Jay (Muddydog) and I have begun preliminary planning for a drive to Grand Coulee Dam and back. This would be an all-day (or overnight, for those who wished) drive of over 400 miles. We are looking at either August 8th or August 15th (Saturdays) for this. We would depart from Monroe quite early, no later than 8AM. Almost exactly two hours will be needed to reach the Columbia River at North Wenatchee. Almost exactly two more hours via Coulee City will get us to the four towns (Electric City, Grand Coulee, Mason City, & Coulee Dam) that surround the great dam. The Grand Coulee Dam is enormous, sometimes called the eighth wonder of the world and for over fifty years until recently the largest thing ever built by human hands. We should have about 3 hours available to get lunch and tour the site, then leave at 3PM for the 3 hour drive via Bridgeport (different route) back to Leavenworth for a 6PM nice dinner at Andreas Keller's Restaurant. After dinner we can go our separate ways, some to return to Monroe (1.5 hours), some to return via Blewett and Snoqualmie Passes, some to spend the night and return Sunday.

Expect the weather to be VERY hot, make sure your cooling system and A/C are ready for it. The finest cherries in the world are grown along the Columbia from Wenatchee to Orondo, they should still be in season and there are dozens of great roadside stands.

Please let us know your thoughts and whether you can participate.

Thanks,
Kevin (Swimref)

 

Awesome, looking forward to it! Please let us know when you finalize the date so we can book our room.

 

Wow, sorry guys! I had out of town guests and totally neglected the forum for the weekend. Thanks, Swimref, for posting this up!

Aug 8 or 15 works great for me. I posted it up on our Meet-up site as well. I'm thinking the 15th will give us more time to generate interest -- what does everyone think of that?

Let's get a date quickly and I can send out an email announcement to all the local forum members.

 

Well, Meet-up forced me to pick a date, so I picked the 15th, subject to move up to the 8th if people want to override me. I can do that sort of thing because I have all the power! Just kidding. You guys let me know.

BTW, I love the meet up site because it's easy and provides more direct contact to members that want it, but it costs me money and I'm not going to renew it if more people don't sign up. SO SIGN UP We've already attracted a couple of new F-type owners that probably wouldn't have found us on the forums without it, so I think it's worth it. I just need a little more participation to convince myself to keep it going.

 

That sounds like fun! But I'll be at Jaguars on the Green in Tacoma on the 8th and I'm at Crater Lake over the weekend of the 15th. Have fun everyone! :-)

 

FYI: Date finalized for August 15th, 2015.

 

Are you familiar with the area down there? Old McKenzie Highway? Lava butte and caves? Train Mountain railroad?
If your looking for some sweet back roads I know most of them in that area, not to mention a few to get you there! PM me if interested!
Vince

 

Good news, all! We will have the JF Banner for the drive to Grand Coulee.

 

Bump

 

Great news about the banner! So far we are at 5 or 6 cars, hopefully a few more will decide to join in. I'm really looking forward to it, although unlike nearly everyone else I will have to get all the way home that evening as I have a commitment the next morning.

 

Well, we're getting near our August 15th event, the Grand Coulee Dam drive. At this writing we only have 5 cars coming along, hopefully another 3 or 4 will decide to join us.

The schedule is about the same:
Meet in Monroe in the parking lot between the supermarket and McDonalds on the north side of Hwy. 2. Please arrive by 7:45 with full tank (or come earlier and top off there) and properly inflated tires. We will depart promptly at 8. There will be brief potty breaks every 1-2 hours, but save the photo ops for the damsite, which we hope to reach no later than noon. We'll eat lunch there and sightsee until 3PM when we head out, going to Wenatchee by a different route. If we stay on schedule we should roll into Leavenworth about 6PM, just in time for a nice dinner at our usual Bavarian restaurant. Several will be spending the night there, but if you have to get home as I do, it is 1.5 hours back to our starting point in Monroe.

