So here we go again! This year's Oil Leak has been put together by Michael Jenkins. We are back in Big Sky country after seven years. None of us who arrived in Missoula, MT for the start of the first Big Sky Oil Leak in 2017 will ever forget the medical tragedy that took our beloved fellow traveler Jerry Mouton from us on the first day. We dedicate this reprise of that trip to his memory. Jerry personified the spirit of the Oil Leaks from the first in 2011 through to his tragic loss in 2017. He was the life and soul of the party, always making new participants feel welcome, and taking the inevitable mechanical hiccups along the way in his stride. Those who had the good fortune to know him continue to miss his infectious positive spirit on these trips. I hope that we take the opportunity of this trip to share some of our favorite Jerry stories...
A monster Sunflower on the 2012 NWOL
Generator problems with MIK on the 2011 SWOL
Midnight electrical work with Lloyd on the 2014 WTXOL
The joy of friendship and experiences shared - WTXOL 2014
My personal favorite - an impromptu snowball fight on the 2013 COLT
The route of the 2024 Oil Leak will owe a lot to the 2017 BSOL that was put together by Christine and Rick Kuschel. Michael has also added some new sights for us see, and researched some great places for us to stay and dine. We are hoping for less vehicle attrition than we experienced on the 2023 BLMSOL. On a personal note, last year's Oil Leak was the first that I have had to leave due to mechanical problems, so I spent quite a time trying to determine why my string of good luck from 2011 to 2022 had been broken. I finally realized that it was my fault entirely. Those who've joined our annual Oil Leaks will know that our car, though stuffed to the gills with tools and spare parts, has always had room for a teddy bear. Somehow, no bear joined us on the trip in 2023 - hence the breakdown! So, this year we will be joined by Gregory:
Gregory with a seat all to himself in Earl - need to strap yourself in though!
September 14th, 2004
A very short post today. Gregory and I are safely in Boise enjoying the wonderful hospitality of Lynn and Mary. Yesterday's drive from Monterey, CA to Fernley, NV and today's to Boise, ID were uneventful until the last 20 miles or so when Earl had a temper tantrum from being in traffic for the first time since leaving Monterey. He cut out completely on a couple of occasions, and had a couple of misfire episodes. As we rolled to a halt on Lynn's driveway the engine cut out again. On a hunch I checked the two wires on the coil and one just disintegrated when I touched it. The wire had fractured at the crimp. The other lead had done exactly the same thing on the return from the 2022 Santa Fe Oil Drip, so I thought it worth a shot. Lynn provided a new terminal and a crimping tool, and we were back in business. Hopefully that was the problem and there will be no repetition on the drive to Coeur d'Alene tomorrow. We are looking forward to seeing the leakers together again tomorrow - safe travels everyone!
The BSOLII is finally under way! Participants set out to gather at the starting point, Coeur d'Alene, ID this evening.
Lynn, Mary and myself set out from Boise early this morning
Earl is ready to go, and Pearl is being loaded in the garage. Emmy on the top of the lift looks jealous!
Our route took us north on Rte-55 to McCall and then then Rte-95 through Riggins, Whitebird, Grangeville, and on to Lewiston. It was an enjoyable ride on the sort of roads that the E-Type was designed for - lots of sweeping curves and elevation changes though spectacular scenery. We encountered some smoke from fires north of Boise and a couple of short showers but nothing bad. We stopped in Lewiston for lunch before heading our independent ways. I took the 195 to Spokane to meet up with Debbie who was flying in from Monterey, while Lynn and Mary headed straight for Coeur d'Alene. Many of the group stayed at the Coeur d'Alene Resort overlooking the lake:
The impressive Coeur d'Alene Resort by the lake
We met up for the traditional start-of-OL dinner at the Beverley's restaurant at the Coeur d'Alene resort.
The group eagerly anticipating their dinner (I think some of them are still waiting...!)
The setting for dinner was great, but the service was dismal. We waited 2 hours for our entrees to be served! Fortunately there was lots of friendships to be renewed, and stories to tell, so we had a good time.
View over the lake from our dining room
Tomorrow the tour will start in earnest when we meet up at 8:30am for our first drive together. Earl is a little worse for wear after today's drive - the alternator is making the sort of noises that suggest that it may not make it to the end. Debbie and I have our fingers crossed...
PS: After a sleepless night worrying about the possible alternator problem I got up at 5am and went to the parking garage to investigate. It didn't take long to determine that the alternator was not the source of the grinding noise...
