California dreamin'
22 posts
• Page 2 of 2 • 1, 2
Post by: StressCraxx » Sun Feb 02, 2014 9:17 pm
Franck,
Below is a link to the Golden Gate Lotus Club. There is a running calendar of events. Several years ago a group of Seven owners from England drove from Houston and showed up here in the Bay area. A good group of members got together with them for a drive and a meal.
http://www.gglotus.org/
Below is a link to the Golden Gate Lotus Club. There is a running calendar of events. Several years ago a group of Seven owners from England drove from Houston and showed up here in the Bay area. A good group of members got together with them for a drive and a meal.
http://www.gglotus.org/
There is no cure for Lotus, only treatment.
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StressCraxx - Coveted Fifth Gear
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Post by: casalunge » Mon Feb 03, 2014 12:28 am
Franck
Travel light.
Chain of Rocks Bridge (Below) Rte 66 (2011 road trip) just outside St Louis MI where we spent an enjoyable evening with Elanern from this forum.
11,000 miles in this piece of Americana mean't an oil change en route and no rubber and little in the way of brakes left returning 6 weeks later back in New York
Re the Grand Canyon one things we discovered courtesy of a Native American just West of Grand Canyon Caverns on the Rte66, there is a 17 mile Indian trail that will take you down to the Colorado River at the base of the Canyon, believed the only way you can drive to the base of the Canyon. Not a lot of ground clearance in a Camaro or similar but achievable.
Travel light.
Chain of Rocks Bridge (Below) Rte 66 (2011 road trip) just outside St Louis MI where we spent an enjoyable evening with Elanern from this forum.
11,000 miles in this piece of Americana mean't an oil change en route and no rubber and little in the way of brakes left returning 6 weeks later back in New York
Re the Grand Canyon one things we discovered courtesy of a Native American just West of Grand Canyon Caverns on the Rte66, there is a 17 mile Indian trail that will take you down to the Colorado River at the base of the Canyon, believed the only way you can drive to the base of the Canyon. Not a lot of ground clearance in a Camaro or similar but achievable.
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1960 Lotus 18 FJ
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1962 Lotus 22 FJ
- casalunge
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Post by: spridget » Mon Feb 03, 2014 9:38 pm
Salut
I'm very glad to make you to want another trip !
OK I put Chain of Rocks Bridge on the list
Yes I know the Golden Gate Lotus Club website . They have made a marvelous video that shows the different Lotus models and they also have a very helpful part cross list. I will be in the area between august 24th and 26th and I didn?t notice something especial
We are currently booking hotel reservation. That will be great and really better thanks to your help
Franck
I'm very glad to make you to want another trip !
OK I put Chain of Rocks Bridge on the list
Yes I know the Golden Gate Lotus Club website . They have made a marvelous video that shows the different Lotus models and they also have a very helpful part cross list. I will be in the area between august 24th and 26th and I didn?t notice something especial
We are currently booking hotel reservation. That will be great and really better thanks to your help
Franck
50/0302 +2, Frogeye
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Post by: S2Jay » Thu Feb 06, 2014 5:57 pm
California roads....
elanner, Nick, thanks for the reminder, I had wanted to mention this road to anyone in the area, or who will have the opportunity to check it out. This is really more for any local Californians, or anyone who can take the extra time on some other road trip.
Franck, spridget it sounds like you have a lot of sights added to your list already!
I believe that you are talking about Cal Hwy 198 here.
I have lived in Cal for over 20 years, but only recently found this amazing piece of asphalt. There are a surprising number of roads like this hidden in various mountain areas of California that beg to be discovered by Lotus types. Some people live in those areas & are forced to drive them roads every day. That is why it is not such a good idea to live in Cal, How would you actually ever get anything done?
As an aside there is another road that can be used as a Southern approach to the Pebble Beach / Monterey area for those coming from the South into Monterey for the Concours / Historic Race weekend.
