Leaves are starting to turn in earnest here on the east side. It's going to be beautiful in another week and a half!

 

OK,
So we are getting down to the wire, and time to get things like details worked out.
The 20th wins.

So far we've got 3 Cats (Marko and Curmudgeon still have us on the edge of our seats with uncertainty).
I had hopes of several more joining in by now but it seems interest hasn't grown.

So a few hard questions still need to be asked.
Question 1
IF it is us only three (Swimref, Rahtok, and myself) does that change anyone's mind in attending. For myself, I'm committed, rain or shine.
Question 2
Start time. Rahtok has requested a late start and my drive to Monroe is about 1.5 hours, so this works to my favor as well. I say we meet in Monroe 8:30 - 9AM? Depart 9AM.
Question 3
Lunch options: a.)Bring your own and eat at Lake Wenatchee ($10 park entry required), or b.) Spend an hour or so in Leavenworth? (The latter sidesteps weather issues, the former has a great lakeside views.)

Route will cater to the majority. But I foresee the following:

Meet in Monroe, in front of Safeway:
Leave Monroe for Ben Howard Road, and returning to 2 at Sultan.

Next is a trip along the old Cascade Highway. (Simply wonderful).... When we return to 2, we can double back (about 2 or 3 miles) to Deception falls and river views.

Pat the summit, we remain on 2 to Leavenworth or opt for a lesser known road. Turn on 207 towards Lake Wenatchee (lunch?), then Beaver Valley to Chumstick Hwy.
Time in Leavenworth (lunch?) is a group call, and those wanting the fast route home can return via 2.

Continuing the loop south we follow 2 to 97. (note: fruit stands abound on hwy2 for those interested). We follow 97 to I-90 and I-90 to home (I would take the Hwy 18 exit to Federal Way).


feedback and input please?
Vince

 

Hey guys, sorry I fell off the radar. Live got in the way, sure you know it. Can't say yet whether my better half will join. Long story short, I'm in for the 20th anyways!

To your questions Vince:

1. I'm in.

2. 8:30 in Monroe is okay for me.

3. I would hope we all do lunch together somewhere. A big part of the fun is to get to know other drivers, exchange experiences, etc. So breaks, lunch, exchange is important to me.

Cheers & and I look forward to it!

Marko

 

I'm looking forward to our little autumn drive. I note the other drivers have XK's and a XK-R, and ask that they remember I'm an old guy in a heavier 4 door sedan. I'll do my best to keep up but when we do the older twistier roads I prefer (and the wife absolutely demands) a less than maximum effort and a little more enjoyment of scenery. On the modern highways I'm fine with whatever speed the group desires, I enjoy a high speed sweeper as much as anyone. I'll be there in Monroe bright and early but I don't see how poor Rahtok can make it before 9. We'll wait for him of course, but if we get a late start maybe we should have fewer detours. I'm not a big fan of the Lk. Wenatchee/Chumstick side trip and love the original suggestion of bratwurst und kraut (bangers and mash for the Brits) washed down with a little lager in Leavenworth. Highway 97 will be a blast if there isn't too much traffic. Even if we don't have the road to ourselves, switching to dynamic mode should make passing a few cars great fun! It looks like lunar gray and silver is the color of the day.

 

I'm in rain or shine.

9am is going to be tight, but doable. Plane lands at 7:30am. lol

I vote to eat in Leavensworth. Lots of good places. Wife wants a little time to wander a store or two too, I think. <shrugs>

 

Good call Marko! Cheers!

So, Rahtok says he can make 9, but it is tight.

Leavenworth is only 1.5 hours (according to Google maps) away from Monroe. Allowing for a few picture/picturesque stops add another 30 to 45 minutes?

Bumping departure to 9:30 still puts us in town around 11:30 - noon for a bite and a pint. Might be worth considering?
Browsing the shops for the crew is a must, but later starts and later departures from Leavenworth may make the return trip painful as we drive straight into the sun. (Food for thought)

Swimref, I suspect we both know your car would leave me chewing any asphalt you decided to let your rear tires toss at me! Those of us lacking the poweR, will just have to hope you are nice to us...
Although I can foresee a few "spirited" leaps here and there (guilty as charged), my wish is for this drive to offer plenty of enjoyment for all. I'm really hoping for some good weather and great scenery to slow and look at...

I would still love the see Curmudgeon bring his Limey Limo for that extra touch of class, and certainly any others not yet chiming into the conversation.


1. Clevername
2. Swimref
3. Rahtok
4. Marko
5. ?
6. ?

 

Hey Vince,
You said other Jag drivers would be welcome, I think I have another one for our group. My XF was in for routine service today (15K/1 year) at Jaguar Seattle in Lynnwood and while chatting with the excellent (very friendly and helpful) Service Advisor I mentioned our group drive coming up. He was very interested and not only said he would spread the word but said he would like to check a new Jag out of the dealership and join us! I assumed he would be welcome but if you could e-mail him with the details it would be great.

Thanks,
Kevin "Swimref"

 

Done,
Thanks!

 

Still hoping for last minute takers...
Weather is "chance of showers", but that should clear once past the summit.
Bring yer brolly.

flycaster, ya need to reschedule your vacation.... Its just that simple....

Curmudgeon, that Mk2 needs to get out and stretch its legs... You know it wants to...

Departing Safeway (19651 Hwy 2) 9AM (They have a Starbucks)
Bring cameras and FRS Radios if you have them.


