The fifth annual Port Townsend Cruise kicked off the season for the Pacific Northwest community when Redmond, WA-based tuner Achtuning took the reins and organized the event this year. With a possibility of snow in the forecast, it was uncertain whether people would brave the cold, dreary weather. Fortunately, the temperature never fell below freezing and the expected precipitation held off long enough for everybody to meet.
Easily exceeding 300 cars, the mall parking lot designated as the original meeting location didn't hold up, with security quick to prevent participants from congregating. Some quick thinking on the part of some local Dubbers resulted in a mass relocation to an adjacent parking lot - resulting in the local Target being invaded!
Despite the small hiccup, the drive kicked-off on time and everybody took to the freeway for the day's destination - Port Townsend, WA. The small town is about 50 miles from Seattle on the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. The drive itself offers scenic views of the Puget Sound and Olympic Mountains.
The City of Port Townsend had reserved some parking for the drive, but with numbers almost doubling since last year, it became apparent that new plans were needed to accommodate the expected growth of future events. About every parking spot in town was taken by a VW, Audi, BMW, Porsche, Volvo or Saab, with drivers hailing from Washington, Oregon and even a small group of Canadians joining the activities. Local restaurants had signs welcoming European car drivers in anticipation for the increased business.
For next year, Achtuning (www.achtuning.com) will make arrangements for the drive but we're told to expect changes to accommodate the growing diehard Euro crowd in the Northwest!