Mount Shasta loop - Saturday 30th September

 And so to the last day of the 2023 Bass Lake to Mount Shasta Oil Leak... The survivors (4 cars and 7 participants) met up at the Best Western hotel in Mt. Shasta for the last leg of the tour. 

Michael and Vikram ready to start the final day's drive

Glen and Sharon led the 4 cars up the North Stage Coach Rd. to Gazelle. After a short-lived alarm when Vikram's Aston Martin had to pull off the road due to a scraping noise which turned out to be just a stone wedged in his rear brake pad/caliper, the group were back under way. 

At Gazelle we took Hwy 3 to Callahan. This turned out to be one of the best drives of the tour. Twisty, turns; up and down mountains for about 30 miles. We then headed south on Hwy 3 to Whiskeytown Falls with a stop for lunch at the Yellow Jacket Cafe. 

Olga and Sharon at Whiskettown Falls

Mike and Phill and Whiskeytown Falls

Tom at Whiskeytown Falls

The route then returned north to Mt. Shasta where the traditional final dinner was held at the Dunsmuir Railroad resort Dining Car.

7 Survivors - Glen, Olga, Vikram, Tom, Michael, Phil and Sharon

The Dining Car at the Dunsmuir Railroad Resort

And so the 2023 BLMSOL came to an end. Of the 11 cars that started the tour:

  • 4 finished (though one was a replacement)
  • 1 left early for mechanical reasons
  • 1 left early due to accident damage
  • 3 left early on flatbed trucks, though one was replaced to complete the tour
  • 3 others left early for schedule or other non-mechanical reasons
Certainly the attrition rate was higher than in previous years but despite this I believe everyone enjoyed themselves. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Glen Barker for putting this Oil Leak together, and I hope to see you all on the next Oil Leak in 2024!

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