The Ford Barn - View Single Post - Pacific Coast from San Francisco to Olympic Penisula

Old Henry · 07-16-2017, 12:22 PM

This was the last big item on my bucket list, to drive the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco north clear around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Of course, we had to get to that road and back from our house in Utah. Total distance 2,892 miles in 8 days, average 361 miles per day. This is our story.

Here's the map of the route

And the interactive version: https://goo.gl/maps/zkyz8rKCTDP2 Of course, to get to Reno from home we had the option to take the I-80 freeway or The Loneliest Road in America, US 50 from Delta, UT to Reno. I've driven that road before and love it so we took it.

We had only climbed over a couple of the 17 mountain passes on that road (many 8% grades as high as 7,000 feet) when the engine started losing power on acceleration and hill climbing. Letting up on the gas restored power, just like a plugged fuel filter. But, I have no filters except the metal one just ahead of the electric fuel pump, just the stock settling bowl. The electric pump filter was new so it was not suspect. Vapor lock crossed my mind but it wasn't acting like vapor lock that totally kills the engine and I had the electric pump running which eliminated that as the cause. Then I thought of plugged gas tank cap vent so removed the cap. Didn't help. It was a mysterious problem I had on my last Pike's Peak climb that I solved by propping the hood up a few inches to get air into the engine compartment. The ambient temperature was only 92° but I propped the hood up anyway. Didn't solve the problem this time.

I then decided it was time to open the hood and look under it to see what I could see. When I did, I saw this: https://youtu.be/ULqipGdY-nA Air was coming into the top of the settling bowl. That indicated vaporization of the fuel in the fuel line ahead of that. That could only be caused by two possibilities: overheated fuel line coming up the firewall or not getting enough pressure from the electric pump to keep it from vaporizing.

I didn't have my pressure gauge (yeah, the ONLY thing I didn't have in the trunk) so couldn't check that. So, I disconnected the fuel line from the firewall to break that source of heat, got a couple of paper towels and a rag, wet them and wrapped them around the fuel line to cool it. Worked like a charm. That's the first picture below. At the next gas station I pulled a string of towels from the dispenser and wrapped the line better to better insulate it. That's the second picture. That got us through Sacramento when it was 105° out. Eventually I bought the real heat shield from a NAPA store and put it on. That's the third picture. When I got home, I bought 1/2" pipe insulation from Home Depot and put that on. That's the 4th picture.

Unfortunately, on my trip a week later to Yellowstone with a couple of grandsons, the old problem came back on the hot freeway in spite of the insulated fuel line. So, today I checked the fuel pressure coming through my Holley pressure regulator. It wasn't even a pound of pressure. So, I'm now convinced that had been the problem all along. I adjusted the regulator up to 2¾ psi and believe that will solve my problem. On my next trip I'll remove the insulation and see how it goes.

Now, back to the story.

We stayed in Reno the first night and headed west from there the next day. Driving through Sacramento the ambient temperature climbed to 105°. Up to about 95° we are fairly comfortable with the air coming through the car to cool us. But, above that temperature, it really starts to get uncomfortable. The moving air no longer cools but actually heats us up. At 105° we were really uncomfortable. At that point we started creative methods to keep cool. We'd heard that spraying water on us from a spray bottle would help. So, we tried that. But, it was so hot the light spray evaporated almost before it hit us and did very little good. So, we started pouring water on us. That helped. But, the thing that worked best was to rub ice cubes on our clothes until they melted and soaked our clothes. The best for me was to pour water in my cotton Gatsby hat to soak it good and put in on my head. That eventually was all I needed to keep cool.

It was a relief to finally get to the coast where the temperatures were always pleasant and comfortable.

Now, the good stuff.

