Chevy Astro and GMC Safari Forum banner

1st Annual Burning Van Eastern Washington

89K views 186 replies 30 participants last post by  nonhog 
#1 ·
1st Annual Burning Van!!!

We've decided it's time to have a AstroSafari.com meetup. Dkgarnet96 and I each have a three acres in different spots of a small community called Rimrock Meadows located in Eastern Washington about 16 miles North of Ephrata WA. There is tons of things to do out there from exploring old dirt roads, fishing, boating, ATV trails, hunting etc. The clubhouse has amenities including showers, bathrooms and Swimming pool big grass area with horseshoes and kids area. The clubhouse is about a mile down road. Moses lake and Wenatchee are the largest nearby towns, about 40 minutes away and Jameson lake, renowned for its great fishing, is about a 20-minute drive from Rimrock. Grand Coulee Dam is about an hour's drive and there are numerous other "natural wonders" in the surrounding areas such as the Columbia River, Dry Falls, Soap Lake, Billy Clapp, Moses Lake, Whisper Lake and Lake Chelan. Billy Clapp lake is a bit more low key. We usually take the Waverunner there.

When:
Memorial day weekend from Thursday 5/24 to Tuesday 5/30


Things to be prepared/aware of:


Cell phone service is very weak. Verizon is the only service that really works out there. 3G on a good day
Sometimes crazy winds whip up from time to time so bring anchors for your Tent awning etc. It can get DUSTY to.
There is snakes out, Rattle and Bull Snakes. I have yet to see a Rattlesnake and only a few Bull Snakes when it's hot out.
It can get COLD at night and HOT during the day just all depends. Humidity usually is about 10-20% sometimes less.
Dogs are allowed
There is plenty of kids down at the clubhouse I know of two kids in are group that are coming boy and girl age 5. There is fooseball table, nintendo wii ,wifi ($5 a day) and more VHS movies than you would imagine at the clubhouse. This place was built in the the 50's and sure does feel like it.
Bring a Telescope or your favorite camera its Pitch black at night Stars for days.
You don't need AWD/4x4 to reach Rimrock. You can always ride shotgun in Wimps Van. If it does rain which doesn't usually happen it can get pretty muddy off the main roads. :driving:

We have a Pergola with sun shades and firepit/bbq about 6ft in diameter. Nothing fancy We usually have a cord of wood delivered in the spring ($200)
Tent camping or Van camping on the lots. There is potable water at the clubhouse and also a pump out station. There is hotels in town if camping isn't your thing.
Some lakes and points of interest require a Discover Pass which can be purchased at Walmart or online for $30 for the year or $10 a day. Most places its not enforced or have off site parking. There goal with the Pass is to keep rift raft away I guess. I have one extra pass I will give to the person that drives the farthest to get here. :rockon:

Things to work out ahead of time:
Coordinating Food is going to be fun task.
How many Vans/Vehicles/People/Dogs
Beer/wine/Beverage area

What types of things would you be interested in doing:
Like I said before there is tons of stuff to do around there from trails we've been down to ones we haven't and need to explore.
I'm guessing will need a tinker station as these Vans always need something done to them.

What things are you willing to bring/provide:

Ghostwhite mentioned he's been known to roll around with kegs in his van. I have another brewer from Seattle that will be attending. Will need to work out serving and keeping the beer cold :)

DkGarnet96 Will be bringing some wine as that's his 9-5 Job
LS Dave Has a couple gopros and Drone he will be bringing
I'll be bringing my Waverunner

So let's start kicking some ideas around!

Thinking we should build a VW Vanagon made of cardboard and wood :)

If you're interested you can PM Me Wimpazz, TurnNburn or Dkgarnet96 to be added to the list. If you have a gmail account we can add you to the docs we have going.

Hopefully this will get the ball rolling, I'm sure I forgot a few things, I/we will add them as we go. More to come!

Thanks,

Brandon




https://goo.gl/maps/6MRZ8825qWK2 Take a look around
 
See less See more
2
#7 ·
1lowcab said:
Too bad it's on the other side of the country, sounds like a load of fun! Why is everything cool on the west coast.
You could always put together an event on the east coast...
 
#11 ·
CopperFiremist said:
AstroWill you coming out to do some recon on the Tigers?

I so want to, but my son is still in school at that time.
 
#15 ·
1,840 miles on I-94, 1,819 on I-90, 27 hours one-way per google maps...

If I get 20 mpg (yeah, right) and gas is $2.50/gal, that would be $230 one way, sleep in the van to avoid hotels, pack food to reduce costs, hmmm, I wonder. Pull my pop-up, wouldn't take that much more gas to haul it.

Of course, if I don't have my van running this is all moot anyways.

It does sound like a great get-together, and if it becomes a hit, maybe I could plan a family trip around the 2nd or 3rd annual one. I've never been to WA, OR, ID or MT, so I can see it in my future.

-Andrew
 
#16 ·
icebrrg3rd said:
1,840 miles...
It does sound like a great get-together, and if it becomes a hit, maybe I could plan a family trip around the 2nd or 3rd annual one. I've never been to WA, OR, ID or MT, so I can see it in my future.

-Andrew
So far the interest is good and is on track to be a blast! And we are still 5 months away!

Between those 4 states there is a surprising amount of barren wasteland. But for every mile of nothingness, there is another mile somewhere else that is truly amazing!

I have not done any exploring in this particular area so I am really looking forward to making the trek. Luckily its only 240ish miles for me.

1840 miles! If you do make it then it I am pretty confident you get that extra Discover pass.
 
#17 ·
Hell yea! Can't wait for this. Its fun out there. So get ur vans dialed in and block out a few days for the trip :cheers:

I think part of our plan is to get a general head count and try to have some food organized, beer too. The trails out there that we take arn't too bad, 2wd can probably handle it. There are some heavier duty trails if you got a beefy van. This is going to be awesome!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top