23 Days, 9.5K miles, 18 States, 5 Provinces & 7 Time Zones – The Ultimate 2015 Corvette Z06 Test Drive

OREGON TO VANCOUVER ISLAND

Somewhere south of Crescent City, Oregon, we cut east and ended up on the No 5, en route to Crater Lake National Forest.  We grabbed this amazing shot along the way.

Mountains in OregonWe were in for quite the surprise as we entered Ashland, learning quickly that there is a large problem with deer.  Many articles quote the large population within the city as stalking residents and their pets, even going so far to state that they are ‘terrorizing’ the locals (article).  We learned first hand that they had no fear whatsoever.

Deer Stalking Ashland Residents

The first shot of this article was taken as we headed into Crater Lake National Park.  It is one of the best I have taken of the Z06.  Crater Lake made it tough, however, with such incredible scenery.

Crater Lake And…a visit to Crater Lake just wouldn’t be complete without the car pik!

Z06 at Crater Lake

Something you cannot see in these pictures is the smoke behind us to the North.  This was our first taste of the Oregon forest fires, not to be done with what occurred next.  A few of the roads were closed so we decided to get off the beaten path and away from the fire.  Things didn’t go quite as planned…

Oregon Forest Fire

This was as close as it appears and there was a point that we had fire on both sides of the road we were traveling.  We came to a checkpoint where the firefighters were waiting for clearance to head in to the area we just left.  Things weren’t so comforting when we were asked where we came from.  Apparently they missed a road when they were closing the area down.  We found it.

BOAT RIDE BACK TO CANADA

We returned to Canada through Port Angeles by Ferry and spent a bit of time on Vancouver Island, as well as the mainland visiting family and friends.  We got a bit of an education when riding onto the Ferry from Washington, in that, the 2015 Corvette Z06 is too wide to rest in the general ferry vehicle pool.

2015 Corvette Z06 Ferry Placement

On our first trip, they had to back vehicles back from beside us as there was no room for either vehicle occupants to exit.  The Z06 is too wide. They mentioned that we should let the return ferry crew know in advance when leaving the island and, well, what better way to get a front row seat!

Ferry Picture

We spent the night on Vancouver Island before heading to Port Alberni, and captured this great shot from the hotel.

Vancouver Island Water Shot

On heading back to the mainland, we were surprised to find out that close family had a fellow Vette enthusiast right next door.  It was a bit rainy in the am but great shot!

Vette Piks

A few pictures and we were off to Jasper national park…and back into the mountains.

Jasper National Park Mountains

5 comments

  1. Excellent write up, Les. That is one amazing journey. Color me jealous.

  2. Thank you so much for documenting your adventure! I’ve always wanted to do a cross country road trip/adventure. Seeing the glimpses of what it is like truly motivates me to create my own journey some day soon. I love the not having a schedule part! Simply plan loosely, and hop in the car and see where it takes you. I can’t wait. I currently have a c6 Lingenfelter that I might take the journey on.

    Again thanks so much. Rarely do I ever find an article that keeps my attention from beginning to end. This one truly motivates me. I’m glad you and your wife had a great time and a safe journey.

    Take care!

  3. Les, thanks for your story. Enjoyed it immensely.

    My wife and I are leaving form Ontario for the west coast in 2 weeks. Plan to be away for 6 weeks. Mode of travel is our new 2019 Grand Sport. I’m feverishly working on details and gathering information to make sure we don’t miss anything along our planned route.

    We did a week practice run in the Vette to Gatlinburg Tennessee that included the Tail, Head and Back of the Dragon and also the BRP and Skyline Dr. All went well so we are now stoked about the next trip.

    Question: What did you use for luggage? We managed out of typical carry-on bags for the week. But I know we’ll need more of a variety of clothes with us out west as we are going to hit the real mountains. Weather can be anything. We want to be able to take the top off the car at any time during the trip so the bags need to fit below it.

    Thanks, Paul

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