Ten Fifty-nine

I've been Jonesin' for a Road Trip ever since the Nasty Car came back from service --- and not just a few hours driving/toodling 'round somewhere, either. . . but a proper 'day behind wheel' kinda deal. I had hoped that the 4-day Thanksgiving week-end would gimme the time, but . . . events conspired, etc

Carpet-cleaning, Nasty Dogs, Black Friday . . . I love my family, but sometimes? --- it really is all I can do to keep from screaming. Nasty Car's been sitting for weeks, too

Was about to give up, wait 'till the Christmas Shutdown, then? . . .

. . . I heard about J-Lo's trip . . .

. . . from England! . . .

. . . to L.A., collect her car, then drive it cross-country . . .

. . . solo!


If someone can come all the way from Jolly Olde to pick-up their car + drive it half-ways back? --- by themselves? . . .

. . . then I can find a way to get behind the wheel of mine --- even if it's only for a few hours


Weather was perfect, too. We'd had some rain, about a week ago . . . but then it was warming- + drying-up, again. I'd hoped to go up the coast on The One, but that would take most of a day. I could only take three-maybe-four hours. And I didn't wanna do the 'same-old' . . . wanted to go some place different, so? . . .

Ortega Highway, aka CA Rt 74 --- runs between San Juan Capistrano, on the coast, and Lake Elsinore. Two lanes, ambling around out there in the middle of No Where . . . windy, twisty, scary. Empty. Used to drive it about once-a-month, back about 30 years ago. Lotsa development going in/around the area, since --- spreading/sprawling East from SJC . . . only recently slowed/stopped courtesy of our recent Economic Downturn. But just before all that, someone managed to initiate + complete a Hwy Re-Dev't project that attempted to civilize/de-fang the Ole Ortega . . . what w/ all the traffic coming over from Elsinore, etc

Heard about the changes --- years, ago . . . but haven't been on that road since, well --- years, ago, too, so? . . .

Late start --- got to SJC ~7:45 . . . quiet, few cars, gloomy/foggy at the coast then clearing East. Two lanes + not-much-passing, so . . . fingers crossed . . .

1) and 2) The first 10 miles or so are fairly straight . . . and I spent them behind Slower Traffic. One, actually. 'Turn outs' provided . . . taken --- not

3) Ortega's always been a draw for Motorpsycles. Here's one in a stick o' six that cruised by . . . heading for those storied twisty bits

4) I got clear, eventually

I like to think of myself as a decent driver --- more competent than fast. Then again . . . I 'flew' my first car when I was 19, so I already know that I have more courage than ability/skill . . . a most unfortunate combination, lethal. But --- I do love to drive, so . . .

. . . I still look for roads where I can have some fun --- meaning . . . drive kinda fast, get the car to slide around some, heat-up the engine + trans + brakes, tell myself I gave the car a good work-out . . . then come home

In one piece/under my own power

W/ three exceptions . . . I've been doing just that for the last thirty-six years/one-point-two million-or-so miles

Now, most of The Ortega runs through Cleveland National Forest --- no big towns = light traffic = fun w/ cars, etc. Anyway, Way Back, one of the 'sights' to be seen along the road were all the burned/rusted/bullet-riddled wrecks piled-up down in all the gullies/canyons/crevices that line the West Side. Which, if one's courage exceeded one's car-skills --- or one'd recently survived an un-planned car flight . . . would serve to remind one that Life Is Short (stupid)

I'm guessing that they'd prolly cleaned-up all that reminder/wreckage when they'd Re-Dev't the Ortega --- or, at least hidden it behind some nicer/more attractive hardscaping

So, when I got up into the hills/curves/corners --- saw smoke . . . I remembered

One o' those cars parked-up is a late-model GT3-RS --- looked like a half-cage, through the back window. Still there, later, when I came back . . . 'playmates'?

Regularly scheduled programming

2nd-/3rd-gear stuff, >3k. Had the road to myself going up . . . fun-n-easy. 1059 was playing nice --- road-surface looked brand-new so all I had to do was keep the tail 'back there' . . . and not hit anything . . .

. . . and see the sights . . .

. . . not make smoke

The Climb to the Top is short . . . well, shorter than I remembered

Straightway/stretch as I come up to the top . . . nice place to cool-off/take a breath, see the sights . . . take a pic

Car did fine. Ok-OK --- a little/light oil schmutz on her license panel . . . but . . .

. . . no drips

Elev = 2645 (?)

Elsinore. Not much to see. I thought about going down --- nice/steep grade but dull . . . maybe 6 decent corners all the way down. And it's only Elsinore

Pass

It's Thanksgiving so the restaurant over-looking was closed/deserted. I thought that maybe I'd see some bikes, hanging-out, but . . . only ones I saw were moving. In fact, not much traffic, at all . . .

. . . just a bunch of Emergency Vehicles

Also --- steering wheel's embossed! . . . never noticed that before

I spent three hours reading your thread and I have enjoyed every minute of it and it has ignited something in me I haven't felt in awhile, passion. Tomorrow morning I will wake up early, head to the shop and start back on the restoration of my early beetle.

TY!!

Went back the way I came

I'd only seen a few cars, all morning --- and almost no one heading out to SJC from Elsinore, so . . .

With perfect weather, a smooth road, and virtually no traffic . . . and a little time on my hands . . . rolling down The Ortega at a lazy-fast pace was down-right relaxing. 1059 feels torquey enough to pull cleanly at almost any engine speed, and w/ all the other running issues settled . . . I just ran the revs up/down to suit, changing up/down as req'd

The 901 is no longer something I much think about. I'm only self-conscious about selecting when moving off from a dead-stop . . . the rest of the time, I just drive. The earlier stiffness/'balkiness' about going across the gate --- from 3rd-up-to-4th + back . . . has gone, probably having 'broken-in' w/ more use, I'm thinking. I'm probably shifting slower, too . . . but I'm doing the same w/ my Every Day, and even that car feels better for it. I really enjoy feeling the 'box work

The noises, too. Accelerating, I can hear the music/whine of all the gears taking the power out to the tires, higher + higher . . . then hearing another different set of notes, when I lift --- as the tires pull the car's speed down, dragging back on the other side of those same gears --- a lower register. I could look at the tach, watch my progress . . . but more + more . . . I just listen . . . push on + ease off the throttle, to try to keep the gear song 'just so'

I can hear everything --- feel everything . . . touch this, tug here, press not-so-hard now, wait a moment for the car + the road + and all the little signals coming through all the touch-points to play out . . . then --- recognize/consider/adjust . . . . . . repeat

I don't know/care how fast I'm going

Right now? . . . I have this time + this road + this car . . . . to enjoy

So satisfying

So thankful

Some Fall colors . . . .

Kinda green, I know --- but Winter's always kinda late around here

1059 rides + tracks wonderfully --- not a race car . . . just a fun/steady/stable partner to play with . . .

. . . and take pictures from ;)

Looks like a wonderful drive!!!