Ghouls Gambol 2018

Happy Halloween and welcome to Ghouls Gambol
For over 50 years ghosts, goblins, spooks, spirits, the dead, the undead, and even the mostly dead have returned to haunt the Cascade Sports Car Club's Halloween road rally.  This year the rally explored Washington County’s hills, farmland and autumn colors including a stop at Lakeview Farms.

Along the way rally teams encountered a number switch (numbered route instructions must be executed in ascending numerical order), an instruction that offered a pause if the distance between two NRI's was greater than 1 mile (NRIs are only on the page and the distance between them is usually less than an inch), and even an appearance by the old ONTO the quoted sign trap (you can drive ONTO a road but not a sign).  All told, teams faced nine traps over four legs.

Taking top honors for the day was the Unlimited team of Larry Lefebvre and Brandon Harer, with Jim Martin and John Kisela from Washington in second Unlimited.  First SOP and third overall was claimed by another team from Washington - Dave and Kathy Sacry.  Eric Olbricht and his daughter Madelaine took first in the Nervous class.  Awards were also presented to the best dressed cars and best dressed contestants and/or workers.

The rally concluded at the Rogue Brew Pub in downtown North Plains where the food was tasty and the service excellent.

Thanks to our checkpoint  crews of Paul Eklund and Yulia Smolyansky and Linda Blackburn and Victoria Saager and Larry Lefebvre for Registration duties.

And finally, Whiskers' story, short as it was, was told over two checkpoint handouts:

Whiskers’ Big Day

It was a gorgeous fall day and with the last warm glow of the afternoon sun starting to set Whiskers lay sleeping on the front porch. A large Jack-o-lantern had been placed by the front step with smaller ones lining the walkway to the porch. “It’s coming, it’s coming!” sang the children as they skipped past. Whiskers closed her eyes and sank back into her sleep. In her dreams she could see the children coming to the porch. They would knock on the door, shout trick or treat, and receive a treat. If she was lucky the children might even take an extra minute or two to give her a little pet. Who’s to say what fortune might come on Halloween from petting a black cat? 

Now it’s not well known but cats are vivid dreamers and Whiskers was no exception. Falling deeper into sleep she saw herself pawing down the street to a house with two doors. Above a very large door a sign read HUMAN while SPIRIT appeared over a much smaller door. She pushed open the smaller door and entered and as she did she heard a voice from beyond calling, “Whiskers… Whiskers…”   

As Whiskers sank deeper into her dream the voice kept calling softly from beyond, “Whiskers… Whiskers…” Strange yet familiar. “Whiskers…” She took a step through the door, then another. “Whiskers… Whiskers…” The voice kept calling. “Whiskers… Whiskers Kitty… Oh, there you are. Come on Whiskers Kitty, come inside.” Whiskers awoke to see her master calling and sleepily headed for the door knowing that there was much more to dream and so much to be done as Halloween was still another four days away.