The Very End

We all departed the Best Western Motel this morning at 6:30 AM. The same West Bestern in Chester with the frustrating so-called wireless connection that crumbles in the middle of a thought.
Linda & Bill decided against doing major surgery on the Vicky this morning, believing the car could make it home. We left town with crossed fingers, light hearts, and full tanks of gas...invincible. We passed the southern shores of Lake Almanor wrapped in the fragrance of the pine woods, headed down the road to the Feather River. We attempted to run Hwy 70 along the Feather early in the day to avoid the traffic on this two lane route. We succeeded in getting there early but did not succeed in avoiding the traffic.
Truckers there delight in crawling up your rear bumper and breathing on your rear view mirror.
Took a break to watch a train of 100 cars or more squealing along the tracks across the river doing about 40 mph on the craggy hillside. So far, the Vicky was running well, and we longed for home.
Next stop was Yuba City for fuel and a stretch. Someone said that there was a possible fire on Bill's ranch, as he flew by us sitting at the Quickie Snack & Gas.
We figured that was the last of Bill, but the rumor must have been false, because we saw him not long after as we tried to tack down Darryl's new top along the side of the road.
Things were deteriorating...Bob & Patti's starter wasn't doing what it oughtta, their oil was vaporizing in the morning air. Darryl could see daylight where his top should be, and announced that he could not go over 45 mile an hour. Our clutch wasn't clutching so well, and it was getting hot...upper nineties. Plus, we hadn't seen the Vicky in awhile...
Running along the River Road in the Delta, we suddenly saw Bill's, Mel's, and Linda's A's parked for lunch in Isleton. Up, over the high arched Antioch Bridge we ran, on toward the killer Vasco Road, full of crazed drivers and roadkill. Then, over the top into the Livermore Valley...we could see Bill's ranch off in the distant hills, glistening in the hot afternoon sun. By the last climb up the Sunol Grade, we'd lost Patti & Bob, but kept in touch by phone.
Home at last, we called Bill & Linda to make sure. They arrived home under their own power. There were lots of mechanical problems, and a bit of fun. The real miracles were Bill and Mel...Mel had a coupe that by rights should have been dead and buried back in Gold Beach, and Bill's sedan was making terrible mysterious rattles, yet they both made a 1500 mile side trip to Grand Coulee Dam, and kept on running strong all the way home. Now we can all patch and repair for next time.
Thanks for going along with all of us on this 2400 mile trek. See you up the road.

Day Two in the Can, July 20, 2007

We’re in Gold Beach, Oregon tonight. That is, most of us are here. Bob & Patti are in Crescent City on an unscheduled layover, alone, with a broken Model A. It doesn’t even matter much what went wrong. The sad news is that the mechanical problem is so bad that they can’t continue. But the good news is that they are safe, in a good-size town with a U-Haul trailer reserved to carry the old Coupe home Saturday morning. Bob had the great good sense and experience to recognize the problem, and stop in a civilized place before they found themselves disabled on a wind-y, two lane road in the wilds of the Oregon coast. Sometimes, the old Model A DOESN’T get you there, so it helps to be smart…
Mel is having some problems with his “A” as well. Won’t be sure if he’s able to continue until later tonight or tomorrow morning…sure hope the trouble can be repaired. Two of the top mechanics in the club having problems tonight. Makes you stop and think. Long touring is a lot of fun, but it’s also real serious business with some consequences attached to all those primitive miles…
On the fun side, we started out this morning fresh, and ready to drive 270 miles after a continental breakfast at the Holiday in Fort Bragg. We drove through the rugged coastal redwood forest to Leggitt and paid $5 for the privilege of driving your car through a giant redwood …this one is named the “Chandelier” Redwood. Then we ferged on to Forndale to explore the shops and emporiums on Victorian Main Street. Another marathon lunch occurred at the Samoa Cookhouse today outside of Eureka, where many over-ate anonymously. We took a group picture outside the eatery. Some of us kneeled for the shot, and were unable to arise gracefully afterwards. Patti was heard to ask Bob for assistance after a loud “OOMPH”
From here, we took the sinuous, unforgiving two-lane up the 101 coast to Gold Beach. Magnificent scenery and a clear day to enjoy the rocky coastline. The farther we drove, the misty-er it got, until we drove into a rainy motel called Jot’s Resort in Gold Beach.
After some calls back and forth to Bob & Pattti, in an effort to forestall the inevitable, Bob called at 10:20 PM to advise that they are definitely heading home tomorrow morning, which is going to make the party less cheery. Dang…
On to Tillamook and beyond.
Ps: since Rot’s Resort only has wireless WIFI if you trot your computer down to the office and sit nicely at their station, we’ll send this tomorrow from a more civilized venue.