This is off of Hwy 101 North of King City. Take the exit for Greenfield / El Camino Real [I don?t recall how they label the exit sign]. It is a standard right hand exit, and this will dump you onto El Camino Real going North. This goes up through the center of Greenfield, but you only want to go a few blocks up to Elm St and turn left. Elm St becomes Cal Hwy G16. Just follow this West and Hang on. I promise, if you have an extra hour or so to waste on your way to Monterey, this is a delight. It is not quite as nice as Hwy 198 from Sequoia, but it is exhilarating. You must stay alert for the occasional Tractor or other farm equipment, and of course the random Hyper bike guys alone or in packs, but definitely worth the drive. This road is about 20 miles or so IIRC, and by the end I was approaching a state of exhaustion, or maybe just over-exhilaration [this was before I found 198].
198. On a joint trip with some friends about 2 years ago, we chanced on Hwy 198. Unfortunately I was using a fwd rental. As long as I kept the speeds reasonable, it remained reasonably composed, but in my mind I was trying to imagine being there in the Elan [which is still under construction].
Depending on which direction you approach from, you can go East from Visalia
If you take Hwy 180 East from Fresno [on Hwy 99], you can go into the Sequoia National Forest, and 198 is a right hand turn South before you would get to the SNF.
The piece of 198 that has to be experienced is on the East end of 198, where it connects to Hwy 180 which connects Fresno to Sequoia. We go onto 198 almost by accident, not part of the original planned route. I didn?t check the odo reading at first, but as I drove I realised that there seemed to be no end to this thing and maybe I should check. It must be at least 20 miles and likely closer to 30. The difference between this and the G16 is that this part of 198 is better road. Both of these roads are 2 lane blacktop / asphalt / Macadam or whatever you want to call it, but 198 seems newer, or better maintained or more recently repaved or something. It is likely a bit less dangerous just b//c it may be a bit wider, at least in some places, and does not have the occasional broken shoulder. Since I neglected to mention it, let me digress to add that the G16 has a bridge nearer the Greenfield end that is essentially a 1 way experience. If there is a large Pickup approaching from the other end [and there almost always will be], then one of you should defer and let the other clear the bridge before entering. I should add that in neither case was there much traffic on either road when I was there. In 20 miles of G16, maybe a handful of vehicles of various description coming the other way, and maybe 2 or 3 going my direction [most of these were ones that I had overtaken, none were coming up from behind, except the biker, as far as you know]. On the 198 maybe 3 coming the other way, & only 1 that I caught up to with my renta-wreck.
The other difference from the G16 is that 198 is twistyer, most of the turns are tighter, slower speed and there are more of them packed closer together [a condition I had previously though extremely unlikely to find in the real world]. Possibly a bit of an exaggerated memory, but it seemed that in about 20 miles there were no more than 2 or 3 curves that were sign posted with more than a 15 to 30 mph rating. And it seemed that there was only 200 to 300 yards between the exit to the last curve and the entrance to the next! It was a rare sight to see an open straight where the next curve was not immediately visible. This really reminded me more of a Slalom or Autocross course than a highway. Also 198 is mostly uphill or down depending on which direction you take it. The G16 is relatively flat with a few rises, more open straights and a few higher speed sweepers, still a joy, but not the 198.
I am hoping to get the Elan up there soon, and I want to take the Tiger later as well. But I suspect that when I run the Tiger there, it will need a new a new pair of front tires. Maybe I will just do the uphill loop from Visalia & out through Fresno.
Sorry to rattle on so long.
Jay
elanner, Nick, thanks for the reminder, I had wanted to mention this road to anyone in the area, or who will have the opportunity to check it out. This is really more for any local Californians, or anyone who can take the extra time on some other road trip.
Franck, spridget it sounds like you have a lot of sights added to your list already!
I believe that you are talking about Cal Hwy 198 here.
I have lived in Cal for over 20 years, but only recently found this amazing piece of asphalt. There are a surprising number of roads like this hidden in various mountain areas of California that beg to be discovered by Lotus types. Some people live in those areas & are forced to drive them roads every day. That is why it is not such a good idea to live in Cal, How would you actually ever get anything done?
As an aside there is another road that can be used as a Southern approach to the Pebble Beach / Monterey area for those coming from the South into Monterey for the Concours / Historic Race weekend.
