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ViewsTour de California 1999From NSX-Wiki[edit]
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When I reached Highway 1, it was deserted. The road was wide and the pavement great, so I blasted north right on past Limekiln to get some coastal miles into this trip. The RS*R sounded great at speed with the window down. I turned around at the first construction zone and blasted back, and the road was still deserted. I started thinking: here I am at 7:30AM on Highway 1 with nobody else around. Why don't I just continue south instead of taking the inland route?
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Could I really drop all my carefully made plans just like that? Could I forget about the shower and get going right now? HELL YES!
I had my best coastal run ever, not having to pass any non-stopped cars for the *entire length* of the half-hour run to the Hearst Castle. I stopped for several photos, which kept my average speed down, which may have helped. About 6 miles north of the Hearst Castle is a long straight that was completely deserted, except for a red car very briefly peaking at 140 mph.
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At Cambria, I decided to check out Santa Rosa Creek Road, which the MR2 people have rallied on. In a word, the road stinks. Far better was Vineyard Road north from 46 to Adelaida. This road is both superb for driving and as scenic as any rural area you'll find. It has elaborate houses, ranches, and wineries one after the other. Imagine the Napa Valley with rolling hills. It's even a bit more scenic than any of the many roads I've seen in the south of France. I had scheduled Vineyard Road for the return trip, so I felt fortunate that my Highway 1 detour caused Adelaida to be on the way to resumption of my planned Day Two route.
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I continued east on Chimney Rock Road, which is almost as scenic. I kept stopping to take pictures, especially when I saw the rocky peak ahead that was clearly chimney-shaped. Next time you're driving 101 near Paso Robles, make it a point to detour to Adelaida. Regardless of what you're driving, you won't regret it. Event organizers should put this on the itinerary for the next Hearst Castle get-together. By the way, the map says I drove right by Adelaida, but I say there wasn't any town or village or anything there.
I drove Vineyard Canyon Road to Parkfield, where I saw the bridge distorted by motion of the San Andreas Fault, then Cholame Valley Road to Cholame. These are decent, but not rally quality roads. In addition, on Cholame Valley Road I encountered the plague of grasshoppers exactly as described by Al Terpak a few weeks ago. Fortunately, my radiator, like Al's, was protected by the GrasshopperShield(TM).
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Bitterwater Road south off Highway 46 turned out to be under construction, and inferior in any case, according to the nice young lady at the truck stop near Cholame. Following her advice, I ended up taking Truesdale Road and Shell Creek Road south from Shandon, both of which are absolutely superb, with some decent scenery, to Highway 58. At one point the road adjoins an unfenced cattle grazing range, the first time I've seen so many cattle wandering freely so close to the road. They liked the RS*R. Mooooo.....
Highway 58 was great, especially the descent into Santa Margarita. I encountered zero cars in my direction almost all the way from Shandon to Santa Margarita. This on the busiest travel weekend in years, according to the media.
From Santa Maria, I took 166 east, which was crowded and frustrating. I exited south on Tepusquet Road, which is far too narrow for rally use. Foxen Canyon Road is good, but it carries a fair amount of auto traffic. "Highway" 192 across the upper end of Santa Barbara is crowded at first, but gets better after passing south of town.
Highway 150 to Ojai is far better, and only road in the bunch that comes close to 58 in driving enjoyment. Climbing this hill I spotted a motorcyclist stopped before a turn, with his back toward me. To show that I wasn't a gold-chain dilettante, I executed a rev-matching downshift to second and powered around the turn at 5 or 6 k rpm. This road is wide and fast.
I had planned to drive north from Ojai to camp in Angeles National Forest, but I stopped first at the ranger station in Ojai. They told me that all the pavement-accessible sites were full, so I switched to a county campground in Ojai. It was there that I discovered that my NSX indeed has "character": the inside edges of my front tires were nearly worn out! At this point I might have a day or two of use, but I probably need to change them before returning to northern California. I sent an SOS to the Southwest mailing list to see if I could find a set of front 15" tires over the weekend, preferably partly used to match the rears.
I washed the car again, covered it, got a hot shower (wow!), and the nice campground lady even let me use a phone jack for my 800 number Internet connection to send my request for tire help to the Southwest email list. So I was a pretty happy camper. :-)
I plan to run the canyons on Day Three, and check the front tires at the end of each of the loops as I approach civilization. If I see cords, I'll likely cut the drive short and head to Redondo Beach.
