Here's what I have so far in brainstorming possible activities in the Seattle/Tacoma vicinity.  Feel free to add to the list if there's something I've missed.  These are in no particular order.

1. Road trip to Mt. Rainier.  We could do the Sunrise access, the Paradise access or both in a loop.  I'll add some links to some google maps soon.

2. Tacoma area museums.  In particular, there is the LeMay Car Museum. Perhaps we could get a VIP tour.  There are also some other world-class museums in Tacoma, check them out here.  

3. Downtown Seattle, Pike Place Market, Seattle waterfront.  Parking in downtown will be a consideration, but I'm sure we can figure something out.  Could also add in Seattle Center which is where the Space Needle is and the Jimi Hendrix Experience Music Project.  

4. Tour of a Boeing manufacturing facility.  I've done no research but I know they have facilities in Renton (in between Tacoma and Seattle) and Everett (north of Seattle)

5. Seattle Museum of Flight.  Fantastic place - 'nuff said.  

6. Other drives in the area.  In particular there is Port Townsend which is on the other side of Puget Sound, way north, so it could involve a ferry ride one or both ways.  (The Tacoma Narrows bridge is the other option)

7. Mark (Cilrah) has also suggested a trip to Classic Reflection Coachworks in Lakewood. They do C1 and C2 conversions on C5 chassis. Mark has talked to them and they would be happy to have us visit.

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

      Only 32 years together

Let's get the vettes on a track! ProFormance race school...40 miles from the hotel???!!! Vroom Vroom(or in my case sputter sputter)

In the words of Zora Arkus-Duntov "Is your seat belt fastened? Alright, Let's go"


Yeah, I know, Shut up Dave.

Lifetime Member #192

Paradise is the more popular tourist spot but Sunrise is a great drive and has spectacular views from the pullout at the top. Including stops, that trip should take care of one of our days.

My second vote is for the Boeing tour. Here is the link supplied by Ebo, he posted he has family working at Boeing. I briefly checked out the website and the tour is at the Everett plant, a bit of a drive but I think it would be worth it. Seattle will be a traffic nightmare no matter when we go, so perhaps we could make a stop in Seattle or the Museum of Flight on the way back from Everett.

Griot's and the Coachworks as suggested by Mark would also be great stops.

Thanks again,

John

valkman57@sbcglobal.net

NCRS Member 61302

NW NCRS Chapter Member

Duct tape is the new Black !!

John: My top two votes are the same as yours.  I've been to both Sunrise and Paradise multiple times, but never in my Vette and think it would be awesome to make the loop with a bunch of our Vette brethren!   As for the Boeing tour, I've never done that before and think it would be pretty cool.  I have an aunt that has worked at Boeing for decades -- I could check in with her for any advice.  

Dave: Cape Alva is a five hour drive one way (although it can be done in a loop from Tacoma, so that would be pretty cool).  Maybe make this an optional part of the agenda?  Is there interest in this from others?

Johnu: Good suggestion with Griot's showroom.  Since it's in Tacoma, this could be easily combined in a day with some of the other Tacoma attractions, such as LeMay.  

So if I had to pick right now, considering there is Thursday, Friday and Saturday to play with, I'd say there is a Tacoma day, a Seattle/Boeing day, and a Mt. Rainier day.  Does that sound OK or are there other suggestions?

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

Don't go crazy trying to fill up all the days completly, a little down time or free time is always nice too.

Dave

Keep the suggestions coming!

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

valkman57@sbcglobal.net

NCRS Member 61302

NW NCRS Chapter Member

Duct tape is the new Black !!

I had a weather issue that messed up my first day of the Buffalo Gathering. After that it seems to go ok. Couple hiccups here and there. Plus your not going to make everyone happy no matter how hard you try. I had to bite my tongue on a few occasions. 

Again thank you so much for your efforts in planning this. 

'69 "N11" Sidepipes
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975




Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.


