Cruising Into the Sunset - One Last Time
- Sep 20, 2015
- 6 min read
Cruising Into the Sunset…One Last Time - Cruz the Coos 2015
On the south side of Coos Bay, Oregon in a parking lot just off the 101 a classic Chevy truck sparkles bright as it’s unloaded from the trailer it just arrived in from Portland. At a car lot in neighboring North Bend the owner flips the open sign to closed as an auto detailer makes a few last rubs on a 1927 Bugatti. A familiar restaurant to bay area locals is packed with members from out of town car clubs who drove their show rigs here. The parking lot in front of the eatery is littered with Fords, Chevys and Plymouths from an era when we were just getting to know Elvis. In a garage across the water in Eastside some spray paint is added to a young man’s rat rod while a retired serviceman perfects the polish on his two pristine classics at his home in Airport Heights. They are all readying their rides for the annual “Cruz the Coos “classic car show, shine and cruise. Even the fast, furious import rides not included in the cruise’s festivities are gathering in numbers at an import automotive shop located along the cruise route. The cruise has become an event of the town and community instead of just one breed of car buffs. The import elites may not have been invited but they made their presence known with cars lined up, shined up and hoods up to show the goods underneath. Collections of Harleys, cruisers and crotch rockets gathered at several spots as the motorcycle crowd threw their hats into the ring of horsepower as well. They all make these preparations for and journeys to this event and other cruises for the love of the ride, and for the “Cruz the Coos event….this is the last ride."
The 2015 cruise appropriately themed “Cruzin' Into the Sunset” is the event’s 30th and final year. It was announced in 2014 by Sunset Classic Chevys the event sponsor and organizer that 2015 would be the last cruise. The third Sunday of every September hosts three popular bay area events. The Coos Fun Festival is an end of summer music and youth festival in the downtown area. Vendors and booths line the streets of a downtown parade route and
the festival is capped off with local live bands. Also, on the third September Sunday in Coos Bay is the Prefontaine Memorial run. Steve Prefontaine’s legacy is huge in the running world. The record setting athlete was coached by the founder of Nike, set numerous records and is often credited for starting the running craze of the 1970's before his untimely death in 1975. The 10k memorial route attracts runners from all over ready to challenge Agony Hill and Pre’s other training areas along the route. The event is older than the car show and now in its 36th year. All three events compliment and work well with each other. The trio of festivities has made this event collection so popular among locals that the weekend is often just called ‘the cruise” or “the festival” by bay area residents. The memorial run and fun festival will continue as annual events but the cruise will bow out after this year. The club has seen a decrease in not only membership but car count and event sponsorship has decreased as well. Cruz the Coos could survive any one of these problems…but not all three.
Cruz the Coos is a two part event. The first being a show & shine out on Cape Arago at Shore Acres. The beautiful Shore Acres State Park offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the world combining lavish botanical gardens and natural vegetation with wave crashing ocean views. Parking some of the most beautiful and exotic cars in the world among these backdrops gives event goers a car show like no other. The cars are parked for this portion of the event allowing pictures for the proud passerby and up close inspections for the curious gearheads. The weather this year was absolutely perfect, smiles and chrome sparkled throughout the park and the day. One of Coos Bay’s main arteries (Newmark Ave) was host of impromptu cruises and classic convoys throughout the afternoon. All were eager for the second half of the event which was the cruise that night. This half of the event offers the cars in motion cruising like the old days, some pubs on the route even hold sock hops. Cruising into yesteryear with your trusty ride is a feeling car buffs love so much they can taste it. This year it was a bittersweet taste for both the participants and the spectators as well. The cars, the chrome and the smell of various fuels burning is enough to excite any motor head…even an old off-road guy. One last ride into the sunset sounds great but the “last” part of the scenario still weighed on people’s mind. Fords blame the Chevys, old guys blame the young guys, participants blame the club while the club blames the costs…and they all blame the economy. For whatever reason or combination of reasons this was it.
Coos Bay’s police and fire departments closed off the cruise route just before 6pm while the streets became lined with lawn chairs, BBQs and little street camps resembling tailgate parties at sporting events. The car count is limited to three hundred at Shore Acres and only the first five hundred may actually drive the cruise route. Although the event did not reach its limit of participants the 2015 cruise was standing room only for spectators. The streets were packed with people lined up to take that trip into yesteryear one more time and when the pre 1979 classic cars took to the streets of downtown Coos Bay their tickets for that journey were punched.
An old Mustang could be seen cruising right between two Camaros, both Camaros were cherry while the Stang’ looked like a tattered daily driver. Novas and Chevelles boasted muscle car magnificence and all its glory while a cream puff Plymouth Woody surf rig rolled proudly down the boulevards between them. While muscle cars were definitely the most plentiful there were a few entries that were just pure muscle. Old Broncos and 4X4s cruised amidst the muscle along with vans and even a couple classic big rigs. One of the show quality semi-trucks featured ship and train horns…he could be heard throughout the bay area when he blew them at full blast. A chain driven log truck from the 1940's rolled down the historic section of US Hwy 101 with a Porsche from the sixties on one side and cherry classic roadster cruisin’ on the other side. Music from the Johns of different decades blared from the interiors as the voices of Lennon, Cash and Cougar-Mellencamp filled the air.
After the first hour of non-stop automotive eye candy the dusk arrived and the sun began to set. It began to set not only on the bay area but the event as well and Cruz the Coos entered its last hour. The gaps in the steady stream of cars started to increase and the crowds of people began to decrease. The bars and eateries filled up and the sock hop bands began to play. Eight o clock rolled around and Cruz the Coos became a part of our past in that very second. The police took down the barriers and the closed route disappeared, the cars of John Q Public filed in and the parade route returned to being the public streets of downtown Coos Bay.
But this year something a little different happened…the event didn’t quite end. Some participants kept on driving and some spectators just kept on watching. They were all going to make their trip into yesteryear last just a little bit longer. Maybe if this phenomenon would have happened more over the past decade this wouldn’t be the last Cruz. Would have, could have, and should have. It’s definitely too late to wonder now but it wasn’t too late to just keep cruising the Coos. Among the dwindling amount of muscle cars the few people left watching could find the polished classics from Airport Heights, the Portland show truck taking one more lap under the street lights before returning to the trailer and a spray painted rat rod from Eastside loaded with kids and a proud young Dad. The North Bend car dealer made every lap plus a couple extra as well, his best girl by his side. Even with the fall chill in the air and no heater in the old topless roadster the two made lap after lap…the smile never left her face.
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