Another Road Trip - Monterey to Chicago

[t6dpilot]

So you get to see another road trip thread posted by the ubiquitous road trippers - the MW R Gruppe posse. The only difference with this one is that it is a Gruppe of one car - me, my father, and my ride. I tried to get our MW leader to bring his car home with me, but I do believe that the Grey Wolf has found a semi-permanent home in SoCal. I thought that Jared might join us for part of the ride, but his business commitments kept him from making the trip to Monterey. Bummer - it is always more fun with multiple cars/drivers.

I really hate to leave SoCal with it as my car is made for those roads, but nevertheless I want the car home so I can do some things to it. Plus, I have been looking for an excuse to run the back roads through CA, NV, UT, and CO before hitting the long slog through the MW interstates. Plus, it gives me an excellent excuse to make the return drive to Treffen with Aaron, who has a 69E two VIN numbers from mine 119200056 IIRC.

OK, a little background... My father is a long time car collector and vintage racer who has had to give up racing due to physical limitations and eyesight problems. He has been involved in MW vintage racing so long that he was there at Road America for the second event started by Joe Marchetti and the Chicago Historic Races when there were real TRs, GTOs, SWBs, D-Types, Cobras, ect, ect regularly raced. He originally raced a former Cali built MGA Twin Cam, then tried Group 6 for a number of years in a 289 Cobra, and finished his time with an Elva MKIII built by Bob Akin Racing. These races are now known as the KIC and is the largest vintage venue outside the Monterey Historics (I think??). Anyway, he has been involved in this stuff for so long, but has not been to Monterey. He could see all those cars that he enjoyed as a kid and raced against later in life - that you don't see on the track any longer except for Monterey. So I thought that I would bring him to the events before he lost his ability to enjoy them. Then we could do that classic father/son cross-country road trip.

So we did the races and Pebble and then hit the road..... Our plan was to get to Telluride, CO in two days all via two-lane roads and scenic byways. Pretty tall task considering we left Monterey at noon after attending Pebble. I hope you enjoy some pics from our little trip.

[t6dpilot]

1. We started the day here in the early am before the crowds hit. I got some great shots since there was little traffic.

2. Train racing somewhere outside Merced, CA

3. We took a spin through Yosemite to capture my car and El Capitan.

4. More Yosemite.

This was a nice run, but that was a total slog in and out of the national park property. Lots of vacationers who drive really friggin slow!

[t6dpilot]

1. Tenaya Lake on our way down from Yosemite.

2. Approaching Mono Lake out of Yosemite. Route 120 out of Mono Lake to Route 6 was a superb suprise. I loved that road - dips and great curves through desert forest. Awesome. I had a hard time downloading those photos from a different camera, but will get a few posted later.

3. Above Benton Springs, NV at sunset (pop. 13 1/2)

4. Found some potential toys in that sleepy little town.

5. Shadow at sunset somewhere in NV.

[t6dpilot]

clicked submit too quick.

[karlusmagnus]

Very cool Scott. Where are you guys now? Sounds like a great father son trip all right .... keep us posted with more pics ...

[t6dpilot]

Karl, now don't you think you are getting ahead of yourself? I will get to that in due time through photo postings. Suffice it to say that we are resting in a very comfortable and spectacular location.

1. Departing Mono Lake on the beginning of that great part of NV 120.

2. Disclaimer: this is only a representative photo pulled anonomously off the web to show what fun one could have if one were so inclined on the sparsely populated roads of the desert. Not us, of course.

[John Fusco]

That is so great you were able to do that with your father.
I was planning on making the trip out to Monterey with my dad in my car but instead got promoted at work.
I could not pass up the job but I REALLY hope I will not end up regretting it.

Great car, great pics, great, great, great...

[t6dpilot]

OK, got the other camera downloaded, so here are some more. Backtracking a little bit...

1. Fields of central CA

2. This is why it is maddening driving good roads around national parks.

3. Above Yosemite these are spectacular roads - once I dispensed of the SUV, bike toting, camper hauling tourists.

[t6dpilot]

1. Car ran pretty good at all altitudes, although down on power. Passing said slow cars/SUVs was a planning and momentum deal.

2. This is the beginning of the road out of Mono Lake area. You can just make out the dips and curves ahead. Sorry I could not get a better pic immersed in the twisties - I was a little busy.

3. Definitely the road less traveled. On route to Tonopah, NV for an overnight.

[LKreg]

Scott,
Fantastic photos...scenery and car!
Vicarious thrill for the rest of us.
Please keep them coming.
Thanks,
Leon Kreger