It's situated in the Yakima River Canyon, between Ellensburg and Yakima. It is a fantas- tically beautiful area, a geologic blend of desert hills and basalt cliffs that rise above the river. Our hike was along the base of the canyon, along a well-worn trail. There were eight of us - Rue, Annie and Daisy; Taraz, Megan and their friend Alonzo, and George and I. We all wore our backpacks, containing a prepared lunch, and extra clothing for unpredictable weather.
We hiked through groves of aspen, stands of cottonwood, and along a creek bed with beaver dams that required crossing.
Although there is a dusty, well-worn trail through the valley, we took a few wrong turns and had fun bushwacking our way back through the underbrush. Taraz found some excellent sticks to help us clear an opening, and he showed us how to crawl through (me on all four, so my hair wouldn't get ripped on snags.) 
Daisy was a real trooper, doing quite well on the trails. But when we had to climb over and around some of the big logs, she begged for a little help, not sure of her footing. All of us used big sticks as props to get across some of the beaver dams, or to help pull one another up over an embankment.Taraz was a delight to watch on this trip. He is like a kid, experiencing a place for the first time! He climbed up onto the high ridges, like a mountain goat. Nothing stopped him from getting higher and higher. Then he came crashing down through the shale moraine, sliding rocks, causing little rocks to tumble. When he comes here again, to climb the ridges in the spring, there is an excellent chance he can see bighorn sheep, mule deer, and elk.
We were clearly on 'the wrong trail' most of the 8 mile hike, obviously on an old trail that most hikers found discouraging, so it was poorly maintained. We eventually found a way over to a better trail on the way back, and had no problems hiking through the valley. 
Meandering through this aspen grove was delightful. 
The leaves on the forest floor were in subtle shades of grey and light yellow. Along the trail, leaves that were still in the shade in the late afternoon still had frost skirting the edges (I've got photos, but they are blurry).
The folage on most of the trees were in brilliant colors, and all the desert plants were beautiful in the sunlight.
We stopped for lunch in a clearing in the forest, midway through the hike. 
This is our son Rue. He was listening to music on his headset, bobbing his head back and forth. 
And this is Taraz and Megan, arm in arm along the trail. I will say that this was one of the most enjoyable hikes I've ever experienced, primarily because I enjoyed watching all my kids have such a good time. I'm glad they like to get out into nature, soak up the sunshine, breathe the fresh air, and explore.I have to laugh...the best part of the trip was getting 'lost', and working together to find the right trail, with everyone helping each other. I loved seeing the energy and enthusiasm, with everyone looking out for one another.
I'm very eager to come back to this location in the spring, and climb the far ridges along antelope trails. The view up there is incredibly spacious and wonderful.
