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"Cruise Oregon: It's not just a vacation, it's an adventure!"
Cruise Oregon 2013 Registration Form
Cruise Oregon May Newsletter
Wow! It's hard to believe that may is almost over and there will only be one more email newsletter before we leave on our Cruise Oregon adventure! Registration is closed, and by now you should have gotten your pre-pay forms in the mail. If for some reason you have NOT gotten yours, please let us know right away. The pre-pay forms are due back by May 31st, so if you have not sent it in yet, you might want to start thinking about that.
We have heard that the 5:20 PM Ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria is now full. If you did NOT make a reservation, we would highly suggest you call or go to the Blackball Ferry website and get a reservation for an earlier ferry.
Groups have been assigned and you will be hearing from your group leader around the middle of June.
Aside from that, we are just about ready to go as far as the planning process goes. We will stuff your goody bags and have one last committee meeting and email on June 22nd.
As a reminder, here is a short breakdown of the week:
Friday night, July 12th - Meet and greet at Steve's Auto Restoration in Gresham from 6-8 PM. BBQ dinner for those that are attending.
Saturday, July 13th - Registration at Champion Collision in Sandy from 8-10 AM. Pick up your goody bags and meet your leaders. It will be a short drive that day to Rochester, Washington, (a couple hours), so we are looking into some things to see along the way, since you can't check into your hotel until 3 PM. Dinner that night will be a parking lot BBQ at the Lucky Eagle Casino/Eagle's Landing Hotel.
Sunday, July 14 - Scenic drive up Hoods canal to Port Angeles to catch our 5:20 PM ferry. The ferry ride is about 90 minutes and once off, about 8 minutes to our hotel in Victoria.
Monday, July 15th - In Victoria. Narrated bus tour if you chose to do that on your pre-pay form. Or, if you chose the Hop on/hop off bus, you can do that either day you are there.
Tuesday, July 16th - In Victoria. Hop on/Hop off bus runs until dusk or you can explore on your own. Dinner that night at our hotel.
Wednesday, July 17th - Leave Victoria and drive to the ferry terminal at Nanaimo (about 68 miles). Ferries run every two hours, so you can get on whichever one you want. Ferry drops us off in Vancouver and we will head to our hotel in Coquitlam. Or if you get an early ferry, you can enjoy some of the sights of Vancouver on your way to the hotel.
Thursday, July 18th - Explore on your own, or if you prepaid, you can enjoy the Vancouver Hop on/Hop off trolley either day. You should be able to leave your car at the hotel and take TransLink, which is the Vancouver rapid transit, into town to catch the trolley there. The trolley is either a 2 1/2 hour tour if you stay on, or you can get on and off at any of 31 stops. That night we will have an ice cream social in a lovely park, and that will be the night we will do the "dress your whisk broom" contest. By this time, you will have had all week to pick up fun things to dress your broom with. =)
Friday, July 19th - We will head back into the United States, crossing at the Sumas boarder crossing. Then it is on to Tacoma. There are no activities planned this day, so once you are settled in, you can explore, or maybe check out the casino I hear is nearby?
Saturday, July 20th - In Tacoma. Tour the glass museum, tour the LeMay Auto Museum if you wish, or just hang out. That night we will be having our final night festivities and catered dinner at the Marymount Event Center which is closing for us to view the LeMay Family Collection privately.
Sunday, July 21st - Head on home.
That's about it for now.....hope you are all getting as excited as we are!
Cruise Oregon April Newsletter
Spring has sprung, taxes are done and Cruisin' season has begun! Time is flying by and we will be on the road for our next Cruise Oregon adventure before you know it!
Registration closes on April 30th, so if you have friends who have not signed up yet, they are running out of time. The group rate for hotels will be released after that date as well, so if you have not made your reservations, you only have about 12 more days to do that.
We now have 75 signed up for the cruise, with 16 newbies, and 25 Route 26 Cruisers members. At our last meeting we picked group names and went over a few last details.
As soon as registration closes, you will receive via regular mail the newsletter from the Cruise Director and your pre-pay forms. Please fill out your pre-pays quickly and return them - they are due in on May 31st.
This allows us to finish making arrangements and pay in advance for discounted tickets, etc. There will also be special information in the Cruise Director's letter explaining things you should do, and be aware of, before traveling to Canada, so be sure to read it carefully.
