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| by Pete Olson, Membership Chair |
22 pristine Porsches met in Bend on September 28th at the usual Starbucks Arrive & Drive location for the 2012 High Desert Region Porsche Club “Wine Tour Spectacular”. We made a spirited run, passing through the wildfire smoke at Sisters, and onto the winding roads of the Cascade Mountains. With tops down, and sunroofs open, everyone enjoyed the warm September sunshine. And, more importantly, the addictive sounds of Porsche engines during an occasional downshift and acceleration from the apex of a mountain curve. It doesn’t get much better!
Our first major stop was King Estates Winery for wine tasting and a first class lunch as we overlooked the Willamette Valley. We were also treated to a tour of the wine making and storage facilities where we saw both oak barrels and stainless steel tanks, each designed to store and age a specific type of wine. Then back down to the winding roads through the valley with hill climbs to two more wineries. And then off to McMinnville for a Brew Pub evening with excellent food and lots of conversation and laughter.
Saturday morning provided a choice of an olive oil mill tour (proceeded by a few Olive Oil & Popeye jokes), or Emory Motorsports (the acclaimed 356 Mecca) to view several outlaw 356’s in the restoration process. Emory has barns full of 356 parts and even sold a few parts to our 356 enthusiasts. Noon brought yet another spectacular outdoor lunch at Youngberg Hill Vineyards along with fantastic valley views. Our hosts provided a history of the winery and took us on a tour out to the edge of one of the vineyards. Three additional scenic wineries completed the afternoon. But the best was yet to come: an elegant French dinner at Bistro Maison with an optional wine/course pairing.
Sunday morning provided a rare opportunity at the McMinnville Evergreen Museum to stage our Porsches for a photo session under the wings of Howard Hughes’ Spruce Goose. Wonderful museums were there to be toured before we all headed off in various directions. And so concluded the “Spectacular” weekend adventure complete with fond memories and many photos and stories to share!
On behalf of the club I would like to extend a very special thank you to Mike & Ann Sampson who planned and hosted this “Million Dollar” weekend!
