Driving Home - Saturday 23rd September

Jerry and I decided to get home in one day. The fastest route was I5, but that would have been desperately boring. The route that was the best compromise between good scenery and the need to make it by nightfall was US-199 from Grant's Pass to Crescent City, and then US-101 south all the way to within 10 miles of our respective front doors. We set out a little before 7am, and the sun came up about half way to Crescent City. US-199 turned out to be an enjoyable drive, with sections through forest and mountainous terrain. After coffee in Crescent City we started south on US-101. Initially, the road hugs the coast, and is narrow. Later, it moves inland, and has sections of divided highway which allowed us to pass the numerous RVs out for the weekend. Jerry had one incident where his engine cut out at speed, which we diagnosed as a dodgy ignition switch. After he removed the extra keys he'd added to the fob at the start of the tour, there was no repetition. Other than that , the drive was uneventful, but pleasant. We said our goodbyes at our last stop near Santa Rosa, and headed for home.

Golden Gate Bridge - Jerry is somewhere out there ahead of me...

I finally made it home at 6:38pm, about 12 hours after we set out. As my speedometer died on the trip, I can only estimate the total mileage covered as around 2600 miles. Great company, beautiful weather, fantastic scenery, and fine roads. A great way to spend a week!

After 12 hours on the road, Dollar is stuffed :-)... (thanks Lynn for that)

Day 5 - Friday 21st September

We started the final day of the NWOL on the coast in Florence, Oregon. We were to visit Crater Lake, from where we would all head off in different directions for home. The drive to Crater Lake was nearly 200 miles, so it was lunch time before we arrived. Initially, the weather was overcast and cold. The OTS drivers were very pleased when the sun finally broke through for the last 50 miles or so! The drive included some beautiful country, including a long section of the Umpqua river valley.

Umpqua River

The final section of the drive climbed steeply to the rim of Crater Lake at an altitude of more than 7,000ft. Chuck Goolsbee, the original architect of the NWOL, joined us for the day from Bend. He led us up to the first viewing point on the rim of Crater Lake.

Chuck Goolsbee's 1965 OSB OTS in the foreground

At the rim of Crater Lake

Crater Lake was formed around 7700 years ago when the volcano Mount Mazama collapsed. It is the deepest lake in the United States, and 15-20 miles in circumference.

Wizard Island is a cinder cone at the west end of the lake, over 750 feet above the surface of the water

One of the things that most struck us about Crater Lake was the color of the water. It really is that blue. Apparently, this is due to the fact that no streams or rivers flow into it. All the water is the result of precipitation falling directly on the surface. As such, the water is remarkably pure and clear.

It really is this blue!!!

We drove up to Rim Village, where we had our final lunch together. All that remained was a last photo-call for the cars and their owners...

Jerry, Chuck, Norman, David, Lloyd, Greg and Dianne

Before heading for home we visited a few more spots on the rim of the lake. My favorite was the Phantom Ship, and rock formation that appears above the surface of the lake.

Phantom Ship island in Crater Lake

All too soon, it was time to head for home. Chuck, Norman, Greg and Dianne headed to the north east, and Jerry, Lloyd and David headed to the south west. Drive safely, and hope to see you next time!!

Day 4 - Thursday 20th September

We were pleased to hear this evening that Rick and Chris got home safely today after having left NWOL early due to engine problems. We wait to hear how much damage needs to be repaired. Today, Gary Herzberg departed NWOL from McMinnville to head home to Bozeman, Montana. As Gary also completed the Going to the Sun Rally earlier this month, he must win the prize for the most miles covered in an E-Type this month!

Much of Day 4 of the NWOL was spent at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. However, before we left the hotel, we completed the mandatory "fix something that is broken" ritual that must take place in the hotel parking lot. Today, it was a fix to Jerry's cooling fan, which failed yesterday...

Bypassing the fan relay returned life to Jery's fan, albeit is now on all the time.

We spent close to 5 hours at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. There is a huge collection of aicraft, and space artifacts, and a very knowledgeable team of docents willing and able to answer questions. The prize of the collection is the "Spruce Goose", Howard Hughes seaplane built in 1947 almost entirely of birch wood. It's size is staggering, which makes it difficult to photograph effectively.

