Skamania: The Lunch and Tour Experience
[i][size=small][font=Helvetica]by Simpson Balaclava / Sweaty Helmet Racing[/font][/size][/i]
[url=http://www.clnw.org/html/modules/xoopsgallery/view_album.php?set_albumName=album14][img align=left]http://www.clnw.org/html/modules/xoopsgallery/cache/albums/album14/dsc_1937.thumb.jpg[/img]
[/url][i]A ridiculous place! Leaping from one bump to another, 187 corners or whatever it was! The number of times I’ve thanked God when I finished a lap there! It gave you amazing satisfaction, no doubt about it, but anyone who says he loved it is either a liar or wasn’t going fast enough![/i] – Jackie Stewart recalls the Nürburgring
Those of you who didnt make it to our midsummer lunch at Skamania Lodge not only missed out on a free lunch, but also missed out on a drive in the newest Lotus and free track time at PIR. Well, no, I just made that up, but the lunch was excellent and we did get to enjoy our cars and have a fun drive.
Sunday the 13th broke with blue skies and hot weather. Arriving at the Delta Park rendezvous at 11am, I noticed several Lotuses already there. New arrivals spotted our gathering quickly and the occasional G.I. Joes customer would wander by to ask questions about our cars. We decided to wait until 11:30 to make sure we had everyone before departing. Being this is the busy wedding season at Skamania Lodge, it took a bit of research to decide on the date of the 13th for our lunch. Unfortunately, the 13th was also the Bridge Pedal event in Portland, so those who had to cross the river might be delayed in making our 11am meeting.
On departure we had Jim and Carol in their Mk.1 Cortina, Jim Boone in his yellow Elise, Mark in his green Elise, Jon and Carla in his red 1990 Esprit SE, Homer in his handbuilt Seven, and Dave and Mary Lee in his black Europa. My Turbo Esprit, after its 2000 mile trip to the WCLM, decided to emulate the Exxon Valdez and is now having its cam towers resealed. However, through my special contacts at the Lotus factory, I was able to procure a prototype of The Esprit Replacement just for this trip, cleverly disguised as an Audi S4 so as not to attract attention.
A week prior to the trip, I scouted out the route wed planned on taking: the historic Columbia River Highway. We could travel along Marine Drive next to the river and the airport, circle around Crown Point, visit Multnomah Falls, and zip through the shaded highway in the Gorge. Well, its a great route until you reach Multnomah Falls, but between there and the Bridge of the Gods the road was obviously the target of numerous Israeli air strikes. In many places there were craters several inches deep covering most of the road, with a plethora of large rocks several inches across scattered about. A great road for the HMMWV club. For us, not so much.
So it was by popular vote that we decided to take highway 14 and then we had the great fortune of having Jim McVein lead us from there to the lodge along the old Evergreen Highway which was very scenic. Many of us didnt realize just how far the old highway went, so this part of the trip was a pleasant surprise.
Twenty five dollars sounds like a lot for brunch, but the variety and quality of the food, and the ambience of the lodge, makes it worth the trip and price. Even though this was all-you-can-eat, most of us had our fill after just two rounds and I completely avoided the very attractive dessert table. Next time well remember to avoid eating for a week in advance.
After lunch and photos was the optional [i]excursion par les montagnes[/i] which had been suggested and scouted out a week earlier by Mark Velky. From Skamania Lodge we would head east to Carson, go north on Wind River Road to highway 503 which would skirt Swift Reservoir, Yale Lake, Lake Merwin, and give us a closeup view of Mt. St. Helens. We would also make a rest stop in Cougar before heading south and back home.
Despite living in the Pacific Northwest for over 25 years after escaping my Axis of Evil homeland, Ive never visited either the Mt. Hood or Mt. St. Helens area, so the sights along this trip were completely new to me. Wind River Road, shaded by beautiful fir trees, took us higher and higher into the mountains. Even so, the outside temperature remained surprisingly high: my instrument display was showing between 87 and 91 and I dutifully checked it at the apex of each turn [i]…accelerating out, 2nd gear, little bit of wheelspin, down the Hatzenbach…[/i] Fortunately, I was riding along in the cool comfort of this special and very powerful Lotus, but I suspected that my fellow travellers might be starting to cook [i]…3rd gear all the way, off the throttle, on the throttle, a dab of the brake…[/i] Perhaps if they drove faster the increased airflow would ameliorate the situation for them. Yet, try as I might, even tailgating at times, I could not prod them to go faster through the twists and turns [i]… Schwedenkreuz, very fast section… tight corners and the cambers are tricky through here…[/i] Ah well, at least I can listen to the stereo while I coast along and gaze at the scenery [i] …accelerate up in third gear, drop into the Karussell…[/i] This, though, proved to be the one disappointment of the tour, as reception of the Clark Howard show on KPAM 860 was starting to fade as we went deeper into the forested mountain roads and I missed a few interesting consumer tips [i] …squirting through, down to 3rd, have to set the car up here – you can’t see the left-hand apex until you’re upon it… now – over the top, 5th gear…[/i]
After an hour or so we arrived in Cougar to stretch our legs and get some cool drinks. From there we headed south and stopped at a turnout for a great view of the south side of Mt. St. Helens. Be sure to check these photos out in the Gallery section of the CLNW website.
We returned home via Amboy, Yacolt, and Battle Ground, which was also nicer and more scenic than I-5 southbound. In all, it was a memorable CLNW outing, our cars ran great, and we had the pleasure of each others company. If you missed out, we still have more events this summer and would like you to join us.
SB
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[size=small]The above article is for entertainment purposes only. No creatures were harmed in the making of this tour. Driven by professionals on a closed planetary surface; do not attempt this drive at home.[/size]