My Summer Vacation (aka S2K Days 2014 Hood River)
08-07-2014, 05:14 PM
#1
Thread Starter
My Summer Vacation (aka S2K Days 2014 Hood River)
On Friday July 25th I hit the road headed to Portland, Oregon, for S2K Days in Hood River. We spent two days on the road north -- stopped in Redding, CA, for a night and stayed near Portland the second night, arriving in Hood River on Sunday where we had time to check in to the hotel, get registered for the event, go clean up the car, and generally hang out. Patty arrived later in the evening and Matt and I (who I fortuitously met in the lobby while my +1 was napping in the room) greeted her. Much alcohol was consumed to celebrate Patty's arrival and I enjoyed heartily. :-D
The drives were very nice but I do admit I wish I had known in advance that if you aren't a "leaf-peeper" type, you should sign up for whatever drives Tracy leads. Had I known this, I would have done what Matt did. But alas, I was already signed up before this news was imparted to me. Even so, at the time I thought it wouldn't be a big deal. I learned later that it is indeed a big deal. Just drive with this Tracy gal. That's all there is to it. If you need many rest stops, potty breaks, photo opps, beer breaks (ok... that's a side joke which would take too long to explain), or simply enjoy staring at the ass end of a rented Subaru Crosstrek... drive with one of the other groups. Patty is a bit more vocal on the topic than I am, but do not mistake my quieter commentary to mean disagreement.
Temps were a bit toasty, but tolerable early in the day. We were completely ready to put the top up and crank the AC after lunch on the "Bluebird" drive which took us into parts of Washington I never would have guessed was Washington (lots of huge windmills and sweeping plains). They had three drives during the event and all three were being run every day. So you pick which days to do which drives when you arrive and then go with whoever is leading that one on that day. This meant that while the path was the same, the pace (and accuracy of the following of the route) varied greatly. By the end of the Bluebird day I had determined we would make sure for the next day that we felt comfortable enough to break off from our group (letting them know, of course) if the pace was again not to our liking. We ended up doing just that -- made our goodbyes after pie for lunch and hit the road. Enjoyed one hell of a drive down this neat little twisty road that reminded me of some of the Malibu canyon roads I like, and we added in an impromptu stop at the Mount Hood winery tasting room 10 minutes outside of town which had the most wonderful air conditioning and view of Mt. Hood that you could imagine. We needed both. And the wine was nice too.
On Day three we did not even start with the group we signed up for. I let the leader know the night before that we planned to just follow the route on our own, might see them along the way, but didn't plan to drive with the group. We later ran into them at the top of the Mount St. Helen's road where we had arrived for lunch and they arrived shortly after. The drive leader said he was pretty sure they set a record time -- 100 miles in 4 hours. I confess I believe I was unsuccessful in stifling a sudden intake of breath at my surprise and subsequent immediate relief of not having stayed with the group. I'm pretty sure we left *after* them, missed two turns (one which took us down a great windy road for an extra hour of driving that was unplanned, but still way scenic and fun!), and still got to lunch at the same time. Now, I'm not saying this because I'm proud of it or to say I was driving like a maniac (because I wasn't... not once did VSA kick on, and I purposely take it easier when Don is with me because he just doesn't like the speeds I normally enjoy). I'm just saying I think I would have died of boredom as well as probably gone out of my skull for all of the stops that must have had to occur for it to take that long to get up the mountain side.
Had a nice evening over at a local brew co then more drinks with Patty and Matt back at the hotel (after I finished taking care of a silly work issue that needed my attention) Wednesday night. On Thursday, everyone went their separate ways and we headed off to the coast to Tillamook where we toured the facility, got ice cream cones, and I got a door ding (that will get repaired next week). On our journey south we ran into Patty again once, stopped in Coos Bay, Eureka (had dinner with my nephew there and got a mini-tour of the town), then to Rhonert Park (because there were no hotel rooms for less than $500 near Bodega Bay or Tomales! so we booked inland when we reserved), then Morro Bay. When we checked in to the hotel at Morro Bay, I decided we needed another day. It was too nice and you just don't stay at a place like this for one night. And that worked out since I had some work planned in San Luis Obispo Monday morning which took longer than anticipated. Having the extra night meant we could have a leisurely dinner Monday and a very easy drive Tuesday by way of Santa Barbara where we had lunch on the pier and then a pleasant re-entry to LA through Malibu. And you know... as much as there are things about LA that suck, driving into Malibu reminded me why I live here and that it compared pretty favorably to the places we saw along our journey.
I got home Tuesday August 5th. After 3101 miles wedged into that car with Don, I can honestly say I still love my S2000 as much today as the day I bought it off the showroom floor. Maybe more. When I tucked it away for the night, I just stood and admired it. I must say I could not possibly be happier with how it performed! The gas mileage I got tells me I was definitely driving conservatively, even on some of the more spirited stretches, but I can't complain about not having fun. The worst mpg I got was 24.7 and the best was an amazing 29! What an amazing car... supercar performance when I wanted it, killer cold air conditioning when we needed it, and Honda reliability all the time.
