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NE EMPIRE EXPRESS RETURNS 2014


JohnD1956

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7/27/14

Tomorrow starts a journey back to where we began. Hopefully this will be a fun thread without all the drama. We'll see! still need to process the several hundred pictures I took at the Meet. And I plan to add some to appropriate threads along the way. See ya soon.

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7/28/14 mid day

Wow!!! What a view!!! And we can finally say we drove across country as we step into the pacific ocean!!! Awesome coastal views!!! I always dreamed of driving the west coast highway listening to jazz radio...I dont know if i want to leave, but on we go.

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7/28/14 late evening

Lincoln City was a bear to get through. That and a hour delay at one bridge while the police towed a motor home across ( by tow chain mind you) backed us up so we missed about 3 hrs of the coast after dark. But we did get a few pics. But am having trouble posting them. Will try later tonight after todays run through the Redwood tree parks.

Meanwhile, "Dan's " Xlectra is soooo sweet....I may just think about selling everything else... LOL...

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7/29/14 ( late evening)

After modifications to the route we arrived at San Rafael in time for a sit down dinner. The weather today ranged from 52 in Crescent City to the high 90's somewhere in the hills on Rt 101 in northern California, back to a tempid 70* in the San Rafael area. The A/C on the Electra is blowing ice cubes! But at the higher altitudes it is pinging on regular gas. Still it's a most comfortable ride. I love this car!!!

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7/30/14:

Today was a non travel day. We were supposed to go into San Francisco for some sightseeing but we needed a day to kick back and relax. So we decided to go to the beach. The hotel sent us to a beach on the bay, but we wanted to go to the ocean, so we diverted.

Now for those who don't know, there is a mountain range inbetween the beach and San Rafael. What a ride. I'm going to try and post a video. Whoo Hoo!!! hang on! Also as we were going over the mountain you can see the mist from the fog that hugs the top of the hill. It was hot when we left the hotel. It was freezing on top of the mountain along with a stiff 50 MPH wind, and then it was mild in the beach town. Of course the water was too cold for me but I did dip my toes for another memory. I just hope I can always remember it. Later tonight we went to the Golden Gate Bridge for a picture. Unfortunately the wind and fog obscured most of the bridge. Still...

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7/29/14

Here's yesterdays drive to the beach. Today it's off to lunch with our neice and then to Carson City NV. It's the annual Hot August Nights Car event in Reno and we hope to take in some of that tonight. And maybe a bit of the slots too...Who knows?

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7/31/14

Headed East to Sacramento for lunch with our niece. Naturally a good time always goes overtime. So headed to Carson City via rt 50 at 3 pm. Hottest part of the day and tallest mountain we have encountered. After approx 1 1/2 hr run on a gradual climb, the Electra started to protest a bit. Pinging and bucking a tiny bit, we shut down the AC. Man, was it ever hot outside!! A few miles later we smelled raw gas. So we found a convenient roadside turnoff and shut it down for 20 mins. That was at just about 5300 ft elevation. Back on the road a new mustang passed us and fuel was leaking from the gas cap. Probably happened to us too, but we made the last 2300 ft with the ac on. Then it was a awesome ride down to Lake Tahoe, and then a second ride down to Carson City. More later. Headed to Reno for some hot August nites action.

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I'm a bit late in reading this thread due to the PWD AfterTour.... I am glad you are enjoying the trip.

I saw you stopped to see the Roosevelt Elk at Prairie Creek State Park.

I worked there during the summer when I went to school at Humboldt State University in Arcata CA (many years ago).

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8/3/14

Thanks for all the good wishes folks. I'm paying them forward to Roberta and Paul. We were shocked to hear about their separate but similar situations. We are praying for their return to good health. Meanwhile, yesterday was another one of those long drives...

We headed up to Virginia City NV. And I mean up. On the way we had to make a choice, truck route, or the more direct one. Naturally we chose the direct one and then discovered there was a 15% grade for about a mile within the 8 mile upward climb. Add the 100* temps and at least one of the Buicks was panting a bit at the top. We tucked them into a parking area to cool off and went sightseeing. As has been the case frequently, we overstayed. But with a "short" 4 1/2 hr drive to Elko NV for the night we weren't too concerned. We chose to take 341 out of Virginia City as a local barkeep suggested the mountains on the Google Route may prove too much for the cars considering we had some trouble on the way into town.

Well 341 is just another drop dead gorgeous route through the hills. But it added considerably to the travel time. And once we left the hills of the Virginia City, well, the Great Basin between Reno and Elko was somewhat bland. Add in some rain, some high winds and dust storms, the drive was tedious. However we pulled in around 9:30 pm last nite and after dinner Lin and I were up $140 on the slots so we have gas and food money for today...LOL

Today will be another short drive, 5 hours to Salt Lake City, and dinner with my Sister and Brother In Law. Here are some more pics from Thursdays ride to Tahoe:

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Edited by JohnD1956 (see edit history)
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