Elapsed miles at end of Day Two: 690
Day Three (Sunday, July 4)
have worn out so quickly. Then I realized that when I put them on the car, they had been worn slightly more on the outside than the inside, due to previous track use. This meant that the inside wear was rapid indeed, and that I was likely to see cords well before the end of the day. It was time for an executive
decision.I turned around and headed back to Ojai, where the fellows at a gas station dismounted the front tires and flipped them for me, so that the worn insides were now on the outside. My hope was to drive one or two days before seeing cords, or long enough to get new tires one way or another.
Back on the road, I enjoyed an excellent climb over a pass on Highway 33, with very little other traffic. Lockwood Valley Road east passed through semi-arid farmland, punctuated by many bridgeless stream crossings that must get quite interesting after a rain. Lockwood has plenty of passing opportunities and light traffic, so is excellent for rallying.
Next was a loop from 138 and N2 (Pine Canyon Road) east to Lake Hughes Road south to Castaic. The southern section of Lake Hughes Road is WIDE and fast, if you're not terrified of 100 mph sweepers as I am. I kept my speed down, telling myself that it was really because of possible patrols or the state of the tires or the phase of the moon...
In this section, I encountered three identical-appearing red compact Pontiacs, followed by a Celica with large TOYOTA lettering at the top of the windshield. Perhaps some Toyota engineers were evaluating the competition? I waved to the Pontiacs (if that's what they were), and the driver of the chase car waved back.
As a general principle, I waved to anyone driving anything special on the road. Car and motorcycle enthusiasts share a common bond, and almost all of them wave back. Besides, it helps dispel any preconception that NSX drivers are stuck-up.
After completing this loop, I drove to Kendall Pond's house and got some excellent route advice. Since I had a hint of cord showing, and since I was feeling a bit tired, we deleted the more congested and less interesting sections, leaving the heart of the Canyonball.
I drove up San Francisquito Canyon, across Elizabeth Lake Road, and down Bouquet Canyon. I used Vasquez Canyon Road, where a yellow motorcycle with a fast rider dusted me, to cut over to Sand Canyon Road, which becomes Little Tujunga Road. This is the single most enthralling section of these canyon routes, so much so that I made a U-turn near the southern end and ran it back up to 14.
I was getting tired, and a spot of cord was showing as I returned to Kendall's house. Kendall let me check my email, where I found that the NSX list had come to my rescue! Specifically, Thuan Le had some front tires for me, since he was upgrading his wheels. Not only that, but Thuan was only 20 minutes from Kendall's house and could give me the tires immediately. Wow! Is this a great list or what?
I drove right over and Thuan tried without success to find a shop that was open and could swap the tires onto my rims. So Thuan went the extra mile and lent me his wheels with the tires on them until I could get them swapped onto my rims. I'll return them on my way north next Saturday. My San Diego County trip (set for Day Four) was saved, thanks to the speedy generosity of list member Thuan Le!
On reaching my father's house in Redondo Beach, I made an effort to remove the hundreds of grasshoppers from the radiator fins and from under the corners of the nose cover. This looked quite difficult, until I realized that I could simply remove my StoneShield(TM), a five-minute job, and clean it outside the car. I did so, and took a photo of a fully populated GrasshopperShield, even though many of the hoppers fell off before I took the photo. With the shield removed, I could easily spray off the remaining grasshopper parts.
The cleaning results were excellent, but I hope it was not such a good job that Murphy's Law will cause another grasshopper encounter on my return trip to northern California.
Elapsed miles at end of Day Three: 1020
Day Four (San Diego county run, with substantial route planning help from Dan Tackett)
Redondo Beach is surrounded by that urban wasteland known as the Los Angeles basin, meaning that all the interesting roads are far away. Leaving my father's house at 7:30 AM, I drove about an hour on the freeway before reaching Ortega Highway (74), which eventually opened up, with several kamikaze motorcyclists vanishing up the hill in seconds. Highway 74 is, however, too crowded for serious enjoyment. It's also heavily patrolled, due to the revenue-enhancing "double fine zone", although I didn't see any patrol cars this time.
