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May Puget Sound Meet

We've been talking about this for some time, putting together a chance for the Seattle area E38 enthusiasts to meet, admire each other's cars, share tips, go for a drive and generally have a good time. Sunday, May 19th, 2002 was the lucky day.

Here we are all lined up from left to right.
1995 740i, Alpine White II - Bobby Maule
1999 740iL, Anthracite Metallic - Matthew Mar
2000 740iL, Orient Blue - Mark Wong
1998 750iL, Jet Black - Dave Clement
1999 740i Sport, Cosmos Black - Hien Fu
2000 740i Sport, Cosmos Black -Michael Mahoney
1991 850i, Jet Black - Don Fu

(Mark, I hope that you don't mind me borrowing some of the descriptions from your Car Domain web page. I'd have never gotten the years and models correct.)

In the background is the Starbucks where Matthew treated us to some great coffee.

Soon we will be driving over the Cascade Mountains that are barely visible in the background.

It was quite a sight seeing so many fine cars lined up nose to nose.

The one at the end is obviously not a 7 Series E38. It is Don Fu's 8 Series E31 850i. Rather than going in his wife Hien's 7, they like to go in separate cars so that they can both enjoy driving. We were happy to oblige and we were well rewarded. Don has an incredible encyclopedia of knowledge about BMWs in his head.

You've got to love seeing all of those Bimmers together like that.

We decided to create our own "E38 Lounge" inside Starbucks.

Michael, Dave's empty seat while I took photos, Matthew, Bobby.

Bobby, Mark, Mark's wife Tanya, Hien, Don and their kids.

While we were there, lots of people slowed down and drove in circles around our cars to get a better look. One couple in cashmere beige 7 Series took us up on the offer to park with our cars and join us for coffee.

Following the precedent that Simeon set on One Lap of America, we are on our way... (OK, I may have done "just a little" photo editing on this one.)

Here we are on I-90, headed east over the pass. The wide freeway left lots of room for passing. I dropped to the back to take photos so I'm not in any the "photos in motion". OK, I admit it; I couldn't keep up with the rest of you! ;-)

We stopped at Snoqualmie Summit, which is the closest ski area to Seattle. There was no more skiing this late in the year, but still plenty of snow to look at.

Shortly after these photos were taken, we started to attract lots of attention.

A short while after we crossed the pass, we got off the freeway and enjoyed a two lane road through the mountains toward Roslyn, WA.

The scenery was quite beautiful and we got very lucky with the weather. It was just slightly overcast most of the day (not too hot). Just as we were saying our final good byes at about 6:30, it began to rain slightly.

This building and the mural on the side were made famous in the opening sequence of the TV show Northern Exposure. It was set in a fictional town in Alaska, but the exterior shots were actually done in Roslyn.

Pay no attention to the "no parking" sign. While we were there, we seemed to be the celebrities more than the town itself. Locals and tourists alike came up to inquire about who we were and why we were there. One lady thought that we were shooting a commercial!

Just down the street is The Brick. It is the local saloon, pool hall, dance hall and restaurant all rolled into one. We took some time out and Don treated us to lunch.

One last shot with all of the cars in a row. It seemed that everywhere that we turned there was another photo opportunity. Next time I will bring more "digital film", or at least a computer to download the photos into before the camera fills up.

Please browse to the following pages:

1 Introduction
2 In the Beginning
3 From the Front
4 From the Side
5 From the Rear
6 The Interior
7 The Audio Video System
8 Both of My 750iLs
9 May Puget Sound Meet
10 June Puget Sound Meet
11 July Puget Sound Meet
12 Engine and Drivetrain
13 BMW Club Concours d'Elegance
14 BMW Advanced Driver Training
15 BassLink Install
16 Oil Change and Oil Pump Bolt Check
17 Quad Rear Brake Lights
18 Phone Install
19 Jets
20 Strong Strut
21 Eisenmann Exhaust
22 Sway Bar Upgrade