Dark End of the Tunnel

Stephen Demosthenes opened his soda fountain and coffee bar in Mosier, Ore., (pop. 410) in 1996 because he had been misinformed.

“The ice cream parlor seemed like the obvious thing to do when I heard that they were to open the tunnels from Hood River to Mosier,” Demosthenes says. “The only problem was I was told they would open in 1996, so that’s when I opened my ice cream store. But I’ve been at the dark end of the tunnel for half a decade now, waiting.”

The tunnels, carved out of the mountainside in the 1920s, form part of the old Historic Columbia River Highway now designated for recreational use by bicyclists, hikers, and inline skaters. They finally opened last year, and Demosthenes hopes thirsty visitors will visit Mosier and stop by his shop for refreshments.

During the years of waiting for the light at the end of the tunnels, in another effort to attract more people to town, Demosthenes busied himself by pursuing an unusual hobby.

“I’m an automotive archeologist,” he says. “I look for, dig, and find old Porsches.”

He bought his first Porsche in 1966, driving it with his pet parrot, Cleo, inside. Today, his building in Mosier, next door to the ice cream parlor and clearly visible from nearby Interstate 84, employs an arty calling card to beckon travelers to investigate. Bolted to the faded wood siding above the front door is a bright red 1965 Porsche 356 Cabriolet—actually half a Porsche. “Mosier has been invisible for years, and I’m hoping to add to the visibility of it,” Demosthenes beams.

Inside the building is a workshop that is part museum, part showroom for a rotating collection of classic cars. Also on display are photographs of fellow Porsche enthusiast, comedian Jerry Seinfeld, whom Demosthenes met several times while searching for more samples of the vintage German sports car. Demosthenes clearly loves the challenge of finding forgotten automobiles.

“This green 1954 Super 90 Coupe,” he says, pointing to a jellybean-colored car, “had been sitting in a garage in Portland for 22 years. The engine froze up, so I resurrected it.”

Resurrecting and re-defining are major elements of Demosthenes’ goals, both for the cars and for Mosier. His marketing efforts even extend to the Internet, where he finds many often-overlooked Porsches, reselling them to destinations worldwide such as Ireland and Australia.

Demosthenes had been living in Florida in the 1980s before he first came to Mosier, located midway along the scenic Columbia River Gorge.

“The wind brought me here, like most of the transplants who live here now,” he says, referring to the many people attracted to the region and the nearby Columbia River for the popular sport of windsurfing. His first encounter with the town and the building he now occupies was love at first sight. “This place was so wonderful and this little town so neat that I wanted the building,” he exclaims.

As an active participant at town meetings, Demosthenes always is looking for ways to help promote his town.

“I thought the ice cream store made a lot of sense, because I know, eventually, this will become quite a little tourist spot. That’s my vision.” His vision is catching on. Mosier soon will open a small restaurant, its first in more than a decade.

The combination of classic cars and refreshments is not as strange as it may first appear, and the location on an historic road is appropriate. To honor the great American tradition of a road trip, and with a respectful nod to legendary U.S. highways such as Route 66, Demosthenes calls his business “Route 30 Classics and Roadside Refreshments.”

That is, an old Porsche and a soda.

Martin D. Trees is a freelance writer, photographer, and public radio commentator in White Salmon, Wash.

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