On Saturday, May 8, 2010 the British Auto Works (BAW), located at 10580 – NW 289 Place in North Plains, OR, is holding an open house and a rally.  This is the shop that hosted the AHCO March tech session.  If you are unsure of the location there is a map at the BAW website, www.britishautoworks.com. The openhouse will run from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  There will be coffee an fat pills available.  The annual Queen’s Rally will start at 10:00 AM.  The rally will be short, simple and fun. If you plan to run the rally, please call the shop (503-647-0435) and tell them.  They would appreciate getting a head count.

Another item of interest was found in the BAW newsletter ,”Brit Bits”.  After May 15th the shop will have coffee and snacks available for British car folks.  The newsletter invites people to drive your car out,  stop by, have a cup, and talk cars.  There will also be a prize given to one of the visitors each Saturday they are open.

Feb. 13, 2010 -  The City of Albany, OR is restoring a turn-of-the-century carousel.  The restorers are extending a great deal of effort in this process.  Individual carousel figures, eg, horses, etc. are being carved from scratch for the project.  The work site is located at  503 First Ave. in Albany, OR.  The Healey Club members are to meet at this address at 11:00 AM Saturday, February 13,  2010.  There will be a nominal entrance fee.  After our tour of the carousel project we will go to  the Yaquina Bay Restaurant, located at 325 Airport Road, Albany, for lunch at 12:30. The Club business meeting will follow at approximately 1:30

Rendezvous Committee Meeting, Feb. 13, 2010 -  Meet at 09:30 AM in the main dining room of the Yaquina Bay Restaurant, 325 Airport Road, Albany, OR.

PM.March 13, 2010 -  British Auto Works has invited us to an open house and technical session at 10580 NW 289th Place, North Plains. (corner of 289th and West Union Rd).  For those unfamiliar with the British Auto Works location the easiest route is to travel west on Sunset Highway 26 to Exit 59, Jackson School road.  It is approximately 9.5 miles west of the Highways 217/Sunset interchange.  Proceed north on Jackson School Road to the first left, NW West Union Road.  Turn left and drive about a quarter mile to British Auto Works.  Phone 503-647-0435. The technical session subject will cover rebuilding of S.U. HD8 Carburetors and will begin at Time: 11:00 AM.   Lunch will be at Cornelius Pass Road House and Imbrie Hall located at 4045 NW Cornelius Pass Road (just south of Hwy. 26).  Lunch will be at 1:00 p.m. with club meeting to follow at about 1:30.

April 10, 2010 -  We are planning this as an overnighter to Astoria/Warrenton.  We will be staying at the Shilo Inn in Warrenton, OR (503-861-2181).  The special rate for a king or queen room is $76.86.  Be sure to mention that you are with the Austin Healey club of Oregon when making your reservation.  We have a block of 15 rooms available that must be reserved by March 10, 2010 in order to get this price.  We will have a special tour of the beautiful Victorian  “Warren House”.  It is a private house owned by a friend of John and Judy Carter.  We ill also tour nearby Ft. Stevens also in Warrenton.  www.astoria-usa.com/fort-stevens-state-park.shtml.  The meeting time and place has not been decided.  Stay tuned for that information.

Other News and Thoughts -  I want to thank all of the members who responded to my first memo and provided me with guidance.  The Executive Board has asked me to increase the memo frequency.  I will be sending Mark’s Memo monthly.  Hopefully,  I have corrected the formatting difficulties we had with the first issue and all of the members will receive this one and be able to read it straightaway.

If you haven’t already done so, you will want to register for the 2010 Rendezvous,  June 28 – July 2,  2010 in Eugene, OR.  Charlie Frazer and the committee are working very hard to put together an outstanding event.  It would also be a good idea to book your rooms at the Valley River Inn, 541-341-3472.

Another activity to be aware of is found on the Club website, http://healey-oregon.org.  Activities Director, John Carter is seeking a show of interest in participating in a great tour.  Destinations on a super tour include: Port Angeles, WA; Victoria, B.C.; Roche Harbor, San Juan Is.; La Conner WA; and Tacoma, WA during the week of August 21-29, 2010.  Check it out and let John know. 503-579-6599.

I just read something in the newest issue of the AH Club USA magazine that struck me as a really good idea.  Most of us have a Road Trip Kit of spare parts and tools stowed in the boot.  If you haven’t already done so, add a copy of one of the national Healey clubs’ Directories or Resource Books to the kit.  No matter where you may travel and a breakdown occurs, there is probably another Healey owner nearby who might lend assistance.

August 21-28,2010

Sat. Aug.21- Leave Portland and drive to Port Angeles(230mi.). Overnight in Port Angeles.

Sun. Aug.22- Ferry to Victoria,BC and check-in at the Fairmont Empress Hotel. Balance of morning and day in Victoria.

Mon. Aug.23- The Fairmont Empress Hotel. Our cars will be on display in front of the hotel.

Tues.Aug.24-Check out of Empress. Drive to Sidney(18 mi.). Ferry to Friday Harbor. Drive to Roche Harbor and check-in(9 mi.)

Wed. Aug.25-Thurs. Aug.26- Roche Harbor. Our cars will be on display at the hotel.

Thurs.Aug.26-Roche Harbor check-out. Drive to Friday Harbor. Ferry to Anacortes. Check-in at Mt. Vernon.

Fri.Aug.27- Mt. Vernon and drive to Tacoma area.

Sat.Aug.28-Attend the LeMay Car Show and drive home(140 mi.)

