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