Spruce Goose

The aircraft has a wingspan that is 50% larger than a 747 airliner, and weighs 200 tons.

It has a total of 8 engines

We were lucky enough to arrange a 15 minute tour of the cockpit area which is not normally open to visitors.

Chief Engineer Dianne querying the oil pressure on engine number 6

Test pilot Lloyd at the controls

Co-pilot Greg driving with one hand and texting with the other as usual...

The full flight crew complete with pilot Norman Black in Howard Hughes fedora

There are many other fantastic exhibits there - too many to handle in a single day. Some of the others that caught my eye....

14 cylinder radial engine

Apollo Lunar module in the Space building

SR-71 Blackbird - one of 22 remaining 

So that's how split pins and locking wire are meant to be done - detail from SR-71 engine

It was Jerry's day for car problems, and before we left the museum we worked on his generator fan which had become loose and was making a nasty rattling noise. We had no success, and will have another go tomorrow.

"I'm really not sure that is the part we are looking for..."

We were to spend the night in Florence on the Oregon coast. As the coastal weather had been foggy, we decided to change the originally scheduled route along the coastal road, and instead drove south down the Willamette Valley, before going west to the coast. The highlight of the drove was the last 50 miles or so on OR-36 from the Willamette Valley to the coast. It was twisty road, with no traffic, and lots of opportunities to enjoy the handling of our E-Types.

At one point, we stopped at a small gas station in the middle of nowhere and, as has often been the case, attracted some attention. First we were shown an amazing sunflower that may be one of the largest ever grown.

Giant sunflower - apparently, bluejays had taken most of the seeds

Then, a passing flatbed truck spotted the 5 E-Types in the garage forecourt and thought he'd struck gold!

"WE BUY JUNK CARS, TRUCKS & HEAVY EQUIPMENT"

We had to send him on his way empty-handed. As we approached the coast, the fog set in, vindicating our choice of route. We enjoyed a great Seafood Dinner in Florence at "Mo's". Tomorrow, we head for Crater Lake National Park - the final day of the NWOL.

Day 3 - Wednesday 19th September

Today the NWOL lost one car, and gained another. Rick and Chris Kuschel decided to leave us early because their Series 1 OTS had developed a misfire which was getting progressively worse. They decided to set off for home in Missoula, MT with the hope of getting there before the problem got any worse. We missed them today on the trip to Mount St Helens, and wish them a safe drive home. Norman Black joined us last night from Duvall, WA with his beautiful '67 maroon FHC. So, it was still 6 cars that left the hotel in Clatskanie, Oregon on the way to Mount St Helens. In contrast to previous days, the weather was overcast, with fog/mist in the air. This persisted with us into Washington state, and continued as we headed up WA-504 which eventually ends at the Johnson Ridge Observatory, about 6 miles from the summit of Mount St Helens. About 40 miles or so from the Observatory, we stopped off at the Mount St Helens Visitor Center, which provided us with a lot of fascinating background information on the 1980 eruption Shortly after leaving the visitor center, while we drove up towards the observatory, the weather cleared and the sun broke through. For those driving convertibles, this wasn't a moment too soon. About 20 miles out, we got our first sighting of the mountain.

Mount St Helens in the background. Toutle River valley in the foreground, that was filled with debris from the eruption

The drive up to the observatory was pleasant, though certainly less enjoyable than the route originally planned to Windy Ridge (which we had to cancel due to road closure). As usual, when we arrived the E-types attracted a lot of attention from fellow visitors.

Today's lineup includes Norman Blacks '67 FHC

We walked to the Johnson Ridge Observatory, which overlooks the north side of Mount St Helens. It is named in honor of U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) volcanologist David A. Johnson who was on duty at the USGA Coldwater II observation post during the May 18th, 1980 eruption.David Johnson was one of 57 people who lost their lives in the eruption.

Mount St Helens from the Johnson Ridge Observatory

When you see how much of the mountain was blown away by the eruption it is awe-inspiring. The devastation on the surrounding area is amazing...

