GTTSR: Getting there, Day 1. Broken Exhaust.

Above: Mark Collien soaks in the flatlands of central Washington.

Mark & I left Arlington around 8, made our way south to US 2, up and over the Cascades mountains via US 2 & Stevens Pass, then on to Moses Lake.

I routed our trip through Moses Lake WA to check out a datacenter facility (which was impressive), and as we left I broke my exhaust on a speed bump/pothole combo. Grrrr. We burned a couple of hours in the town of Moses Lake getting that fixed.

Above: The result of the impact. On the downside, it pulled the left exhaust out of the header. On the upside, it seems to have straightened out the crooked tail section of the system… go figure!

While I was huddled under the car mumbling about finding a muffler shop Mark whipped out his iPhone and read me off three shops I could try. We picked one**, called them and got directions. Within 20 minutes the Jaguar was up on a lift being taken care of.

A bit of adjusting, some re-rounding of pipe, and a new clamp later and presto!… we were back on the road.

Above: The refitted exhaust being tack welded to hold it a bit better than clamps alone.

Above: The bent clamp.

** My Pick of a shop was “Pioneer Muffler & Brake, Inc.” I had gone with my gut, and as it is frequently right. Here’s how my thought process worked and how it worked out for the better: The other two shops were franchises of big national outfits, such as Midas. I knew that if I pulled into a Midas, they’d treat me no different than any other customer. They certainly would not let me crawl around under the car and talk with the people working on it about how I wanted it done. They have corporate policies to adhere to. We pulled into Pioneer and there was a home-made race car out front, and mostly farm trucks being worked on – to me that is a good sign as farmers seek out craftsmen. I needed a craftsman, not a corporate employee. The shop was as clean or cleaner than MY workshop at home and the folks working on the customer’s vehicles were the owners, Joe and Denyse Ottmar. They moved a farm truck off the lift within a few minutes of our arrival, had me drive the Jag up onto it, all the while paying extra care (with two spotters) of the low clearance and small/narrow size of the car. Once up on the lift they were happy to have me under it with them and were friendly and approachable throughout. The whole process took a very short time and they charged me a VERY reasonable rate for their labor. Everyone was happy, most especially me.

If you are in Moses Lake and need any exhaust or brake work, you can not go wrong with Pioneer Muffler & Brake on 620 E. Wheeler Road (509) 765-6277.

By the time all this wrapped up it was mid-afternoon, so we grabbed a quick lunch at a Thai place, and hit the road. We readjusted our expectations and aimed for Walla Walla. A friend who is from Walla Walla gave me a few hints of dining there so we knew we could at least eat well. Instead of trying for Enterprise, Oregon, we’d just go to Walla Walla, eat, then stay the night there. John’s suggestion of the Creek Town Cafe was excellent. Mark & I enjoyed a fine meal and some excellent local wine. Tomorrow we drive US 12 to Missoula and then the Autobahn to Bozeman.

Here is the day’s “JagCam” footage.. enjoy!