PNW Fall Chill (9/7-8): Itinerary

"Future Heap Owner" (aperiodic) 08/01/2019 at 10:00 • Filed to: pnw fall oppo chill, oppo meet

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The Oppo PNW Fall Chill is on September 7th & 8th in Portland, OR. That’s a bit over a month away! My apologies for not posting about it for two months, but it’s still on, and now I have plans for what we’ll be doing.

Friday, September 6th

For local folks and anyone driving down on Friday, we’ll be meeting up for food and/or drinks at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (which is the next block over from one of my more favorite Portland bars, the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ).

Saturday, September 7th - Gorge Trip

The main activity for Saturday will be !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . This is more about the sights than the driving, but State Route 14 on the north side of the gorge gets a bit curvy once you get out past Washougal, and I’m told the last third between White Salmon and Maryhill is featured in many car commercials.

We’ll meet at 10:30 AM in !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and head out at 11:00 AM to the gorge. On the way back, we’ll cross the Columbia at Hood River and stop at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for a late lunch around 2:00 PM.

Assuming lunch takes about 90 minutes all in all, we’ll be back in Portland between 4:30 and 5:00 PM. After a break of three hours for people to explore the city or head back to their hotel/house to freshen up, we’ll meet for dinner at 7:00 PM at the original Portland food cart pod, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which is in easy walking distance of many other attractions on Hawthorne 12th, and lower Morrison (notably the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which specializes in sour beers and was quite popular at the last Portland Oppo meet).

Sunday, September 8th - State Route 47

Whereas Saturday’s drive is more about sightseeing than driving, Sunday’s drive is more about driving than sightseeing. We’ll take State Route 47 — a favorite of motorcyclists and people with Volvo V50s* alike — !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! (with a short detour to the much curvier Old Columbia River Highway).

We’ll meet at 10:00 AM at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , and head out at 10:30, taking Burnside and then Skyline Blvd to Highway 26, which takes us to State Route 47. This will put us in Vernonia around 12:00 to 12:30 PM, where we’ll stop at the !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! for lunch. Assuming we head out from lunch by 2:00, we’ll be at Rainier City Park around 3:00, where any Northerners who want to head home then can say goodbye and backtrack a few miles to take the bridge to Longview and I-5.

The rest of us will be back in Portland slightly over an hour later (about 4:30), where again there will be a few hours of downtime for people to do as they please. We’ll all meet up at 7:30 at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , for, well, pizza.

So that’s the plan! How does it sound to everyone? Are the food choices agreeable? Do the times sound realistic? Are you excited? Let me know!

————

*ok it’s my favorite, I don’t know if anyone drives it for fun besides me and motorcyclists.

JustAnotherG6 > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 10:14

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How is it that Oregon has a Mississippi Ave. when it is no where near the Mississippi?

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > JustAnotherG6 08/01/2019 at 10:55

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It has a entire neighborhood called Mississippi. It really makes no sense since. Portland’s Mississippi is nice, well off and has lots of affluent young yoga/organic type people.

Mississippi the state? Never been but doesn’t give off that vibe.  Just judging off their state flag.....

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 10:56

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I’m pumped!  We just need to book a place to stay and find Targa some care!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 11:02

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My plan is to be there for the thing at the place with the stuff on the Saturday morning doo-bobby.

Future Heap Owner > JustAnotherG6 08/01/2019 at 11:05

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Lots of cities do the state names for street names thing.

AestheticsInMotion > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 11:05

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Still trying to decide if I want to drive or fly. That's a looooong trip in the Miata 

Future Heap Owner > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/01/2019 at 11:06

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Whooo!

Are you still  planning to stay at my place Saturday night?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 11:19

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Only if the invitation still exists!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2019 at 11:20

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4 r u n n e r

JustAnotherG6 > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 11:20

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T otally wasn’t thinking State, more River. Regardless, you make a good point.

AestheticsInMotion > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/01/2019 at 11:22

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D u c a t i

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2019 at 11:25

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o h r i g h t , r i g h t . . . 

Future Heap Owner > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/01/2019 at 11:30

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It does!