Another half-hour of freeway driving (south on I-15) brought me to Highway 76, the route to Mount Palomar. As I approached, I saw the road cut into the side of the mountain. Uncharacteristically, I felt a bit of fear at the sight. Was this an omen, or just one of those thousands of instances of false premonitions?
The road up Mount Palomar climbs 5000 feet in 6 miles, with plenty of switchbacks, excellent pavement, and very little traffic at 9:30 AM. The one passing zone at the bottom of the hill was all I needed to have clear sailing. The steep road is relatively safe on the ascent, but it could be hazardous to descend at speed.
Despite my enthusiastic run up the hill, the NSX's temperature guage never budged from its normal mid-range position. Good thing I removed all those grasshoppers. At the top of Palomar, I stopped to check out the dinosaur 200-inch telescope. It is huge and impressive, a marvel of pre-computer engineering.
I descended East Grade Road, which is 14 miles long and much more gently sloped. It also has great views all the way to the ocean. Farther down the hill there are views to the north and east as well. In that area, I encountered a Ferrari 308 ascending, the only exotic of any kind I've yet encountered on the back roads of this trip. I'll bet he wasn't 500 miles from home, though. We smiled and waved at each other as we passed.
After Palomar, it was on to the real desert, County Highway S2 south to Ocotillo. This is not your typical flat-and-straight desert highway; there are plenty of turns and undulations as the road follows the terrain. If you're so inclined, you can get your car airborne at well over 100 mph. I didn't. (My license plate says MY F16, but that's a reference to styling, not aerobatic capabilities.) As with the impromptu off-road excursion on Day One, I was grateful to have the stock suspension, without lowering or stiffening. This road is so deserted that help would be a long, hot time in coming.
Another half-hour of freeway (east on I-8) brought me to S1, a terrific road heading back north. It has spectacular vistas both east and west, and the traffic was very light and cooperative.
I worked my way back north on 79, encountering the finest speed trap I've ever seen a few miles north of Santa Ysabel. My co-pilot Mike Valentine warned me of intermittently bursting radar ahead on a long straight. I scanned the approaching traffic for the police car, when finally I saw it parked in the very dark shade on the opposite shoulder only 100 feet ahead. What a great hiding place! The straightaway had no driveways or other signs of danger. Two minutes earlier and he might have had me.
I have to admit that it's humbling to think that the road can hold a hazard, in this case a totally concealed car able to enter the road with no warning, where even experienced drivers would never expect it.
It was still only early afternoon, and I couldn't resist re-running Palomar, this time encountering a bit more traffic. My "premonition" was just the usual nonsense.
I had enough gas left to follow 79 north to its end. This is a superb road and quite pretty. Other than the Palomar run, Highway 79 was my favorite of these roads. Since I was a bit tired, I drove much of this at 55 mph or so. In this relaxed mode, I was feeling thankful for life and very much at one with the car. I imagined Mr. Uehara and the other designers driving the car on roads just like this one, getting everything tuned just right.
The NSX is just as willing to be driven smoothly at 55 mph as at any other speed. It's as if, when you ask the NSX to speed up, it says, "I can do that". When you ask it to just cruise gently, it says, "I can do that, too." And it does your bidding eagerly and superbly.
As the author of the first Motor Trend review said, the NSX is like a golden retriever (in its overwhelming desire to please) with really good table manners (precise handling and luxurious surroundings). It's a car for all moods, rather than a car with its own attitude.
I've said it before, but there's no other car better for this kind of trip than the NSX. I need not fear any road surface or mechanical failure, so I am free to range as far as my tires will take me. :-) The fuel range is pretty good, too.
To those who want more power, I had more than enough to pass a tractor-trailer that was holding back several other cars on Highway 79. In two safe passes I cleared all 6 vehicles ahead, zipping by the truck at more than double his speed. Although I'd never turn it down, more power would have been of no real advantage at any point of this trip. It might, however, have caused me to run out of gas or it might have gotten me the ticket that I've avoided so far.
Elapsed miles: 1532
This is shaping up to be a nearly 2000-mile trip, including the long return to the Bay Area on Saturday. I think I'll add a detour through Little Tujunga Canyon to the start of my return. Just for the extra miles to put me over 2000, you understand...
