Ten Fifty-nine

[LongRanger]

The next two gauges weren't coming out. It looked like the tach wouldn't come out w/o some dis-assembly of the plastic cover around the steering column . . . and the speedo? --- no way . . . felt like there was some heavy/big-a$$ stuff hanging off the back of that bit, so . . .

. . . on to the clock

Honestly? . . . I wasn't expecting much here. Porsche's electric clocks are famous for failing, like, almost immediately --- even when they were new. So, I'd figured/expected that this one may've been replaced, already --- maybe even several times, so . . . a 'junk' date, I'm thinking

Uh-uh



1) Kinda hard to make-out the month --- but the year = '69'

2) OK --- month = '1-something'

3) On to one side --- hmm . . .

4) . . . then the other --- tah-dah! 5th date = 10.69

5) Even more interesting. 'Kienzle'? Printed on the face + also molded on the back

Turns out, this is one of Germany's oldest watch-makers . . .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kienzle_Uhren

I never knew that

This gauge/clock was un-plugged, by-the-way --- even the light-bulb was taped-up, back inside the dash . . . and had been so for a while. The easiest gauge to remove, too

Wonder if this'll clean-up + work?

[LongRanger]

I've been thinking about driving California's Pacific Coast Highway, aka PCH, aka CA-1 --- but, I just call it The One . . . for a while, now. Finally got to it, Monday, 01-Jul

I managed to miss the Spring driving season --- the best time, for weather + traffic + etc, IMO . . . so, when The Company shut-down for a week at the end of our fiscal year . . . didn't take much for me to drag The Nasty Car out for a Car Day

. . . a drive --- just to drive

. . . and --- after 4 years(!) . . . this'd be 1059's first trip on The One

No real preparation. 1059's a Runner so she's always good-to-go. Tanked-up the night before + checked the oil --- was gonna check the tires, but couldn't find my pressure gauge that usually lives in the trunk . . . no idea where that went . . . but the tires looked fine, so? . . .

Tally ho!



On-the-road: time = 06:48 PDST, km = 72784

1) We'd had some hot + nasty weather the week before --- >100F/38C . . . so the clouds were kinda unexpected. And relief = zero. Muggy. As. Hell

2) This was a Work Day, still --- so I'd figured to have the Hwys to myself. CA-118 WB

3) . . . and I sorta did . . .

4) . . . 'till I sorta didn't

Rather than doing combat in traffic on US-101 NB all the way out to Ventura, I bugged-off at one of the old rural roads --- CA-23 WB . . . and cut through Moorpark/behind Camarillo. A bit more scenic, too . . . 'cept for the trucks. Big farming area = Big trucks

[LongRanger]

1) Things cleared, eventually

2) + 3) Some fog = standard stuff --- especially as you get close to the coast . . . even in July. Easily a 20F/7C drop from the house, too

4) CA-23 WB. Not the fastest way to go, maybe --- ~50MpH/80KpH. . . but country roads = smooth-sailing

5) Connected w/ US-101 NB, just before Ventura




Looking good, traffic-wise + 37 mi = 60km

[LongRanger]

From Ventura, US-101 NB runs off along the coast, past Seacliff, Carpenteria --- actually co-mingling w/ The One, more-than-not . . . not separating again 'till Gaviota

Anyway, point is that this stretch looks pretty much like any other semi-anonymous hwy, anywhere. Only real excitement/distraction on offer is when there's an accident . . . or some of the seemingly-never-ending construction projects that plague this part of the route

I mean --- if this is just regular Monday morning 'commuter-type' traffic, heading out to Santa Barbara, then you can just imagine Friday/Sunday eves . . . w/ campers + boats + college kids + misc sight-seers, all flooding this piece o' road. Now, add some beach-goers, scrambling to get into their cars, all parked road-side --- then trying to move-off + merge in. Nasty --- especially during bikini season

Anyway, things slowed-down here, but never totally stopped --- adding, maybe 15-20 mins. But, at least, there's some coast-line for company, right? I got cold, here . . . turned-on the heat

At the North end of Santa Barbara, I get off at CA-154 --- Lake Cachuma. More scenery + less traffic + shaves-off about 20 mi/min . . .

Pesky Prii . . . = another obstruction in the arteries of commerce

[LongRanger]

CA-154 is a two-lane/two-way up to the San Marcos Pass, so . . . it can be a bit of a slog --- especially if you get caught behind a herd of Winnebagos out to shave some time off their trip. There are signs posted --- all along the way . . .

. . . SLOW TRAFFIC KEEP RIGHT . . .

. . . SLOW TRAFFIC USE TURN-OUTS . . .

Nothing doin.' Nobody moves over to let faster traffic through. It seems that the only time anyone speeds up is when the passing lanes come up . . . . and slower traffic comes alive --- to try to keep everybody behind them! Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice. I think some of these Jaspers actually enjoy the company of all the drivers they torture . . . dragging their boats --- and their butts . . . through here

There are places to pass --- dotted-line + passing lanes. But it used to be that virtually the entire stretch --- from the US-101 to Los Olivos . . . was dotted-line/pass-when-its-safe-to-do-so. CalTrans saw fit to change all that about a dozen years ago --- double-striping about 95% of the 154. That, and a surprising amount of Law Enforcement, kinda put the Kibosh on what used to be some pretty hilarious/OMG-I-can't-believe-we're-still-alive kinda drives

Its still scenic, but it's just prettier/greener before May. And always cooler on the Pacific side. Past the Pass --- it can hit the 100s F/38 C . . . nasty-hot

Road looked brand-new, spotless + smooth

[mcaterino]

I live more or less at the base of 154 in Santa Barbara, and it IS always beckoning. About one in three outings offers up some clear road. When you've gotta get to the wine country, though, what are you gonna do?