We reached California Highway 1 at Point Reyes Station just north of San Francisco and headed up the coast. Video: https://youtu.be/rOzG3-SEoFg

Sanoma Coast State Beach, Gleason Beach:

Point Arena Lighthouse:

For the most part, my second gear held well on descents. But, occasionally I had to hold it in with my bungee cord:

Eventually we reached redwood territory and, of course, had to drive through a redwood tree. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/MOrc-hserVY

And through Redwood National Park. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/PA48bHKypmM

Sunset was a beautiful time to be driving the Oregon coast. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ECMSwRkI3eE

More Oregon coast. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/QnDQGY6YGak

Haceta Head Lighthouse

Eventually reached historic Astoria and its historic tower:

Right at sunset:

We then diverted over to Castle Rock, WA to visit some friends where I spent some time getting my window to go up and down. Duct tape again comes to the rescue.

Drive over the historic Coos Bay Bridge: VIDEO: https://youtu.be/U3NYCUZZ60E

Drive along the coast at Ponsler State Park: VIDEO: https://youtu.be/SmPxBQJEvVM

Stayed the next night at Ocean Shores where we could drive out on the beach and watch the sunset. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/83JlzRPk-48

With little Lady:

Eventually we reached Olympic National Park and took a very scenic drive through the rain forest there: VIDEO: https://youtu.be/7NGiPwhD_Hs

From Port Townsend we took the ferry over to Whidbey Island.

Poor little Lady had a panic attack on the ferry from the low vibration of the ferry engines:

Otherwise, she was a great little traveling companion and loved every minute of the trip.

We loved driving Whidbey Island, as we always do, then headed for home.

On the way home we stopped in LaGrande, OR and visited a fellow Ford Barner, Richard and Debby Comstock (50fordcoupeman), whose street that they live on was the actual original historic Oregon Trail. Took a ride in his powerful and nicely decorated 50 coupe.

Stopped and visited our daughter in Star Idaho then made it home. The only other car trouble was the old seat belt buckle broke apart and had to buy a new seat belt at NAPA and install it and the battery gave up the ghost. Had to start the car with BoltPower jump starter the whole last two days of the trip. Very glad I bought it just before leaving. It is the most powerful jump starter with 900 amps of power. It started my car at least a dozen times over the two days without every recharging it. https://www.amazon.com/Bolt-Power-D2...PBPRPX65B2A7J7

Previous road trips:

Southern Utah and Northern Arizona in March 2017: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216069

Western Utah Desert in the snow in December 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211692

Mt. Whitney and Death Valley in November 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=209009

Teton National Park in September 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=205574

Alaska in May 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=196219

Moki Dugway in April 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193764

Four rivers in Idaho and Montana in March 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190776

Red Canyon, Utah February 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188740

California Highway 1 November 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182600

Great Basin National Park and City of Rocks October 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181134

Pike's Peak September 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ht=peak&page=2

Uinta Mountain Range, Utah, August 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173539

Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower, July 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173539

Pony Express Trail in April 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166241

Mexico and around in February 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162633

Ghost towns of Modena, UT and Pioche, NV in November 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155331

Million Dollar Highway, Durango to Montrose, Colorado in June 2014 https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142975

Transcontinental Railway Grade in May 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139471

City of Rocks, Idaho in April 2014:https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137684

Capitol Reef National Park in March 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133018

Grouse Creek and the AAA garage in February 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130966

Grand Canyon in January 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128820

Moab, UT in December 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127222

Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument November 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123694

Across Nevada on US 50, "The Loneliest Road in the Country", October 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120098

Mount Evans (the highest paved road in North America) August 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115013

Canada in June 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109872

Monument Valley in March 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99523

Bryce Canyon in February 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97822

Milford, Utah in December 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93137

Nevada and Idaho in November 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89080

Rocky Mountain National Park in September 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83966

Yellowstone National Park in May 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72864

Death Valley in February 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62705

Pike's Peak in July 2011: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19141

Route 66 in April 2010: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57511

