| Coming Up This Weekend in the Wenatchee Valley |
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Greetings!
If you're on the lookout for something to do or see this weekend in and around the Wenatchee Valley...take a look!
I'm sure you'll find something to suit you and your family. | |
* Les Schwab Classy Chassis Parade Friday * Apple Blossom Festival Grand Parade Saturday
* Wenatchee Valley Rams vs. Okanogan
* Wenatchee Valley Venom vs. Wyoming |
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Cashmere at Cascade Tennis, 3:30pm
Caribou Trail League Track Meet at Cashmere, 4pm
Omak at Chelan Softball (DH), 4pm
Hermiston at Wenatchee Valley Boys Lacrosse (at WVC), 5:30pm
Omak at Chelan Baseball (DH), 4:30pm
Big Bend at WVC Softball (DH), 2pm
Grant Road and Valley Mall Parkway, 6pm |
Apple Blossom Baseball Bash Tournament
Walla Walla Point Park
GWGSA Kickoff Softball Tournament
Sterling Fourplex and Kirby Billingsley Hydro Park |
Red Apple Flyers Field in East Wenatchee, 9am-4pm each day
Walla Walla Point Park, 9am-8pm |
Registration at 8am, run at 9:40am along parade route
Stemilt Growers Grand Parade
Orondo Avenue and Wenatchee Avenue to 9th Street, 11am
Spokane Falls at Wenatchee Valley Softball (DH), 12pm
Spokane Falls at Wenatchee Valley Baseball (DH), 1pm
Washington Football League play at Wildcat Field in East Wenatchee, 6pm kickoff
Featuring Washington Midget Racing Association, Outlaw Compacts, Vintage Modifieds & Bump to Pass. Gates open at 4, time trials at 5, racing at 6.
Cage Fighting at Wenatchee Valley Sportsplex, 7pm
Indoor Football League play at Town Toyota Center, 7:05pm |
| Information and Brag Board |
Live 4 Adventure Race Changes Start Time
(Wenatchee, WA)...To accommodate busy families, organizers of the first-ever Live 4 Adventure Race have decided to change the start time from 11am to 5pm. The relay race slated for May 21st at the Apple Bowl in Wenatchee is touted as a mixture of "Minute to Win It" on NBC and ABC's "Wipeout." To register, go on-line to www.live4adventure.org.
Port of Chelan County Chips in For Special Olympics Winter Games
(Wenatchee, WA)...The Port of Chelan County Commissioners agreed to support a local effort to cover facility costs associated with Special Olympics Winter Games Thursday. The Board of Directors voted unanimously to provide up to $5,000 per year for five years to help keep the Games in the Wenatchee Valley through 2016.
Wenatchee Valley Sports Council Director of Marketing Eric Granstrom says he's thrilled with the community support. "It's been fatastic to see the community rally around Special Olympics like this. The Port's assistance, combined with committments from the Wenatchee Valley Tourism Promotion Assessment and Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce have us up to $24,000 toward the $30,000 needed," said Granstrom. He added, "I'm on the agenda for the Port of Douglas County next week and we're also hitting the trail of our local service clubs for support."
According to Granstrom, he's working on a Memorandum of Understanding with local entities to provide to Special Olympics Washington prior to it's executive committee meeting May 19th. Granstrom emphasised that this is a community-wide effort, "I have several checks on my desk right now from individuals who have donated to keep the Winter Games here. Of course, I'm not doing anything with them until we get them (Special Olympics Washington) to sign on the dotted line."
Coaches of Inspiration Awards Nominations Sought
(Wenatchee, WA)...Nominations are being sought for the 5th Annual Coaches of Inspiration Awards. The event is designed as a "Thank You" to the volunteer coaches throughout Chelan and Douglas Counties. Nominations are due to the Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation at 5 S. Wenatchee Ave., Suite 100, Wenatchee, WA 98801 by May 11th. The Awards Night Ice Cream Social will be May 25th at the Wenatchee Community Center at 6pm.
Coaches of Inspiration is a program of the Wenatchee Valley Sports Foundation and is intended as a "give back" to the community. If you'd like to thank a coach who meant a lot to you, present or past, fill out a nomination form today. Go to the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council website for more information, and a registration form today. |
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We Welcome a New Sponsor to the Wenatchee Valley Sports Council Newsletter!
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| Wenatchee Outdoors Trip of the Week - Andy Dappen | |
Homestead Trail - Sage Hills (by W.O. Staff)
During the autumn of 2010, the Chelan-Douglas Land Trust built a new, 2-mile-long section of trail on its Horse Lake Reserve in the Sage Hills west of Wenatchee. The new trail branches off the west (uphill) side of the Lone Fir Spur about 0.8 miles from the Horse Lake Trailhead as you're walking south toward the PUD property in the Sage Hills. See this map if you're not familiar with the Sage Hill system (the Homestead Trail is the zigzagging trail on the northwest end of the trail system that climbs to a gap that's just northeast of Horse Lake).
