Starting Sunday, the area near the mouth of the Columbia River will be closed to all salmon and steelhead fishing. Despite the previous chinook closure, catch rates for coho have quadrupled in the past week, raising concerns about the impact on wild fish listed for protection under the federal Endangered Species Act, said a state news release.

High catch rates are an issue even though anglers fishing the lower Columbia River may retain only hatchery-reared coho, identifiable by a clipped adipose fin, Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, said in the release.

"We know that some wild fish die after they are released, so we need to be cautious," LeFleur said in the release. "Mortality rates for wild coho are strictly limited under the ESA."

Before the season started, fishery managers anticipated that anglers would catch approximately 4,000 hatchery coho during this year's Buoy 10 fishery. But if current catch rates continue, they estimate anglers will harvest 8,700 to 10,800 hatchery coho by the time the fishery closes at the end of the day Saturday.

The Buoy 10 area extends 16 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point Line.

Here's the latest installment in our newest blog feature: Photo of the week. I snapped this at Fort Worden State Park from the top of one of the old batteries near Alexander's Castle. That's the park's famous lighthouse to the left and Mount Baker in the distance.

Just talked to Bob Mortimer of Gig Harbor. You may remember the story I wrote about him in May. Mortimer lost an arm and both legs in an accident when he was kid. However, even with just one arm he's lived a fuller life than most people with four limbs.

In May he and his family started pedaling across the country from Gig Harbor to the Statue of Liberty. They plan to arrive at the Statue of Liberty on Sept. 12. They'd originally planned to arrived on Sept. 11, but as Mortimer said "There's a lot going on in New York on Sept. 11."

He called yesterday from Harrisburg, Penn., and says he's down to his last 250 miles. More importantly, Mortimer said the trip has given him numerous chances to pass along his message of hope and tell people about how he is inspired by his faith in Jesus Christ. He's had 20 speaking engagements along the way, including at least one every Sunday.

We'll keep you updated here on his progress. You can read more about the Mortimers at their Hope and Courage Across America website.

The guys from OAR Northwest, a foursome of University of Puget Sound graduates, have finished another epic rowing adventure.
Two years after becoming the first Americans to row across the North Atlantic, two members of the team circumnavigated the Olympic Peninsula.

Greg Spooner and Jordan Hanssen pulled into Gig Harbor at 2 p.m. on Aug. 23 to complete their 20-day, 400-mile voyage.
The men made the journey in a 16.5-foot, 200-pound dory and carried 150 pounds of gear.

Hanssen, who biked across Australia earlier this year, said in some ways this trip was more intense than rowing across the Atlantic.

The toughest stretch came in a swampy area on the Black River between Grays Harbor and the Puget Sound where Hanssen, 6-foot-5, and Spooner, 6-3, had to get out and push their boat through the muck. It took eight hours to move the boat half a mile, Hanssen said.

“Sometimes we’d push it an inch, sometimes it would go half a boat length and sometimes we’d fall on our face,” Hanssen said. “And sometimes the mud smelled like diarrhea.”

In other words, Hanssen said, “this isn’t something I’d recommend doing for fun.”

Hanssen and Spooner became enamored with the idea of circumnavigating the peninsula when a friend suggested it in 2006.

“We wanted to make the peninsula an island,” Hanssen said.

As they researched their idea they consulted several people who rowed portions of the loop, including themselves. They rowed from Port Angeles to Aberdeen with teammates Dylan LeValley and Brad Vickers in 2006 while training for their Atlantic row.

They read about men in the 1800s who tried to find a waterway from Gray Harbor to Puget Sound, but never found anybody who successfully circumnavigated the peninsula.

In fact, some bad luck kept them from completing their entire trip.

On the Pacific Coast near the Queets River, the men decided to ride the surf to the beach to spend the night. But the next morning their boat nearly filled with water as they tried to get it back out past the light surf. After several unsuccessful attempts, the men decided to row up the Queets River to Highway 101 and called a friend for a ride to Grays Harbor.

They thought about trying again the next day, but realized there was no way they’d get their boat past the surf.

“We didn’t want to put our lives at risk so we made the safe decision,” Hanssen said.

Because they’ve rowed the section of the coast before they didn’t have a lingering sense of failure for the 40 miles of the trip they missed.

“If we had known we were going to have that trouble we would have just kept rowing through the night,” Hanssen said. “… Greg and I are very satisfied. It might have been in a different boat and at a different time but we have rowed completely around the peninsula.”

Besides, the real challenge of the trip was making their way from Aberdeen to Olympia, Hanssen said.

