Red Rock tour in Stevens Duryea

[mikespeed35]

On the road AGAIN….(This is a site you almost never see….Mike is towing our car to the meet). We left this morning for the Red Rock tour, which begins in Missoula, Montana. We need to get there in a timely manner, at least 600 miles per day, so we are trailering our 1913 Stevens Duryea. We are traveling highways, but avoiding tollroads, ferries, and traffic. Going through the middle of Chicago was the worst! Traffic was delayed along the Kennedy, which is what we were traveling. No mOercy was showed for our big rig, but who likes to travel behind a big red wall? We will travel a different route avoiding Chicago completely on the return trip.
The last time we were in LaCrosse, WI was for the Glidden Tour. You get a much different view traveling on the interstate: no cranberry boggs were seen and a sign notation of the Wisconsin Dells and other sites was all. There were beautiful farms, crops and cattle to be seen once we passed Chicago. It’s not easy to pull over and take a picture with our rig, so the photos are shot on the go, some through the dirty window.
Mike has already had to do repairs…not on the Stevens Duryea…on the 05 Chevy truck. Owner caused. He replaced the rear wheel seals about 3000 miles ago and failed to tighten the 8 cap screws adequately. He noticed some lub coming out from under the hub cap and investigated. Used the tools and torque wrench that were supposed to repair the Stevens Duryea to repair the truck.

[mikespeed35]

Another day on highway 90 west; we gained another hour traveling today. We recalculated our arrival for the tour and decided we had a little extra time, so we could make a couple stops. The signs along the highway for miles advertised the Pioneer Auto Museum with its 250 cars, tractors, etc. There were lots of treasures at the museum. We saw this gas station is So. Dakota. Look at those prices… Ouch! We continued to Wall, S.D. After supper, we stopped at Wall Drug for our free ice water and Mike got an ice cream.

[mikespeed35]

We left Wall, S.D. this morning, and had not gone down the road more than ten miles, when we heard the trailer tire pop. Yuck….This is why Mike like to drives his cars and doesn’t trailer them often! We have had more than our share of flat tires on our trailer. It is also why we always carry two spare tires for the trailer.
Thank goodness for technology. I searched our Garmin for tire dealerships in Rapid City, called and found one with the size tires needed. Meanwhile, Mike replaced the blowout with a spare and we resumed our trip stopping at Rapid City for a new tire.
We had all sorts of weather today. It started very pleasant and sunny, a little wind but temperatures in the mid to upper 70’s. We traveled through the remainder of So. Dakota and the tiny corner of Wyoming in this great weather. Once we got into Montana, it started to get cloudy, the temperature dropped slowly as we reached the higher elevations near Bozeman it neared 40 degrees. We had a couple short showers, but drove out of them quickly. The temperature is supposed to get down to 35 tonight.
We are about 200 miles from our destination and are looking forward to our arrival tomorrow.

[mikespeed35]

Today’s trip was cold and rainy. We traveled from Bozeman to Missoula. Most of the way it was raining, and 40 degrees or lower. It did warm up to around 46 degrees. We arrived at around 11 am and walked across the road for a gourmet hotdog. The rest of the afternoon we talked with our fellow tour members and got our trailer moved to the University lot. We are the” newbies” on this tour; most everyone else has been touring together many times. This is the 13th Semi Annual Red Rock tour and I am really looking forward to getting to know the group and having a great time.

[mikespeed35]

Day one of the Red Rock tour: Today we drove from Missoula, MT to Olofina, ID. It was a beautiful drivel on highway 12, through a mountain pass with a stream following the highway. This was a pass that Lewis and Clark traveled and explored. It was mid 40’s when we started but by noon, it neared 70. We hit a pot hole in the road and dented our tire rim. Mike was going to remove the wheel, and attempted, but the wheel would not come off, and the spare tire wouldn’t go back in its side mount. We ended up putting the spare in the back, inside the car, re-bolting the bolts on the original wheel, and driving it with the dented wheel rim. Today was supposed to be a tour of the fish hatchery and Dam in Olofino, ID, however we will miss that and decide what further repair is needed. This is a great bunch of people we are traveling with. We had help, advice, and someone to follow us for the remainder of the trip back. As I said earlier, the drive today was beautiful . The roads had little traffic, lots of turns and twists, with rocky, grass or moss covered rocks and still clear blue water or white water rapids in areas at every turn.
When we got to the hotel, we unloaded the car, got the wheel out of the back, let some air out of it so it would fit back into the side mount and got some help with the dented rim. Mike got the wheel fixed. Someone was able to pound it back into shape. Jack had the tool to demount and mount the rim and showed Mike how.

