Rec Club
Briefing/Meals at the Lake Wenatchee Recreation Club (LWRC)
10T 0671085E 5298565N UTM
10T FT 71085 98565 USNG
47.81768, -120.71449
47°49.061', -120°42.869'
47°49'04", -120°42'52"
14400 Chiwawa Loop Rd
Leavenworth, WA 98826
Directions
From I-5/Hwy 2 - 2 hours travel time
From I-5 take Highway 2 across Stevens Pass to Cole's Corner (mile post 85)
Turn left onto Highway 207 at Cole's Corner
Follow Hwy 207 4.8 mi
Turn right onto Chiwawa Loop Road and follow ½ mile
Lake Wenatchee Rec Club is ahead on the left (at the airport)
Conditions
The building includes a large meeting room, kitchen, restrooms (no showers) and a smaller room on the opposite end from the large meeting room. There is no air conditioning and the tap water smells of Sulphur and is not potable (Beaver Valley Lodge water is fine).
Dinner is supplied Friday night and Saturday morning for the runners and staff. The runner briefing starts at 4pm and dinner starts about 5-5:30pm. Dinner follows immediate afterward. Support staff does not need to attend the runner briefing (it will be crowded).
Runners may check-in at LWRC starting at noon Friday. There should be a place for runners to register and get their goody bags immediately inside the large meeting room. The facility needs to be setup with rows of tables for the briefing in the large meeting area. Tables for drinks and later desserts need to be along the wall outside the kitchen service window. Another row of tables will be setup in the small room for the dinner entrée service. The SAR food truck is generally setup immediately outside the end door of the small room. Some number of tables and potentially canopies should be setup outside the front door to allow outside dining to ease crowding in the room, particularly if it's hot (no A/C inside).
Camping is available outside the building in a large open space east of the runway. Setting up tents and campers off the flight line is recommended. Stay off the airport grass! It is also possible to sleep in the large meeting area but it can be loud during breakfast preparations starting at 1:30am. The facility must be cleaned and returned to original condition on Saturday after breakfast. This makes it unavailable for sleeping Saturday night.
The Midway Grocery just 1/4 mile down the street has the closest basic supplies. There is also a small grocery and hardware store in Plain. Beyond this, Leavenworth has a Safeway and much more. Wenatchee has most every service available, including a large Walmart.
The small room has been used as command during the race. Antennas were strapped to 4x4 posts and a T-post behind the building. Coaxes ran through the window and the radios were setup on a table immediately inside the window. Documentation was generally setup on another table toward the middle of the room. Generally all VHF channels could be monitored with a combination of radios and three large external antennas. This allowed simplex communications anywhere on loop 2 and communications with Tommy, Lake Creek and Tyee via repeater. Be aware Lake Creek can only be worked via Nanum when they point a yagi at the hillside.
Communications
There is no permanent radio station at LWRC or anyone assigned as an operator because the space is only used Friday and Saturday morning before the race. There are generally radio operators at the LWRC monitoring radios so it is often possible to reach someone via radio. There is also cellular service so it is possible to contact anyone via their phone.