From Aberdeen the men rowed up the Chehalis River to the Black River near Oakville.

They then followed the Black River to Black Lake. From there they made their way up a canal and portaged their boat a bit to get to Capitol Lake.

At the end of Capitol Lake they picked their boat up and carried it to Budd Inlet where they had an obstacle free row all the way back to Gig Harbor.

Hanssen and Spooner’s adventure was more than just another physical and mental test. It was training for their next odyssey.

In 2011, Hanssen and Spooner plan to row from New York to Nome, Alaska.

Read Hanssen and Spooner’s dispatches from their travels at oarnorthwest.com.

Mount Rainier National Park superintendent Dave Uberuaga just announced that Highway 123 through the park will be closed Mondays through Thursdays beginning a week from today.

Park, state Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration officials said the road will be closed from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for paving, according to a park news release.

The closure area will be from Cayuse Pass, at the intersection with Highway 410, to just north of the intersection with the Stevens Canyon Road.

Depending on the weather, the work is scheduled to be done on Sept. 18.

Almost 6 miles of Highway 123 from 2 miles south of Deer Creek Bridge to the intersection of Highway 410 at Cayuse Pass and 1.5 miles of Highway 410 from 1?4 mile north of Cayuse Pass, east towards Chinook Pass to the first major switchback are being rehabilitated under this $6.07 million contract, said the release.

The work includes improving drainage; excavating, stabilizing and reinforcing failing subsurface material; repair/stabilize historic rock retaining walls; and resurfacing with new hot-mix asphalt. Work also involves replacement of the failing stone/timber fence in the Tipsoo Lake area with a border rock edge that will withstand heavy snow loading experienced in this area, the release said.

During the temporary closure, visitors should expect 20 minutes delays on Highway 123 on Fridays, as well as the section of Highway 410 adjacent to the intersection with Highway 123 at Cayuse Pass Mondays through Fridays. The road will be down to one lane on Highway 410 at mile post 73, about 5 miles east of Chinook Pass due to damage from last winter’s avalanches.

Updated information on this project may be obtained by calling Mount Rainier National Park at 360-569-2211, ext. 2166. Information on this project, as well as general park information, is also available on Mount Rainier National Park’s Web site at .

Just got back from a weekend kayaking and exploring in Port Townsend.

Seems like most people are there to hit the shops, but there is clearly much more to do around here for those who are little more active.

We'll be exploring what there is to do in Port Townsend in a future Adventure section. Until then, here are a couple pictures.

Kayaking with my son, Alexander.

Kayaking with my daughter, Mackenzie.

"I got nowhere else to go!" Alexander explorers a battery at Fort Worden. This is the location of the famous "I got nowhere else to go!" scene in "An Officer and A Gentleman." Great flick, but not appropriate for kids.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife just announced that beginning on Monday anglers will have to release any chinook they catch in the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River.

Here is part of the news release:

The new rule, approved today by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon, does not affect fishing for hatchery-reared coho salmon or steelhead in the river.

High catch rates – particularly for upriver bright chinook – prompted both states to end retention of chinook salmon in the Buoy 10 fishery a week earlier than planned, said Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

“We really haven’t seen catch rates like these at Buoy 10 since the late 1980s,” said LeFleur, noting that some chinook caught in recent weeks have weighed nearly 50 pounds. “We have to make sure we leave enough harvestable chinook for sport fisheries further upriver.”

The Buoy 10 fishing area extends 16 miles upriver from the mouth of the Columbia River to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point Line.

By Monday, fishery managers estimate that anglers will have caught approximately 5,900 chinook salmon in that area – somewhat short of the total chinook allocation of 6,500 fish for the season. But the catch of upriver bright chinook is expected to meet or exceed the 1,250-fish target for that stock, LeFleur said.

The National Park Service will unveils its new children’s Web site, The Kids Zone, on Monday.

The site, accessed through www.nps.gov, will contain more than 50 interactive activities designed to connect children with the people, places, and events commemorated in the country’s 391 National Park Service sites, according to a park service press release.

Starting Monday, children visiting the website can learn about Mitsy, a 9-year-old Border Collie who performs an important job at the Statue of Liberty or little Lula McLean’s rag doll which is a witness to history at Appomattox Courthouse or how Thomas Edison changed their lives.

The site includes information on the 325 in-park Junior Ranger programs where young visitors complete booklets on park resources and earn certificates, patches, or badges.