Fun to see other folks enjoying the neighborhood. Another little shortcut, from Cathedral Oaks up Old San Marcos Rd. to get to 154 can be fun.

Mike

[LongRanger]

. . . I live more or less at the base of 154 in Santa Barbara, and it IS always beckoning . . . Fun to see other folks enjoying the neighborhood . . .

Hey, Mike . . .

Yeah --- taking US-101 thru SB can be a pain, sometimes. Another way that I sometimes take, to get around The Mess, is Salinas-Alameda etc/Mission Canyon/Foothill . . . I think? Slow-but-steady --- surface streets . . . but kinda scenic, still . . .

. . . and sure beats pogo-ing in traffic


I love short-cuts --- almost as much as the long ones. Great excuse to get a 'little' lost . . . maybe see a place that I wouldn't know about otherwise

OH! --- and, by-the-way, Bill ---

. . . The next time you go north take Jolon Road. You pick it up just north of Camp Roberts and it drops you back on 101 just past King City. Beautiful 2 lane road through the country side. Very light traffic, good for opening it up. When I lived in OC in the 70's and had my 67S I used to take this road when I went north. Hit 120 once but it was pretty scary, front end was very light . . .

. . . I have NOT forgotten

Zovig + I + 1059 are going to Monterey, next month --- Legends of the Autobahn . . . so . . .

[TeeItUp]

Rick,

I'll be at Legends also. Just signed up for the corral, will be driving a 94 C2 coupe, midnight blue. Look forward to meeting you.

[LongRanger]

From where CA-154 re-joins US-101, it’s about another hour/60 mi/96 km to San Luis Obispo . . . which is where I usually get on The One . . . which is sorta wandering/meandering North out around Lompoc/Vandenberg AFB, some miles to the West

Pleasant-enough drive, for the most part. Rolling hills w/ tough/compact oaks scattered across ranchland, mostly --- some homesteady-kinda places, here + there . . . but vineyards started showing-up, about 5 years ago --- and’ve been spreading since. CHP haunts this stretch, too. Planes watch the roadway, from a distance . . . then dispatch Pursuit cars platooned at some of the merges . . . especially around Los Alamos. I’ve never been tagged here . . . but lotsa people have

Things straighten-/spread-out down thru Santa Maria --- good for gas + food + even some outlets(!) . . . then Nipomo, Arroyo Grande, Pismo . . . w/ the dunes. Just watch --- this'll all be solid sub-divisions in the next ten years. Keep in mind --- I-5, ~50mi to the East, is always gonna be faster, getting up North . . . so bombing up US-101 is just gonna getcha in more trouble. Best to relax, enjoy the sights . . . or go at night. Or when it rains

1059 is a total train, here. And the more I drive her --- the better she runs . . . cool, as always --- w/ steady oil pressure + level. It was nice here, temp-wise. I still feel some kinda vibration/harmonic --- + still around ~3k . . . but doesn’t detract/distract. Car settles in to this mellow-feeling pace . . . and just eats-up the miles. The roadway is immaculate --- but the wheel's still chatty. It’s never boring around this office

I took some pics, along the way --- inside the car . . . and seeing them now, w/ how I ‘fit,’ it looks like I’m kinda smooshed-in there --- size-13s, pedals, wire cluster hanging down, extinguisher, funky coco mats, etc. I’ll admit that The Nasty Car is tight --- especially around my head . . . but I only notice it, when I first get in --- then? . . . don’t notice it at all + get pretty cozy in there --- especially when I pull the head-rest off

All the controls are easy to work/get to . . . except for maybe the far-right fan/vent settings. For those, I have to stretch + get my back off the seat-back . . . and also to get to the pass-side window switch. There’s a replacement lift-motor on that side, and --- since ’70 lift-motors + switches are unique . . . the ’70 driver’s-side switch isn’t talking w/ that not-‘70 pass-side lift

I don’t mind. Nothing here's work . . .

. . . not, yet


Tanked-up in SLO . . . time = 09:40 PDST, km = 73166
$47.75 @$4.459/gal (yeeouch!) = 22.2 MpG on that tank (!!)

[LongRanger]

I like SLO. Spread over some the hills, ~10 miles from the Pacific, on the Central Coast, quieter/older/smaller . . . the place feels like I’d imagine all of California would’ve been like . . . maybe back in the 50s? Town has a lot of these nifty old clapboard homes. Where I grew-up + live, everything’s been stucco --- or concrete push-up . . . forever

Trying to be cloudy when I got there . . . but the sun’s hot. I stopped but didn’t get anything --- I’d had breakfast when I left home . . . just tanked-up . . . hung around for few minutes . . . wondered what it’d be like to live here --- then . . . off

The road’s marked . . . but it’s not a promising start. Disguised as Santa Rosa Blvd, it ambles along, up-and-down the slopes of downtown, wandering more-or-less North. Gas stations, some shops, fast food, coupla hotels, a park + a market . . . Cal Poly’s just East. Traffic coasts along --- and there’s not a lot of it . . . but a lotta lazy lights. I swear . . . everything feels like it’s going in slow-motion, here

Then the cars thin/spread-out --- buildings, too . . . and the town drifts away . . . and I’m in the country, again . . . on my way . . .