2002 Monterey Trip Itinerary:
Wednesday, 8/14
NCRS @ Laguna Seca.
MDO Road Tour & dinner.
NCRS @ Laguna Seca
A fantastic late addition to the NCRS schedule was this trip out to the Laguna Seca
race track where the Monterey Historic Races will be held this coming weekend.
Lining up at Fisherman's Wharf parking lot.
Arrival at Laguna Seca.
On the track! We got 3 laps: "Parade laps" regrettably, but that
"Corkscrew" turn was still a heart stopper, even at 30 mph!
Stop on main straight for souvenirs, etc.
Bill & Chris Nichols with the Duntov Award '67. Yes, he's already driving it.
Bill took this of/for me.
Brain cancer survivor Dave Herbert and wife Annie, enjoying life in this beautiful '64...
Monterey Del Oro Road Tour
From the Hyatt, we headed South on Highway 1,
then turned inland on Carmel Valley Rd.
If it looks like there are 3 heads in that bronze '56, there are!
We were treated to rapidly changing scenery along this winding road:
Most people on the Tour elected to short-cut the route to go back to the restaurant
where the dinner was to be held. The more adventurous few of us continued the
planned tour, going South on US 101 for about 25 miles or so. Then we turned
West again which eventually brought us through a military base, Fort Hunter Liggett.
Here the directions failed us, and 5 of us converged at a desolate intersection
from different directions, thoroughly confused. GPS to the rescue! On my
laptop, I could see the road we were supposed to be on to get back to
the coast, and a way to get to it, so I became the leader.
We quickly found the road we needed, and all seemed well. We stopped for an
XK120 Jag that was broken down. Bad fuel pump (what are the chances of that, huh?).
Someone was on the way to get a replacement.
We resumed our run to the coast, but I was now getting "Low Fuel" warnings. No problem, that's good for about 45 miles, and on the map it looked like only about 20 miles out to the coast and Highway 1. Yeah, right! As the crow flies, maybe. But this was the crookedest road I have EVER driven! Look it up: Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd., also known as Forest Rt. 22S01, through Los Padres National Forest in Lockwood, CA., nothing but blind 180 switchbacks, with radical changes in elevation. (This was before I had heard of the "Tail of the Dragon.") It would have been a lot more fun if I wasn't beginning to really worry about the gas, and catching stuff that was sliding out of the back. I finished with the camera tripod in my lap. Not many photos during this stretch! Glimpses of the ocean tormented us for miles.
Finally, Coastal Highway 1, and gas!
??? Coastal Route 1... and No Gas? As I nursed the Vette North, I was watching continuously for the escape to the shoulder for when it finally died. For 45 minutes!! It was 30 miles North, past some spectacular scenery, that I found the first gas. Overjoyed as I was to pay $2.789/gal. for some Shell premium, needless to say I did NOT fill it up. That price is NOT a typo! Those people obviously knew what they had. (ps: gas was normally under $2 then)
As I said, the scenery was spectacular, bordering on surreal!
At last, dinner at Baja Cantina in Carmel, with Chaz & Gael Cone and Jackie & Buzz Nielsen.
Good food, good company and GOOD BEER.
What a day...