Other features include stories by children who live in national parks, biographies of dogs who work in national parks, and an expanded WebRangers page. Children can continue to earn a WebRanger patch after completing exercises that include decoding a secret message from George Washington, helping endangered turtles get to the sea, setting up a ranger station, tracking animals, and learning how to survive in the desert.

The Kids Zone “hot button” at will provide a direct link to the expanded children’s Web site.

The first of two stories from my recent trip to Vancouver Island will be our lead story in tomorrow's Adventure section. My family and I explored from the northern tip of the island and then out to the west coast.

Jeffrey P. Mayor/The News Tribune
A group of kids use a broken section of dock as a raft while playing in the Strait of Georgia off a Vancouver Island campground near Courtenay, B.C.

Craig Hill talks to a former park ranger about safety in the campsite. A recent report said 11,000 people get injured each year at their campsite.

In our Mount Rainier notebook, the Westside Road is closed but this weekend might be the peak for wildflowers at Paradise.

The Gear Guy is talking about crampons that fit over trail shoes, while the Hike of the Week is to Source Lake.

Here's something you don't see everyday. One of our editors, Craig Sailor (Not to be confused with the mild-mannered Craig Hill), recently had a camping trip in the North Cascades he'll never forget.

If you ever find yourself in this situation, we're not sure this is a good example to follow. But it's an entertaining story, so here it goes:

By Craig Sailor
The News Tribune

It was going to be a string of peaceful days in the North Cascades. Day hiking, lounging in a quiet camp, catching up on some books.

I had gotten a late start out of Tacoma and by the time I turned off Highway 20 in Marblemount it was nearly dark. About five miles up a forest road I spotted a turnout. The far end made for a perfect tent spot. I felt lucky. There wasn’t a house or another camper within miles.

I’d only been in my tent a few minutes when I heard a vehicle come up the road. It slowed and turned in to the clearing. My tent glowed in its headlights. Someone else wants to camp here, too.

But the driver didn’t stay. The vehicle backed out on to the paved road and sat there. A few seconds went by and then the stillness of the evening was obliterated with the sound of firecrackers. Local kids, trying to frighten the tourists, I thought.

And then I heard them. They were tearing through leaves and breaking branches above my head. By the time I even thought about hitting the ground the dozen bullets had long found their targets.

=> Read more!

We are down to the last few weeks of voting for the Best of the West skiing and snowboarding. I know, I know, it's too hot to think about skiing. But I assure you that thinking of winter for a few minutes won't jinx your final month of summer.

Thanks for voting.

Click below to take the quick survey. Your favorites will be featured in 2008-09 Ski preview sections in newspapers across the Northwest. Voters from around the region - Alaska, Idaho, Washington, Oregon and B.C. - are participating so make sure your favorites are well represented.

2008-09 Snow Ride Guide Survey

Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa's attempt to set a new speed climbing record on Mount Rainier didn't go as planned this morning.

Gelu, the first man to climb Mount Everest in less than 11 hours, had leg problems at 11,200 feet. He finished in 5 hours, 39 minutes, 43 seconds.

Most people need two days to climb Rainier.

The unofficial record still belongs to Liam O'Sullivan who made the round-trip climb Aug. 5 in 4:46:29. O'Sullivan guides for International Mountain Guides and is a medical student at the University of Washington.

Gelu's attempt was a fundraiser for school in his homeland of Nepal.

Here's the e-mail I just received from Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, who works for Seattle's Alpine Ascents International.

Thanks, this is lhakpa gelu Sherpa I just tried to speed climb for Rainier this morning, but when I was going up to the elevation of 11200 feet I got a problem with my muscle in my calf.

The muscle in my calf is now dislocated on both legs. I continued on to finish what I started, however at that point I did not go for time, for my leg was in major pain.

I did make the summit and came down in 5 hour 39 mi 43 second I took down that summit registry book and I left a new summit registry book that was signed by the NPS.

Still waiting to hear from . I'll post something as soon as I hear.

Until then, I just noticed that the end of my story was cut from today's paper. Apparently the story was too long. So, I thought I'd post it here for anybody who's thinking of making a speed attempt.

DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT

As much fun as George Dunn has had watching his International Mountain Guides employees run up Rainier, he doesn’t want weekend warriors to get the wrong idea.

“I do not encourage anybody to do this,” Dunn said.
Liam O’Sullivan and Justin Merle climbed Rainier more than 100 times each in their careers before their speed attempts. Chad Kellogg was a climbing ranger on the mountain when he first tried.

“You really have to know what you are doing,” Jim Whittaker said. “You should be prepared to have an embolism or heart attack because that’s a lot of elevation to gain.”

