The October overnight tour up the Columbia River Gorge will be a first for the club in this regard: the
main point is attending the “Concours de Maryhill” at the Maryhill Museum of Art near Goldendale, Washington, on Saturday, October 3. Let’s get something straight right away:
The event is NOT a traditional “concours” with judges in straw hats roaming around with clipboards,
keeping score of micro-faults on trailer queen cars. It is an “open car show,” meaning ANY car of ANY vintage in ANY condition is eligible, welcomed, and encouraged to enter. Your car is qualified. The only requirement is paying the $20 cash entry fee. (No credit cards, checks, or bus tokens—just cash only in U.S. dollars.)
Here is what you can expect at the show: expert, expeditious parking in the order you arrive (if you want to park next to a friend or with a group, arrive together); admission tickets for two to the Maryhill Museum included with your paid registration (a $42 value for seniors, making the $20 entry a bona fide GREAT DEAL since you get museum admission AND a great car show); a wide variety of 200 to 250 cars and trucks of all vintages, most of which you have never seen before; a relaxing day on the scenic field next to the museum overlooking the Columbia River; all morning and afternoon to take in the museum; music specially selected by our own club member, Dave Duthie; and food carts offering breakfast and lunch options.
As mentioned, the show happens Saturday morning, October 3. Because it begins early, it will be far better to spend Friday night somewhere reasonably close by, leaving you with only a short drive to the show on Saturday morning. The organizers mostly stay at the Rufus Hillview Inn in Rufus (and there is also the Tyee Motel in Rufus). There are a couple of very decent motels in Biggs Junction (Three Rivers Inn and Dinty’s Motor Inn—and if you’re really adventurous, try the Biggs Nu-Vu Motel, but don’t call me if there is no hot water). Likewise, Goldendale has a couple of nice motels (Quality Inn & Suites and the Ponderosa Motel). There are also campgrounds in the area, and Google is your friend.
By the way, there is a website that tells you everything about the car show. I highly recommend reading
every page of it:
http://www.concoursdemaryhill.com
Now then, you know where you’re staying Friday night (or at least you have options), and you know
what you’re doing Saturday, but how do you get there? Well, see, Reid Trummel is one of the car show organizers. He will be driving to the museum Friday morning to prepare the field. If you’d like to come along and watch, that’s fine. It is not hard to prepare the place, and we have plenty of help, so we won’t press you into duty as an involuntary volunteer—he promises!
What you could do instead on Friday is take Washington State Route 14 from Vancouver to Goldendale, Biggs, or Rufus—wherever you’re staying—and take your time getting there. Get a late start and stop for lunch in Bingen. From Bingen, take the long way east: continue on WA-14 for about 10 miles into Lyle, and take State Route 142 north from there. SR-142 meanders a bit and comes out in Goldendale 35 miles later. You can thank me later for a great sports car road.
Friday dinner recommendation: Hands down, you should go to Bob’s Texas T-Bone Cafe & Frosty’s Lounge in Rufus. That is where you will find most of the organizing team enjoying dinner before the big show day. They close at 9 p.m., so don’t plan on a late dinner hour.
And that brings us to Sunday. There is a hillclimb race on the famed Maryhill Loops Road, about four miles east of the museum where you attended the car show on Saturday. They have a website with more info:
https://sovrenracing.org/maryhill-hill-climb/
We organizers stay over in Rufus again Saturday night, but we are pooped after presenting the show on Saturday and generally do not hang around for the hillclimb race. We do, however, hold a celebratory
dinner Saturday evening at… wait for it… Bob’s Texas T-Bone & Frosty’s Lounge. Look for us there both Fri-
day and Saturday evenings, possibly in the private dining room, where you are more than welcome to
join us!