What I learned about Washington and Oregon: 1) 99.9% of the drivers not only know what turnouts are, but also how to use them, 2) there is no excuse to not know where the local DMV office is (every town has signs!), and 3) they LOVE their drive through coffee/espresso shops especially Dutch Brothers.
Don has not had opportunity to upload all of his pics to google yet so these are just what I took with my phone. I'll add more as I get them.
The entire set (119 pics!) are here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10990...54702685899313
Here are a few representative shots:
(note the Vintage Magpie sign)
I had the porter, he had the stout.
Huckleberry Pie ala mode. It was easily as big as my head!
The drives were very nice but I do admit I wish I had known in advance that if you aren't a "leaf-peeper" type, you should sign up for whatever drives Tracy leads. Had I known this, I would have done what Matt did. But alas, I was already signed up before this news was imparted to me. Even so, at the time I thought it wouldn't be a big deal. I learned later that it is indeed a big deal. Just drive with this Tracy gal. That's all there is to it. If you need many rest stops, potty breaks, photo opps, beer breaks (ok... that's a side joke which would take too long to explain), or simply enjoy staring at the ass end of a rented Subaru Crosstrek... drive with one of the other groups. Patty is a bit more vocal on the topic than I am, but do not mistake my quieter commentary to mean disagreement.
Temps were a bit toasty, but tolerable early in the day. We were completely ready to put the top up and crank the AC after lunch on the "Bluebird" drive which took us into parts of Washington I never would have guessed was Washington (lots of huge windmills and sweeping plains). They had three drives during the event and all three were being run every day. So you pick which days to do which drives when you arrive and then go with whoever is leading that one on that day. This meant that while the path was the same, the pace (and accuracy of the following of the route) varied greatly. By the end of the Bluebird day I had determined we would make sure for the next day that we felt comfortable enough to break off from our group (letting them know, of course) if the pace was again not to our liking. We ended up doing just that -- made our goodbyes after pie for lunch and hit the road. Enjoyed one hell of a drive down this neat little twisty road that reminded me of some of the Malibu canyon roads I like, and we added in an impromptu stop at the Mount Hood winery tasting room 10 minutes outside of town which had the most wonderful air conditioning and view of Mt. Hood that you could imagine. We needed both. And the wine was nice too.
On Day three we did not even start with the group we signed up for. I let the leader know the night before that we planned to just follow the route on our own, might see them along the way, but didn't plan to drive with the group. We later ran into them at the top of the Mount St. Helen's road where we had arrived for lunch and they arrived shortly after. The drive leader said he was pretty sure they set a record time -- 100 miles in 4 hours. I confess I believe I was unsuccessful in stifling a sudden intake of breath at my surprise and subsequent immediate relief of not having stayed with the group. I'm pretty sure we left *after* them, missed two turns (one which took us down a great windy road for an extra hour of driving that was unplanned, but still way scenic and fun!), and still got to lunch at the same time. Now, I'm not saying this because I'm proud of it or to say I was driving like a maniac (because I wasn't... not once did VSA kick on, and I purposely take it easier when Don is with me because he just doesn't like the speeds I normally enjoy). I'm just saying I think I would have died of boredom as well as probably gone out of my skull for all of the stops that must have had to occur for it to take that long to get up the mountain side.
Had a nice evening over at a local brew co then more drinks with Patty and Matt back at the hotel (after I finished taking care of a silly work issue that needed my attention) Wednesday night. On Thursday, everyone went their separate ways and we headed off to the coast to Tillamook where we toured the facility, got ice cream cones, and I got a door ding (that will get repaired next week). On our journey south we ran into Patty again once, stopped in Coos Bay, Eureka (had dinner with my nephew there and got a mini-tour of the town), then to Rhonert Park (because there were no hotel rooms for less than $500 near Bodega Bay or Tomales! so we booked inland when we reserved), then Morro Bay. When we checked in to the hotel at Morro Bay, I decided we needed another day. It was too nice and you just don't stay at a place like this for one night. And that worked out since I had some work planned in San Luis Obispo Monday morning which took longer than anticipated. Having the extra night meant we could have a leisurely dinner Monday and a very easy drive Tuesday by way of Santa Barbara where we had lunch on the pier and then a pleasant re-entry to LA through Malibu. And you know... as much as there are things about LA that suck, driving into Malibu reminded me why I live here and that it compared pretty favorably to the places we saw along our journey.
I got home Tuesday August 5th. After 3101 miles wedged into that car with Don, I can honestly say I still love my S2000 as much today as the day I bought it off the showroom floor. Maybe more. When I tucked it away for the night, I just stood and admired it. I must say I could not possibly be happier with how it performed! The gas mileage I got tells me I was definitely driving conservatively, even on some of the more spirited stretches, but I can't complain about not having fun. The worst mpg I got was 24.7 and the best was an amazing 29! What an amazing car... supercar performance when I wanted it, killer cold air conditioning when we needed it, and Honda reliability all the time.