In 2003, two ultramarathoners, who trained by running 25 miles per day, tried to set a speed record on Rainier. Neither made higher than 13,000 feet.

“They were lying on the ground vomiting and couldn’t hold their water,” climbing ranger Greg Johnson told The News Tribune in 2004. “Even the fittest of the fit get stopped by the altitude.”

AAI guide Michael Horst, who climbed Rainier in 5 hours, 15 minutes last week, recommends speed climbing at your own pace.

“What constitutes a speed climb?” said Horst, who has summited Rainier 123 times. “I’d even open it up to those who are taking two days. Speed is different for everybody.”

While we are on the subject of speed climbing, I thought I dig up a feature we did on Chad Kellogg in 2004. Kellogg is the first known man to climb up and down Rainier in under five hours.

It should be noted that this story includes extensive quotes from his wife, Lara, who died in a climbing accident last year.

Photo by Peter Haley, The News Tribune

By Craig Hill
The News Tribune

One of the world's fastest mountain climbers gave his calculations for scaling Mount Rainier one last check as he stood in the Paradise parking lot just before 6 a.m.

It takes most people two days and 40 pounds of gear to climb the 14,410-foot peak. All Chad Kellogg had on Aug. 9 was unwrapped energy bars taped to his arms, two packs of sugary energy syrup, a pair of javelin spikes, customized ski poles and a mini-disc player blaring the inspirational tunes of The White Stripes.

That's hardly enough gear to get average climbers out of the parking lot, let alone keep them alive overnight on the mountain. But for Kellogg it would be perfect, because his climb would be done in time for lunch.

Kellogg, 33, ran from his car to the summit and back in 4 hours, 59 minutes, 1 second, becoming the first person to climb Rainier in less than five hours. He broke the record of 5:06 he set in 1998, a year after getting into the sport of speed climbing.

The West Seattle resident is also the only person to bag Alaska's Mount McKinley in less than 24 hours. And last summer, Kellogg traveled to Kazakhstan to win the world's most prestigious speed-climbing competition.

"He's a machine," said Roger Strong, one of Kellogg's climbing partners. "He's absolutely amazing."

=> Read more!

Photo courtesy of AAI

Lhakpa Gelu Sherpa, the first man to climb Mount Everest in less than 11 hours, has turned his sites to Mount Rainier.

Saturday morning Gelu will try to be the first man to make the round trip from Paradise to Rainier’s 14,411-foot summit in less than four hours. Gelu is attempting to set the speed record as a fundraiser for schools in Nepal.

Even climbing guide Liam O’Sullivan who set the unofficial speed record Aug. 5 with a 4 hour, 46 minute, 29 second trip, expects Gelu will crush his record if weather permits.

“I think the weather will be fine,” Gelu said.

Gelu plans to start climbing at 5 a.m. Saturday.

I took an early morning bike ride near Lake Wenatchee recently and caught the notoriously choppy lake (It's always windy)as flat as a mirror. Thought I'd share:

So you're having trouble squeezing in one last camping trip this summer.

Same here, but I hatched an idea yesterday.

My 7-year-old son, Alex, has been pressuring me to go camping one last time this summer to watch the Perseid meteor shower - something we've made a bit of a father-son tradition out of the last three years.

We camped on our trampoline in the backyard Monday night and saw about five shooting stars. But, he informed me, that wasn't as cool as staying at a campground.

So, last night after I got off work we loaded the car for a 720-minute camping trip - 7:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m.

We hit a ma-and-pop campground near the house. (I'm not telling you where because, quite frankly, neither of us really liked the place.)

So what can you do in 12 hours?

Well: Set up camp, go swimming, tool around in an inflatable boat, play horseshoes and volleyball, light a campfire, tell ghost stories, talk about 7-year-old stuff, tear down camp and lay out on a picnic table to watch the meteor shower (We didn't see anything).

We had a blast and we were back home by 8 a.m.

Here's Alex getting a feel for the inflatable boat. I got the boat when I was about his age and was quite surprised it still worked.

Old Fort Townsend State Park on Port Townsend Bay is expanding according to a statement released this week by the Trust for Public Land.

According to the statement, 30 acres of old-growth forest and bluff habitat will be added to the park and provide additional public shoreline access.

The 367-acre park was established in 1958 and has 40 campsites, a kitchen, shelters and an amphitheater. The park gets about 132,000 visitors per year, according to the statement.

"The State Parks and Recreation Commission is thrilled to expand Old Fort Townsend State Park," Joan Thomas, Commissioner from Seattle, said in the statement. "This acquisition will allow visitors greater opportunities for access and for experiencing the wildlife and natural beauty of Puget Sound."