Day Five (Los Angeles to San Jose)
Before leaving Los Angeles, I followed Doug Hayashi's example and drove the tunnel under the south runway at LAX, running to redline with my window down to hear the sound of the exhaust. It was indeed quite LOUD, but I prefer the sound out in the open. Also on the way out of LA, I returned Tuan Le's rims that he had lent me, now that his tires were on my old rims. Next stop: canyons!
On the way over the Sepulveda Pass on 405, I saw my first RUF Porsche ever, in an attractive light blue/gray color.
Despite not having the proper map, I found Little Tujunga Road (118 to 210 east one exit to Osborne Street and follow signs for the Ranger Station. From Little Tujunga, I took Vasquez to Bouquet Canyon Road northeast. On Bouquet, I decided to check out Spunky Canyon Road, which crosses the mountains to San Francisquito.
The first thing I noticed about Spunky Canyon Road was that the pavement was brand new and perfect. But once I started the climb over the mountain, it was clear that this was the best canyon road of them all, with great switchbacks and turns, and a lovely view of the reservoir below. I couldn't resist turning around and re-running it south, then north again.
On the southward run, I had the second scare of my trip when a motorcyclist appeared in a blind hairpin right in front of me, in the center of my lane. Good thing I was taking it easy. He managed to leave my lane without losing control, and I had my car nearly stopped. It was a yellow motorcycle, so I suppose it could have been the same guy I saw on Day Three. Whoever he is, he won't last long unless he gets more careful.
Speaking of kamikaze motorcyclists, this was two days after the news of Pete Conrad's fatal motorcycle accident, on a great road that I ran on Day Two. The news reports all mentioned that he was within the 55 mph speed limit. Unfortunately on those Highway 150 turns, the limits of physics are set somewhat lower.
If you drive Spunky Canyon, watch for the decreasing radius downhill left-hander above the reservoir, with no guardrail. It pays to take it easy on unfamiliar roads!
After a quick gas and breakfast stop, I started west through Frazier Park. At one point, I made a wrong turn and drove up Mt. Pinos. (If you ever ask your wife or girlfriend to go to Mt. Pinos, be careful with your pronunciation! It's peen-yose.) This detour was terrific, so I felt lucky to have made the wrong turn. The road through Frazier Park to Highway 33 was excellent, too, as those who drove this route to NSXPO '99 know.
After a short run up 33, I turned west on 58. The road was wide open, but the fact that it was uphill reduced my top speeds on the deserted straights. The hill climb on 58 was spectacular, and I was able to use my Yokohamas to full effect. I approached the car's limits on a few of the hairpins, but never broke into a drift. You almost have to be a wild man to break the NSX loose on the open road, unless you count power oversteer with the TCS off. I always drive with the TCS on, since it can save me from road surface surprises.
Highway 58 is perhaps the single best driver's road in California, in that it is scenic, largely deserted, and exciting to drive. A few miles east of Seven Mile Road, Highway 58 has a small, abrupt hump that you are guaranteed to feel in your stomach. I ran it three times (westbound) at progressively higher speeds. On the last run, the car landed with authority, perhaps indicating that MY F16 finally earned its wings.
Scenic back roads (La Panza, Cripple Creek, El Pomar) took me from Highway 58 to Templeton, where I picked up Vineyard Road northwest. West of Paso Robles, I zigzagged to compare the three east-west back roads. Chimney Rock is still my favorite, as it is the best driving road and at least as scenic as Adelaida Road, which earns second place, and Peachy Canyon Road, which gets third due primarily to its narrowness. One could make a nice day-trip from San Luis Obispo or San Simeon by going up Vineyard, east on Chimney Rock Road and back west on Adelaida Road. The whole area surrounding Templeton is beautiful.
From Chimney Rock Road, I headed north on G14, which is a great road for its entire length. I noticed that it carries an official "scenic highway" designation, at least for the southern section. That section includes a spectacular climb up from Lake Nacimiento, which is a reservoir that accommodates watercraft. It was difficult to believe that that small stream I camped next to on Day One feeds this huge reservoir; there must be more water coming from somewhere else.
If you are planning to drive Highway 101 and you have even just one extra hour, you should take G14 instead between King City and Paso Robles. In fact, if you're driving your NSX you might not need the extra hour. :-) Paso Robles provides convenient back road access to Highway 58, as well. Now that I've driven them, I'd never consider driving the NSX to southern California without including 58 and G14, unless I could find a way to be on Highway 1 at 7AM.
