William and Mrs. Button’s R Type Bentley

William Button is an avid Morgan Enthusiast but Mrs Button demands comfort! The accompanying photograph shows the car at the Canadian end of Glacier National Park in Montana. In Canada it is called Wharton National Park and you can see the Prince of Wales Hotel across the lake. Apparently it is wood framed, built in the twenties, has yet to be burnt and no, the Prince of Wales has not stayed there. 

William stayed there whilst returning to Seattle after a visit to Jasper and a night at Banff Springs. The Banff Springs Hotel is judged expensive and more attractive outside than in. 

William has promised more history of his car and more photographs of his tours in it.

The Button Progression

This is a Morgan Run that took in a Vineyard where they stopped for lunch and a wine tasting, it is in the Willamette Valley due West of Salem, Oregon. The pictures were taken on the Ocean about 8 miles North of Newport, Oregon. 

 One can drive south from the Northwest Tip of Washington on Highway 101 and Highway 1 (In California) for about 1,500 miles to the Mexican Border (or close).  In Washington Highway 101 is inland a bit, but from Northern Oregon to Southern California it is mostly in view of the Ocean.  Many own or rent a Motorhome for this trip but William avoids the coast (and the Motorhomes!) in summer, preferring the fall or Early Spring when he often takes his Morgan. In his words it is; “A fantastic drive and with iffy weather, a pure delight”.  

Apparently quite lot of Morgan owners in the North West Section also have Rolls or Bentleys, even the odd WO. There are about 150 of them and they straddle the Canadian border. Some even emigrated with their cars from the UK. 

The R Type is relatively new to William and he is getting used to it, he’s had to replace the valve stem seals to cure excessive oil consumption and has yet to get used to the effect strong winds have on it on open roads at higher cruising speeds – not a problem with Morgans.

The Morgan Owners Group NorthWest: http://www.mognw.com for Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Alberta and Idaho.