=> Read more!

Repair work on the Mount Rainier National Park’s Westside Road will start Monday, park officials announced today in a press release.

The work will result in the road being closed to all public access for a Monday through Friday, from August 18 to September 5, the statement said.

The closure applies to all public access including hiking, biking, and motor vehicles, the statement said. The closure will extend from the beginning of the Westside Road at its intersection with the main park road to the motor vehicle gate at Fish Creek according to the statement.

The road, located in the southwest corner of the park will be open to the public on weekends beginning at 5:00 pm on Fridays through midnight on Sundays, and will also be open Labor Day.

The road was damaged during the 2006 flood. According to the statement it is crucial for road repairs to be complete by “the start of the rainy season which occurs around September of each year.”

When fighting broke out in Georgia last week, it piqued Sue Ershler’s interest more than most people.

Her husband, Ashford-based mountain guide Phil Ershler, was leading a group of 11 climbers to the summit of Mount Elbrus. Elbrus is 18,510-foot peak in Russia near the Georgia border.

“He says they heard some shots, but it has not been an issue other than that,” Sue Ershler said. “But that’s all he said.”

International Mountain Guides confirmed Monday that Ershler’s entire party reached the summit of Elbrus. Elbrus is the tallest peak in Europe. Phil has climbed Elbrus many times including once with Sue.

Sue, who is in Las Vegas, didn’t seem concerned that her husband would be in harm’s way as fighting continues.

“The thing about mountain climbing is that you are usually in a pretty remote area,” Sue Ershler said.

Ershler is currently leading the climbers off of Elbrus.

I'm in Everett today so I decided to take a quick ride on the Interurban Trail that runs from Everett to Lynnwood.

While it's rainy it only sprinkled a bit. The wind, on the other hand, was tough. It was so windy heading south that I only maintained a 13 mph pace. It was awesome on the way back, however, as 28 mph was no problem on the flat trail.

I love multi-use trails like this one, but I have a couple complaints about this one:
1. The trail is interrupted by city streets on several occasions. Making matters worse the trail is poorly signed in some areas. I had to ask two nice young ladies for directions at one point.
2. When you can find the signs you are sometimes directed to ride your bike on the sidewalk on the wrong side of the street. While there are worse things, I guess, this feels pretty weird.

My favorite part of the trail was a short 100-200-yard section that snakes through a swath of green trees and shrubs between the neighborhoods and I-5.

As I rode I couldn't help but think how cool it's going to be when all the section of the Interurban Trail link together and connect to the Foothills Trail. Can't wait.

Just got an e-mail from Liam O'Sullivan, a 29-year-old guide for International Mountain Guides in Ashford.

O'Sullivan, a Seattle native who starts med school at the UW on Monday, says he climbed Mount Rainier Tuesday morning in 4 hours, 46 minutes, 29 seconds.

This is a new unofficial speed record for a round trip from Paradise to the 14,411-foot summit and back.

O'Sullivan's friend and fellow IMG guide Justin Merle set the unofficial record July 9 when he made the trip in 4:49:35. Previously, Chad Kellogg held the record with a 4:59:01 trip in 2004.

None of the climbs were officially timed.

Photo courtesy of Liam O'Sullivan

In an e-mail to his bosses at IMG, O'Sullivan said his legs cramped up during the climb forcing him to slow his descent. Cramps cost him another attempt at Merle's record earlier this summer.

Debbie Natelson of Soundrowers Open Water Rowing & Paddling Club recently sent info on the upcoming race across Puget Sound:

Join Sound Rowers Open Water Rowing & Paddling Club for the annual Great Cross Sound Race, Saturday August 23, 9am. This race is open to all human powered boats: rowing shells (fixed dory to sliding seat shell); canoes/outrigger canoes/war canoes; kayaks/surfskis, pedal boats, paddle boards. Mass start; 7.6 mile course begins and ends at the Alki swimming Beach, proceeds west towards and around Blakely Rocks off of Bainbridge Island, then south to the Decatur Reef Buoy, then back east to Alki Beach. THe race is exciting with variety of boats and usually offers some navigational challenges in addition to distance (general summer boat traffic wake, ferry boats, tides, currents, and prevailing wind. At some point in triangular course you are battling the conditions. Coast Guard approved flotation device, whistle, and ability to self rescue in cold water required. Non members welcome. Mandatory pre-race meeting at 8:15. For directions/further information on this race and other Sound Rowers races, www.soundrowers.org. Race Director, Jeff & Theresa Knakal, 425-338-9441.