Fan belt jockey wheel floating around due to lost nut
The fan belt jockey wheel which keeps the belt tensioned was attached to it's spring-loaded arm by....well nothing actually. The nut had come undone and fallen by the wayside several hundred miles away. As a result the wheel was held in place by the tension in the belt and canted over such that it rubbed against the crank pulley. It's amazing that it didn't just drop off! Replacing the missing nut with a nyloc straightened things out, and peace was restored!
The group of eight Jaguars (Rick and Patrick would join us in Whitefish) consisting of 5 E-Types, 2 F-Types and one XK8 left Coeur d'Alene at 8:30am. The route was to head north on Rte-95. Unfortunately, very early on the group got split up and all but the first two cars missed the turn onto Rte-95. The rest of the cars eventually discovered the mistake, but some took longer than others. Some of us were halfway to Spokane before determining that something was wrong. It was a good lesson for everyone not to assume that the person they are following knows where they are going - sometimes it's just the blind leading the blind! As a result of the delay in getting back on track some participants decided to skip the first stop at the Ross Creek Cedars. They also missed an unusual spectacle along the route near Clark Fork on ID-200. Enjoy the video by clicking on it - what a collection!
An interesting roadside spectacle along the way on ID-200
Tom, Michael, Denise and Phil at Ross Creek Cedars awaiting the arrival of the stragglers
Pathways through the cedar trees
Eventually most of the group arrived and enjoyed the scenic area which extends to 100 acres and is the home of cedar trees up to 1,000 years old.
Meanwhile Debbie and I were trying to catch up... We received a reminder of one of the hazards of driving through countryside such as this. Fortunately we were already slowing down for upcoming road works....
The next scheduled stop was at the Kootenai Falls swinging bridge. Not too many folks ventured down to the bridge given that we were behind schedule, but for those that missed it, here it is:
Kootenai Falls Swinging Bridge
By then it was lunch time, so some of the group headed for Libby and the Cabinet Mountain Brewing Company brewpub.
Cabinet Mountain Brewing Company brewpub
While Debbie and myself took a separate route to visit some friends in Kalispell, the Oil Leak took a scenic drive north on Rte-37 and then south into Whitefish on Rte-93. Some of the highlights along the way:
Deidre at the Libby dam with the outflow to the left
The Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa built 1966-74
By Lake Koocanusa
The obligatory wait on road works that we encounter every Oil Leak!
By the time everyone met up at the Firebrand Hotel in Whitefish we had been joined by Rick and Patrick and the Oil Leak was up to full strength. It was the traditional pizza night in a great setting on top of the roof of the hotel, and wine and beer flowed freely into the night as stories were told and plans made for the next day. Meanwhile the cars rested in the parking lot below:
Once again we were pleased to see clear skies on Tuesday morning. As we were to have a picnic lunch in Glacier park we congregated at the Safeway store in Whitefish to start our drive. Unfortunately, when it came time to leave, Lynn's Series 3 V12 failed to come to life. As befits the Oil Leak crowd, there were soon a group of faces staring into the engine bay offering help and advice.
Greg assists Lynn in trying to determine whether the ignition is generating a spark
Unfortunately, on this occasion the combined efforts of the team were unable to fix the problem which was diagnosed as failed Crane Ignition system. Lynn finally persuaded us that there was nothing to be gained by delaying the drive for the rest of the group, so we left him and Mary with plans to hire a U-haul truck and trailer, load the car, and drive it back home to Boise. We were very sorry to see their Oil Leak end in this way, and wish them a safe trip home.
The group then set off for Glacier Park which was only a short distance away. After a group photograph, we then set out on the famous Going-to-the-Sun road.
Group photo by one of the park buses. Note Debbie and Greg's companion border collie Rounder. From L to R: Rounder, Debbie(C), Greg, Glen(W), Georgia, Norn, Deidre, Glen(B), Debbie(L), David, Phil, Denise, Michael and Tom
The Going-to-the-Sun Road is always popular - indeed, a few weeks earlier in the season reservations were required to make the drive. Finding a turnout where all our cars could stop together was likely to be a big problem, but we lucked out when a great viewing location appeared with room for all our cars.
The Oil Leak convoy parked together on the Going-to-the-Sun Road
We decided that this was likely to be the best opportunity to sit and eat our lunches together, with magnificent views in all directions:
Views in all directions
Photographs (at least the ones I do!) do not do the views justice
After our picnic lunch we continued the drive through the park, exiting at the St. Mary's gate on the east side. From there our route headed north towards the Canadian border where a border guard gave us entry after giving some of us the third degree!
The group waits for the border interrogations to be completed!