[First Born]

What a great Tour. In my 36 years behind the wheel of a truck, I only had the pleasure of driving that route once. Never drove a more beautiful highway. As soon as you mentioned highway 12, I could see and HEAR that stream, even before you mentioned it . Thanks for the memories.

Ben

[R W Burgess]

Day one of the Red Rock tour: .......................Mike got the wheel fixed. Someone was able to pound it back into shape. Jack had the tool to demount and mount the rim and showed Mike how.

Good job to AACA Touring buddies. That wheel change sounds like an idea for a great seminar for an AACA Meet or Tour somewhere. We have similar wheels on our Essex and have not had to endure that stress yet.

[mikespeed35]

Day two: We drove from Orofino, ID to Coeur D’Alenea, ID around 165 miles. The drive was full of hills and twists and turns. There were several steep grades which we need to shift down to 2nd gear for. It was gorgeous around every bend. There were several car problems today. We stopped for gas around noon and replaced a fuel pump and gas lines on a Pierce Arrow. While we were there, a Cadillac rolled in. He had just hit an elk with his car…not much damage, but the elk was dead. Later the model T that was leading our group, lost a bolt and his fan was hitting the radiator. We got to the hotel at the end of the day and heard about a small fire from a wiring problem. There were several cars that made wrong turns and traveled extra miles. There are a couple of Stanley Steamers. They have to beg or siphon water every 60-80 miles or so. This is fun! Just imagine how great it is to kick tires and trade stories with these car guys.
The scenery today was gorgeous. Check out the bumper crop we saw! The weather was a mix; cold, hot, rain, sun. We were taking coats off then putting them back on several times today. Quite an adventure!

[trimacar]

Wow, sounds like a great tour....and experiencing all the troubles that they did back then! Just imagine doing this on tires that weren't near as reliable as what we have now...

Idaho and that area is absolutely beautiful, had a chance to camp with my brother and we drove along the Salmon River, what wonderful sights......

Thanks for posting this travel log!!!!

[mikespeed35]

Cold and rainy today. We traveled our route of 155 miles and drove directly to our hotel, ate lunch and did our laundry. It was nice to see all these cars lining the street at our lunch stop. There was beautiful scenery, but it rained so hard I kept my camera in the bag most of the route. At one point we had 1/4 inch hail.

[mikespeed35]

Today was warmer. We traveled about 150 miles to the Coulee Dam and had a tour there. We are staying in the town of Coulee Dam. Tonight we have a laser light show. The scenery is beautiful. No one had car trouble that I know of today.

[mikespeed35]

Another great day for touring. Today we drove from Grand Coulee Dam to Leavenworth, about 155 miles. The weather was beautiful ending at about low 80’s. We had several optional stops again today and we went to most of them. We stopped at the dry falls, gardens, and candy factory. We missed the 2nd Dam stop. We saw many orchards along the way, and stopped to buy some cherries. The town we stopped at the end is a Bavarian Village, Leavenworth, WA. We walked downtown for supper at a German restaurant. It was a busy day!

One of the cars was hauled in on a tow truck tonight. He is confident he has his problem fixed now. Mike was worried that his car was running hotter than usual, but it was warm today and we were climbing some mountains.

[trimacar]

Sounds like such a great tour. Am sorry to hear you missed the dam stop. I remember on one of the Pierce tours up north, we passed one and my son took some dam pictures. But they aren't as nice as your dam pictures.

Thanks for keeping us up to date on the tour!