V

 

Swimref informs me that the forecast for the passes has now shifted to snow...


V

 

Time for a last minute change of plan?

 

Just heard the latest forecasts and they are expecting more bad stuff than they were earlier. I think we should see what the conditions are tomorrow and make a decision where we go after we all meet. Good alternatives are LaConner, the Hwy 9/I-5 loop up to Sedro-Woolley and back, Darrington, and several others.

 

Agreed... I'll be in Monroe as planned (I made that commitment when we set this up).... We can discuss conditions over a cup of coffee and alternate plans as a group.

Possibly... This snow issue kinda came out of nowhere.... Wednesday night and even yesterday it was just "partly sunny with showers".
We Washingtonians don't really flinch from showers too much but our weather is known for being fickle. Now its 1-4 inches of snow on both passes... (KOMO4 is saying 4-8 inches)
The thought of an XK on snow (Doubt you can even buy chains for this car) has me pondering our options...

V

 

More food for thought.....

HERE is another low altitude option that takes in back roads then Whidbey Island, Deception pass, Fort Casey, Admiralty Head Light house.

Flyers Restaurant and Brewery in Oak Harbor is good eats and beer...
V

 

Good morning boys,
The latest road reports from the mountain passes are:

Stevens Pass US 2 (6:15 AM) 31 deg.
Light snow/slush on roadway
rain & snow mixed
no tire advisories or restrictions either direction

Blewett Pass US 97 (6:09 AM) 29 deg.
bare & wet with slush in places
snow flurries
no tire advisories or restrictions in either direction

Note: there are 4 levels of tire advisories and restrictions.
1. No advisories or restrictions (where both passes are right now)
2. traction tires advised
3. traction tires required
4. chains required
(all-season tires such as most of us have qualify as traction tires)

While conditions in the mountains can change rapidly, as of the present there is not a need to change our plans, unless the group wants to anyway.

 

Lets meet as planned and decide with everybody there. I would air on the side of caution.

 

What’s to be said but wow….

That had to be one of the most interesting and challenging drives I have ever done. I think the best description I heard by far was that “We drove all the seasons in a day”.

For those that missed out, we have a short synopsis…. Our trip began in light rain and as we progressed up the western side of Stevens Pass, interesting tid-bits emerged (like how it is much more preferable to be stuck behind a rusted Geo Metro than a Toyota Prius).

With the Metro soon forgotten along with my original trip route of taking Ben Howard road up to Sultan, we next found ourselves winding through the dense forest along the old Cascade highway. We stopped to get a look at a few water falls, which was a good thing since we then discovered the Deception Falls parking lot closed (along with the restrooms). Tid-bit #2: Did you know that standing next to water falls can induce a rather urgent need to use a restroom really really bad?

Back on Hwy2, we drove up into snow flurries, then stopped for a photo op and to claim our victory of conquering the treacherous snow covered pass in our agile “snow cats”...

Dropping down the eastern side quickly gave us back our blue skies and autumn colors as we proceeded into Leavenworth for a beer, brauts, and a functional bathroom.

My co-pilot chuckled to see many folk on the sidewalks of Leavenworth stopping to watch our procession of Jags pass by.

With stomachs full and the tops down we departed Leavenworth and set our sights on Hwy 97. Clawing our way up Blewett Pass provided our cats the chance to stretch their legs a bit, but overall traffic kept us at a steady and sane pace... More or less...

Cle Elum gave us a moment to reflect on the day while sitting in the local DQ. Little did we know what those dark clouds hanging above the I-90 summit had in store for us...

Within minutes we were in flurries of huge (quarter sized) flakes of snow. A few miles later we were driving cautiously on wet roads and an inch of slush lining the sides... And shortly after that, trapped in a relentless storm that dropped nearly everyone to a single lane and no option of exiting the highway for fear of not being able to navigate the on/off ramps...
Committed to summiting, our cats hunkered down and did well given the startling situation. The storm made for a rather tense 18 miles that I for one hope not to repeat again. It was accuracy noted that had we crossed 30 to 45 minutes later in the afternoon, the storm could well have brought us to a halt. Lady luck blew our cats a gentle kiss this day and we finally reentered our normal world of sweet rain with a sigh of relief.

Reflection says I was saddened by the tense ending to our trip, but I am glad we made it, and new friends along the way.

For me, each trip is an adventure of some kind, and I look back on all of them in awe. Today was no exception...



wow....
Till our next…..cheers
Vince

 

Vince,
You forgot to mention that Leavenworth was having its Oktoberfest celebration in near-summer weather, around 60 degrees in bright sunshine and those not in Bavarian dress were in t-shirts. It was so hard to believe when a few miles before we were in light snow. We truly did experience all four seasons in one exhilirating drive. Karen and I had a real fun time and I did not find it challenging at all, just fun and relaxing. Even the Snoqualmie Pass blizzard did not tense me up, either the car and tires were too good or maybe it is all my years of winter driving experience, including two Alaskan winters. I did not have even a split second of wheelspin or slip, except for chirping the tires to match Rahtok pulling out of the parking lot in Leavenworth! We really had fun with the great drive and the great company, can't wait for the next one in the spring.

Kevin

 

Fun and exciting trip!

Did you guys get my PM?

 

Absolutely got your PM Marko. Fun vid! I've got a bunch of different pictures to share, and trying to decide the best way to share them. I'll put a couple up here, and then if the rest of you want a bigger set I can dropbox them or some such.