancher roads, jeep trails and other abandoned routes to explore. Old homestead sites, irrigation ponds and even some small 100 year-ish old orchards.

Anyhow, I recently began to scan some old slides from our earlier adventures out there so I thought I'd start a new "Q" thread and share some (there are a couple other "Q" theads on here but they're way back somewhere)

We (some early mtb friends & I) first stumbled on to the area while water skiing at the dune across from the gorge amphitheater. We were camping at the dune and went for a hike up the creek that feeds the lagoon there and met a guy in a 4x4 who had driven in there. Since we had MTB's (and 4x4's) we naturally got hooked on the idea of exploring this "forgotten" about area. We bought all the USGS 7.5 minute maps of the area and began "ramblin'" around out there.

Our first ride out there was in March of '88... we rode the "Perkins" road down to an access road that took us down into the Quilomene Canyon and eventually to the dune and lagoon at the mouth.

Riding the Perkins Road...
March '88 Quilomene 004

March '88 Quilomene 002

Our first view into the Quilomene Canyon...
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We wouldn't return again until '95 when I had a few more partners who were interested in "adventure riding". We started with a re-con trip in Feb. looking for the best routes into the area.

Riding in on the "Beacon Road" (now the Wild Horse Wind Farm) from Whisky Dick Mtn...
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Quilomene Feb. '95 018

We got real wet!
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The muddy roads in Feb. didn't allow us allot of miles so we returned in early March and accessed from the Beacon Road again.

The Top of the Quilomene Canyon...
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On this trip, we took the "Army Road" down the ridge to the south of the "Q" canyon and into the canyon on another access road about two thirds of the way down.

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The trip out... this is the bottom section of the "Army Road"...
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We followed up later in March that year with a loop starting at the top of the "Q", riding up the Beacon Road to the Brushy Road, down it to where it drops into the Brushy Creek, down the Brushy Creek to where it meets the Quilomene and back out on the "Q" canyon route.

Where the Brushy Road drops in to the Brushy Creek...
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Cactus Flat...
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Home sweet home...
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Looks like single track to me...
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Chiilin' by the "Q" creek before the ride (climb) out...
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With interest mounting among the "locals", we took another "down & back" day trip in Nov. '95.

Break time by the "Big Pond"...
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The Orchard up Brushy Creek. This is the largest of the remaining orchards we've come across out there... not sure if it's still there...
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Cabin #2, also on Brushy Creek...
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Got a feeling this one's probably "down" by now...
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Dune break...
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29
#2 ·
More "Q" and "C"

These are from early April '96. We took a quick re-con ride down & back preceding a 4 day campout the following month.

Where the "Q" canyon road hits the canyon floor...
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Heading down the "Q"...
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Looking back up...
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A friend met us at the dune (by boat) with lunch and beer... cheers!
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We returned in early May '96 with a large group and camped 3 nights at the bottom of the "Q". Our "big" ride took us up the Brushy Creek a little ways, then up a steep Jeep trail and over a series of ridge's, road's & trails (and through some wheat feilds) all the way over to the Tekison Creek and then back along the same route.

Heading for base camp down the Army road...
May '96 Quilomene 002

May '96 Quilomene 009

Pond near camp...
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Heading up the "Brushy"
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Looking down on the Brushy Creek Orchard again, this time with leaves & small fruit on the trees...
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The Jeep trail climb out of Brushy Creek...
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Cabin #3. This one is pretty remote! We called it "Kazinski's Cabin"...
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Lunch above Tekison Creek and Crescent Bar...
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Chiilin' on the return trip...
May '96 Quilomene 026
 
#3 ·
Awesome stuff! Looks like you spent more time north of where we've gotten over the years.
A ride we did south of your stuff back in 2004... wow, we looked younger before we had kidlet, lol....



Strange lava 'sploops' we found right in the jeep road heading north of Kohler spring.


Big question now is how long we'll have to wait for it to firm up after all this rain. This area is next on the list. :)
 
#10 ·
A friend & I are strongly considering bike packing out there as well. Free to choose your route as you go that way... not tied to a base camp... no risk of motor vehicle break down. Does simplify things. Except your bike is heavier... especially those of us carrying some beer! 4x4ing in is fun too, you get to BB-Q and take allot more beer... but it takes most of a day to drive in and set up camp, and most of another to pack it up and drive home. Plus all riding has to be oriented around the Base. Boats would be awesome and we've talked about it lots over the years... just never seems to come together... Except for that one friend that met us for lunch.
 
#15 ·
'97 Trip

Here's a few pic's from our '97 camp-out "Q" trip. Several rode in to camp from the top down throgh the Q canyon while a few of us drove the camp in on the Army Road. We did a simple "Brushy Creek" loop the next day as it was cloudy and spitting rain off and on.

Riding up Brushy Creek...
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Dropping back into the Brushy...
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#16 · (Edited)
'98... Stray Gulch!

In May of '98 we drove all the way to the bottom of the Tekison Creek and camped just up stream from West Bar. This was our longest drive in, and our longest and highest ride out there yet. On the first day we rode out & back in a few directions looking around the area.

Taking a re-tie break on the way in...
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Checking out the bottom end of Stray Gulch...
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The next day we rode up Brewton Gulch...
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Then up the Brewton Road all the way into the forest "breaks" of the Colockum...
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Up into the snow...
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And across to the top of the Stray Gulch... looking over S.G. right here...
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Dropping down towards Stray Gulch...
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This is an old, seldom traveled route... some route finding required...
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On the trail...
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Another "cactus flat"...
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Back in camp...
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3rd day exploring near camp before we had to pack up and leave...
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"Pack 'em up and move 'em out"
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The trip out... this is smack dab in the middle of the Quilomene and Colockum Wildlife Areas...
Colockum May '98 011
 
#25 · (Edited)
Tekison Creek Trip '99

This was our last multi day trip out there. Have only returned a couple times since for day trips. On this one we pushed farther north than ever before. One of the tougher loops too... lots of "hike-a-bike". But our purpose on all of these trips was to explore and see what was out there in/on as many canyons/ridges as we could and we certainly did that.

