Day 3 - Wednesday

For the first time we awoke to clear blue skies in Leavenworth. The OTS drivers immediately commenced the task of lowering their tops - not as straightforward as Jaguar intended, as many of us now tape the join between the top and the windscreen to reduce water entry.

A clear blue cloudless sky at the Icicle Inn ,Leavenworth as we prepare to set out

Today's drive would take us to Chelan and the wine and apple growing region of Washington. The route that Norm had devised for us included some great stretches of twisty roads with no traffic, and spectacular views. After driving to Wenatchee on US-2, we crossed the Columbia River and then climbed rapidly to far above the valley on the east side on back roads. We then drove Badger Mountain Rd for 20+ miles to the small town of Waterville. This was a wonderful smooth sweeping road with no traffic and great views. At Waterville, we joined US-2 West to descend back to the Columbia River through a steep canyon on another great driving road.

Greg drove ahead to catch this great photo of the convoy coming down the canyon on US-2

We then turned north on US-97 to follow the Columbia River through apple growing country to Chelan. The small city of Chelan sits at the head of Lake Chelan, which drains into the Columbia River via the Chelan River through a steep gorge. Much of the land surrounding the lake is populated by vineyards, and the town is a popular tourist destination. We arrived there around 10:30am, giving everyone time to explore the area on their own, and have lunch. We explored some of the shops and the small park at the head of the lake.

We were given the finger by two plants outside a local restaurant

View across the end of the lake from the park

The lake water was impressively clear, and contained many small fish

Other members of the group were more adventurous and took a swim in the lake, which was apparently very refreshing.

While most of the group were enjoying themselves, Glen and Sharon were not having so much fun. They suffered a fuel pump failure early on the day's drive, and with most of the cars ahead of them unaware of their problem, were almost on their own. Fortunately Mark and Rhonda were able to offer some assistance, and as Glen had a spare fuel pump the problem was resolved. However, this wasn't before the local fire department and Sheriff intervened as they considered it a safety issue.

Meanwhile, back in Chelan, we regrouped around 1pm for the drive to our endpoint for the day at the Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop. The 65 mile drive on US-97, WA-153, and WA-20 was fast and enjoyable. In fact, I enjoyed it so much, I repeated it twice more (there and back again) before the day was over on my own. OK - I left my credit card at the luchtime restaurant and had to return to get it...

The Sun Mountain Lodge is a beautiful property close to the town of Winthrop. Many of the group are staying at the hotel which has great views from it's rooms and grounds.

View towards the Cascades from our hotel room - we head that way tomorrow

We congregated for dinner at the hotel dining room and, as far as I know, everyone enjoyed their meal very much. Tomorrow we will drive the North Cascades highway which should be a highlight of the Oil Leak, so we hope for more good weather like today.

L to R: Debbie, David, Glen, Mark, Rick, Christine, Rhonda, Sharon, Geo, Kathleen

L to R: Drew, Jan, Carolyn, Terry, Michael, Denise, Cam, Lynn, Glenn

L to R: Greg, Lloyd, Phil, Glenn, Georgia, Carolee, Milton, Tom, Norm (Dianne photographer)