October 2006

[EScanlon]

Gary M. really outdid himself on selecting the route. What others would drive via highway, turned into a gorgeous cruise on the back-roads of Oregon. Hardly any traffic to speak of, perfect visibility, clear skies, sunshine highlighting the countryside....well, you had to be there.

These photos may give you only a very MILD idea of what a day it was.

Gary had the lead, and his car being a striking shade of yellow really caused eyes to turn, then follow that up with 3 more Z's all looking sharp following right behind and you can imagine what a parade.

I recall going through a small town and due to speed limit considerations, we were all lined up one behind the other, and I could see a driver in an SUV waiting to pull in, and his head looked like a bobble-head doll as each one of our Z's paraded by. I remember wishing I had a movie camera for that!

I was driving by myself so it wasn't easy to take photos at the same time, and there were countless shots that I couldn't get, so my car is only visible from the inside.

For those that will ask about the fuzzy stuff on my dash....well I could say that no self-respecting Mexican would have a car without some fuzzy stuff on the dash...... but it's actually there to help protect an otherwise perfect dash from the sunlight.

I'll post some of the best, and although some may seem repetitive, look at the trees and the color!

Bryan and his wife Gail drove the Burgundy Metallic Z. Although Bryan says that he's thinking of changing the color, it really looks beautiful on the road with the sun shining on it.

Steve and his wife Toni were in the Series I Gold 70 with the Hood Bra on. The sugar scoop portion of the bra just seems to be inordinately difficult to put on properly so those two pieces have been left for later.

In some of the pictures it might be possible to note that a Series I has all 3 bulbs lighting up when the brakes are applied, and the Series II and later only had the two outer bulbs.

E

[EScanlon]

More pics:

The restaurant proved to be a definite cap on a beautiful day...I don't think any of us were disappointed in the view nor the weather.

These are shots of the view and of everyone at the table.

Interestingly enough, we could see our cars down on the street from several stories up in the air.

E

[EScanlon]

Then of course we had a new addition to the PDX-Z club's family, Arne's beautiful new 71. These pictures really REALLY don't show the car anywhere as nice as it does look.

It is defintely as nice as ANY car .... in the dealer's showroom 35 years ago....an amazing car today.

Way to go Arne, you definitely made a few people jealous!

(And please note, no mention is being made here to any grinding of teeth or arm pinching by significant others!)

E

[EScanlon]

Then of course we had to have some group pictures:

Gary insists that his car does NOT have it's nose stuck up way up in the air when it's around us.....I'll let the reader decide.....

Carl Beck may have a bit of a Deja Vu moment looking at these shots...he used to sell Z's and probably recalls seeing them all lined up like this.

E

[EScanlon]

And lastly, some shots as we closed the day and headed back home.

E

[Arne]

Yes, it was a nearly perfect day. Great weather, great roads, great company, pretty hard to imagine how it could have been better.

Since Deanna and I live in the Eugene-area, we had to come a completely different route from the south. We drove up the mildly winding back roads all the way, through beautiful country with very little traffic. No freeways at all for us this trip.

We arrived at our destination first. (No, I won't share anything about why the main group was almost late. Other than - free air. ) We got to watch the group of four 240Zs drive as a group down the street one after the other, then parade around the corner to the parking area. Very cool! I can sympathize with the poor SUV driver Enriqué mentioned above, because it could have easily been me! You just don't see 240Zs on the road that much anymore, and to see a group of four at once...

Enriqué's pictures seem to cover most of it, I'll only add one as the cars gathered for the group shots.

[beandip]

Absolutely a great day , good friends and a pleasant drive . I took a few pictures also but these covered what I have . To my defence as to why my Z , the yellow one , sits higher in front. This because I just installed the new euro springs and new struts in front , which causes the higher attitude . This will be rectified shortly as soon as I can get to it . HA Ha . Gary

[kathykat]

I'm really sad I did'nt make it to the cruise sat. I have some pictures of my car, but I don't know how to post them to my profile, I'm open to any suggestions. thanks kathykat

[Robin]

Looks like a great time. Nice looking cars and country side. Thanks for sharing.:cheeky:

[Arne]

Absolutely a great day , good friends and a pleasant drive . I took a few pictures also but these covered what I have . To my defence as to why my Z , the yellow one , sits higher in front. This because I just installed the new euro springs and new struts in front , which causes the higher attitude . This will be rectified shortly as soon as I can get to it . HA Ha . Gary

Hey Gary, if you truly want to get that fixed, throw the rest of the parts in the back of the car and drive down to my place for a Saturday. We should be able to get the rears handled and the fronts cut down in a single afternoon. Then you won't have to apologize for this all the time. It'll probably ride and drive better, too...

[beandip]

What do you mean all the time ? This is the first time I mentioned it. Thanks for the offer for changing out the struts . I just might take you up on that . I will be in touch. Gary

[=Enigma=]

Sounds like fun. Nice pics of the crew. Wish I could have joined you.

Man Arne, that was a really nice find. Congrats.