07-16-2017, 12:22 PM	#1
Old Henry Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Orem, Utah Posts: 5,762	Pacific Coast from San Francisco to Olympic Penisula This was the last big item on my bucket list, to drive the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco north clear around the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Of course, we had to get to that road and back from our house in Utah. Total distance 2,892 miles in 8 days, average 361 miles per day. This is our story. Here's the map of the route And the interactive version: https://goo.gl/maps/zkyz8rKCTDP2 Of course, to get to Reno from home we had the option to take the I-80 freeway or The Loneliest Road in America, US 50 from Delta, UT to Reno. I've driven that road before and love it so we took it. We had only climbed over a couple of the 17 mountain passes on that road (many 8% grades as high as 7,000 feet) when the engine started losing power on acceleration and hill climbing. Letting up on the gas restored power, just like a plugged fuel filter. But, I have no filters except the metal one just ahead of the electric fuel pump, just the stock settling bowl. The electric pump filter was new so it was not suspect. Vapor lock crossed my mind but it wasn't acting like vapor lock that totally kills the engine and I had the electric pump running which eliminated that as the cause. Then I thought of plugged gas tank cap vent so removed the cap. Didn't help. It was a mysterious problem I had on my last Pike's Peak climb that I solved by propping the hood up a few inches to get air into the engine compartment. The ambient temperature was only 92° but I propped the hood up anyway. Didn't solve the problem this time. I then decided it was time to open the hood and look under it to see what I could see. When I did, I saw this: https://youtu.be/ULqipGdY-nA Air was coming into the top of the settling bowl. That indicated vaporization of the fuel in the fuel line ahead of that. That could only be caused by two possibilities: overheated fuel line coming up the firewall or not getting enough pressure from the electric pump to keep it from vaporizing. I didn't have my pressure gauge (yeah, the ONLY thing I didn't have in the trunk) so couldn't check that. So, I disconnected the fuel line from the firewall to break that source of heat, got a couple of paper towels and a rag, wet them and wrapped them around the fuel line to cool it. Worked like a charm. That's the first picture below. At the next gas station I pulled a string of towels from the dispenser and wrapped the line better to better insulate it. That's the second picture. That got us through Sacramento when it was 105° out. Eventually I bought the real heat shield from a NAPA store and put it on. That's the third picture. When I got home, I bought 1/2" pipe insulation from Home Depot and put that on. That's the 4th picture. Unfortunately, on my trip a week later to Yellowstone with a couple of grandsons, the old problem came back on the hot freeway in spite of the insulated fuel line. So, today I checked the fuel pressure coming through my Holley pressure regulator. It wasn't even a pound of pressure. So, I'm now convinced that had been the problem all along. I adjusted the regulator up to 2¾ psi and believe that will solve my problem. On my next trip I'll remove the insulation and see how it goes. Now, back to the story. We stayed in Reno the first night and headed west from there the next day. Driving through Sacramento the ambient temperature climbed to 105°. Up to about 95° we are fairly comfortable with the air coming through the car to cool us. But, above that temperature, it really starts to get uncomfortable. The moving air no longer cools but actually heats us up. At 105° we were really uncomfortable. At that point we started creative methods to keep cool. We'd heard that spraying water on us from a spray bottle would help. So, we tried that. But, it was so hot the light spray evaporated almost before it hit us and did very little good. So, we started pouring water on us. That helped. But, the thing that worked best was to rub ice cubes on our clothes until they melted and soaked our clothes. The best for me was to pour water in my cotton Gatsby hat to soak it good and put in on my head. That eventually was all I needed to keep cool. It was a relief to finally get to the coast where the temperatures were always pleasant and comfortable. Now, the good stuff. We reached California Highway 1 at Point Reyes Station just north of San Francisco and headed up the coast. Video: https://youtu.be/rOzG3-SEoFg Sanoma Coast State Beach, Gleason Beach: Point Arena Lighthouse: For the most part, my second gear held well on descents. But, occasionally I had to hold it in with my bungee cord: Eventually we reached redwood territory and, of course, had to drive through a redwood tree. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/MOrc-hserVY And through Redwood National Park. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/PA48bHKypmM Sunset was a beautiful time to be driving the Oregon coast. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/ECMSwRkI3eE More Oregon coast. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/QnDQGY6YGak Haceta Head Lighthouse Eventually reached historic Astoria and its historic tower: Right at sunset: We then diverted over to Castle Rock, WA to visit some friends where I spent some time getting my window to go up and down. Duct tape again comes to the rescue. Drive over the historic Coos Bay Bridge: VIDEO: https://youtu.be/U3NYCUZZ60E Drive along the coast at Ponsler State Park: VIDEO: https://youtu.be/SmPxBQJEvVM Stayed the next night at Ocean Shores where we could drive out on the beach and watch the sunset. VIDEO: https://youtu.be/83JlzRPk-48 With little Lady: Eventually we reached Olympic National Park and took a very scenic drive through the rain forest there: VIDEO: https://youtu.be/7NGiPwhD_Hs From Port Townsend we took the ferry over to Whidbey Island. Poor little Lady had a panic attack on the ferry from the low vibration of the ferry engines: Otherwise, she was a great little traveling companion and loved every minute of the trip. We loved driving Whidbey Island, as we always do, then headed for home. On the way home we stopped in LaGrande, OR and visited a fellow Ford Barner, Richard and Debby Comstock (50fordcoupeman), whose street that they live on was the actual original historic Oregon Trail. Took a ride in his powerful and nicely decorated 50 coupe. Stopped and visited our daughter in Star Idaho then made it home. The only other car trouble was the old seat belt buckle broke apart and had to buy a new seat belt at NAPA and install it and the battery gave up the ghost. Had to start the car with BoltPower jump starter the whole last two days of the trip. Very glad I bought it just before leaving. It is the most powerful jump starter with 900 amps of power. It started my car at least a dozen times over the two days without every recharging it. https://www.amazon.com/Bolt-Power-D2...PBPRPX65B2A7J7 Previous road trips: Southern Utah and Northern Arizona in March 2017: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=216069 Western Utah Desert in the snow in December 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=211692 Mt. Whitney and Death Valley in November 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=209009 Teton National Park in September 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=205574 Alaska in May 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=196219 Moki Dugway in April 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=193764 Four rivers in Idaho and Montana in March 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=190776 Red Canyon, Utah February 2016: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=188740 California Highway 1 November 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182600 Great Basin National Park and City of Rocks October 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=181134 Pike's Peak September 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showth...ht=peak&page=2 Uinta Mountain Range, Utah, August 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173539 Mount Rushmore and Devils Tower, July 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=173539 Pony Express Trail in April 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=166241 Mexico and around in February 2015: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=162633 Ghost towns of Modena, UT and Pioche, NV in November 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=155331 Million Dollar Highway, Durango to Montrose, Colorado in June 2014 https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=142975 Transcontinental Railway Grade in May 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=139471 City of Rocks, Idaho in April 2014:https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=137684 Capitol Reef National Park in March 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=133018 Grouse Creek and the AAA garage in February 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=130966 Grand Canyon in January 2014: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=128820 Moab, UT in December 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=127222 Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument November 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=123694 Across Nevada on US 50, "The Loneliest Road in the Country", October 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120098 Mount Evans (the highest paved road in North America) August 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=115013 Canada in June 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=109872 Monument Valley in March 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=99523 Bryce Canyon in February 2013: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=97822 Milford, Utah in December 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=93137 Nevada and Idaho in November 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=89080 Rocky Mountain National Park in September 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83966 Yellowstone National Park in May 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72864 Death Valley in February 2012: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=62705 Pike's Peak in July 2011: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19141 Route 66 in April 2010: https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57511 __________________ Prof. Henry (The Roaming Gnome) "It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” Ursula K. Le Guin in The Left Hand of Darkness Last edited by Old Henry; 07-17-2017 at 12:08 PM.*