This is off of Hwy 101 North of King City. Take the exit for Greenfield / El Camino Real [I don?t recall how they label the exit sign]. It is a standard right hand exit, and this will dump you onto El Camino Real going North. This goes up through the center of Greenfield, but you only want to go a few blocks up to Elm St and turn left. Elm St becomes Cal Hwy G16. Just follow this West and Hang on. I promise, if you have an extra hour or so to waste on your way to Monterey, this is a delight. It is not quite as nice as Hwy 198 from Sequoia, but it is exhilarating. You must stay alert for the occasional Tractor or other farm equipment, and of course the random Hyper bike guys alone or in packs, but definitely worth the drive. This road is about 20 miles or so IIRC, and by the end I was approaching a state of exhaustion, or maybe just over-exhilaration [this was before I found 198].
198. On a joint trip with some friends about 2 years ago, we chanced on Hwy 198. Unfortunately I was using a fwd rental. As long as I kept the speeds reasonable, it remained reasonably composed, but in my mind I was trying to imagine being there in the Elan [which is still under construction].
Depending on which direction you approach from, you can go East from Visalia
If you take Hwy 180 East from Fresno [on Hwy 99], you can go into the Sequoia National Forest, and 198 is a right hand turn South before you would get to the SNF.
The piece of 198 that has to be experienced is on the East end of 198, where it connects to Hwy 180 which connects Fresno to Sequoia. We go onto 198 almost by accident, not part of the original planned route. I didn?t check the odo reading at first, but as I drove I realised that there seemed to be no end to this thing and maybe I should check. It must be at least 20 miles and likely closer to 30. The difference between this and the G16 is that this part of 198 is better road. Both of these roads are 2 lane blacktop / asphalt / Macadam or whatever you want to call it, but 198 seems newer, or better maintained or more recently repaved or something. It is likely a bit less dangerous just b//c it may be a bit wider, at least in some places, and does not have the occasional broken shoulder. Since I neglected to mention it, let me digress to add that the G16 has a bridge nearer the Greenfield end that is essentially a 1 way experience. If there is a large Pickup approaching from the other end [and there almost always will be], then one of you should defer and let the other clear the bridge before entering. I should add that in neither case was there much traffic on either road when I was there. In 20 miles of G16, maybe a handful of vehicles of various description coming the other way, and maybe 2 or 3 going my direction [most of these were ones that I had overtaken, none were coming up from behind, except the biker, as far as you know]. On the 198 maybe 3 coming the other way, & only 1 that I caught up to with my renta-wreck.
The other difference from the G16 is that 198 is twistyer, most of the turns are tighter, slower speed and there are more of them packed closer together [a condition I had previously though extremely unlikely to find in the real world]. Possibly a bit of an exaggerated memory, but it seemed that in about 20 miles there were no more than 2 or 3 curves that were sign posted with more than a 15 to 30 mph rating. And it seemed that there was only 200 to 300 yards between the exit to the last curve and the entrance to the next! It was a rare sight to see an open straight where the next curve was not immediately visible. This really reminded me more of a Slalom or Autocross course than a highway. Also 198 is mostly uphill or down depending on which direction you take it. The G16 is relatively flat with a few rises, more open straights and a few higher speed sweepers, still a joy, but not the 198.
I am hoping to get the Elan up there soon, and I want to take the Tiger later as well. But I suspect that when I run the Tiger there, it will need a new a new pair of front tires. Maybe I will just do the uphill loop from Visalia & out through Fresno.
Sorry to rattle on so long.
Jay
just looking for clues at the scene....
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Post by: elanner » Thu Feb 06, 2014 8:27 pm
Yeah - it must have been Hwy 198.
I think that was the trip I rented the Solara (a drophead Camry). I have to admit it's the only road I've ever driven that was beginning to make me car sick by the end. My passenger was looking a little green too.....
But I hope I get to do it again one day, come what may!
Nick
I think that was the trip I rented the Solara (a drophead Camry). I have to admit it's the only road I've ever driven that was beginning to make me car sick by the end. My passenger was looking a little green too.....
But I hope I get to do it again one day, come what may!
Nick
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