This trail was built with grant funding and a combination of contracted help and volunteer labor coordinated by the Land Trust. It's a zig-zagging trail that climbs 700 vertical feet through terrain offering beautiful views down on the Columbia River Valley, over the city of Wenatchee, and out across to Burch Mountain. The trail leads to a little saddle, drops off the back side of that saddle and connects to double-track road cutting through the Land Trust's 1200-acre Horse Lake Reserve. Take a right on the road and you can follow it downhill off the reserve back to the Horse Lake Trailhead where you started. This loop is roughly 5 miles long. If you want to walk/ride farther to gain higher view points, drop off the saddle and take a left on the double-track road cutting through the reserve and follow the road uphill another 1.2 miles to a higher ridge system with stellar views (see the map for options).
A high percentage of the people who volunteered to build this new trail were mountain bikers, so there are several corners and switchbacks hikers may find annoyingly indirect and that they will be tempted to cut. Please don't. The trail wouldn't exist without this volunteer help and, even if it has a few more zigs than you prefer, be thankful of the many people who donated their sweat to build this trail we can all enjoy. Those zigs also have logic behind them: 1) they make for better riding without needing to skid bikes around a sharper, steeper switchback (skidding causes ruts that erode the trail during rain events) 2) they're designed to shed the runoff from hard rains, meaning the entire trail will be much easier to maintain.
Details, Details: Homestead Trail-Sage Hills, Wenatchee Fitness: 1+ to 2 (advanced beginner to intermediate), depending on options.Distance: about 5 miles, Elevation gain: Total of 850 vertical feet.Access. From the intersection of Wenatchee Avenue and Horselake Road at the north end of Wenatchee, drive west (uphill) on Horselake Road. In one mile, the pavement ends and (if you're driving) you can use a pullout on the right to park. Or drive another 2.3 miles up Horselake Road and park on the right side of the road at a formal trailhead that was built by the Land Trust in 2009. Note: Neither the city, the county, nor the Land Trust has a formal budget to pay for trailhead maintenance. All of us who use the trails can help by picking up trash found at the trailhead (and on the trails) and disposing that trash at home. Also please don't dispose of trash in the vault toilet and clean up after yourself after using that same toilet. Instructions: --From the upper trailhead (el. 1,750'), head in a southwesterly direction. For the first 0.5 miles, the trail wanders through sagebrush country with views to the west and north over Monitor and the Cascades. Then it crests a little ridge and starts contouring an east-facing basin.--Contour for about 0.3 miles until a little intersection in a draw (unsigned). Staying on the main trail takes you over to the PUD property in the the Sage Hills. For this walk, however, turn right and start climbing uphill on a gently graded trail--Over the next two miles the trail climbs to leads to a little saddle then drops off the back side of that saddle and connects to double-track road cutting through the Land Trust's 1200-acre Horse Lake Reserve.--Take a right on the road and you can follow it downhill for a little over two miles. This will take you off the reserve and back to the Horse Lake Trailhead where you started. On this section of the return there will be a few intersections with other roads -- the first is a far rougher road that drops off more steeply on your left (stay right on the higher, smoother road), the second is with the gravel road that leads off the reserve and back to the county road where the car is parked (veer right here).--Longer Option. At the beginning of the last step, if you take a left on the double-track road, you can climb another 1.2 miles through old meadows and fileds that give you beautiful views.Retrace the same route back. See the map for options.Maps: See our map. Use 'Print Preview' to size and scale before printing.Allowed: Hiking, trail running, mountain biking, horses, walking leashed pets. Not Allowed: The Land Trust strictly prohibits the use of motorized vehicles on this trail or anywhere else on the Horse Lake Reserve. If you see any motorized vehicles, try to get a license number and report the violation to the the Land Trust (667-9708). Best seasons: Spring and fall. In summer, the route is best traveled early or late in the day. Landowners. The route is mainly on the Land Trust's Horse Lake Reserve. The last quarter mile of the circuit follows a county dirt road. The property lines noted on our map are accurate. Seasonal Closure. The PUD's property in the Sage Hills is managed as a wildlife preserve. In winter, when the mule deer move down into the lowlands, the PUD closes their property in the Sage Hills. The Land Trust closes this trail at the same time (December 1 - April1). Because this trails is higher and potentially muddier than most, it may be signed closed even longer in the spring. Permits: None needed. Rules. 1) Dogs should be leashed 2) no cross-country travel is allowed (use only existing trails) 3) building any new trail or trail feature anywhere on the Land Trust's property is strictly forbidden 4) stay off trails that are marked closed 5) observe the winter closure of the area. |
| The "Fishin' Magician" Dave Graybill's Weekly Report |
 | | Trout Unlimited cleanup of the Icicle River |
We are finally seeing some "spring like" weather in the region, and that is sure going to help get things going on the fishing front. I have been waiting for the weather to warm up so the walleye bite will take off at Moses Lake, Potholes and Banks Lake. There are walleye being caught on Potholes and Banks already, but they have been very deep. Walleye have been taken on Moses Lake, but that was in the area known as the Fill and in Crab Creek, where they spawn. I am waiting for those fish to finish spawning and to move out into the main lake, where I fish for them. I don't know if I have mentioned, but I just sent out my latest e-letter, on Spring Fishing in the region. There are some feature stories on fishing at Lake Chelan and even at Drano Lake for spring salmon. I also share some personal insights on spring fishing in the region in my e-letters. If you aren't getting the free e-letter, just go to FishingMagician.com and there are two places to click on right on the Home Page. I you don't like it, just send me a note and I'll take you off the list. This has only happened once in the two years that I have been sending it out!