Our current lineup:
Swimref (Kevin, plus Karen & Janai) 2011 XF Premium Luxury 5.0
Muddydog (Jay) 2010 XK 5.0
CleverName (Vince) 2007 XK Luxury 4.2
MarcB (Marc, plus Nan) 2006 XJ Super Portfolio 4.2
Marko (Marko) 2012 XKR 5.0 Supercharged

Please post additions or corrections to the lineup. Regarding fruit stands, I understand the early very warm weather moved the season earlier and it is just about over. We may still find cherries and stone fruit, but pickings will be slimmer.

See you soon,
Kevin

 

I would love to participate but alas I will have to sit this one out. My daughters wedding has to take priority.
Driving back from Calgary Alberta that weekend in RR with fully loaded trailer or I would drive down to meet up with you all at Grand Coulee.
Alas I think it would raise a few eyebrows at the border.
Good trip to you all and remember, keep the shiny side up.

Growler05

 

Thanks for organizing what looks like it will be a fantastic drive! Unfortunately, I won't be able to make this one. My son and I will be in Eastern Oregon, at the Oregon Star Party the entire week...

I will look forward to the Leavenworth Rally. We are still doing it this year, yes?

Cheers,

Ken

 

Washed, waxed, leather-conditioned, and put to bed for an early Saturday ferry ride! By the time we get to Monroe it will look like I haven't washed it in weeks.

 

Wow, What a drive!
It was indeed a privilege to be travel the byways with such wonderful folks.

Things heated up on the drive back, and in a vary large elevator!

A fine beer and dinner with friends in Leavenworth was icing on the cake.

Thanks All for tolerating my shenanigans once again!

V

 

I thought that was an epic drive! Yes, it was a lot of hours and a lot of miles, and we may never do it again, but I think for all 8 of us it was an adventure we will not forget and are glad we experienced it. The highways were all good high-speed roads, the dam itself was immense and very impressive, and we got quite a show from Mother Nature's fireworks.

Vince, I want to give you a very special thanks. It is not easy to be the vanguard and leader all day, but you did it brilliantly. When we needed you to be quick to stay on schedule you were quick, but anytime you saw us lagging behind you slowed the pace. I appreciate how much further you had to travel from Pt. Orchard, you were great.

Jay, thank you for helping to organize the run. Your leadership and good advice were so important to the day's success. I hope you enjoyed a relaxing dinner.

Chris, I'm really glad you came along this weekend and I hope you enjoyed the trip for the most part. All of us were very uneasy over what we were seeing in the burn zone and I don't blame you a bit for preferring to backtrack. As it turned out we were past the danger but didn't know it at the time.

Marc, thank you so much for participating and showing us your beautiful and so classy executive motorcar. The rest of us can only bow to your Super V-8 Portfolio.

Nan, you add so much to these drives! And I agree, it was trippy! Don't forget spare batteries on the next one, I love your entertaining comments as we drive. I think you still owe us a song.

Janai and Karen, thank you for keeping me company. It certainly wouldn't be as much fun driving by myself.

I for one had a blast. I've seen the dam before but am always impressed by it. The roads were good and mostly uncrowded so the driving was good. Although I've lived here nearly all my life I've never experienced driving through a wildfire burn only hours old. I found it fascinating and will certainly never forget the sight of that tree fifty yards off the highway fully enveloped in flame like the world's largest torch. The fires we saw across the river were also amazing. I learned later that they were not caused by lightning strikes but by billions of flaming embers blown by strong winds Friday a mile across the valley from fire up on the ridge above our side. Mother Nature is indeed a powerful force.

Thank you all again - a wonderful experience.

I'll leave with a verse from the official Washington state folk song, "Roll On, Columbia!" by Woody Guthrie.

"And on up the river is Grand Coulee Dam,
Mightiest thing ever built by man,
To power the great factories and water the land
It's roll on, Columbia, roll on!"

Kevin

 

Awesome time, guys and gals! Sorry I begged off early but I appreciate the moral support. It was a great day. Thanks MarcB for the breakfast! What a trip, eh?

 

Hey Ya'll,

Looks like it was a banner drive.
Passed by that general area last year but never made the Dam. Sorry I missed it this time.......just have to put it on the list!
I'm definitely up for the next one.