While we get to write about our adventures in the paper, it's not often you get to see a picture of us in action (Although a picture of me jumping a creek runs in tomorrow's paper.)

What's even more rare is pictures of us in the pages of the competition.

However, I was skimming a copy of the Seattle Times' July 27 travel section and an L.A. Times they ran about climbing Mount St. Helens.

I was taken by the picture of a lone climber scaling the volcano with Mount Adams seemingly floating on a sea of clouds in the background.

Then I looked a closer and realized the climber was me.

I'd post a link here, but I don't want to send you to the competition. (Call me petty.) But I'm sure you can find it if you really want to see it.

Adventure writer Craig Hill and photographer Drew Perrine trekked into the wilds of North Cascades National Park last month. In Thursday's section, Craig writes about their sojourn and we have plenty of Drew's remarkable photos. In addition, Drew will have an online photo gallery.

Waterfowl hunters should expect seasons similar to last year, based on season frameworks approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The state Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to set the season dates and bag limits when it meets this weekend. We have a preview of that meeting as well.

We also have our monthly With Your Kids column, as well as the Hike of the Week (to Dosewallips Falls and Campground) and the Weekend Getaway (Anderson Lake State Park).

If you have nothing to do today and want to try and escape the smog, head over to Lake Wenatchee. For the first time since 2004, the lake is open for recreational sockeye salmon fishing.

The fishery, open daily, will likley close on short notice when the harvest quota is reached, said Jeff Korth, north-central region fish program manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, in a news release.

Harvest and fish counts at Tumwater Dam will determine the season’s length, Korth said. To date, more than 24,000 sockeye have been counted at Tumwater Dam on the Wenatchee River. The number of fish needed for spawning is 23,000 fish.

The daily limit per angler is two sockeye, at least 12 inches long. Sockeye with a colored, plastic tag near the dorsal fin, as well as all bull trout, steelhead and chinook salmon, must be released unharmed without removing them from the water, said the release.

Selective-gear rules are in effect on Lake Wenatchee, except that fishing from a boat equipped with a motor is allowed, the release said. No more than three barbless hooks are allowed, no bait nor scent may be used, and the use of knotless nets for landing fish is required. Angling is allowed from one hour before sunrise to one hour after sunset. Anglers must have a valid Washington freshwater or combination fishing license and a catch record card.

There is very limited public access at the lake, northwest of Wenatchee off Highway 207, the release said. There is a small, primitive boat launch on U.S. Forest Service property and a boat launch at Lake Wenatchee State Park, but parking is limited.

The public will have the chance to see the preliminary recommendations for a land-use plans for Dash Point and Saltwater state parks a week from today.

The third and final workshop will be from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Federal Way Regional Library, 34200 First Way S., Federal Way, according to a release from State Parks.

In the first and second workshops, department staffers gathered information and presented alternatives. Comments at those meetings covered issues such as trail management, campground improvements and the enhancement of natural resources.

Following this workshop, staff will be seeking public feedback on preliminary recommendations for each park, said Ryan Karlson, State Parks planner. Preliminary recommendations for land classifications at Dash Point State Park could result in excluding bicycle use in proposed Natural Areas located in environmentally sensitive areas of the park.

Click here for more information about the planning process is available online.

If you would like a copy of the preliminary recommendations report, contact Karlson at 360-902-8650.

Just got these stats via e-mail from Susan Cady of the Redmond Cycling Club. Thought I'd pass them along to make you feel young.

Turns out the average age of RAMROD (Ride Around Mount Rainier in One Day) cyclists this year was 47. Pretty impressive considering this is widely considered to be the most challenging of the popular cycling events in Washington. The 154-mile ride climbs more than 10,000 vertical feet. The oldest rider was 79 and the youngest was 17, Cady said. She says 40 percent of the riders are 50 or older.

Also of note is that mostly men did the ride this year: 722 men
and 134 women.

Here is the break down from Cady, who did the ride again this year. She says these stats do not account for no-shows.

A new marathon will be staged starting at next year's Seafair, Seattle officials plan to announce later this morning.

In a statement released at 8:37 a.m. by the San Diego-based Competitor Group, the organization stated the Rock 'N' Roll Marathon will be "A new signature event of Seafair."

The organization will announce the event at 11 a.m. in Seattle with 1972 Olympic marathon champ Frank Shorter on hand for the festivities. Also attending the announcement will be King County executive Ron Sims, Seafair CEO Beth Knox

According to the statement the marathon will be held on the shores of Lake Washington and will feature live bands and cheeleaders at every mile along the course.

