It was over a hundred degrees here in New York, all the weathermen were looking for a new way to express how hot the heat wave really was. I have no room to complain, it's been perfection this entire summer- still, it was getting to me. They said it was going to thunderstorm rain on Friday... and that was the GOOD news. Then I saw this post:
Actual, semi-correct information...read on! (archive)
Posted by ZeattleDave on August 06, 2001 at 18:48:09:

In Reply to: Last Seattle trip organized by me posted by ZeattleDave on August 06, 2001 at 00:28:28:

    (posted from: ip94.r6.d.bel.nwlink.com (207.202.173.94))
Trip begins at exit 207 this Saturday at 8:30 a.m. Head left over freeway (West), where we will meet at the Chevron and zero our odometers.

We begin by continuing on this road 2 miles West, where we turn right.

Odometer reading: 4.7 right @ 40th NE
Odometer reading: 8.3 left @ happy hollow road (220th st. n.w.)
Odometer reading: 12.3 turn Right
Odometer reading: 14.0 right @ nroman road (after bridge).
Odometer reading: 14.5 left at miller road.
Odometer reading: 15.9 left then immediate right to 64th. (we will be on pioneer highway for a bit, a road we have been on before!)
Odometer reading: 17.5 right at 70th (mini whoop-di!)
Odometer reading: 17.9 left at 64th
Odometer reading: 21.1 right at 332nd
Odometer reading: 22.1 left at old highway 99

A sketch of the rest of the trip from my feeble memory:

We will get on the freeway for 1 exit and go through Fir Island, where we will hit one of the roads North, past highway 20, where we will eventually find the rhododendrom cafe for lunch.

After lunch, Chuckanut drive up to Bellingham, where we will go through the town (lakeview?) to Lake Whatcom.

We will head South from here, where the slow traffic always turns off for the golf course. We will then hug the lake. These roads are AWESOME! We will come out near Acme on highway 9, where we head South until immediately after Burlington.

If I can remember the way (I have never done it in this direction before), we will find a exit to the right, immediately after a bridge crosses the Skagit river that will curl under. We will find ourselves about 8 miles from Darrington on Old Sauk highway. We will then catch highway 530 down to 'almost' Arlington, where I will attempt to find Jordan road near Arlington heights. We will eventually come out near Marysville, where we will all promptly get lost, following my lead!

See you all there!

Dave out



Follow Ups:
All I saw were the words ISLAND... LAKE... RIVER... and I was dreaming of cool green pacific Seattle ...
I also have a crush on the Zeattle Z3ers- these hardy souls are headed for Homecoming- the longest drive of any of us. (Yes, Frank is coming from Hawaii, and the Cali Z3ers are too- I am going to ride with them when I can!)
Marty's been in touch with me all through the winter, MarkB promised me a keychain - only if I come to Zeattle to collect it, and it's possibly my last chance to ride with them...
I hate to fly- but there's one new airline using all new planes with low airfares and a non nonsense policy,
.
A quick check of their web site and weather.com shows that yes, there are non stops to Zeattle. I could be there Friday night, ride all day Saturday in perfect weather, and Saturday night I could leave and be back home in time for brunch and a swim on Sunday.
Lesseeeeee... what were my choices again?
1) Stay in New York looking forward to the pressure cooker of sweaty maddening heat being replaced by hot thunderstorms. 2) Get on plane, let someone else do the driving, hang with the Zeattle Z3ers, and get the hell out of Dodge.
doh!
latte swilling Z3 lovers since August 12, 2001
1
Zeattle Latte Drive
Part 1 Invitation to Zeattle~~ Part 2 Carlin's crash~~ Part 3 Escape from NY~~
Part 4 The Denises~~ Part 5 Drivers Meeting~~ Part 6 Giddyup let's GO!~~
Part 7 1st Latte Stop- the Stand~~ Part 8 2nd Latte Stop- the CafØ~~
Part 9 3rd Stop- the Indian~~
Part 10 Maximillian~~ Part 11 Mount Baker~~ Part 12 Z3 Fino 1~~
Part 13 Y2K M and the long road home~~
Esmerelda's Page Esmerelda's Pages ~ Z3ers.com Esmerelda's Home Page