Waterton Lakes National Park in Alberta is magnificent. We were at our hotels in Waterton village by around 4pm, which gave us an opportunity to explore before dinner. Debbie and I decided to walk from our hotel at Kilmorey Lodge (built in 1926) around the edge of the lake and up to the Prince of Wales hotel located on a promontory above the lake.
The Prince of Wales Hotel (build 1926-7) by the lake
We were able to go into the hotel and enjoy a drink in the lounge that overlooks the lake with amazing views.
Amazing views from the lounge at the Prince of Wales Hotel, Waterton
View of the lake from the grounds of the hotel
In the evening we enjoyed a splendid dinner in the restaurant at the Kilmorey Lodge, and were unexpectedly joined by Jan Wittlesey and Glen Enright, who have leaked oil with the group in previous years, and who happened to be visiting the same place at the same time! It was a great end to a great day though we all wish Lynn and Mary could have shared in the fun.
We were delighted to hear from Lynn today that Mary, himself, and Pearl (his Series 3 2+2) arrived safely in Boise after a long drive with a U-haul truck and trailer. We hope that Pearl's "failure to proceed" is soon sorted out and normal service is resumed....
Pearl returns to Boise - we hope that she will soon be back on the road under her own power
We later heard that when the time came to push Pearl into his garage in Boise, Lynn decided (on the off-chance) to see if it would start - fired right up! The Prince of Darkness strikes again....
We have been very fortunate with the weather so far on this trip, and this morning was no exception. We very much enjoyed our stay in Canada, and the visit to Waterton has whetted our appetite to return some day.
View from our balcony just after dawn with the lights of Prince of Wales Hotel across the lake
The positive experience of last night's dinner encouraged many of us to return to the Kilmorey Lodge restaurant for breakfast this morning. The surge of customers somewhat swamped the limited staff, but the food was great and more than ample
No it's not two oversize Chicken McNuggets! This was Debbie's Strawberry stuffed French Toast. Needless to say, one was more than enough!
We were half and hour or so late leaving Waterton. Some of us received more third-degree interrogations crossing the border back into the US, but we all made it in due course. We proceeded south on Rte-89 through Browning. We had intended to stop at the Teddy Bear Fence south of Dupuyer but somehow missed it on the rapid drive south. Gregory was disappointed - more of this later. So, our first stop was at the Montana Dinosaur Center in Bynum, MT (https://tmdinosaurcenter.org/). While our group formed a substantial line for "facilities" others viewed the dinosaur exhibits. I tried to appease Gregory for missing the Teddy Bear Fence by giving him a chance to play with the dinosaurs:
Gregory didn't feel too comfortable in his new "chair"
When Gregory continued to mope, Debbie and I decided to backtrack to the Teddy Bear Fence we'd missed. It turned out to be further than we expected, but Gregory was very grateful.
The Memorial of Children Bear Doll Fence, also known as the Teddy Bear Fence, is a unique and touching attraction located along US-89 in Dupuyer, MT. It consists of a fence covered in stuffed animals, including teddy bears and other stuffed toys which have been left as a tribute to children who have passed away. The tradition of leaving stuffed animals at the site began in the 1990s when a local rancher found a lost teddy bear on his property and placed it on his fence. Over time more and more people began leaving their own stuffed animals at the site and the fence became a memorial to children who have died.
The Teddy Bear Fence Memorial by the side of Rte-89
Gregory and Debbie at the Teddy Bear Fence Memorial
Meanwhile the rest of the Leakers proceeded to their appointment with lunch at the Buckhorn Bar and Restaurant in Augusta.
Lunch in Augusta at the Buckhorn Bar and Restaurant
Meanwhile Debbie and David headed for our overnight stay at the historic Arvon Hotel in downtown Great Falls. The last 30 minutes or so of our drive was in heavy rain, but Earl's wipers were up to the task which was a pleasant surprise. The hotel has an enclosed covered garage which allowed me to work on the car despite the torrential rain pounding the roof.
The historic Hotel Arvon in Great Falls, MT
An unusual luxury for an Oil Leak - a covered garage out of the torrential rain
We all met up in the evening in the Celtic Cowboy Pub for drinks and dinner which seemed to be enjoyed by everyone. New plans were made for tomorrow. Norm and Deidre said their goodbyes as they are heading home tomorrow. It's been great renewing our friendship from past Oil Leaks - safe travels home!
Georgia and Glen paid a visit to the "Sip 'n Dip Lounge" which we visited as a group on the 2017 Oil Leak. It was opened in 1962 when Polynesian themes were popular. Located inside the O'Haire Motel that was considered modern and trendy when it was built, the Sip 'n Dip is known for having for having people dressed as mermaids swimming in an indoor swimming pool visible through a window in the bar.
