Ten Fifty-nine

[LongRanger]

Lucia . . .

. . . an unincorporated community in Monterey County, California . . . located 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Lopez Point . . elevation of 354 feet (108 m) . . . one of the three small settlements of restaurants, and motels located along State Route 1 on the Big Sur coast . . .

. . . A post office operated at Lucia from 1900 to 1933, moving in 1906, and from 1936 to 1938 . . . The name honors Lucia Dani, its first postmaster . . . The movie Zandy's Bride is loosely based on the Harlan clan that still operates the facilities . . .

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucia,_California

No gas

[LongRanger]

From Lucia North, apart from a kink-or-three, The One flies . . .

. . . and, barring any landslides, fires --- or large mammalian darters . . . this'll be the fastest stretch

[Type911]

Rick,
Great pictures. Makes me want to drive the 1 again. On my way to my first Treffen I stopped off at a friends house in Cayucos. After a nice visit, I told her I'm meeting a bunch of car guys up at the Quail in Carmel Valley. How long do you estimate that should take me? She says ohh probably 2 hours or so, maybe more with traffic. It's a wednesday afternoon, overcast skies (not good ocean viewing weather) so I set out to the Quail in my 70E with the V1 riding shotgun. Not a soul on the road, flat hauled ass...pulled in at 1:20. Looked at the ocean once or twice, but mainly the tach. Best drive I ever took in that car.

[LongRanger]

. . . Makes me want to drive the 1 again . . . Looked at the ocean once or twice, but mainly the tach. Best drive I ever took in that car . . .

Hey, Chris! . . .

Yeah --- nothing like it

I know that the day'll come when all I can do on The One is be a tourist . . .

. . . or look at these pictures . . . try to remember. That's why so many


But --- 'til then? . . .

Slow traffic keep right --- even if it's me


PS 1:20? F@&k me!

[LongRanger]

Coming up on Pfeiffer State Park, The One starts coiling again --- 8-9 miles-worth? . . . then courses back inland, up behind Big Sur --- Spanish for The Big South, literally . . . referring to all the country south of the Monterey Peninsula

Anyway, any traffic that I haven’t gotten past usually‘ll be bunched-up here . . .

. . . me with it

[LongRanger]

The Big Problem w/ CA traffic is that . . . Slower Traffic refuses to make way for Faster. Lane-banditry is pretty-much an epidemic, here --- so . . . getting stuck behind Slower Traffic is something that I’ve gotten used to/have to put up with/adjust for . . .

Even before they double-striped everything --- making any over-taking/passing a less-frequent/-legal remedy for lolly-gagging . . . CalTrans saw fit to festoon all manner of ‘turn-outs’ + ‘vista points’ on The One . . . to let Slower Traffic make way for Faster

NOBODY uses 'em --- unless they’re from another country. ‘Vista points’ are one thing, maybe --- the scenery’s spectacular, so who wouldn’t wanna stop + look . . . but letting faster traffic pass? . . .

Nope

There’s even a legal remedy. Some years back, I once saw this brief TV bit --- ‘public service’ kinda thing . . . about ‘new laws’ taking effect in the up-coming year. Not the kinda thing that usually makes an impression . . .

. . . but this one I remember --- still . . .

. . . V C Section 21656 . . .

. . . Turning Out of Slow-Moving Vehicles
21656. On a two-lane highway where passing is unsafe because of traffic in the opposite direction or other conditions, a slow-moving vehicle, including a passenger vehicle, behind which five or more vehicles are formed in line, shall turn off the roadway at the nearest place designated as a turnout by signs erected by the authority having jurisdiction over the highway, or wherever sufficient area for a safe turnout exists, in order to permit the vehicles following it to proceed. As used in this section a slow-moving vehicle is one which is proceeding at a rate of speed less than the normal flow of traffic at the particular time and place . . .

Lovely! --- one truly stirring piece of legislation, yet? . . .

. . . I have never read/heard/seen anyone ever cited for violating this section of the vehicle code

Hmmm


My first drives on The One were in low-powered cars --- Volkswagens . . . specifically Type III + Type I. Hilarious --- + huge fun. Even back then, traffic was an issue but, w/ a little patience, and with not-very-promising equipment . . . I could eventually work my way past almost anything. Since then, CalTrans’ double-striping’s taken away some of my favorite passing spots --- corners . . . but, then again . . .

. . . 1059’s not low-powered

What I used to do with polity + finesse in VW? . . . I now do with noise + fury in a Porsche

1059's small and not-too-impressive-looking --- especially at speed. No wings, no flairs, no stripes or addenda to say anything was 'up.' Most of the Slower Traffic I came up on prolly only glimpsed a lithe/slim little green shape slinking up from behind, then peeking up over their trunk lid . . . close but hardly ----

WAIT! --------- what’s that . . . . . Sound?


rrrrrrrrRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

I call it Tigersound. At first low, bassy, a bit epiglottal + breathy, then deeper, deeper again, deeper still --- then louder, howly ---- valves + chains + stacks + pipes --- I can see the Slower Traffic's eye-whites ---- fixed

Rolling up on anyone at 4500 in 2nd --- half the drivers I zoomed-in on pretty-much never took their eyes of their rear-views . . . some almost to the point of plowing into the same cliff-walls that all of 1059’s wowling + baying + caterwauling was bouncing off of

Works for me

So while Slower Traffic listened? . . . . I watched. I need about 6 inches --- on any side . . . to get by just about anything ---- and it’s not like an Early 911 takes up a lotta space, anyway . . . so --- with Slower Traffic transfixed by the Sound . . . as soon as any kinda space opened-up? . . .


BAM!


That’s something about this car --- and probably any ‘S.’ The acceleration --- in 2nd + 3rd, especially . . . from ~4k-up . . . is just frickin' amazing. Even w/ the wide-ratios + long/high over-all gearing --- Porsche’s widest/highest in this car . . . 1059 just pounces. I swear, on those tighter/twistier/bumpier bits --- most of the passes I made took less than 5 car lengths --- one felt like 3 . . . I blew by that Guy just sooooo hard --- he practically stopped

Fuel economy? Bah!
Oil usage? There’re prolly still 2 quarts dripping off/out-from-under her tail
Brakes? Barely touched ‘em --- change-down + engine-braking

Oh-yeah --- and how 'bout a nice round of applause? . . . . . . . for high-compression



Why I drive a Porsche

[LongRanger]

Clear! . . . . . . . . .

[LongRanger]

. . . . still! . . . .

[LongRanger]

Coming-up on Pfeiffer . . .

. . . and all this netting

[LongRanger]

The stretch from Pfeiffer + thru Big Sur is a totally different setting. Speed limits . . . but all I usually see here are Rangers. I cool it thru here

Heavily forested, here --- and I mean, the trees crowd along + loom over the road. Tough to see what’s under there, too --- the sun is bright/blinding + the shadows deep. It’s also HOT. The coast is usually cooler, anyway --- the ocean is basically a gigantic air-conditioner . . . but here, just a few miles on . . . roasty-hot

Killed the heater

Foot-traffic at the road-side, too. Hiking, here. Watch for darters

Gas + accomodations = $