Heading For the Barn

Today was the home run, will be good to be back home.  After breakfast at 8AM we, the Griffin's and the Bueno's gathered in the parking lot and were on the road just before 9AM.  Our lunch destination was 134 miles away and so we planned to make a pit stop at a rest stop around half-way.

Both cars were performing well and rolling along nicely in the cool morning air.  We found a rest stop at almost exactly the half-way point.  Good to stretch our legs a bit anf the back in the cars to continue the journey.  But alas that was delayed slightly when our starter bendix refused to engage.  Fortunately there was some muscle hanging around and after a quick push we were on our way.

Arrived at the Nut Tree Plaza at 11:40, just in time to beat the Friday lunch crowd.  Went to Fenton's Creamery for lunch and that brought back some memories for Bueno's  Seems as though they used to go to the original Fenton's Creamery in Oakland with their dance group.  Said they used to shut it down at night.

A fine meal was finished off with ice cream, after all this is the Model A Food Club!  Time for a gas fill-up we were on our way, the final leg home.  On the 505 Cut-Off we were passed by a Ski Doo enclosed racer.  Really good looking rig and looked like a porpoise on a trailer.

Back in the Bay Area means back in traffic which was moving quite well for a Friday afternoon.

Arrived home about 3:30PM and after congratulating our Tudor for taking us on such a great trip, we began to unload the car.  Got that done and then sat down to rest a bit.

Final tabulation is that we traveled1826 miles, used two quarts of oil and 3 gallons of water, dispensed a quart at a time.  We stopped having heating issues after Kafer gave us a 7lb cap to replace the 4lb that was not VRS compatible, but we are still pushing a bit of water out the overflow.  That is at the top of the list for investigation.

Not sure where we are going for our next trip, but stay tuned, we love to be on the road!

Pinot Pilgrimage Day IV

Last night we had 10 for dinner, today we left Medford with only 8 and by nightfall there were only 4 of us heading home. 

The Kennedy's decided to head for the coast as they did not need to be home until Monday! And after lunch the Wilkinson's decided to head south to visit with Fred's brother and his wife. Somewhere along the way their plans changed and we got word from them around 5PM that they had arrived home.

We all expressed concern for pulling the Ashland Grade but at 8AM we headed out and to our surprise, we breezed over the summit and soon found ourselves enjoying refreshments in Yreka. Our original plan was to stop for lunch in Weed, but it was only 10:30AM when we passed Weed, way too early for lunch. Rolling on we arrived in Redding before Noon and stopped at the Black Bear Diner for lunch.

This is where we said goodby to the Wilkinson's. It was only 1:15PM and we only had 40 miles left to our motel in Red Bluff, sooooo the Bueno's headed for the antique stores and the Griffin's headed for the thrift stores. Over cocktails we compared notes on our findings.

Dinner was just a walk across the parking lot to the Rock'n R Diner. All was going well till Norene got her meatloaf and the bottom was completely burned. It was hard to see right a way as it was covered with gravy. The waitress handled it well and within two minutes she had a replacement meal, not burnt.

Tomorrow we make the run home, looking forward to being in our own bed once more.

Pinot Pilgrimage Day III

Boy did we have a great start to this day. Allan cooked up a spectacular breakfast starting with a yogurt parfait and then came the pancakes with cheese in the batter, very light and the raspberry sauce was such a compliment.

We bid goodby to the Harrison House and hit the road to Medford. Having been three days since buying gas, it was time. At each stop we checked the water and then on our way. Our lunch stop was at the Seven Feathers Truck Stop. Fred had apple pie ala mode and enjoyed every bite.

The car got a bit hot on some of the longer grades but came back down each time. We got into town in time to go to the Rogue Cheese Factory and then on to Roxy Ann Winery for some Pinot from the Rogue Valley.

All was well until we arrived at our hotel in Medford. Some of the reservations either did not exist or had been misplaced. The Wilkinson's and the Griffin's were shuffled off to the Red Lion for the night. We just barely got settled in our rooms when it was time to leave for dinner. Luckily dinner at Capers was just around the corner.

There we met my brother and his wife Dee, then Mathew my nephew and the head chef came out to greet us. We proceeded inside where Mathew had arranged a private room for us to have conversations, catch up on what the Bueno's have been doing and to enjoy some more Oregon Pinot Noir.

Dinner was spectacular, everyone got order individually and no one went away hungry. Maybe that is because the desserts were a great finish to the evening. If you are ever in Medford, plan to go to Capers for a terrific meal, you will not be disappointed. Time for bed, got an early call in the AM to beat the heat over the Siskyous. Got some real mountains to climb tomorrow.

Pinot Pilgrimage, Day II

Today was moving day, moving from Newberg to Corvallis. Our first stop was at the Red Hills Market for deli sandwiches to enjoy at a winery later. Second stop was suggested by Jack because we were too early to visit Domaine Drouhin as they didn't open till 11. Jack suggested that we visit Sokol Blosser as they opened at 10am and they were on the way. 

