Today the group split up on a number of occasions - sometimes this was planned; sometimes it was not. The first split occurred before we had even left the hotel. Lloyd was returning from filling his car with gas, when the gear lever came off in his hand! Fortunately, he was very close to the hotel at the time, and was able to park the car there. Now remember, Lloyd's car is fitted with a Toyota Supra 5-speed gearbox, so our collection of Jaguar parts and expertise was no help here. A quick investigation determined that the gear lever had snapped off at the start of the threaded section that screws into the gearbox. Greg and Dianne Meboe came to the rescue to help Lloyd with his problem, which looked likely to be the end of his tour and require a flat bed home. The first idea was to try to find a long bolt to replace the gear lever. However, the thread seemed to be non-standard, and so it was difficult to source anything that would fit. The next idea was to recover the threaded section from the gearbox, and then try to weld it back onto the gear lever. While driving through an industrial area, Greg spotted a welding setup in the back of truck, and so they went inside to ask if they would be willing to do a welding job for us. It must have been Lloyd's lucky day, because they agreed, and were able to weld the lever back together and did not charge anything for doing so. After expecting to be on his way home, Lloyd found himself back on the Oil Leak in less than 2 hours!
Meanwhile, everyone else was heading for the first stop of the day at the O'Shaughnessy Estate Winery in Angwin. A private tour had been set up by Larry Wade who is a friend of the owners. The convoy of cars set out at 9am for the one hour drive to the winery. A route was chosen with plenty of challenging driving between Glen Ellen and Oakville. A steep winding road resulted in several missed turnings etc, and soon the group was split into multiple parts. Thus we went from one leader who knew where he was going, to several who had to rely on the map and written instructions. As a result, the arrivals at the winery were staggered, and in the case on the group I was in, we never arrived at all. As it turns out we drove past the entrance and only realized it 20 miles later!
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| Our group of 4 E-Types heading for the Winery |
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| Part of the route through the Napa Valley. Acres of nothing but vines and Wineries |
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| Oatmeal studying the map. His conclusion: We're Lost.... |
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| 20 miles past the Winery, we had to agree with Oatmeal... |
Back at the Winery, everyone else was treated to a tour of O'Shaughnessy's...
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| Tasting Room |
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| Tank Room |
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| Greg is caught red-handed trying to sample the latest wine.... |
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| Barrel storage in the cave |
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| Owner Betty Shaughnessy talking with the tour group |
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| Vineyards adjacent to the winery |
Meanwhile, our group concluded that it was too late to turn back, but that we should instead head for the next stopping point in Healdsburg. As we had no phone service, we had to estimate our position, and with a map, and the direction of the sun in the sky, determined a strategy for getting back on the main roads. Our route to us through some beautiful countryside and on enjoyable driving roads. In also took us through an area that had clearly been devastated by fire in the recent past.
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| Signs of a fire a few years ago on Butts Canyon Rd |
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| More fire damage, but the wild flowers are already back |
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| A smooth road surface, and no traffic made for a great drive |
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| Detert Reservoir |
At Middletown we hit CA-29, and were able to follow it back into Napa Valley. From there we followed CA-128 to Geyserville and then turned south to Healdsburg where we hoped to join up with everyone else for lunch
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| The whole region is nothing but vineyards for mile after mile |
To our surprise, though we were behind schedule, we were the first to arrive in Healdsburg. After spending 30 minutes trying to find somewhere to park, we were able to contact the main group and determine that they were still an hour away. The winery tour had overrun considerably. We consoled ourselves at Bear Republic Brewing before heading to join the others for lunch. Again the group split, some eating at The Wurst Sausage Grill and Beer Garden, and the others at The Best! I don't have a photo of the sausage, but this is what Jerry's lunch looked like at the Bar'n'diva....
The terrible parking situation in downtown Healdsburg meant that our cars were widely dispersed. So, we all ended up leaving at different times, and the following drive to Mendocino was in several groups. The route on CA-128 was enjoyable as it took us through the forest and we saw very little traffic. When we reached the coast we were pleased to see that there was no fog, but bright sunshine instead.
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| Driving through the forest on CA-128 |
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| CA-128 approaching the coast |
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| Our first glimpse of the Pacific as we joined CA-1 |
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| Approaching Mendocino on CA-1 |
Being in the first group to arrive in Mendocino I was fortunate to be able to take the time to walk along the edge of the cliffs. On previous visits, it has always been foggy and rather depressing, but today it was beautiful.
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| View across the bay from Mendocino. Denise and Michael walking on the cliffs |
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| The beach below the tall cliffs |
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| View of Main Street Mendocino from the cliff tops |
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| Wild nasturtiums growing on the cliff tops |
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| Entrance to cave that runs right through the cliffs |
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| View back towards Mendocino from the end of the cliffs |
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| Gaping hole in the top of the cliffs into the ocean below |
The last leg today, was a short 8 mile drive to Fort Bragg where we are staying at the Surf Motel and Gardens. Geo and Kathleen Hahn treated us to pizza in the garden for dinner, and Denise Jenkins entertained us with music on her fiddle. A fitting end to an enjoyable day.
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| Pizza dinner in the gardens at the Surf Motel |
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| Denise entertained us with her fiddle playing |
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