At Jolon, I took a side trip off G14 to drive most of the paved roads in Fort Hunter Liggett. They were fantastic, as always. For a few minutes, I led a playful motorcyclist through these roads at speed. I could gain significant ground in the turns, but he made it back on the straights, as expected, especially since I'm not one to abuse the car with race-track style hard acceleration and braking.
In my road survey, I determined that a loop shown as paved on the Forest Service map was in fact mostly dirt or gravel. Then I drove Del Ventura Road north and found it to be a wonderful drive. At one point there is a bridgeless stream crossing (essentially just a cement slab) that acts as a dam to create a pond. From the photo, it almost looks as if the NSX is in the water. Del Ventura eventually becomes a dirt road, but I had to turn around before that, due to limited time and fuel. I was about to test Don Gallo's theory that the tank holds 2.5 gallons after the low fuel light stays on steadily.
At King City, the car took only 16.5 gallons (until the pump shut off), so it looks as if Don was correct. I had driven about 20 miles on a steady low fuel warning. King City is a great place to stop, refuel, and refresh oneself. I had a 3:15PM lunch, arriving just in time to watch the US Women's Soccer team win the shootout with the Chinese team. What timing!
Leaving King City, I decided to drive 198 to Coalinga, since I had never before driven the eastern part of 198. About a mile into it, I rounded a turn at about 55 mph and saw a Highway Patrolman who had just pulled over a large sedan. Even though I wasn't speeding, I think I saw him shake his head at the big fish that got away. Judging from my lack of subsequent encounters, he may have been the only patrolman assigned to Highway 198.
I drove Highway 5 north to Little Panoche Road, after verifying that Panoche Road is not paved. Little Panoche Road was a bit bumpier than I remembered, but nothing that the stock NSX suspension couldn't easily handle. It feeds into Panoche Road, which starts bumpy but gets progressively more smooth and scenic. By the time you approach Highway 25, it's really a blast: Just west of Browns Valley Road is a long straight that provides a great run in third and fourth gear.
Highway 25 runs north to Hollister. On the way is the village of Tres Pinos. (There must be a lot of Pinoses in California.) I passed a sign that had the word Bluegrass, which is a musical genre I like to listen to now and then, so I stopped to ask. They were having a Bluegrass Festival (multi-band concert). I tried to get in for just the 30 minutes or so my schedule would allow, but no dice. It was only later that I realized I could have set up my tent alongside the many others there and perhaps stayed the night, since by 10 PM I'd have been far too sleepy to drive. An opportunity missed.
Speaking of missed opportunities, I realized belatedly that I had omitted driving Mesa Grande Road on Day Four. Some other year, perhaps, for both bluegrass and Mesa Grande. I can't complain, since I had a great time both days.
As I got to the freeway, the CD was playing Jim Croce's "I've Got a Name", which you may recall from the intro to the early Jeff Bridges movie Hard Driver. It's too bad the CD doesn't include the big-block V8 engine sounds from the movie.
When people ask me why I set the cruise control at 6 mph over the limit on the freeway, I usually respond that when I get a ticket, I want it to be for doing something really fun. Well, in the last 2000 miles I've had enough fun to balance out the next ticket, whenever and however it comes.
Day Five ended up as a 700-mile day, in which my NSX kept me cool and comfortable the whole time, despite the 90+ degree temperatures outside. No back aches or any other problems; the NSX is just about as comfortable as a luxury sedan for a long drive, and it's a helluva lot more fun.
Elapsed miles to Santa Clara: 2239
Day Six
Day Six was merely a short drive home from my friend's house in Santa Clara. To spice things up a bit, I pre-ran the Tour de East Bay back roads route from Milpitas to Concord. I recorded the mileage at each turn for later comparison to my existing route plan.
After reaching the terminus of that scenic route at Concord Acura, I gassed up (with the fuel warning light showing again) and went home. There I checked the nose cover and radiator, and found a smattering (splattering?) of grasshoppers, several dozen in all. If this had been Mike Niday's car, he would have been apoplectic, but I know how to clean it up quickly by removing the StoneShield.
My NSX is now sitting in the garage, covered and tucked in, ready for another adventure whenever I am...
Total elapsed miles: 2340
P.S. Photos and some text from this trip can be viewed at http://www.geocities.com/myfsixteen
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