Boy were we all in for a pleasant surprise, seems as thought they have built a brand new tasting/visitors center (2 months new) that was the best that I have ever been in. First cabin all the way and to boot, the wine was good too. Today also happened to be the first day for picking grapes from their land around the Rouge Valley. Muscat grapes were arriving as we were departing. Seems as though there is a shortage of pickers in Oregon and so all of these grapes were picked by machine. Every winery we visited was gearing up for the beginning of picking season!

Next winery to visit was Domaine Drouhin, the American cousin of the famous French winery. This winery is higher up the hill and had great views down the vineyards on the Dundee Hills. The poor little Tudor is getting heavier and heavier with each winery visit, that wine weighs a lot!

Domaine Serene on the Hilltop was our next stop and where we planned to share a bottle of wine and eat our sandwiches while enjoying the view and the company. 

This is where Jack and Dianne departed for Vancouver and we went on to The Harrison House in Corvallis. 

Along the way we passed by the Evergreen Aviation Museum where the Spruce Goose is housed. Had to get a shot of the A in front of the plywood monster.

Had another fantastic dinner tonight at the Big River Rest & Bar on the riverfront in Corvallis. We have had the most fortunate luck on this trip to have nothing but great meals to go along with the great company. Looking forward to another great one at my Nephew's restaurant, Capers in Medford.

Pinot Pilgrimage Day 1

Spent the night in Newberg, OR and the weather has turned special. The storms and wet have move out and the warm has returned. Was in the 80's today and only drops into the 70's in the evening. Our first winery stop was the Rex Hill Winery for some very good Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. We all paused to admire the hand carved doors and once inside we were greeted by the winery dogs.

Our next stop was the Chehalem Wine Tasting Room in old town Newberg. While there we also found the boyhood home of President Herbert Hoover. He lived there with his uncle before heading to Stanford University.

By now it was time for lunch and boy how wine tasting can work up an appetite! We found the Coffee Cottage and had a very nice and light lunch before heading into the country to taste at the Bergstrom Winery. What a great setting overlooking the valley below.

Following that we headed for the Dobbs Family Winery in Dundee. Their Pinot Noir was quite special and enjoyed by all. We spent a very nice hour plus in conversation before heading over to the Dapper Frog gift shop which is next door to our final dinner destination, the Dundee Bistro. Neither dissapointed.

I would say that this was a day well spent.  And tomorrow is day II, more later.

NWRM @ Bend, OR

We had a great visit to Bend, the  Meet was well run and had fun for all. Lots of A's, over 250 of them and nearly 500 attending.

Even had a little time for some fishing in the Deshutes River. Mark and I went up river from town and wet a line for one afternoon. Great scenery but didn't have luck matching the hatch this day. Had a bit more luck the next day right next to our hotel.

The Grand Tour went up to Wikiup Reservoir near the headwaters of the Deshutes River. Tour was well organized and except for the bicycle race to contend with went very smooth.

We left Bend today headed up to Mt. Hood and lunch at the Timberline Lodge. Weather is terrific, not too warm and not too cool, just right. Couldn't believe that there was no wind at the Lodge, 72 degrees and spectacular.

Headed to our stop tonight in Newberg, OR. From there we will be attacking the wineries tomorrow morning. Tried to go to dinner tonight at a wine cellar restaurant and were refused service, too many people for them to serve, there are only eight of us, Richards, Wilkinson's, Kennedy's and ourselves. First time that has happened, must have been the smell of oil and grease?

Third Day to Bend

We got away from the motel a little earlier today, everyone was in place and we left at 8AM. Traveling a bit south till we reached Gold Hill where we cut over to 199 and followed along the Rogue River. Weather could not have been better, a bit cool in the AM and warming to the 70's at mid-day.

Don, our tour leader had to stop and add water just after Lost Creek reservoir.  We checked our water and it was right up there and holding it's own since we put on the 7lb radiator cap.

We had reached Union Creek about 11AM and that allowed us time to do a little sightseeing. Just below where Union Creek flows into the Rouge, the river enters a Basalt gorge that narrows dramatically and flows at the rate of 350,000 to 400,000 CF per second. Over the eons the water has carved it's way deeper into the volcanic Basalt formation. Finally the river reaches a point where it flows through the rock in ancient volcanic tubes and finally exits into a broad canyon and flows peaceably away.

A short distance past leaving the Rouge River Overlook, we ran into a traffic control station. We are not entirely sure, but we think that we know the guy handling the stop sign.  Susan helped us identify him as Mark Barrett. Looks like he taking on some extra work while on vacation!

Had lunch at a Subway in Chemault about 60 miles south of Bend and then headed on to the Meet. Arriving about 2:45PM, the parking lot was full of A's.  The hotel registration was rapid and we came away with a very welcome feeling. Went over to the Meet Registration, bought some raffle tix and returned to our room to unpack the car.

There were nearly 500 people at the Welcome Event, bar service was quite quick, but the food service was another story. Lines were long so we waited until they became a little shorter. Gave us time to say hello to more friends from the far corners of the Northwest. Patti Jones is here from Montana and Jack & Diane are here from Washington. Her we also linked up with other members of SCVC that came up in their modern iron and by a more direct route.

This was a great start to the event and a promising look at what is to come. May even get to do a little fishing on Thursday before we head up to the Crooked River with our guide for a day of fly fishing.