The trip in in my old '62 Mog...
Tekison May '99 019

Exploring around West Bar on the 1st day...
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On the Brewton Road above Brewton Gulch...
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May snow...
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On the edge of the Colockum Forest...
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After significant searching, finally on an old, abandoned single track... on the Green Trails "West Bar" map as a dashed green line and as a "pack trail" on the U.S.G.S. map. The upper 1/3 of the trail (mostly on top of a ridge) had completely disappeared. Here we're dropping into the Tarpiscan drainage. At the bottom we'll climb up over a pass and drop back into Brewton Gulch...
Tekison May '99 042
 
#26 ·
Great pics! Might I also commend you on your Land Cruisers, and Mog, through the years. I have a 1983 FJ60. It's served me well on many a bike trip. Though gas costs kind of suck now.

Also, I've watched a lot of shows at the Gorge and wondered, "what's over there/why's it empty?" and been glad for the view.
 
#27 ·
Thanks eporter! Over the years my wife & I have had two FJ55's, an FJ60 and a '91 FJ80. Also a really cool '68 Jeepster Commando. Wish I could have kept the Mog! As the kids got to be Junior High-ish, had to sell it to buy the '91 LC... (soccer car). It was in very immaculate condition- straight from the Swiss Army, had been stored indoors with cosmoline in the seams & etc. Best running and working truck I ever had! Only 48mph though (on flat ground... w/ a tail wind ha,ha). But the 2m X 3m bed came in handy!! and, though they look big, actually takes up less real estate than a reg. American full size pick-up. I got if for just a little over $7000.00... sold it for $8500.00! Only time that ever happened!
 
#29 ·
1st three are from '88... rest from the mid to late '90's (they're dated) Mountain bikes weren't commercially available 'till the early '80's. Only small numbers from custom builder's in the late '70's... the seeds MTBing grew from, namely Tom Ritchey, Gary Fisher and Joe Breeze. (allways wanted a "Breezer"!)
 
#34 · (Edited)
More Quilomene 2012 pics

Here's the Brushy Creek Orchard... doing quite well considering the environment it survives in!
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Doesn't get much more organic than this...
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The Brushy Creek Valley w/ the orchard from the same spot as photographed before
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Looking up the Brushy...
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Brushy Creek flowers
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Saturday evening on the dune... Cheers!
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Camp
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Looking down on the tree's and brush our camp is "hidden" in, and up the Quilomene Canyon...
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More flowers
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The "Q" Canyon
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Geting ready for the ride out on Sunday. We opted to ride out the same way we came in on the Army Road. We would have prefered to ride out on the Q Canyon route but the lower section we checked out was so over grown we decided to wait 'till we get a chance to re-con it. Tough to break miles of brush w/ a load.
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Back up on the ridge leading out
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Looking into the Q Canyon from above. You can see the old road in the bottom. This is a little more than half way up.
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A little Bull Snake sharing the trail on the way out. We only saw one Rattle Snake... in the Brushy Canyon.
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Last pic, almost to the top...
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#35 ·
...A little Bull Snake sharing the trail on the way out. We only saw one Rattle Snake... in the Brushy Canyon.
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:thumbsup: Bull/gopher snakes can get BIG- like 6' long- can have quite an attitude when confronted, and will even coil up and flip their tail around. They look and act so much like a rattler that when combined with buzzing dry grass or weeds it will make your heart stop for a moment! Every once in a while one parks it on our front porch at night, which makes coming home late 'interesting'. This was a mid-sized version of "Herbie The Family Pet".


Bentler on gopher/bull snakes.
Bentler on rattle snakes for comparison.
 
#37 ·
Never seen a Goat Head thorn out there. However, we have had a few flats over the years from Cactus' (Cacti?). just certain sections of certain routes over grown. Namely the lower ends of routes that have been closed to motor vehicles for quite a while and/or are remote enough to keep other traffic at a minimum (i.e. horse, foot and mtb's). We faced thick Stinging Nettles, massive tangles of black berrys, and a host of other trail clogging plant life while trying to push up the Quilomene Valley. The bottom few miles has always been a challenge, not just due to bush whacking, but also due to flooding from gully washers and high snow melt in the Wenatchee Mountains. Like I've said before, there's no maintenance on these routes. Once they're closed to motor vehicles, they only see animal traffic and the occasional hiker, hunter or, once every few years or so, mtber. kind of cool in a way though, makes some areas that are difficult to reach kind of wildernessee... but bike legal... one of the things I love about this area.
 
#38 ·
Also, there are several main access roads within the Quilomene and Colockum Wildlife areas that remain open to motor vehicles including the "Army Road" that we rode in on (the only legal motorized route to the bottom of the "Q"). And, unlike Forest Service "main Access" roads, they're also legal for ORV's. On Saturday, we had a group 25 or so quads, buggys and motorcycles down at the "bottom" as we returned from our ride up the Brushy (which is now closed to motorized travel). It was also warm enough that we had several boaters enjoying the dune and lagoon during the day. Truly a multiple use area. In fact, a boat makes these canyons quite a bit less remote to visit. If you decide to drive in though, be forewarned- the Army road has some long, really rough sections that require a pretty resilient vehicle.
 
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