The original Rock 'n' Roll Marathon was held in San Diego in 1998. Seattle joins Phoenix, Nashville, San Antonio, Virginia Beach, San Jose and Philadelphia as Rock 'n' Roll marathon city.

The marathons attract between 13,000 and 37,000 participants each year according to the Competitor Group's prepared statement.

The 2009 Seafair has events scheduled between June 28 and Aug. 2.

What a ride and what a day. The day went without any issues. Russ and I concluded that this was the best time we had on any of the last five Courage Classic rides. Both of us felt strong all day and at our best as we climbed Stevens Pass. I made my best time ever up the pass by seven minutes.

As the ride took place, it dawn on me besides the kids who are helped by the money raised; the real story is all of the volunteers who make the ride happen. As riders we are told continuously by many volunteers “Thank you for raising money and riding for the kids.” I hope to not leave out any one but here it goes. Here are just some of the volunteer highlights and a thank you I want to pass on:
• MultiCare has seventy – five volunteers who help put on the ride. Checking in people, loading and unloading bikes, moving and putting up tables and chairs, driving SAG cars, and ect.
• All the Rotary Clubs of Pierce County were involved in buying and preparing all the food stops along the ride. Each stop had more Rotarians than you can count. How could you not when you have to feed over 700 rides in a short period of time? Thank you for the treats and the special little twist you have at each stop. STP could learn from you. We had apple cider, coffee, water, Gatorade, ice cream sundaes, fresh fruit, root beer floats, snow cones, and many other items to enjoy at the many food stops.
• John Curley for riding and being the MC for the Saturday night program.
• The Gig Harbor Rotary for a better spaghetti lunch at Snoqualmie Summit than I had at Spaghetti Factory besides the parking was easier.
• What can Brown do for you? I tell you what UPS does for the riders. UPS takes the riders luggage from them at the start of the ride and drops it off at their camp site or hotel during all three days. The bags are dropped off by the rides numbers at the finishing site. UPS also took care of my laptop by keeping it safe for me.
• Many MultiCare employees volunteered their weekend for the ride, and brought their kids along to help as well.
• The Old Town Bicycle shop fixed and worked on many bikes for a thank you or the cost of the parts. Thanks for taking care of my tire and my bike.
• The South Hill – Puyallup Rotary and Sumner Rotary for a nice lunch of sandwiches and soup.
• All the SAG drivers – Thank you for stopping and bring water, a floor pump, a kind word of encouragement, and a ride when the body or the bike gave out.
• The Lion’s Club of Leavenworth for my favorite dinner and a great breakfast. Dinner is so good I worry about embarrassing myself for eating so much, and trust me when it comes to food I don’t embarrass easy.
• The Tacoma Narrows Rotary for the baked potato lunch and the fun we had in line. Every year you add a new topping for the bakers, and I love all of the items you offer.
• Thank you for all of you who worked on Thursday and Friday to prepare the ride and those of you who will work on Tuesday getting everything back to where it goes.
• Thank you all for a special ride but be prepared the word is out so expect more riders next year.

I tried to post this on Saturday, but the hotel which claimed to have an internet connection didn't have one.

Sunday Night

This weekend’s ride reminds me of times when I was a kid where you have no worries and only good times. Remember as a child the extra fun days flew, but the days when you had to pull weeds dragged on. This weekend has been that kind of weekend; it is flying by. The only small hiccup came from during the first fifteen miles of the ride. The three readers of this blog, who are all related to me, will know my love of dehydration, IVs, and ER. I felt the need to get ahead of my hydration so I drank two large bottles of water the first ten miles. Hoping I would soon have a sign that I was fully loaded and hydrated – I wanted - NO - I needed to pee. I had the same experience Craig Hill had two years ago on STP when he needed to go. Finally, with a full bladder, I pulled over behind a tree to relieve myself. Sweet relief. The hiccup wasn’t the fact I couldn’t void, but when Todd Kelly my neighbor and Multi-Care Hospital Communications Director decided to roll up in his SAG wagon within ten feet of my tree. Todd has his soon to be a seventh grade daughter Sarah with him. He quickly threw the car in reverse, and all turned out well.

The weekend is truly a worry free weekend for the riders, but it happens by the hard work of the volunteers. I asked Todd if the weekend qualified as work – he said no he volunteered this weekend in fact he mentioned his first day of his vacation is Monday the last day of the ride. His daughter Sarah was right by his side working hard with her dad. The hours the volunteers put in are enormous – Todd started both Saturday and Sunday before 7 AM and Saturday his day finished at 9:30 PM. When Russ and I left the program last night at 7 PM, Todd with Sarah at his side was still hard at work. I talked to a couple Rotary members who came up the night before the event to set up their food stop, and woke quite early to prepare food for the many riders.

