I love rock climbing, but my being a nervous novice has meant I’ve spent most of my time in Washington learning (and re-learning) how to belay at rock gyms. I get confident and have a blast, only to go another year before dusting off my climbing shoes again.
When Frank suggested we go to Vantage and try out Frenchman Coulee, I didn’t need much convincing. It was a pleasant bonus that we got to spend some time in Historic Downtown Ellensburg.
Car Trouble and Dinner in Ellensburg
We packed up the van and drove the 2 hours 40 minutes from Olympia to Ellensburg, but had to pull over in Easton due to a flat tire. Luckily, we were able to put on the spare pretty quickly and get to Les Schwab to have the flat repaired.
Shoutout to the Ellensburg Les Schwab who let us ride in 1 minute to close and had us all fixed up and out the door in less than 10 minutes!
Once our flat was fixed, we parked in downtown Ellensburg and strolled into Pretty Fair Beer, a cool taphouse with a small food menu and a well-curated beer and wine list.
It was only after squeezing our way in at the bar and getting comfortable that we were informed the taphouse would be closing for good - in 3 days!
We had a great time, and we were sad to hear the spot would be no more in a couple days. Frank had the smoked pork mac & cheese and I got the burrito bowl. We washed it all down with a bottle of Coyote Canyon Barbera, a dangerously smooth drinking and berry-licious bottle.
When we were done with dinner, we corked our wine and said farewell to a cool pub we would never come back to again. Then, we headed to Vantage.
Camping at the Frenchman Coulee
To camp at Frenchman Coulee, you only need a Discover Pass. There were plenty of camping spots to choose from. If there is one thing I can recommend - bring bug spray! We attempted a short hike for some photos, but had to retreat to the van before being eaten alive.
After a solid night’s rest, we started the morning with coffee and breakfast, then drove the short distance from our campsite to The Feathers.
The Feathers are the beautiful columnar basalt rocks that make up a wonderful lineup of rock walls with varying levels of difficulty.
We got in a couple hours of climbing around The Feathers before the rain started. It was a bit of a bummer for our rock climbing adventure to end sooner than we expected, but we had a blast. I can not wait to continue climbing!
Lunch in Ellensburg
Before heading home, we stopped by Ellensburg one more time for a little stroll around town. The rain had mostly subside by then, so we did a bit of browsing at Mountain High Sports and Ellensburg Bike Shop. We ended our mini vacation with lunch and cocktails at The Mule.
By the time we got home, we were a little sore and very eager to continue climbing!
More
Curious about what else there is to do in Eastern Washington? Check out my last article, 24 Hours in Eastern Washington, or how I spent A Weekend in Walla Walla.
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