[mikespeed35]

We started the morning with a first class breakfast. As we began, Jack had a flat tire. That was soon fixed and we were on our way across Stevens Pass. After the pass, we continued on our way to the coast of Chuckanut and Samish Bay, WA. This drive is often called Washington’s Big Sur. It was a beautiful drive, however it was raining and hard to look at the scenery and watch the driving. About two miles from our destination hotel, we broke an axle. Thankfully, Jack carries a spare, so it was a quick fix, for now. Back at the hotel there were several break downs. The Pierce Arrow has fuel pump problems, the model T has wheel problems, the Cadillac has transmission problems. We are in an area where we may be able to get everything fixed.
For supper tonight our group was invited to the President of HCAA’s shop and to see his collection. At his shop he was able to weld Mike’s axle, and fix the Model T’s wheel problem. The transmission is going to be worked on tonight. The Pierce Arrow is also being worked on.
We are losing some members of the tour today and new members are joining us.

[mikespeed35]

We crossed the border into Canada today and arrived at our ferry just minutes before it started loading. Our cars were the last three to get on that ferry. Most of today was rainy and cold but there was sun a couple of times. The two-hour ferry ride to Vancouver Is. was smooth and very picturesque. Traffic on the way to the hotel was nasty. There was a car show along the way so we saw many 50, 60, and 70’s cars. One couple followed us to the hotel in their car to see our groups’ cars better.
Dinner tonight was right next to our hotel at a restaurant. We ate with 3 other couples. The practice on this tour is to rotate your invitations to dinner each night so that you get to visit with everyone on the tour. One of the cars was carried over in a trailer, (I think he has electrical problems) everyone else had a good day. We have a planned free day tomorrow; time to maintain cars and do laundry, etc. We will be going salmon fishing in the afternoon.

[mikespeed35]

This morning, Mike did his maintenance work on the car. He greased, checked for lose bolts and wires, cleaned and generally just checked things over. That was fairly standard for all of the guys here. I have heard, they have the Pierce Arrow running good again. There was a group that went fishing this morning, our group went this afternoon. No Salmon were caught, however we got lots of pan fish. Apparently a few whales have been spotted in this area The first 3 hours of our fishing trip were spent trolling for salmon. We caught a couple larger fish, but they were something that needed to be thrown back. After that we went to several different locations and fished for bottom feeders from the side of the boat.
Tonight, we had a fish fry. The car club from this area brought most of the side dishes. Our fish captain cooked the fish we caught, while some of our crew cooked some hamburgers and chicken.
After dinner, we had entertainment. We were broken into teams and had to wrap a member like a mummy. Bags of candy bars were awarded to the winners and team was a winner.
We also have a moose hat that goes to someone on the tour for some stupid thing done. Mike has been awarded it twice now. First time for his wheel hitting the pot hole, and the last time for breaking an axel. It also went to Bob for hitting the moose. While the Pierce Arrow should have got it by now (for all it’s time in the tow vehicle), it scrapped by again. Tonight it went to Catherine, for set-up reasons.
Tomorrow we are back on the road again, but it was great to have a break from touring.

[mikespeed35]

We drove to Tofino today. We saw a deer and her two fawns. The first part of the trip was on hwy 19 which is a highway like our expressways. We turned onto hwy 4 which was a logging road. We saw several logging trucks full of logs. There is a steam operated lumber mill on this road, but we did not stop there, (others in our group did). There were areas of lots of tree lined streets, some Sequias. We arrived around noon, went to lunch, and visited a few shops before checking into our hotel. The hotel is beautiful, Pacific ocean view from every room. We walked along the beach, and talked with people our admiring our cars etc. There are supposed to be bears around here, but we didn’t see them.

[First Born]

You folks are giving me hope. If your Duryea and the others of the tour can do it, I should be able to in my Buick. Thank you so much for documenting your trips this summer.

Ben

[mikespeed35]

This was the day that we travel the most miles (around 200). The route we took, retraced the last 100 miles of our previous day. Then we got on the express highway and drove the remainder of the route to Victoria. Traffic was horrible once we got to Victoria, and our hotel was in central town. It is close to the ferry that we take in the morning. Upon our arrival, we had lunch at KFC and took the bus tour to Butchart Gardens. The gardens were beautiful and our bus tour was very good. We have an early crossing back into the US in the AM. One of our cars, the Cadillac is down for the remainder of the tour. The steam cars were not back yet for the night at 9:30. They were having trouble with their boiler.

