Epic Arrive & Drive

[jaudette3]

Our local PCA chapter here in Bend, Oregon - High Desert Region - is typically pretty genteel. The focus tends to be a bit more on social events rather than tech sessions or driving events. But yesterdays Arrive & Drive (first Saturday of every month) was a *big* exception.

Twenty-eight of Stuttgarts finest met in a parking lot on the east side of town at 9:00 AM. Mostly newer 911's, lots of Turbos and wide bodies, a few Caymans, a few Boxsters, and one long hood, my '67 rally build. The route hadn't been announced in advance and everyone expected the usual 100 mile drive on some of Central Oregons great back roads. Well, we got the back roads - just a lot more than expected.

The leader of the drive, Tim Morris of German Master Tech in Bend, announced the first "Oregon Outback" drive. As he described the route we started to look at each other, all thinking the same thing - that sounds like a lot of driving. Someone asked Tim what the total miles were and we actually thought he was joking when he said 430.

We started out going South on Hwy 97 until we reached Hwy 31, better known around here as the back way to Reno. Hwy 31 is a great road with very little traffic - the main things to watch out for are jack rabbits and deer - lots of both. We headed South past Summer Lake to the tiny town of Paisley where we stopped for gas (long stretches ahead with no petro - thinking fondly of my 100 liter tank). A lady came out of a small cafe there and said she had pizza at half price for the day if anyone was interested. Just about the best pizza ever. The small gas station, a great time warp from the 50's (brought back a lot of memories of the days I spent in those old bays working on my hot rods), sold *non-ethanol* premium which is about impossible to get in Bend.

Back in the cars and driving South until the junction with Hwy 395 (half thinking about going to Reno at this point). Turned North on 395 and now there are NO cars, but lots of antelope and deer. Great sweepers alongside Lake Albert and Albert Scarp (the largest exposed fault in the U.S.).

Arrived at the "town" of Riley and the Hwy 20 junction and turned West back to Bend. Lead pack home at 4:30. What a great drive. Spending this morning cleaning off the bugs.

Cheers,
John Audette

[HarryD]

John,

Sounds like a great day. Hopefully the rest of the season will keep the pace!

We do these here in Portland as well but you have to drive a ways before you get into the "good roads". I would really like to see a drive like yours originate out of here.