Future Heap Owner > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2019 at 11:31

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You’ve gone soft

CaptDale - is secretly British > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2019 at 11:34

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sTOP BEING SOFT

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2019 at 14:35

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Im driving from Vancouver in the St

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 08/01/2019 at 14:41

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I feel like I need to drive to this in my Miata from LA in order to stick it to you lol. I’ve got the same seat (but worse since knockoff) and more uncomfortable coilovers.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 14:45

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I do have off that Friday, certainly worth considering at least. Somewhere in that time frame I wanted to go to Portland either way. Just have to convince the girlfriend that hanging out with a bunch of weirdos from the internet is a good idea =p. Maybe we show up for at least the Saturday’s thing and do our own thing the rest of the time, thats probably a better compromise. Will look at flights and get back to you.

I really wish I had the vacation time available to just take off the week since monday is already a holiday. Then I would drive up and finally do my drive the whole coast in a Miata bucket list item. But I really need those three vacation days I bet. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 08/01/2019 at 15:45

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I’ll probably join for some of this at least.

Have you considered 47 to 202 to Astoria, them back on 30? 202 is awesome, and there's the elk preserve by Jewell for a quick stop. Lots of good food in Astoria. Blue house is fantastic too.

Future Heap Owner > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/01/2019 at 16:31

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Oh, cool! A big motivation for  structuring this as two day trips rather than an overnight is to make it easier for folks to come for only part of it. I hope you can convince her!

AestheticsInMotion > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 08/01/2019 at 18:41

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The Miata is much rougher to drive distances 

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/01/2019 at 18:42

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The seats are the saaaaaame, come up and I’ll compare it with yours lol. Biggest waste of money ever

I need to get my beat winter tires off asap. And maybe remove ze sway bars.... 

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 08/01/2019 at 22:48

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I hadn’t, but I’m trying to keep the  trips on the shorter side so out-of-towners can spend more time in Portland (and so my dog won’t be spending so long in the car).

His Stigness > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/01/2019 at 22:51

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Well the last time she hung out with some weirdo from the internet she got into Galaxy's Edge and see how white people like to waste money. 

His Stigness > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 00:09

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I am shocked, SHOCKED only three people showed up to Fresno when it was high 100's. People in California never cease to amaze me.

Future Heap Owner > His Stigness 08/02/2019 at 00:32

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All the easier to keep the group together ;)

I’m bummed I couldn’t make Fresno. If it were on a weekend I was more free, and if I’d had more notice, I’d probably have been there. Looked like a fun day!

His Stigness > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 01:16

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It was a lot of fun since we all knew each other. I'm glad I braved melting and went. 

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 01:33

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Good reasoning. I also forget  how long that route takes in cars. I only do it on two wheels. 

Future Heap Owner > AMGtech - now with more recalls! 08/02/2019 at 02:04

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Sounds like a fun ride! I do get the feeling that once I can leave my dog alone for 3+ hours at a time... I may very well think about getting my motorcycle license.

Are you gonna be on two wheels or four for this ? And which day(s) do you think you’ll come?

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 09:48

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You should!

Probably 2. Maybe a bit of both days? Not sure yet. I'm pretty busy over the next month so we'll see how much free time I've got.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > JustAnotherG6 08/02/2019 at 11:46

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You’ll get really confused when you learn that Portland has a Hollywood district too! ...and Milwaukee is just 15 minutes or so away! 

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 11:48

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Any idea what kind of timing you’re thinking for the hang out on Friday? Realistically I probably can’t make it for the drives Saturday or Sunday, but perhaps it’s time I stop being a hermit and make a real life appearance at least for a drink .

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 11:55

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It will probably be more dependent on her work and whether other trips get in the way too. I know she is going to Poland in September and we have like a dozen other trips we want to do before the end of the year too. So it will be busy lol. Portland is high on the list though so if the time is available it should work out!

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 08/02/2019 at 12:00

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Haha I would have thought the real bride was at least better materials or something. But I guess the Chinese are pretty decent at making copies of things. I had been thinking about buying a real one some day but I am glad to know that it would be better spent on more tires and track days instead.

You are insane with the winter tires. I can get by with the Nokians on my Subaru because they are at least all seasons technically. But boy do I miss 200TW on that car. Canyon carving was just as entertaining as the Miata with proper tires on the STi. Except I could just go twice as fast lol. Just too damn expensive to try and keep two cars in race car mode..

