THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 16

August 31, 2017, Astoria, OR to Coos Bay, OR, 255 miles.
Hit the road early, hoped to get in early.  We'll see how that went.   Leaving Astoria, just had to drive down around the docks.   Huge piles of logs on the docks, where are they going?  Japan!!   Also huge piles of wood chips, also going to Japan, where they make chip plywood and send it back.  Can you believe that?

Also spotted this sternwheeler,  river cruise ship???? Called the American Pride.

I also have procured my next restoration project,  got enough cars, got to start on something else. Guess who said, NO, NO, NO?

Stopped at the Tillamook Cheese factory,  they make 160,000 lbs of cheese per day.  It is 24 hours from cow to cheese or ice cream.  We tasted every kind of cheese,  some twice.

While we were having a sandwich at Tillamook Cheese, this little bird was busy working on my car, taking the bugs off the radiator,  how about that?

Stopped to mail a postcard in Hebo and found my self facing this little display,  Vintage Tin National Park.  Must be at least one good model T part in there.

Run for your life, spiders are taking over Oregon,,,,

Beaches today were endless, pristine, unpopulated and loaded with driftwood, just had to stop and stretch our legs on this one.

Found the main group having a seaside lunch, spotted at least one small whale spouting off-shore.

My alternator has been behaving erratically for several days, finally worried me enough that I found the All-Star Auto Electric Shop in Newport, OR.   I peeled it off, handed it to them for a new regulator, put it back on, problem solved.

Approaching Coos Bay, can't help but admire the bridge over the inlet, definitely a work of art.

Last thing today,  found a plate of fried oysters.   Eat your heart out, John Guzzetta.

Patti's favorite sign today:  "Life is grand, don't meth it up."   Also along those lines, every one of these beach towns has a cannabis dispensary with the green cross out front.  Good Gravy!!!!

THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 15

August 30, 2017, Port Angeles, WA to Astoria, OR, 261 miles.
It takes a long time to drive around the Olympic Peninsula,   you spend a lot of time looking at tress, trees, and more trees,,,,,,

Finally, the road comes out on the coast overlooking the ocean,

Spent a good while watching some whales feeding, I guess, pretty close to shore.

And then the 4 mile bridge to Astoria,,,,

This part of the bridge is high enough to allow ships to pass under.

Some of the sights in Astoria,,,,,    a retired pilot boat,,,,,

Josephsons smokehouse,,,,,

The lightship Columbia (retired),,,,

When we drove through town we saw this little fish and chips stand and 20 people standing in line.   That was a good enough recommendation for us, that is where we had dinner.   And it was mighty fine fish and chips.

We have 1 room, riv vu,,,,   remember that movie, although ours is better,  sat out back watching the boats on the river.

We caught up and actually passed the rest of the traveling group,  Lancasters, Nicholsons, and Kafers  are all here in town.   It is another long day tomorrow, we will probably head out at 7.  I like to get out early and get in early.

THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 14

August 29, 2017, Tukwila, WA to Port Angeles, WA, 148 miles.
This was one of those days.   At startup this morning, absolutely dead.  Not a glimmer of life.  I do carry a small battery pack which I hooked up and then cranked the engine and started it.  Not a glimmer on the ammeter.   Checked for voltage coming out of the alternator, good.   Fuse not blown, decided to check the battery, maybe total failure.  Found that the ground cable was completely off.  I looked around for Ray, someone is playing a practical joke.   How in hell did that thing get off?   Glad the car did not die on the stop and go five lane freeway yesterday with no battery connection.      Then we discovered the Garmin not working,  was okay when we drove in yesterday.    This one had a blown fuse.   ???????  Gremlins at work...   Anyway, I had my apprentice fix it for me.

Today was Boeing's Museum of Flight.  The Connie was parked out front.  Not bad for a selfie, huh?
It used to be a restaurant in Canada before it was rescued 10 years ago.

Inside, planes, planes and more planes.

That NASA F104 up there was at NASA Edwards AFB when I was there.  It was an X-15 chase plane.

Even the original Boeing Red Barn,,,,,

Two hours and we have to move on, five lanes of stop and go traffic at 2 o'clock on I5.  I thing the traffic here in the Seattle area might be equal to or worse than the San Jose traffic, finally broke out and crossed the famous Tacoma Narrows bridge.  Remember the rock and roll bridge way back when?

Rolled into Port Angeles where we hoped to meet up with the Victoria travelers who were supposed to be coming in on the 3 o'clock ferry.     Guess what, they changed their reservations, came in on an earlier ferry and are down the road towards Astoria.  (Is this another practical joke?)  Some days you can't make a penny let alone make a nickel.  We consoled ourselves with a seaside dinner.  (And a hot fudge sundae)

That's it, all the news that is fit to print.

THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 13

August 28, 2017, Wenatchee to Tukwila, WA, 177 miles.  On the road again, goin' places that we've never been,,,,,,,,

Left the safety of cousin Susie's nice clean garage (maybe a few oil spots left behind) and drove through the really smokey mountains to ,,,,,,,,,

You guessed it, the Boeing factory.  When we left there, it was rush hour in Seattle, it took an hour and 45 minutes to go 31 miles to our hotel.  And 95 degrees in Seattle??????

In the meantime, we received word that the Victoria, BC group did high tea at the Empress Hotel.

Pretty swanky.  Actually, I did not know that high tea was stacked so high.   Tomorrow,  more airplanes, don't tell Patti.

THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 12

Again, no words are necessary, except to say that the Model A roster put us in contact with Gary Jacobson, our angel of mercy.    He brought over a clutch disk, pilot tool, gaskets, floor jack and jack stands. 5 hours disassembly, 4 and a half hours assembly.

When we returned the tools, did a garage tour, A's, T's, and misc, way more projects than I have.

Couldn't have done it with out cousin Susie's garage.

Finished the day off at my new favorite restaurant.

THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 11

No explanation necessary,,,,,     BUMMER

THE GREAT SOLAR ECLIPSE LOOP TOUR - Day 10

August 25, 2017,  Morton, WA to Yakima, WA, 150 miles.

First stop was in Elbe, WA.  Here you can rent a caboose or a boxcar for your overnight stay in the Hobo Motel.  And dine in a Pullman next door.

Unusual steam train, notice the V2 arrangement of the cylinders.

And into Mt. Rainier National Park,,,,

This douglas fir log was nearly a thousand years old,,,,,,

Vintage gas station in the park attracted a lot of attention,  a bus pulled up, a flock of people got off and I bet a thousand pictures were taken of us and our old cars.

Mt. Rainier dominates the scenery everywhere you go in the park.

Lots of walking trails and wildflowers and streams and waterfalls.   Mt. Rainier has a number of bonafide active glaciers.

At the end of the day, we stumbled upon a Friday night car show in Yakima, drove in and were an immediate hit.  "You mean to tell me you drove all the way from California?"  Opened a hood and drew them in like flies.

Hmmmm, if I had this engine, I could cruise even faster.

Excitement for the day, pulled over into the slower vehicle turnout to let cars go by and am looking at a car coming head-on like a bat out of hell in this lane.  Some nut crossed over and was using the turnout as a left turn lane.

Find of the day, Kafers found this gas station.

Deal of the day,  Campsites at Mineral Lake, $15/night, $60/week.

Downer for the day,  road construction and one way traffic with half hour waits at least five places, lost count.

Thanks to Rich Lange for planning this super tour, so sorry you and Janet are not here to enjoy the next several days.