Again for my three family and friends reading the blog, the cribbage total is 10 to 10. I jumped out to a huge lead of 9 to 2 to only have Russ get on a big run and tie it up.

Monday’s ride is the toughest for me. The ride is around sixty miles with about the biggest climbing day. Today we climb Stevens Pass. The total climbing miles today is around fifteen miles of the sixty. Russ waits for me at the top of the pass, and my best time in the past has Russ only waiting for twenty-three minutes; we will see.

Twenty-two miles into today’s ride my tire made a sound like a .357 going off. Not good, I had my first flat tire on the ride and only my second for the year. Craig Hill has the record for four flats on one fifty mile ride, and he literally blew through five tubes. Russ Meyers comment “You pulled a Craig Hill.” The day started a bit dicey with rain at the start of the ride. As the good boy scout that I am, I came prepared with a long sleeve cycling jersey and my long cycling pants. My body was warm and toasty. The rain came and went as we road through day on and off on I – 90.
As I near the start of the largest hill, the tire blew. The Courage Classic has about seven sag wagons which drive the course helping people with flats, water, and bike problems. The helpful sag driver was Eric Quist. After trying to fix the tire, we tried two tubes then the tire blew again. Eric loaded the bike onto the car and took me up the hill to a waiting mechanic. Old Towne Bike Shop supplies the bike mechanics. The mechanics are outstanding in their service. The mechanic told me to go have lunch, and my bike would be ready when I returned. The bike was ready to go, and when I didn’t have enough money they allowed me to come by later to pay. The Courage Classic treats their riders like no other ride.

Hi, I am Rick Beitelspacher, and I have the opportunity to share my experiences with you concerning the Courage Classic Bike Ride. Craig Hill, one of the real writers, is camping this weekend, so I got the call from the minors to write the blog. The only real writing I have accomplished this summer is a grocery list. During the school year, I teach and coach junior high school students. Hopefully after reading the blog you don’t decide to pull your kids from public school.
I have a bias opinion of the Courage Classic Bike Ride. I LOVE IT. As I packed my bag for the three days of riding, I packed some shirts from previous rides, and those shirts brought back some memories of good times on the bike, hanging out with friends, eating some amazing food, and getting treated by the volunteers like your royalty. The ride is like an old friend. The kind of friend you don’t see for years, but after a couple of minutes of talking, you feel as if you have reconnected.
Craig Hill wrote an article in the TNT on Thursday covering the ride. Money raised from the ride goes toward a program at Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital. I took the next part right from the Courage Classic website (www.courageclassic.org). The Courage Classic Bicycle Tour was created as a fund raising ride to support the Rotary Endowment for the Intervention and Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect. This endowment will ensure that the children in our communities and their families will never be turned away from the help they might need in the case of sexual or physical abuse.
Because the riders raise funds for a great cause, the volunteers treat the riders as if they have done something special. I have ridden STP, raced triathlons, and run the Portland Marathon, but I have never experienced anything like the special treatment we receive from the many folks who put on the ride. The volunteers come from the rotaries in the area, the hospital, and folks who believe in the cause. They work many hours to put the ride, food, and logistics together, and they thank us? I told you I was bias from the start of the blog.
I want share with you my experiences, and the ride is the biggest part of the experience. The other part is some time with some good friends. I mostly hang out with Russ Meyers who is another teacher and coach. We ride together except when the hills get too steep then Russ and all of his 165 lbs go up the hill by himself. When he arrives at the top of the hill, Russ waits for me and let’s me know what a “Good Climber” I am. What a joke – I hate climbing hills. Unlike Russ I have forty extra lbs to lift up the hill. I get my revenge on Russ in our many cribbage games. We play around thirty over the weekend at a dollar a game to the winner. This usually means that Russ will be buying me dinner on Monday night. I rarely take less than fifteen dollars from Russ. Yes I do talk smack the whole time we are playing so Russ pays me back on the ride. It works for us.

While I was working on Saturday's fishing report, Art Tachell at Point Defiance Boathouse Marina passed along the following work of caution to anglers fishing in Commencement Bay.

They should note that boats are being kept away from the mouth of the Puyallup River by the Coast Guard while a Navy ship is being unloaded in the port.

Fishing in Commencement Bay reopened on Friday.

See Saturday's Sports section for the full fishing report.