Approximate cost:

6 Overnights $750
2 Ferry passages $150
500 driving miles $100
Food, etc. ???

Total $1000+

Right now I am just testing the water to see how many would be interested in this kind of a tour. I must limit the group to 10 couples. Please let me know if you are interested and I will put your name on the list.  It will take a lot of preplanning and reservations to make it work but it should be fun. Check out the websites for Victoria, Roche Harbor, Friday Harbor and the LeMay Show for detailed information. You can also call or email me. John Carter 503-579-6599 or jc9821@msn.com

www.victoria.ca

www.rocheharbor.com

www.fridayharbor.com

www.lemaymuseum.org

www.fairmont.com/Empress

reservations@bwcti.com      (Best Western Cottontree Inn in Mt. Vernon)

https://resweb.passkey.com/go/austinhealy    (go here for Empress reservations)  

At this time all 12 spots are taken.

The meeting on Jan.9th will be at the Carter’s house at 16173 SW Dekalb St. on Bull Mountain. Tom Monaco will lead a hands-on tech session entitled “The Proper Way To Replace a Rear Axel Seal”. It will begin at 11:00 and last to about 1:45. We will then go to Max’s Grill and Pub in Old Town Tigard for lunch at 2:00.(12562 SW Main St.) Following lunch our meeting will convene in the private room at Max’s.

The day started out very brisk-read “cold”. A new member, John Meyer, had agreed to put his life in my hands and accompany me on the tour. Not knowing how John would feel about the cold, I put my top up but didn’t install the side curtains (wouldn’t want to spoil him). We arrived at the starting point at 9:00 A.M. to be greeted by an empty parking lot. Hmmm, maybe no one would show, what an easy deal that would be! However, five minutes later, the Clemensons, Maguires, Carol Trenko and friend, Bob Wallace and sister, Glen Enright with gracious wife Jan arrived. Off we went at full tilt over Cornelius Pass and onto Hwy 30, straight through to the Longview bridge and into Washington.

Tom's Healey with the top up!

Brave healey owners with the tops down

Cornelius Pass road

After lunch we headed west along the beautiful Willapa Bay and then South onto Hwy 101. Staying within the speed limit for a change, we were met by Chuck Gowan and navigator, Jerry Baron – coming up from the south. After they pulled in behind, we took off to continue our journey. We went past the Longbeach Peninsula, thru Chinook, across the Astoria bridge and onto Hwy 202. From Astoria we led the group to Seaside on the back curvy roads that you can only find after looking for many years. Bob Wallace, right behind me, did a great job of staying close to my tail end. He almost caught me a few times. I had to slow it down a bit when I noticed my passenger trying to rip the grab handle out of my dash.

Lunch break

Tom Monaco

Carol Trenko

Upon arriving at our beach house in Seaside, we were greeted by all those folks who wished they had driven their Healeys on such a tour as this. I won’t mention any names but you know who you are! The great cooking of Skip Monaco and Iva Curry made for a great dinner. Spicy pasta, great Italian salad and dessert; wow, what a meal!

The Jag made it.

Healey's at Tom and Skip's house in Seaside

All the Healeys made it home with no issues ( over 300 miles). If you couldn’t make it, I’m sorry. You missed the last great tour of the year. My co-pilot and I braved the trip home on Sunday night after a great day of fishing. It was about 38 degrees in the Coast Range at seven that night. You just don’t know cold until you try that trip. T.M.

Join us for the fun at Rendezvous 2010, June 28 to July 2, starting at Eugene’s Valley River Inn. VRI, located on the north bank of the Willamette River is attractive and comfortable, surrounded by miles of riverside walking and biking trails and Eugene’s largest shopping mall with many shopping and eating opportunities. The car show will be held in the quaint town of Coburg six miles north of Eugene in a grassy park surrounded by interesting antique shops.

Our VRI hotel location is minutes from either downtown (for galleries, dining, or music) or the University of Oregon campus (for art, natural history, or athletic facility tours). You can easily get to either downtown or campus by driving your Healey or in a VRI van or a city bus. Enjoy tours in the splendid south Willamette Valley and the Rendezvous Rally which will run through wine country.

We’ve got all the ingredients for a good time, so join us for the festivities! The event schedule and registration form are available at the AHCO web site:

www.healey-oregon.org/rendezvous-2010

As the time until the Healeys hit the Salt Flats grows shorter their newsletters are are arriving regularly.  See the attached for the latest news and pictures.

Bonneville Newsletter 009

The month of September will be busy for members of the Oregon Club.  The All British Field Meet is Labor Day weekend.  Then, during portions of the next two weekends some members will be either departing for or returning from the Bonneville Salt Flats.  Finally, the last weekend of September we will all be at the Northwest Meet in McMinnville, OR.  Everybody is planning to attend the NW Meet, Right????

Therefore, we will have a short business meeting at PIR on the Saturday afternoon of Labor Day weekend.  We will attempt to squeeze in the meeting between races so that we can hear each other.  Meet at the AHCO Regalia tent at 3:15 PM.  The meeting will start promptly at that time and will end before the next racing heat at 3:35 PM.  We know that is a narrow time window and it might be noisy but it is the best we can do for September.

We will meet at 10AM on I-5 at milepost 7 at the Burger King. Then it is up I-5 to milepost 27 and exit to gather at the Rebel Truck Stop(gas available). We will follow the old highway for about 42 miles to the intersection of Hwy.12 and Mary’s Corner. Then we turn right on Hwy.12 and go about 30 miles to Morton. Lunch will be in Morton at 12:30 at the Bean Tree which is located on Main St. We continue on Hwy.12 and intersect Hwy.7 for the rest of the way to our motel in Tacoma(about 60 mi.). At 5:30 we meet the Washington group at Famous Dave’s Barbeque for dinner.