A final shot of the mountain on our way down WA-504

An enjoyable run down WA-504

We had an enjoyable lunch at Patty's Place on the way down WA-504 overlooking the river. Having crossed back into Oregon, the final leg of Day 3 was from Clatskanie to McMinnville. Chuck had selected a "special" driving road for this section on OR-47. It proved to be a blast of a drive. Jerry and Greg left the rest of us for dirt, so I don't have any pictures... Jerry's car developed a couple of problems during the day, so we may have a little "fettling" to do before we set out tomorrow, when we visit the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.

Day 2 - Tuesday September 18th

Day 2 started with a bang; literally! The 6 E-types were lined up in the parking lot of the Sunset Motel in Hood River, ready to make a grand exit. David drove out onto the roadside ramp and severely grounded his exhaust causing him to stop abruptly. The following car was unable to stop and rear-ended him! There was no damage to either car, but it did rather spoil our grand exit!

The first objective of Day 2 was to explore the Columbia River Gorge with visits to the Bonneville Dam, Horsetail falls and Multnomah Falls. I don't have any photos of the visit to Bonneville Dam as I missed the turning and ended up by the roadside working on a dead speedometer and leaky exhaust...

Business as usual

I did get a head start to Horsetail Falls, which gave me time to hike up to its baby sister, Ponytail Falls which can be viewed with an unusual perspective...

Ponytail Falls viewed from behind/under the falls

View across the Columbia River Gorge from above the Horsetail Falls

Rick, Chris and Gary arriving at the Horsetail Falls

The Multnomah Falls

At this point the group split into two, with one group stopping for lunch at the Multnomah Falls, and the other proceeding on a route somewhat shortened from the original plan. We crossed over the Columbia River at Cascade Locks using the "Bridge of the Gods" into Washington state.

Bridge of the Gods over the Columbia River - check out the steel structure in the mirror....

The route then followed the north side of the Columbia River east before heading north towards Mount St Helens. The section of road known as Wind River Road was the driving highlight of the day. It twisted upwards through dense forest and was completely deserted (apart from one highway patrol officer who fortunately seemed to be preoccupied with another vehicle...). We caught an occasional glimpse of Mount St Helens through the trees, as a taster for what is to come tomorrow. After lunch at the Cougar Bar and Grill, decorated  with a stuffed cougar, deer and raccoon hanging in the rafters, we headed west towards Longview.

Cougar Bar and Grill, Cougar WA

As we drove north on a short section of I5, we were passed at high speed by of all things, a '67 Willow Green E-type! It was driven by Rick Hughes, who lives close-by, and had volunteered to shepherd us through Longview, and join us on the final leg of the day. He took us to County Line Park on WA-4 alongside the Columbia River where we introduced ourselves and stretched our legs.

County Line Park - WA-4

I think my grandmother told me something about these things, but I can't remember what they are for...

The final leg of day 2 was over water. We took the Wahkiakum County Ferry from Cathlamet, WA to Westport, OR across the Columbia River. It is the last regularly scheduled car ferry to cross the Columbia River between the two states.Very relaxing...

Next time you are on a ferry, try setting up a route on your Tom-Tom GPS. The WARNING message is a killer...

Isn't it strange; wherever those E-type guys are, they can't resist opening the bonnet and comparing notes...

Tomorrow we will be driving up to Mount St Helens, and taking our cars on a helicopter ride....

Day 1 - Monday 17th September

The 2012 NWOL officially started today. Today's drive starting at Bend, Oregon explored the high desert area of Oregon, finishing in Hood River. The route was planned by Chuck Goolsbee, who couldn't join us on this leg of the NWOL, but we hope that he will be with us later. The consensus was that Chuck designed a great route through some very rugged and dramatic country, which made for a very enjoyable day. The quality of the roads was excellent - the only thing lacking was somewhere to fill the cars with gas; more on that later....

Prineville Reservoir - OR27

The drive started with a photo op at Prineville Reservoir about 30 miles east of Bend. From there we drove north on OR27 through the canyon of the Crooked River to Prineville.

