About this event
Registration for this tour opens on Tuesday, July 19th at 8:00 AM! Read everything carefully or you will be uninformed and lost!! Sorry for the short advanced notice for this tour. Only register for this tour if you certain you will attnd since it has a limited capacity and hotel reservatins are required. Thanks.
Well, we aren't going to do the Maryhill Loops Road drive this year, but we are going to drive some new and some old roads on either side of the Columbia River. Last year, we tried to work in a tour of the Goldendale Observatory, but with their limited operating hours and capacity, it didn't work out, but this year we were able to secure a group reservation for a tour at 3 PM, the only time is is offered. The tour is FREE, but you'll need a Discovery Pass to enter the Goldendale Observatiory State Park. Day passes are $10 or you can buy a year-long pass for $30. This tour will be smaller than most due to limited hotel room availability in The Dalles, OR. However, we have secured a block of 24 rooms again at the Cousins Country Inn at a flat rate of $119 plus tax. I saw that Hotels.com and Booking.com both showed nightly rates from $20-$40 higher than that! So, it will be first come, first served if you want to stay with the majority of the group.
Other hotels nearby are the Fairfield Inn (541-769-0753) directly behind Cousins Country Inn and the Shilo Inn (541-298-5502) and Comfort Inn Columbia Gorge (541-298-2800) a few miles away. There are others as well, but those three seem to be the most popular in past years. Just a note--Fairfield Inn is the most expensive of the group. Because it will be a long day of driving, Cousins Country Inn has reserved their banquet room for us to gather for a Friday night turkey dinner for $22 +18% gratuity. This will include turkey, mashed potatoes, dressing, vegiatable, salad, dessert and coffee/tea. This group dinner at the hotel is optional, but if you decide to sign up, then please stick to that choice. You may want to eat in their main dining room (they can be busy on a Friday night) or you may want to find another dinner location, but after a long day, some people just like to stay put! Most restaurants do not take reservations in the summer, so wait times can be long.
The starting point on Friday, August 12th is the Auburn Outlet Collection Mall parking lot, across from Panera Bread and IHOP. This is an all-day drive to get to The Dalles, OR (6 1/2 hours plus the lunch stop) so be prepared for an adventure! Arrive between 8:00 and 8:30; drivers meeting at 8:30; first group departs promptly at 9:00. Arrive at the start point with a full tank of gas, proper tire pressures and clean windows. This tour is limited to 30 cars to keep the group logistics manageable and tour experience enjoyable for all participants, This means three groups of 10 cars each so we'll need three leads and three sweeps.
Friday, Aug 12th: Driving Tour to Cousins Country Inn in The Dalles, OR, with lunch at Bob's Burgers and Brew in Yakima in their separate dining area where they again waived the room charge since we are such great returning customers! We'll end the day's drive by following the Columbia River on the Washington side before crossing over into Oregon just before getting to The Dalles. Friday night: Don't forget to indicate on your registration whether you plan on eating at Cousins Country Inn.
Saturday, August 13th: The goal for the day is to drive some interesting twisty roads both on the Oregon and Washington sides of the Columbia River. Climbing out of the Columbia River basin, we will explore a new route that we have not tried before with lots of elevation gain before diving back down into the town of Klickitat to continue up the twisty Hwy 142 through Klickitat Canyon up to Goldendale. There is the possibility of an early morning short side tour that is meant to be driven BEFORE eating breakfast and hotel checkout. If you would rather sleep in, that's fine since the side tour ends up back at the hotel. The main tour will start later in the morning after breakfast and hotel checkout at a time yet to be determined. A late lunch will be in Goldendale, After lunch we will travel the short distance to the Goldendale Observatory for a group tour starting at 3 PM, which is the only time it is offered. Those who do not wish to participate in the tour can depart for home on their own before or after lunch. However, the Observatory tour is something unique.
Reservations: Cousins Country Inn, 2114 W 6th St., The Dalles, OR 97058 (800) 848-9378 or (541) 298-5161. Tell them you are in the "Porsche Club" block of rooms. Flat rate of $119 plus tax. Make your own reservations. You can register for the tour until August 9th with the understanding that you are not guaranteed a room at Cousins Country Inn after July 30th when our room block expires and any remaining rooms will be returned into inventory!! Note: they are completely booked outside of our room block. You can still eat with the group on Friday night even if you are staying at another hotel since it is a pay-as-you- go meal.
Questions contact: Greg Halverson at speedohalveson@comcast.net or call (206) 391-9385.
Event requirements
Tour Requirements
- Cancellations and refunds: Please read and understand this policy before registering. Up until Aug 9th you may cancel your tour registration. However, the 21 room hotel block at the reduced rate is only good until July 30th. After that, it is on a space available basis. The rooms will likely sell out soon after our block is released and other hotels in the area are much more expensive.
- Car club membership: To participate you must be a member of the PCA and PNWR. Porsche owners who are not members may register and receive a special invitation on a case-by-case basis.
- Non-Porsches on the Tour: There are no non-Porsches allowed on the tour unless there are extenuating circumstances (car in the shop, awaiting delivery, etc)
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For Adult participants and attendees: All participants must sign the PCA liability waiver at the staging area prior to the tour start.
- Age and driver's license restrictions: All drivers must be at least 18 years old and in possession of a valid US driver's license at the time of the Tour. A driving permit is not acceptable. For participants under 18 years old, the parent/legal guardian must also sign the "Minors as Observers Only" waiver.
- Registering for Passengers: Please make sure to include the names of any passengers riding with you in the space provided during registration. If you have two cars on the tour each car and driver should register with a separate MotorsportReg account.