Greg James
Mercer Island, Washington Model 3.2 Carrera Year 1985
Acquired 2008
Model 993 Turbo
Year 1997
Acquired 2016
As summer turns to winter, we Seattleites know that it’s not long before the Cascade passes east of the city transform themselves. Smooth highways that wind lazily up to the Snoqualmie and Stevens pass summits become significantly more hazardous in December. While winters here aren’t as cold as those found in the interior states, The Cascade Mountains, 40 miles east of Seattle, hold the world record for annual snowfall (1,200 inches at Mt. Baker).
I like to get a few last twisty mountain road drives in before the inevitable winter mix of snow, sleet and rain. Last weekend, my girlfriend Lisa and I decided to drive Interstate 90 (I-90) over the Snoqualmie and Blewett passes to the small mountain town of Cashmere for lunch. The weather was magnificent: the sun was out, and the drive through the Cascades was made all the more beautiful by lower-elevation Larch and Aspens undergoing their annual colour change from green to yelloworange (Larch being one of the only evergreens that changes colour with the seasons).
For me, the best part of that drive is the return trip. The east-to-west section of Highway 97 leading up to Blewett Pass from Cashmere is a modern curvy road with two lanes on the return route for most of the 30 miles to the summit. It’s a stretch of smooth blacktop with perfectly proportioned wide sweeping curves that can be safely navigated at 80mph, and straights where tripledigit speeds are as easy as depressing the gas pedal.
On the drive last weekend, I was scooting along in the 993 Turbo at a brisk clip, and enjoying the wonderful grip the Turbo demonstrates through the curves. Passing vehicles who were sticking to the right lane was a breeze. Within about ten miles of the summit, headlights appeared in the rear view mirror, and I could see a ford Mustang coming up behind me at a high rate of speed. Not one to miss the opportunity for a little dicing, I started to push the TT, giving the
3.6 a healthy shot of 92 octane and forced air. The Porsche responded like a champ, taking off like a scalded cougar. And, while the Mustang driver was obviously doing his best to keep up, the 993 Turbo, with its superior grip and forced air, managed to keep the challenger solidly in the rear-view mirror. As we neared the summit, Lisa reminded me that I’d not had a ticket for several years, so I eased off and let the pony car shoot by.
We pulled off and stopped briefly for a couple of photos at the pass. We then got underway, but at a decidedly less rapid pace. As we drove west and downhill toward the I-90 interchange and the small town of Cle Elum, I saw flashing red and blue lights in the distance. When I got closer, I could see the Mustang had been pulled over by a state trooper – no doubt for speeding. Sometimes it pays to stop, take some photos and slow down. Or, as they say in mountaineering: getting to the summit is only half the job, it’s getting down safely that counts!