2007 Southern Oregon Tour

Thank you Bruce and Angela for a great time. The roads were excellent, food great and the company was unparalleled. The weather behaved itself despite earlier predictions. A wonderful tour as we have come to expect from you two. Thanks again.

Bruce,
My daughter and I loved it. Great spending time with all you guys and Angela. See ya next year.

After we left Medford, we headed south and drove thru Lassen Nat. Park. Gorgous. If you have not been thru there, it is stunning.

Thanks guys,

Wish it was a little better attended this year but I think everyone enjoyed themselves, I know I did. The pizza owner Saturday night was another unexpected joy, that guy was a blast! Glad everyone got home OK, Scott had a big delay thru no fault of his but got home OK although a little damp, make that mucho damp. Now you know why we live down here in the Oregon banana belt!

Bruce

Dale - I'm digging on the shot of the mountain road through your windshield. Looks like you all had a good time! Glad everyone made it home safely!

Peace - Out!

I want to thank all who braved the chiling temps to make the run to Medford to attend the SOC III, This is one of my favorite runs. I just love the roads in and around the area. My thanks go out to Bruce,Angela,and Steve. After a run to Jacksonville , covered bridge(not completed) Steve hosted a little tech conversion in his garage. Dale converted Scotts hex bar linkage, and tightened his axil nut on his own speedster. I also got to check out the blazer project. Sweeeet. I am looking foward to next years run with Steves Cabby. and the spider together . I had a great time seeing some of my favorite people that make up this club, or should I say fellow drivers of fun little cars.

Glad you had fun Ray! We should have a few more cars next year... Providing I can figure out how to make Steve's Cabby SHUT OFF now that we have it starting/running... Enjoy the pics!
angela

The pictures are great. Thanks for posting.

My pleasure! Here's another - black cars and Fuchs...mmmm...nice...
This is in Jacksonville, OR. Neat little historic touristy town. Had a great lunch there (with even BETTER company)!

Here are a couple more shots from the tour. Angela was leading on our friday drive to the Oregon Vortex (what a great and fun place, by the way) and Scott was right behind her. The pics are not out of focus, we were going so fast, and so close to the Vortex, that the light was not as sharp as usual. The third shot is Angela car turning onto the Vortex road, my daughter is riding shotgun.

BTW, Angela, my daughter had a great time riding with you. Thanks.

Also, Send my "BATES" sweat shirt that Steve borrowed back.

You can tell the truth Dale - all those pics have our spyder in them - because you find BLACK CARS WITH FUCHS IRRESISTIBLE!!! You have been fully assimilated bwhahahaha!!!!

The pictures are in focus - it's all just a matter of "perspective" - or maybe the background is skewed? lol!

So Steve has your sweatshirt, eh? PM your address and I'll ship it back. Sorry about that - thanks for the loan!

p.s. - you're daughter is AWESOME!

angela

A wonderful thing happened today. I was late for work. Really really late... I'm the most anal retentive person who has ever lived about being on time, so for me, being late is actually traumatic. I had to be at work this morning to a location 3 hours away by 8am.

Things began going badly when I work up with an eye-grain from sleeping in the wrong position. It is actually a migraine, but I get it in one or both eyes. This morning's was a real shrieker, couldn't open the right eye at all and my vision was so blurry that I couldn't drive. Instead of leaving at 5am, I wound up leaving at 5:45am, already behind. There is a short-cut to my appointment location. I'd never taken it before, but this morning I was pretty desperate so I decided to take it. The Garmin was unwilling to take the route I wanted, so I ignored it... And missed a crucial sign for a turn-off on this strange road.

Wound up on another strange road and followed it to a little town. Got a map, figured out the turn off and headed back. Now here's the good part, the part that makes this crazy post worth reading - the part I want to share with my friends.

I drove NINETY MILES of paved narrow backroad with a total of 3 other vehicles seen during the entire distance. And get this... Never more than 100 yards between turns! There was about 300 yards of hard packed gravel where the pavement got washed away.

All the rest, all 90 miles is back to back to back turns. I made myself carsick driving it. What do you guys think about that for SOT 2008?

I swear that you will have to put dramamine in the gas-tank for your car. Tail of the dragon? HA! What do you say about driving the whole dang dragon??

angela

Angela,

Sounds great. Do you want to give me a hint which direction it is from Medford? It isn't that 2 lane from Trail to Canyonville is it?

It is going to be nice the rest of the week and I'm free to try a new road at any moment!!!

