Cascade Loop Trip Log

[Ian Curtis]

Highlights
Take a trip from Western Washington over the Cascades to Eastern Washington. Leave Thursday night from Snohomish (about an hour outside of Seattle), drive up to the North Cascades. Camp overnight, and Friday drive to Lake Chelan State Park. Saturday, drive down to Monitor for the 2017 East vs. West Flathead Reliability Run, and then back up to Winthrop to stay Saturday night, before heading home to Snohomish over 20 on Sunday. On account of intermittent ignition issues, we decided to head home on Saturday afternoon over Highway 2 and cut out the last day. Even still, it was about a 400 mile trip including two mountain passes at 3600 & 5400 feet.

Day 1
Snohomish to the North Cascades
After dropping the dog off at doggie hotel & finishing up last minute parking Liz & I departed Snohomish at approximately 4:45. This was cutting it close, as Google Maps predicted it would be a 2 hr 5 minute drive to the campground and based on the sunset the previous day I had surmised it would be too dark to safely drive the Model A at approximately 7:20. We took the Old Machias Road out of Snohomish up to 92, and then 92 to 9. This route doesn't add too much time and avoids the most highly trafficked and stoplight infested parts of Highway 9. It does add two roundabouts, and those can be a bit dicey as some folks here still don't understand that those in the roundabout have the right of way. We zoomed north on 9, taking a right onto SR530 towards Darrington. At this point the light was fading to where oncoming traffic had their headlights on more often than not. We pulled into the gas station in Darrington and filled up with gasoline and checked the oil level. Then the fun started!

I pushed the starter pedal, and the usually quick to start Model A had no signs of life. I had a similar problem a few weeks earlier in town and it had been the point gap, so that was the first place I looked. The point gap was fine, but the spring holding the points closed had unseated itself, so a little jiggle and it seated correctly. The distributor went back on, and thank goodness the car started right up. This little adventure had cost us 20 minutes of daylight. I also made a fool of myself on the way out of the parking lot by forgetting to close up the tarp on the bed & leaving the crank handle to clatter off when I started moving lot while a bemused police officer watched from the gas station.

Then it was full steam ahead to make it to the Goodell Campground before dark. We continued up 530 towards Rockport along the Sauk River. This road is in parts densely shaded by forest, and the Model A headlights became necessary. They are not particularly bright, but you could see them illuminating the road under the trees. We passed through Marblemount at around 6:50 as the light was fading fast and charged up Highway 20. Minute by minute it got darker and the Model A headlights became more noticeable. We passed the North Cascades welcome sign and pulled into the campground at 7:18 (remember I had figured it would become too dark to safely drive at 7:20!). In order to read the signs to find an open site we had to rev the engine up at the signs to read them! We set up camp in the dark (hard to do when it's been a while since you've set up the tent!) and after a fire, some beverages and dinner called it a night.

Day 2
North Cascades to Lake Chelan

The next morning we took it slow. We got up relatively late, had some oatmeal and coffee, explored the campground, and adjusted the brakes in preparation for the downhill grades ahead. The campground is situated on the bank of the Skagit river, and there was a neat spot where the river was lapping up around some very large trees on the bank. It looked like the set of a movie where you'd meet the wise wizard of the forest. The driving plan for the day was to do about 150 miles to Lake Chelan State Park. This included making it over Rainy & Washington Passes, which requires about 5000' of altitude gain. We headed out of the campsite at around 10 AM, backtracking about 15 miles to Marblemount to fuel up for the 70 miles of gas station-less frontier ahead of us. Our first stop was at the Diablo Lake Overlook. It is an incredibly scenic place, and even on Friday morning in September it was pretty busy. I didn't snap any pictures as I was too busy worrying about whether the ignition issues would return. However, several other people snapped pictures of the truck in the parking lot. We hopped back in the truck (it started fine) and continued our way up the North Cascades Highway. It was steep, and we were cruising at 35-40 MPH with full throttle, but there were plenty of opportunities for everyone else to pass us. The trip continued slowly and uneventfully, with lots of time to take in the scenery as we passed. The leaves were just starting to turn, and you could see a little snow on the peaks from a storm that had passed through earlier in the week.

The trip through Rainy & Washington Passes remained uneventful, although we did not stop for pictures on account of the nervousness about starting. We zoomed down the far side of Washington pass, taking full advantage of engine braking down the steep slope. We finally made it to Mazama at about 1PM, where we stopped for lunch and gas. We had heard about sandwiches & baked goods from the Mazama General Store in a previous trip in February, and they did not disappoint. After lunch we continued down 20 to Twisp, where we stopped for lattes at Blue Star Coffee Roasters. It's worth the drive just for the coffee.

At this point it was approximately 2 o'clock and we still had 75 miles to go to make it to our reserved campground at Lake Chelan State Park. Somewhere on 153 between Methow & Pateros we experienced two interesting technical difficulties. First, the odometer ticked over from 9,999 to 10,000, or tried to at least. It remained stuck halfway between 9,999 and 10,000 for the rest of the trip, so I suppose it will need to be sent out to be rebuilt. Second, there was an episode of power loss and severe exhaust back-firing. I suspect this may be due the previously mentioned issue with the spring holding the points closed. After letting the car sit for 10 minutes with the hoods up we started off again, and the severe back-firing did not return. The Gas Adjuster Valve does occasionally like to vibrate itself closed, and when this happens there can be a little backfiring which is quickly fixed by readjusting the GAV. My wife Liz was on full time GAV watching duty to move it back into the acceptable range when it decided to wander.