What I learned about Washington and Oregon: 1) 99.9% of the drivers not only know what turnouts are, but also how to use them, 2) there is no excuse to not know where the local DMV office is (every town has signs!), and 3) they LOVE their drive through coffee/espresso shops especially Dutch Brothers.
Don has not had opportunity to upload all of his pics to google yet so these are just what I took with my phone. I'll add more as I get them.
The entire set (119 pics!) are here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/10990...54702685899313
Here are a few representative shots:
(note the Vintage Magpie sign)
I had the porter, he had the stout.
Huckleberry Pie ala mode. It was easily as big as my head!
08-07-2014, 05:53 PM
#2
08-07-2014, 06:04 PM
#3
What he said!
My +1 would like both of those beers.
My +1 would like both of those beers.
08-07-2014, 06:34 PM
#4
Roseanne said it all so there will be no write up from me.
We got home this evening at 9:30P after driving 12 hours from Iowa.
Details:
Time away from home – 20 days
Hotels stayed in – 10
Houses rented – 2
States visited – 16
Miles traveled – 7271.0
Average MPG – 27.0
Highest $ for gasoline – $4.559
Lowest $ for gasoline – $3.399
Oil changes – 1
License plates spotted – 49
Bears spotted – 1
Turkeys spotted – 2
Elk spotted – numerous
Mountain goats spotted – 1 (from a long ways away)
Eagles spotted – 2 (possibly the same one)
Packages of M&M’s, Twizzlers, and Butterscotch disks consumed – too many
Money spent – OMG don’t even ask!
Time spent with my wife, good friends, daughter, son-in law, grandson and father-in-law – absolutely priceless!
We got home this evening at 9:30P after driving 12 hours from Iowa.
Details:
Time away from home – 20 days
Hotels stayed in – 10
Houses rented – 2
States visited – 16
Miles traveled – 7271.0
Average MPG – 27.0
Highest $ for gasoline – $4.559
Lowest $ for gasoline – $3.399
Oil changes – 1
License plates spotted – 49
Bears spotted – 1
Turkeys spotted – 2
Elk spotted – numerous
Mountain goats spotted – 1 (from a long ways away)
Eagles spotted – 2 (possibly the same one)
Packages of M&M’s, Twizzlers, and Butterscotch disks consumed – too many
Money spent – OMG don’t even ask!
Time spent with my wife, good friends, daughter, son-in law, grandson and father-in-law – absolutely priceless!
08-07-2014, 07:04 PM
#5
Thread Starter
08-07-2014, 09:32 PM
#6
Join Date: Aug 2012
Location: Foothills East of Sacramento
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Nice write up and enjoyed the picks. Was just up there in the spring, cracked me up you stopped at the Stonehenge. I think I drove some of the same roads. Stayed in Hood River.
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08-08-2014, 05:45 AM
#8
Roseanne said it all so there will be no write up from me.
We got home this evening at 9:30P after driving 12 hours from Iowa.
Details:
Time away from home – 20 days
Hotels stayed in – 10
Houses rented – 2
States visited – 16
Miles traveled – 7271.0
Average MPG – 27.0
Highest $ for gasoline – $4.559
Lowest $ for gasoline – $3.399
Oil changes – 1
License plates spotted – 49
Bears spotted – 1
Turkeys spotted – 2
Elk spotted – numerous
Mountain goats spotted – 1 (from a long ways away)
Eagles spotted – 2 (possibly the same one)
Packages of M&M’s, Twizzlers, and Butterscotch disks consumed – too many
Money spent – OMG don’t even ask!
Time spent with my wife, good friends, daughter, son-in law, grandson and father-in-law – absolutely priceless!
We got home this evening at 9:30P after driving 12 hours from Iowa.
Details:
Time away from home – 20 days
Hotels stayed in – 10
Houses rented – 2
States visited – 16
Miles traveled – 7271.0
Average MPG – 27.0
Highest $ for gasoline – $4.559
Lowest $ for gasoline – $3.399
Oil changes – 1
License plates spotted – 49
Bears spotted – 1
Turkeys spotted – 2
Elk spotted – numerous
Mountain goats spotted – 1 (from a long ways away)
Eagles spotted – 2 (possibly the same one)
Packages of M&M’s, Twizzlers, and Butterscotch disks consumed – too many
Money spent – OMG don’t even ask!
Time spent with my wife, good friends, daughter, son-in law, grandson and father-in-law – absolutely priceless!
Glad you (and everyone who hit the road) enjoyed!!
08-08-2014, 06:06 AM
#9
Dave/Scooter, you forgot to include how many times you washed the car, and how many times you had to do laundry while on the road. 