We are not going to be having any dress up nights this year, but we will be doing something fun in Coquitlam. The night of the ice cream social in the park, we will be having a "Dress your Whisk Broom" contest. We will provide the whisk brooms in your goody bags, and the rest is up to your imaginations. We can't wait to see what you come up with!
As always..don't forget your passports!!!!
Cruise Oregon March Newsletter
Happy Spring everyone!
We are creeping up on the numbers - 72 registered so far with 15 newbies. Remember, registration for this year's cruise closes the last day of April so if you or a friend have been sitting on a fence, you might want to decide and get that sent in soon.
For those of you that have already registered, did you get your email or snail mail letter about the ferries? Did you make your reservation and let Karen know that it is done? This is very important, as the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria only holds 90 cars and only runs a couple times a day. We want to make sure we all get on the same ferry, so please make your reservation for that one as soon as possible. If you have the reservation, you are guaranteed a spot on the Ferry.
We have confirmed that we will have our Friday night meet and greet at Steve's Auto Restorations in Portland. Should be a lot of fun to see his facilities and get together and have a BBQ the night before we leave. You can check him out here:
Steve's Auto Restorations
We will be having several dinner get-togethers, a parking lot dinner, an ice cream social, car collections, and other fun things planned for our week long trip! Is anyone getting excited yet???? Don't forget those Passports!!!!
Cruise Oregon February Newsletter
Hi Cruisers!
Time is flying! February is almost over and we now have 69 cars registered for our Canada cruise this year. And we have a lot of newbies this year - 14 so far!
Your committee is still diligently working on the plans for this year. This has taken a little more time, as we are dealing with Canadian companies and sometimes getting the answers we need takes a little longer. It's all starting to come together though, and we think you will enjoy your time in both Victoria and Vancouver. As promised, here is your monthly reminder. Don't forget to get your passports!!! =)
Two new things we are working on are an ice cream social in the hotel parking lot the second evening we are in Coquitlam, and we are going to have the final night dinner at the Marymount Event Center in Tacoma to see the LeMay family collection of cars. You can check out the event center here:
LeMay Family Collection Foundation | Marymount Event Center
We have some important information about the ferries for you which will be coming to registered participants by email soon. Please keep your eyes open for that email. It will be coming from the cruise director's personal email address, so if you have spam blockers, be sure to check that folder as well. She will be asking each of you to reply so we know that you got the information all right.
That's about all the news for this month....until next time...
Cruise Oregon January Newsletter
Well, here we are in a New Year. We hope you all had a good holiday season, and the New year brings nothing but good things for you!
As of the January meeting, we now have 60 cars signed up for the cruise, with 20 of them from the Route 26 Cruisers, and we are up to 10 'newbies' this year so far! We would like to welcome the new people, and are looking forward to getting to know you. For those of you that have signed up, you should have received your hotel list by now, so don't forget to make your reservations. I know it seems like we have a lot of time, but the sooner you get your name in, the better. If for some reason you have not gotten your hotel info yet, and there has been enough mail time, please let us know and we will get another one off to you.
As I mentioned in the beginning, I am going to remind you all each month about passports. If you don't have one yet, you need to get working on that.
We are still working on different things for the week, but here is a partial list of what we might be doing.
- Saturday night, we are working on a dinner in Rochester, Washington.
- Monday in Victoria, we are working on a tour of the sights in town that will also take us to the Butchart Gardens.
- Tuesday will be a free day in Victoria, to do what you please, and we are working on a dinner that night.
- Wednesday and Thursday we will be in Coquitlam, and we are working on getting discounts for the Hop-On, Hop-Off Trolley. You can take the light rail from near the hotel into downtown Vancouver, and then get on the trolley which goes all over the area with stops at all the major sights. You can get on and off at your leisure.
- Friday in Tacoma, we are working on a tour of the Chihuly Glass Museum and the glass bridge, among other things.
Just a few things to whet your imagination. I'm sure there will be more as the planning continues!
Take Care everyone.....until next month....
Cruise Oregon December Newsletter
Hi Everyone!
Things are coming along on the planning for the 2013 Cruise Oregon. After MUCH discussion, we have decided on a catch phrase. It will be: "Eager Beaver Cruisin' Fever."
So far we have 34 cars registered for the cruise, with 17 Route 26 Cruisers members and 3 newbies!