Lifetime Member #26

Sarge81 said: The agenda is looking good fella's. This kind of stuff isn't exactly easy to throw together unless your profession is a tour or party planner. I'm not going to b**ch one bit if something doesn't go as exactly planned. I know what all goes into these events. It can be frustrating. 

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

cinor said: Lookss like you have a lot of great things lined up.  The only thing that would not be great for me is the one with the long drive, as it is long enough just for me to get to the gathering.  I agree maybe an afternoon or morning with downtime would be great it would give us a chance to swap lies share some ideas and talk about our cars and I'm always up for that.

Here is a link to a Google Map I made with a proposed loop route.  

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone, keep them coming.  Sounds like there is consensus for some downtime one of the days.  That should probably be the day we spend in Tacoma.  As of now I'm thinking Thursday would be Seattle, Friday would be Tacoma, and Saturday would be the Mt. Rainier trip.  But, open to suggestions as always.  

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

daveo76 said:

Cindy, do you mean the Mt Rainier Trip?  I do admit it is a long drive, especially if we do the full loop, but I think it's worth it!  The good news with the Mt Rainier trip is that it can be made into a much shorter trip, if the group wishes or perhaps we will split up with part going back to DuPont after we visit Sunrise and the rest going on to Paradise for the whole loop.  

�����

The one that is 5 Hrs.  The way I read it is 5 hrs one way, but perhaps you mean 5 hrs driving for the whole day, I'll go back and read that again.  But don't let that stop you from adding it to the agenda as I will follow where ever the rest is going.  Heck Sarge had us driving all over the country.
Ok so I went back and looked and I don't see the suggested event that was to be 5 hr drive.  Am I losing my mind or was it removed.  Was sure I seen it somewhere

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

valkman57@sbcglobal.net

NCRS Member 61302

NW NCRS Chapter Member

Duct tape is the new Black !!

cilrah said: Classic Reflections Coachworks, The Vettes this place produces are amazing,

Classic Reflections Coachworks

(added link-aapple)

      Only 32 years together

Vman73 said: Dave, I've got a suggestion for dinner the first night (Wed.), it's called Topside Bar and Grill in Steilacomm. Nice place, good food and I think there will be plenty of room for us on a Wednesday night. We've been there a few times for football games and I can check with the owner to see if he can set something up for us. I think they also have a roof top patio for some great views of the Sound. The good news is there are some pretty good back roads to Steilacomm from DuPont, so no I-5. I'm sure everyone will be sick of E-way driving by the time they get here. Let me know what you think.

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

johnu said:

Yes, They are nice.  I'm in Phoenix this winter. A local guy has three models that he takes to all the shows every weekend.  He marks them up a bunch and sells them to buyers not wanting to wait for the factory lead time.

Ya that's one way to make some good $$$$. Hey John where are you in Phoenix? We are moving to San Tan Valley this summer. I don't know where I'll be during the gathering Phoenix or Rainier. It all depends on when the house is completed. Looking forward to cruising in Arizona.

I'm only here until the end of February....boo-ho.  .  I have to go back to the snow.  Next year we're looking for three months.  I need to figure out if I'll bring the C3 and a motorcycle and store them for 9 months.....I hear the 120 degree heat plays havoc on stuff locked up. 

 

There is a C3 /registry member in San Tan.  "San tan vette" I believe is his handle.  Dave, dads2vette, is relocated to the far north of town out where even space aliens could not find him. 

      Only 32 years together

 

I'll go along with what ever you guys come up with. I think the Mt. Rainier or Port Townsend would be great. I also like the Boeing tour and CR Coachworks tour and think the LeMay Museum would be nice. 

 

With all that -- Terry and I are up for anything you guys think is good.  We never been der b4 so it is all new.

 

One of our goals is to stay on Sunday and go see the Tacoma Raniers play the Colorado Springs Sky Sox.  Beyond that -- all fun and talk with everybody.

 

Did I mention this group likes to talk.