Inquiring minds, Bruce

Start in Wolf Creek (maybe we could all stay at the Wolf Creek Inn). Take Lower Wolf Creek road - you'll know you're on the right road because the FIRST turn is marked for 10 mph... Follow Lower Wolf Creek Road to Lower Graves Creek Road. Follow that to the intersection of Agness/Galice road. This is a bridge. If you go straight, you go to Merlin, if you turn up the BLM road, you go toward Agness/Gold Beach.

You know the next section, it is Bear Camp Road. Follow that up and over Bear Camp to the stop sign a the bottom. Straight takes you over the river and into Gold Beach (right takes you to Agness). This is actually the first time I've driven all of Bear camp road.

Thought we could spend the 2nd day in Gold Beach or Brookings, then bring everyone home thru the Redwoods...

Watch out for rocks. I only saw 3 cars the whole day and all of them were on the down-hill side of Bear camp near the Agness turn-off. There is no fuel available between Wolf Creek and Gold Beach.

angela

Angela - sounds like a COOL drive (in spite of the circumstances)!

Is that roadway anywhere near Dead Indian Memorial Highway?

Did I say 'Dead Indian Memorial Highway'? I meant to say (in PC corrected language);

Life-Challenged Native American Street, or

Eternally-Recumbant Tribal Member Avenue, or maybe

Casino-Owning Reservation Dweller Circle, or possibly

Chief Lives-With-Worms Roadway!

P.S. - I think we've been down this road before, but I couldn't resist!

Peace - Out!

Angelas road is on the west side of I-5, Dead Native American road is on the east side. I have driven Bear Camp road from where it begins near Galice all the way to Gold Beach and it is a hoot. One lane in spots but not to worry. I had a CB when I drove it and called out the mile markers as I was ascending/descending. That seemed to work well. Guess we could have a CB in the lead car! Angela is correct about the lack of traffic! I think the press on that family that got stuck up in that area last year has scared off some. But that was in the winter, duh!

Bruce,
What are your driving these days. I thought your red speedy was sold?
Dave

Dave,

I did sell the Speedy this spring. It is still in Oregon but north in Portland. I am now driving an 07 Mazda MX-5,(miata). Bright red of course, has air, hot water heat, am/fm CD, power windows, power door locks, glass rear window, etc, etc and guess what, it doesn't leak fluids. Amazing what they can get in the car for the $$. I like it alot. It has 170 HP so it is pretty quick, 0-60 in 6.7 seconds and 130 MPH top end. So far it has been dead reliable, knock on wood. Did I say I like it, LOL.

Bruce

Traitor.....

Hey West Coast Bruce!!! Top end...THIS!

Bruce,
The paper announced that the closed Bear Camp yesterday. Guess you'll be waiting a while to take the "dramamine drive"

angela

Angela,

Saw that this morning in the paper. There was already snow on the ground! That tape across the road won't last long when the snowmobilers get there! Think they need something a little more substantial don't you? Guess the drive will wait till late Spring, LOL.

Bruce

Bruce
I understand your purchase perfectly. My wife's first choice is a Solstice (great styling, but no trunk with top down), but for value, performance and useability the MX-5 cannot be beat. Convertible hard top? At our age, I might consider actually driving a new Miata up I-5 from San Diego to Oregon. In my speedster, not likely.

Bruce's Miata is really nice! And of course it's RED! That Miata is pretty darn a perfect car for Bruce. They are flawlessly reliable, bullet proof in fact, and fulfill his need for top-down rear wheel drive sports car adventures. Bruce is a road-trip kinda guy and the Miata is well up to his task.

It would also be a blast on the "dramamine drive".

angela

Thanks David and Angela,

Both of you hit it right on the nose. At my age, (70, soon to be 71), the rigors of a 50's sports car aged about the same as me. The Miata and I have been on a couple of long road trips so far and I think I did the right thing. I had those 50's and 60's side curtain cars back when they were new and the Miata does every thing they did and with more comfort to boot. So I can take the heat while enjoying the comforts of home in the Miata. Guess they want me to call it a MX-5, whatever.

Bruce

When I took Steve's jeepers over Bearcamp (aka the dramamine drive), I shot a couple of pictures. One is enclosed. Please excuse the poor quality, I shot it with my palm pilot... Drivers are well-advised to pay attention on this road!

angela

And thats the two lane version, Ho-Ho. Can't wait to travel it again, what a great road and it leads right to the Pacific Ocean at Gold Beach, ya-hoo indeed!

Angela - it looks like the driver that left those 'skid-marks' forgot about the 'pay attention' part!!

I suspect the road is not the only place he left "skid marks"... I know, gross, but hey, I'm SURE he required a change of panties after that!

angela