Near the Wells Dam Rest Area there was an interesting new noise coming from under the hood that we couldn't quite place. So, we pulled off to investigate and once again the car wouldn't restart. As I was monkeying around with the distributor, I noticed a lake under the car as water began pouring out of the packing nut on the front of the water pump. I tightened the nut until the flow abated (probably 1/8th of a turn) and went back to the distributor. At this point, a friendly man in a minivan pulled up to offer me a jump. It took several minutes of gesturing to convince him I didn't need a jump, as he didn't speak English and I don't speak Spanish. I got the distributor back together and started the car to listen for the noise. It become clear it was probably the water pump, to be honest I hadn't greased it in quite a while. So I grabbed the grease gun and greased the water pump & the forward bearing and the noise disappeared. This also reduced the severity of the leak through the packing nut, although I know the shaft is scored and it really should be rebuilt.

We got on the road again and made it to the town of Chelan without any extra difficulties. We stopped at the grocery store for supplies and headed off to cover the last 10 miles to the Lake Chelan State Park. We pulled into our lakeside spot & boy was it a beauty! Before dinner, we wandered around the campsite and on one of the local hiking trails. The burn ban had recently been lifted, so we had a nice fire and Mac & Cheese for dinner. On account of the ignition difficulties we had been experiencing, we decided we'd just head home on SR 2 after the Reliability Run to try and stay within our AAA radius of home if it really gave up the ghost.

Day 3
Lake Chelan to Monitor to Snohomish

The next morning we got up, enjoyed some lakeside coffee, and took a short 1.5 mile hike on another trail with great views of Lake Chelan (see below). Then we packed up camp and headed south on 971 to Alt 97 to the annual Flathead Reliability Run. While on 971 we pulled over for a quick photo op (used at the top).

From Alt 97 we made it to Easy Street in Wenatchee and cruised to the Monitor Hot Rod Cafe where we signed in as the 8th flathead representing the West side of the state. I believe there was at least one other stock Model A – not sure where they came from though. We wandered around and talked to a few people and looked at all the cars before heading in to the cafe for some delicious burgers and a basket of fries the side of my head.

After lunch we looked around a bit more before hitting Highway 2 back to Snohomish. It was a much more pleasant journey than I expected. The first ten miles or so are two lane, so everyone has the option of passing you. We even managed to pass exactly one car, a Mazda with the front bumper flapping in the wind... At Leavenworth we took a right and headed up the Chumstick Highway, which was a pleasant driver's road. We stopped in Plain for a final gas stop and water pump packing nut tightening before rejoining Highway 2. I had looked it up earlier, and knew it was 62 miles before Sultan where there are good options for back roads off the main drag.

The first 13 miles was single lane each way. I was worried there would be a big back log of traffic behind us, but you've got to hand it to the Model A and WSDOT traffic engineers. We couldn't quite keep up with traffic (our top indicated speed on level ground is 46 MPH, probably 55ish actual), but there were ample turnouts and passing lanes to the point where I don't think anyone was ever behind us for more than 5 minutes. After that, the road widens to two lanes each way for 7 miles to the summit. We got passed plenty here too, in the steep parts (~6% grade) slowing down to 25 or 30 MPH but staying in third gear! We pulled over across from the ski resort at the summit for a quick photo op & brake adjusting before heading down hill towards home.

The first 4 miles of downhill were also two lanes each way. We stuck to the right lane letting engine braking moderate our speed. The GAV would occasionally vibrate itself closed, resulting in momentary back-firing before being corrected. Where the road goes back to two lanes is a hairpin turn which we slowed way down for, but after that we hit the gas downhill and were probably cruising at 50ish. It was an uneventful trip home, we pulled off onto the back roads just after Sultan and arrived home in Snohomish in the late afternoon. We amassed a sizeable bug collection on the radiator & windscreen after approximately 400 miles and at least 18,000 feet of cumulative altitude gain/loss (and a maximum altitude of approximately 5400 feet starting from basically sea level).

Previous Trips
Whidbey Island
Olympic Peninsula
Sauk Mountain
Chuckanut Drive
Spada Lake
Mountain Loop Highway

[SSsssteamer]

Thank you for the excellent report of your adventure. The Northwest has really pretty country to tour in. I have made the same trips as you have with our 1930 Standard Phaeton.

[Synchro909]

That's how a Model A should be used. My wife and I have done many tens of thousands of miles in ours on long distance tours from 6 to 12 thousand miles. Sounds to me your wife is a keeper, like mine. Plenty wouldn't do a trip like that!
I enjoyed reading that - thank you for posting.

[CarlG]

My wife has always supported us (me) on tours like this -- all except the camping out part. We've almost "been there" with some of the accommodations we have had, such as pipeline camps, converted brothels, etc.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by CarlG

My wife has always supported us (me) on tours like this -- all except the camping out part. We've almost "been there" with some of the accommodations we have had, such as pipeline camps, converted brothels, etc.

Doesn't she know bears are warm and cuddly?

[Dick Steinkamp]

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Excellent, Ian!

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

Doesn't she know bears are warm and cuddly?

It's not the bears, it's the lack of a "proper" bed. Neither one of us are as agile as we once were when we did a lot of camping.

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by CarlG

It's not the bears, it's the lack of a "proper" bed. Neither one of us are as agile as we once were when we did a lot of camping.

I know exactly what you mean. I used to do some camping out with a sleeping bag, but don't like it anymore. Now I put a beanbag on the floor of the passenger side front for my feet to rest on, then recline the driver's seat backrest, and have a nice comfortable sleep without mosquitoes, dew, or rain. This in my 1999 Olds.

[wingski]

Wonderful commentary. I enjoyed reading about your trip. I hope you and your wife have many more.