OR-27 Crooked River Highway

OR-7 Crooked River Highway

From Prineville the route headed north-east on OR-26, OR-207 and the John Day Highway (OR-19). The roads were deserted, very smoothly paved, and exhilarating to drive. The scenery was dramatic - unfortunately the driver was obliged to keep two hands on the wheel, and so there are no photos. Anyway, we want you to come with us next time, so we can't provide too much of the experience here....

We had settled on the tiny town of Fossil (population 470) as a suitable place for lunch, and the presence of 6 E-types certainly caused a stir. The community is located midway along the 217-mile Journey Through Time - Oregon's official cultural and heritage tour route, which celebrates pristine fossil and geological resources, Old West culture and charming small towns. We were made to feel very welcome, and had a good lunch at RJs. Even before we started the day we had anticipated that fuel stops would need to be a primary concern on this leg of the NWOL, and had identified that Fossil has a gas station. Unfortunately, it transpired that the company that owns the gas station - Fossil Fuel (yes really!!), only carries regular grade gas, and diesel. The helpful attendant was able to tell us that premium gas was not available at any of the communities on the next 100 miles of our route. We had little choice but to add a little regular gas; not too much; and hope that we had enough to get us to the next premium station.

While Rick, Chris, Greg and Dianne headed out to check out the fossils, the fossils (Jerry, Lloyd, Gary and David) set out on the next leg of the drive. The route mapped out by Chuck was designed to avoid trunk roads and provide an enjoyable driving experience. It did, however, prove a challenge to navigate, particularly with GPS systems always looking to find a quicker way. Fortunately, we were blessed with a number of talented navigators who kept us on track...

"Dollar" who navigated for David

OR-218 from Fossil to Shaniko was one of the highlights of the route with dramatic switchbacks, precipitous drops on either the side of the road, and spectacular scenery. It was hard to take everything in as we focused on the road, the ever-dropping fuel gauge, and the possible knocking noise coming from the engine... The GPS finally located a Chevron station on the route about 20 miles ahead just as the "low fuel" warning light came on. So, good planning again!

The last leg of the drive took us north on Or-26 and OR-35 past Mount Hood. A stoppage caused by roadwork on OR-35 fortunately gave us the opportunity to enjoy a spectacular view:

Mount Hood - 11,249 ft, Oregon's highest peak, "potentially active" volcano

This was a great start to NWOL - tomorrow we explore the Columbia River Gorge and then head for Clatskanie.

Sunday 16th September

It was a bright and crisp morning when the California contingent drove out of Weaverville, CA. We continued to drive north on CA-3 which proved to be an enjoyable twisty route. We had the road almost to ourselves apart from a couple of motorcyclists that we'd met earlier at the motel, and a VW camper van that preceded us (very slowly) up a steep switchback climb, before graciously pulling over to let us pass.

CA-3 is well worth a visit

At the north end of CA-3, we briefly turned south to head into the small California town of Weed, where we had an excellent brunch. Weed is at the south end of OR-97, and lies in the shadow of Mount Shasta.

Mount Shasta from the west

After crossing into Oregon, we drove north on OR-97, stopping briefly at Klamath Falls to pay homage to another classic means of transport...

Klamath Falls by OR-97

The drive north on OR-97 was a bit of a come-down compared to the morning drive on CA-3. To spice it up, Chuck had provided Jerry with a diversion onto more interesting roads (including the Cascade Lakes Highway) for the final 70 miles or so into Bend. Though these roads were indeed more interesting (including a drive by a huge lava field), we managed to get lost a couple of times when our route took us onto dirt roads. However, in the end, we arrived in Bend around 5:30pm and joined the rest of the NWOL group at the Days Inn.

Before dinner, we convoyed together to Pilot Butte to watch the sun set over Bend. Pilot Butte is an extinct volcano that rises nearly 500 feet above the surrounding plain. A road circles it as it climbs to the summit, from where we viewed the sunset.

Smoke in the air from forest fires at the summit of Pilot Butte

From there we proceeded to dinner at a Mexican-Peruvian restaurant recommended by Chuck. The food was amazing (once we finally found the restaurant!), and it proved to be a great kickoff to NWOL.

Kick-off dinner at Hola-Eastern, Bend, Oregon