If you have had any serious driving infractions or run-in's with the law in the last ten years we would highly suggest you check out the requirements for entry into Canada. They are known for denying entry for certain things, even if it was many year's ago.
Also, if you will be bringing children with you, you will need to have a letter of permission from the parents to bring them into Canada. You can read more about that here:
What Do I Need to Know about Crossing the Canada / U.S. Border with Children
It is also suggested that you check with your car insurance company to make sure you have coverage in Canada. Some companies want to know if you are driving in another country.
Your committee is working on plans for things to do in each town and getting information about the places we will be visiting. It looks to be a wonderful trip, with lots to see and do!
All of us on the committee would like to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Cruise Oregon November Newsletter
Hello!
Looks like our long, extended summer has finally ended and the Fall/Winter rains have begun! Now the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is upon us, and your Cruise Oregon Committee would like to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, and good food!
The committee has been hard at work, and we now have the hotels pinned down for the 2013 cruise. Registration forms will go out the first part of December, so check your mailbox or look online at our website to print yours out and get yours in. Once we receive the registration form back in the mail, we will then send you your hotel list so you can make your reservations.
We are still working on activities in the towns we will be visiting, and as we get that firmed up, I will give you more info about those.
Don't forget...if you haven't applied for your passport yet, you might want to get started on that. Sometimes there are delays, and we would hate to have you need to back out due to lack of paperwork to go to Canada!
Cruise Oregon October Newsletter
Hi Everyone!
Well, we have been working hard on routes, etc. for our next Cruise Oregon Adventure, and it's starting to come together! I think all of you will be happy with the low mileage this year....it should be a nice, easy trip.
We are still working on hotels, and things to do while in the towns, but at this point I can tell you where we will be going. Save the dates: July 13-21, 2013.
We will be spending our first night in Rochester, Washington. The next day, we will take the ferry out of Port Angeles over to Victoria, B.C. for a three night stay. From there we will take another ferry over to the mainland and spend two nights in Coquitlam, B.C., which is right outside of Vancouver. The last two nights, we will be in Tacoma, Washington. You know what this means????? You only have to haul those suitcases out of the car and into the hotel 4 times the whole week!!!! =)
Since Oregon is the Beaver state, and the beaver is also the emblem for Canada, our mascot this coming year will be a beaver. We have not come up with a catch-phrase yet and would like to ask for your ideas. If you have a cute catch-phrase, email it back to me, and we will consider it. Please keep it fairly short as it has to be embroidered on the sweatshirts, etc. Deadline for submitting your idea is October 31st.
As mentioned last month, EVERYONE will need a passport this year to go on the cruise. I will be reminding you of this in just about every newsletter, just to make sure we all get it done!
Have a great Halloween everybody..talk to you next month!
Cruise Oregon September Newsletter
Hi Everyone!
Summer is winding down and it is almost time to put those cars to bed and dream of all the fun we had on this year's cruise to California. Wasn't it a blast??? We saw some new areas, and had some time to explore the San Francisco area which I know we all enjoyed. Anyone still have Flamingo's hanging around the house?
This year's Cruise Oregon raised almost $5,000 and we have already given it away to our charities. Here is a re-cap of where the money went:
- Forget Me Not (to help the school district provide backpacks, books, school supplies, and basics such as shoes and socks for underprivileged children) $1,250.00
- Route 26 Cruisers fund to buy teen Christmas gifts as part of the Kiwanis' Christmas basket program: $2,000.98
- Sandy Action (Food Bank): $750.00
- Mount Hood Hospice: $500.00
- Beat the Heat Racing Program to keep kids from street racing: $500.00
Thank you ALL for your generosity!
As of this week, I have finally gotten the pictures from the cruise on the website. There were so many pictures to choose from this year that it took a while, and thank you to everyone that sent them. Due to space limits, not all could be used, but I think we have a good recap of the whole week on www.cruiseoregon.com
As a lot of you know, the 2013 cruise will be going to Western Washington and parts of Canada next July. If you don't have your passport yet, you will need it this coming year as we will be spending a couple days in Canada. The committee met for the first time this week after taking a break and we are working on the route and towns, so more will be coming about that as we nail it all down in the coming months.
Thank you to everyone that sent in the comment cards. We read them at the meeting and discussed the comments. From what we could tell, you all enjoyed this year as just about all of the cards were positive! If you have not sent yours in yet, it's not too late....dig it out and send it on in..we would like to hear from you!
Until next month,
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