AestheticsInMotion > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/02/2019 at 12:20

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Of my 3 knockoffs and one real bride, the bride only had the second best fabric, and tied in first for foam quality lol.

I miss 200tw. Although it is kind of fun being able to effortlessly kick the back end out around any turn, even on dry roads! 

Future Heap Owner > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 08/02/2019 at 14:33

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Oh, h uh, I did forget to put a time there. Probably starting between 7 & 8. What time works well for you?

Future Heap Owner > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 08/02/2019 at 14:34

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Keep us posted!

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > Future Heap Owner 08/02/2019 at 15:01

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Earlier the better for me, such is #DadLife...but 7ish isn’t out of the question for a drink. Would go with whatever works best for the group and hopefully I can make it work. 

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > AestheticsInMotion 08/02/2019 at 15:54

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While its fun for that to be effortless, I dont like that its just slow. I also have all seasons on the current miata since they were brand new tires from the PO so I figure I might as well use them up. But its just frustrating that in places where I could normally hold momentum I am forced to slow down to not drive off a cliff. And I end up locking brakes up and skidding when I intend to just brake a bit. Like sure, that can be “fun” but I usually just think going faster is more fun than sliding about. I have to intentionally drive less hard than at the track since my track tires are 40TW lol. 

My alignment is also set up to eliminate oversteer anyways. So I get way more turn in but the car will understeer if I actually try to find the limit of the tires in low speed turns. High speed turns just grip for days and I assume there is a limit somewhere but I am not hitting that on the street. 

Future Heap Owner > ZHP Sparky, the 5th 08/03/2019 at 13:21

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Normally 6:30 is about the earliest I can do, since the doggy needs a good hour or so of walking after I get off work... but I’m pretty sure I’m taking off the whole week before, so maybe I could do a bit earlier. I need to figure out exactly what my schedule is that day , then I’ll let you know and update the post.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Future Heap Owner 08/03/2019 at 16:56

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Dumb question, but why are you driving up I-84 when you could do the Historic Columbia River Highway? At least on the south side of the gorge. It’s a far nicer and more fun drive...

Future Heap Owner > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/03/2019 at 17:16

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Time, mostly. That makes coming back from Hood River take over an hour longer, and I know the motivation for a lot of the folks coming in from out of town is as much (or more) to see more of Portland than to drive.

Have you done both SR-14 and 30? Which do you prefer?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > Future Heap Owner 08/04/2019 at 02:00

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I haven’t done 14, sadly . The highway also slows a lot in places for all the short hikes to waterfalls. Even doing such a long drive isn’t necessary to enjoy the gorge.

I have done 30, during a trip where I drove out to Astoria via WA-4, crosses to Astoria, then drove back on OR-30 to the bridge to Longview before heading back north. Both roads along the river out there are nice.

Personally, I think I’d prefer to do the western loop since it runs through the coastal mountain, which are always nice drives.

Decay buys too many beaters > Future Heap Owner 08/05/2019 at 01:53

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I’ m excited! Also likely down for all three

ST80MND > Future Heap Owner 08/06/2019 at 09:11

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I will be in Portland that exact weekend! I may not be able to do the drives because:

1- will be in the trailblazer, not the e30

2- Will be taking helicopter lessons during the day

 But I will be available for saturday night meal n drink. I am very excite!

Future Heap Owner > ST80MND 08/06/2019 at 15:37

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Awesome, glad the timing works out!

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Future Heap Owner 08/06/2019 at 18:59

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Do we have an updated headcount?

Future Heap Owner > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 08/07/2019 at 02:02

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Not officially, but going by replies on this post, we have... seven and a half-ish showing up for one thing or the other? I’m hoping for good lurker turnout, too. We’ll see who shows up once I make a discord server in 2-3 weeks.

CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever > Future Heap Owner 08/16/2019 at 15:14

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Hey, quick question, any suggestion for areas we should look to stay?

Future Heap Owner > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 08/16/2019 at 23:27

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I mean, depends on what you’re looking for. You were talking about Boise though last time, and I think that would be a great one. Is it hard to find lodging there?

WRC541 > CarsofFortLangley - Oppo Forever 08/26/2019 at 12:00

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Crowne Plaza 2nd is nice.