[mikespeed35]

Today we went by ferry to Port Angeles, WA. We were told it would be a full ferry so we needed to arrive at 7:30 AM to guarantee a spot on the 10 AM ferry. Upon our arrival we were asked if we had reservations and told to park in aisle 3. We had a bunch of time to waste so we walked around town and returned before 9. The ferry was sold full. We went through customs and loaded up.
On the ferry the group sat together in the observation deck. There was not much traffic on the water but we did see these sailboats pass by.
Upon our arrival to Port Angeles a group of us met at our hotel and went out for lunch and planned the remainder of our day. We decided on a guided our tour of Hurricane Pass. The bus driver, Willy Nelson, picked us up at 4:30 by our hotel for a four hour tour. It was wonderful. Not sure what I expected, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. He took six of us out in a tour bus, snaking around the mountains and talking as he drove. It was a History, Biology, and Science trip combined with wildlife and scenery. We saw at least 20 deer, and drove up the snow covered Olympic mountains. The scenery was wonderful however I left my camera back at the room.
Upon our return we walked to the restaurant across the road from our hotel. The ferry came in as we were finishing our dinner so we watched them unload and load.

[caf]

Today we went by ferry to Port Angeles, WA. We were told it would be a full ferry so we needed to arrive at 7:30 AM to guarantee a spot on the 10 AM ferry. Upon our arrival we were asked if we had reservations and told to park in aisle 3. We had a bunch of time to waste so we walked around town and returned before 9. The ferry was sold full. We went through customs and loaded up.
On the ferry the group sat together in the observation deck. There was not much traffic on the water but we did see these sailboats pass by.
Upon our arrival to Port Angeles a group of us met at our hotel and went out for lunch and planned the remainder of our day. We decided on a guided our tour of Hurricane Pass. The bus driver, Willy Nelson, picked us up at 4:30 by our hotel for a four hour tour. It was wonderful. Not sure what I expected, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. He took six of us out in a tour bus, snaking around the mountains and talking as he drove. It was a History, Biology, and Science trip combined with wildlife and scenery. We saw at least 20 deer, and drove up the snow covered Olympic mountains. The scenery was wonderful however I left my camera back at the room.
Upon our return we walked to the restaurant across the road from our hotel. The ferry came in as we were finishing our dinner so we watched them unload and load.

Is that a Marmon in yout last photo? between the Peerless and the Stevens. How many cars are still active at this point? and what happened with the the beautiful Rolls in the first photos

[mikespeed35]

Yes, that is a Marmon. He had trouble with overheating yeasterday and found that the impeller had come loose from the water pump shaft. The pin apperently backed out and broke the impeller. He is trying to get it repaired today. Both Silver Ghosts are still with us. We have had mixed experiances with repairs. Whern I bent my rim a tire store demounted the tire, pounded the rim and lock ring back where they should be, remounted the tire, and would take no money for the effort. My friend needed. two tubes replaced. This tire store made him do it himself, acrossed the street off there property but did give him FREE air.
CORDially Mike

[john2dameron]

This is a very interesting thread with some very nice photos. It was especially interesting to me because I do not own a collector car and found it interesting to read about all the places you toured to.

[mikespeed35]

Today we drove to Fort Townsend where we roamed around the town until we caught the ferry to Anacortes,WA.
Fort Townsend is a port town and they have a marina that has a lot of old wooden boats that are being restored, and a wonderful marina full of interesting antique boats. From there we went to the Victorian section of town and checked out the houses. There was a great Farmers Market where we stopped and decided to go back there for lunch. We continued to a nursery out of town. There were some very unique plants there including a lilly plant that was 12’ tall. The pink bloom is the only known one in the world. After exploring the nursery we returned to the Farmer’s market and bought our lunch, fresh grilled salmon sandwiches, a seafood gumbo stew, and fresh pastries for dessert. YUM! Then off to McDonalds for a soda and bathrooms, a short shopping trip in town and off to the ferry.
We had a 30 minute ferry ride then a 35 mile drive to the hotel . It was raining hard by that time.

[mikespeed35]

We visited a private collection of Stanley Steamers and miscellaneous collectibles. There was a lot of fabulous stuff. From there we continued toward our hotel passing through a couple of mountain passes with some steep inclines and quick curves. We saw a bunch of snow today. The weather was all over the board today, cold, rainy, sunny, and wind. We had lunch in a very unique town and continued on our way. Everyone has been running well, except the Cadillac that will be out for the remainder of the trip and will be back in Canada tomorrow.