California in october?

[oddmund]

The four of us from Norway ( my family ) is flying in to LA october 4th, departing from SF on october 21th. Three days in LA then part of "Route 66" to Flagstaff AZ - Great Canyon/ Monument valley, Las Vegas before returning to Ca. but then? Driving Highway 1 up along the coast to Monterey and Laguna Seca is a part of the plan - Paso Robles? Yosemite? Napa valley? - Any suggestions? - we have 10 or 11 days to experience people, nature, food, wine and local micro breweries before we end up in SF.

This trip is for pure recreation so we just want to have a lot of "possibilities" to choose from. We have all the guide books, information on the internet, american friends etc - but where do we find the early 911s and the rest of the American car culture?


Oddmund

[LongRanger]

. . . in October

Hwy 1 --- between San Simeon and Big Sur/Carmelexcellent idea; try to go during the week --- less traffic

Pomona Swap Meet --- Sunday, 17-Oct; the largest auto swap meet on the west coast. Corvettes, Porsches, customs, and a huge 'for sale' area for just about everything. Get there early, like, before 6:00 AM, wear comfortable shoes, sunscreen, and gloves (to keep your hands clean --- there'll lots of cars for sale, and stuff to dig thru, promise), a camera, and cash. Alcohol is available on the premises, and there's quite a cast of . . . characters, on display. Kalifornia Kar Kultcha . . . up the kazoo.

G16 -- fun little road that connects Carmel Valley with Hwy 101

Hwy 1 --- Tomales Bay to Fort Bragg --- not so much for the driving as the coastline, scenery, and small towns

Laguna Seca --- SCCA has regional races 16-17-Oct; events include a concours

Petersen Museum --- http://www.petersen.org/

Rodeo Drive --- what can I say except . . . Beverly Hills,Christmas is coming

Cars-and-Coffee -- Irvine Spectrum, FREE semi-informal car show, every Saturday morning; get there before 6:00 AM -- you won't believe some of the machinery that shows up

Mt Whitney --- highest point in the Lower-48; hey, as long as you're in the area. Give yourself a day to acclimate (ask me how I know), then have at it. Kinda late in the year, but . . . here's a link:
http://www.scaruffi.com/travel/whitney.html

Hope you enjoy your visit . . . and post some pictures --- tell us how it went.

Rick Kreiskott

[Jeff Trask]

Don't forget the Fall Fun Run with the "S" and "R" on October 15th-19th. It's in central California and will be fun!

http://www.early911sregistry.org/for...ad.php?t=34750

[72targa]

One to consider...

http://www.delmarconcours.com/

And Del Mar is a pretty area to visit...

Even though you'll miss the monthly Hang Out at EASY, it's always worth a stop-by...

www.easypor.com

Also, there is a PCA-Golden Gate Region Driver Education event at Infineon on 10/8 and a PCA-GGR Autocross in Alameda on 10/16...

http://www.pca-ggr.org/

Photos from a past autocross:

http://www.dleong.org/2010/begschool/begschool.html

[oddmund]

Thanks guys.

I have invited an American friend over this evening to help us plan the trip so I have to check out all the links before he arrives.

We will bring more than one camera, and our own GPS so we can get around -finding all the fun - and post some pictures later.

Oddmund

[boxster03]

pack for extreme temp variation. I would say from 30 to 100+ degree F

[Nine17]

The most important thing to remember is that "California" is the equivalent of "France". Very big. Very diverse. Some parts are very crowded. Some parts are very desolate. The food, wine, and beer are very good just about everywhere these days. Like everywhere else, some of the best things are WAY off the beaten path. Drop in on the Solvang Fun Run (and taste Pinot -- or Merlot -- in Santa Inez). Go to Bruce Canepa's showroom and museum in Scotts Valley (and drink the beer at the Swift Street Courtyard in Santa Cruz). Go to First Saturday at EASY in Emeryville (and peek at the Luxo lamp at Pixar across the street and '30's Alfas at Bruce Trenery's Fantasy Junction down the street). Eat oysters on the shores of Tomales Bay at Hog Island Oyster Co. (and drive Pete Stout's Excellence "Test Loop")...

[oddmund]

pack for extreme temp variation. I would say from 30 to 100+ degree F

Over here it was 45 degrees F this morning and raining so we will bring our "normal" clothing as well as t-shirts.

[oddmund]

The most important thing to remember is that "California" is the equivalent of "France". Very big. Very diverse. Some parts are very crowded. Some parts are very desolate. The food, wine, and beer are very good just about everywhere these days. Like everywhere else, some of the best things are WAY off the beaten path. Drop in on the Solvang Fun Run (and taste Pinot -- or Merlot -- in Santa Inez). Go to Bruce Canepa's showroom and museum in Scotts Valley (and drink the beer at the Swift Street Courtyard in Santa Cruz). Go to First Saturday at EASY in Emeryville (and peek at the Luxo lamp at Pixar across the street and '30's Alfas at Bruce Trenery's Fantasy Junction down the street). Eat oysters on the shores of Tomales Bay at Hog Island Oyster Co. (and drive Pete Stout's Excellence "Test Loop")...

We know we will experience just a fraction of Californian nature and culture. Thats why your tips and suggestions are important to us. When traveling here in Europe - Germany, France, Italy, Spain - we try to focus on a district or a region and stay there for a week (or so) - in a small place "of the beaten path". To consentrate on the Central coast - Solvang, Harvest festival in Paso Robles, Monterey and a then a trip to Yosemite before heading to SF might be wise?

When traveling here in Europe - Germany, France, Italy - we try to focus on a district or a region and stay there for a week (or so) in a small place "of the beaten path". (From Trondheim - where we live - to Paris is a 1400 mile drive. Just getting to the "mainland" Europe is 850 miles - so we are used to spend time behind the steering wheel)

I subscribe to "Excellence" and might try the "test loop" even if the rented car will be an Impala :-) Maybe one can rent a Corvette or a 911 for a day?

[deluxeco]

Hertz rents corvettes. Bright yellow with a black stripe. They're hard to miss. They seem to have them at airport sites, including the Santa Barbara airport. Best rent car for the Hwy 1 trip to Monterey. Once you figure out how to see past the front of the car you can make the most of the limited (legal) passing opportunities between Cambria and Monterey. 911 rentals I haven't seen other than in Los Angeles for $$$.

If in Solvang, for dinner, Hitching Post II in nearby Buellton for steaks cooked over an oak wood fire, accompanied by real suburban americana for side dishes and pretty much all else, but a superior steak.

Bir Sur Bakery in Big Sur for wood fired, attention to detail, food and drink. And shockingly expensive gasoline, but still a bargain price for europeans, I suppose.

If you can't get to Tomales Bay, for oysters or clam chowder try Hog Island Oyster at the Ferry Building at the Embarcadero in San Francisco.