We are fortunate to have many active clubs and organizations dedicated to the enhancement of fish and wildlife in our area, and one that has been selected for a special award is the Icicle Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited in Leavenworth. Last Saturday, instead of visiting a lake for the opening day of fishing season, my wife Eileen and I joined the group for a clean up of the Icicle River. We hauled all kinds of junk off the river banks, and two drift boats and a pontoon boat floated the river retrieving debris. On Sunday morning, I got the following message in my e-mail; "The Icicle Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited has been recognized as the Organization of the Year by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife," said Dennis McMahon, president of the chapter. "I know the main reason is because of the dedicated members that devoted countless hours of their time to the numerous projects that we are involved with over the years. On behalf of the board we want to thank you for your time and devotion to a very worthwhile cause. Members of the board will be traveling to Olympia on Thursday to receive the award." Way to go guys and gals. Much deserved.
--Dave Graybill can be heard on radio stations throughout
the Pacific Northwest, seen locally on KWCC TV and
read his articles in The Nickel Ads each week |
| The Weekly Lake Chelan & NCW Fishing Report with Anton Jones of Darrell & Dad's |
 | | Cameron Yarbrough of McNeil Canyon with son Brad Davison/Yarbrough and their morning's catch. |
What's hot is trolling for Lake Trout on Lake Chelan on The Bar early in the morning. Kokanee are starting to bite near Lakeside and downlake of Rocky Point on Lake Chelan. Also, continuing hot is trolling for planter rainbows on Roses Lake. Wapato Lake is open now and producing rainbow trout for trollers and still fishermen.
Troll the Bar early in the morning for nice quality fish. Use Mack's Lures Cha Cha Squidders baited with fish strips or Worden's T4 purple glow flatfish off the downriggers. Off the outriggers, you can fish the same or try spoons such as Silver Horde's Kingfisher Lites in Chartreuse Splatterback or Critter Gitter's Rushin' Salmon Wobblers in Purple Glow. On the flat below the Bar U20 Flatfish in Purple Glow or Luminous Chartreuse and smaller Cha Cha Squidders are good for at least a few quality lakers between 8AM and Noon.
The Kokanee bite started last week with surface water temperatures breaking the 50 degree mark. Trolling those Mack's Lures mini Cha Cha Squidders and Kokanee Pro Wedding Rings rigged behind Mack's Lures Flash Lites or their little Double "D" dodgers caught a few 10 to 11 inch Kokanee. Bait those presentations with Pautzke's Fire Corn in Natural and Orange. It should just get better from here.
Roses Lake and Wapato Lake are both productive for planter rainbows with some nice 16 to 18 inch triploids thrown in for added excitement. The odd Channel Cat at Roses really makes it fun. Trolling Mack's Lures Smile Blade Flies in Black worked great.
Your fishing tip of the week is to start trolling shallow for kokanee early and move deeper as the sun goes up in the sky.
The kid's tip of the week is to plan on attending the Kid's Fishing Party at the Chelan Golf Course on Mother's Day this year. This is a great event for little kids to have a fishing experience. It is sponsored by the Lake Chelan Sportsman's Association. This year will be especially emotional for us Association members with the recent passing of Toad O'Neill. He defined community service for us. That beautiful Beebe Springs Natural Area would not have come to fruition without the unwavering efforts of Toad and Frank Clark.
Your safety tip of the week is to consider launching at Manson Bay on Chelan instead of Mill Bay. With lake level approaching 1083 those logs can reach up and bite you quite easily. What a great time of the year for fresh trout, asparagus and morel's!
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Sincerely,
Eric Granstrom
Wenatchee Valley Sports Council
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