 

 

 

So, at John's good suggestion, I've altered the map for the Mt. Rainier trip.  We are now doing the route in reverse from the way I originally planned it.  We'll be hitting Paradise first and then, for those that wish to, continuing on to Sunrise.  Paradise is probably the more interesting of the two visitor centers -- this way the folks that want to turn back earlier won't miss the best part.  You should be able to click on the link below and then step thru all the waypoints on the left to see our proposed route.  I'll be playing around with this more and hopefully making enhancements.  Might make similar maps for our other excursions, too.  

 

 

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

Dave

Friday is a great day to avoid I5 and stay in Tacoma. I5 traffic on Fridays is bad almost all day. I love the LeMay car museum. Maybe we could get Coachworks and LeMay's in on Friday with an optional lunch gathering between?

I haven't been to Griot's yet. I will have to try and visit sometime soon.

JBrandon said: This sounds like it's going to be a fun gathering. I'm excited! 

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

Thursday: the main part of this day will consist of a trip north to Everett, WA so we can tour one of the Boeing facilities.  John is organizing this event; I believe he will post more soon.  Some questions for you to ponder….

1. This is the day we had penciled in for a trip to downtown Seattle, but it may be pretty tough due to logistics (mainly parking) and time.  We're thinking this excursion may be better off outside of the formal agenda if that's OK?  It is possible for part of the group to split off on our way back and go in to downtown, but wouldn't want to miss this…..

2. We've been formally invited to attend a LeMay Car Museum Cruise-In event on Thursday afternoon/evening.  DaveM originally mentioned this in the LeMay post and the museum's event coordinator would like us to attend as a club.    Here's a flier about the cruise-in:  /member_uploads/7701_7800/7722/DBZ1B_CruiseIn_Flyer_V2_(2).pdf  We'll leave Everett about  2 pm and head back to Dupont/Tacoma and then meet at LeMay for the Cruise-In, assuming this is an agreeable plan for everyone??

3. I got the contact info through Alan (Knotacare), one our members.  Alan can't make it to the gathering, but he put me in touch with a friend of his, Jack, that lives in Tacoma and happens to be a freelance photographer that does work for the museum.  He also happens to be a Corvette guy.  Jack has offered his services for our gathering in which he would take professional-quality photos of us with our cars with a good backdrop, such as Mt. Rainier.  This is Jack's line of work so we would need to pay for the services - he has not given me a price but he did say it would be less if more people signed up.  Would those that are interested please let me know via PM?  

Friday: stay close to Tacoma/DuPont this day.  We'll do the actual tour of the LeMay museum that day, plus some other close by activities such as Griot's and/or Coachworks.  Or just have some down time….

Saturday is still the Mt. Rainier drive day.  

Any feedback on any of this stuff would be great!  Thanks!

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

 

      Only 32 years together

Any comments on any of the latest developments to the agenda?  In particular, looking for comments about the cruise-in at LeMay on Thursday night.  I will respond to the museum rep I've been talking to tomorrow that we are in for participating and ask that they reserve a spot.  Hope that's OK with everyone.  

Thanks!

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

'69 "N11" Sidepipes
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975




Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.


Lifetime Member #26

Sarge81 said: I'm going with the flow Dave. Whatever you have setup for us, I'm ok with. All sounds good. 

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.

daveo76 said:

Thanks, Darryl!  You've been a big help from sharing your experience and wisdom from last year's gathering.  

'69 "N11" Sidepipes
Borgeson Steering Box
Born 8/1981
Sequence #3975




Click here to see more pics of my Vette on CarDomain.


Lifetime Member #26

Every thing sounds great so far, thanks for doing all the work guys.

Dave

I just put us down for 16 spots at the Cruise-In since that's (about) the number of cars that show up on Adam's list.  Hopefully we'll have time to wash off some of the I-5 road grime from our Everett trip before we show our rides.  

 

1976 Silver/Firethorn.  L48, 4spd.  Original 2 bolt, vortec heads, 9.4:1 CR, Speed Pro Cam: 224/224@0.050, 112 LSA, Eagle Steel Crank.