[hume]

My wife was on a business trip to New Jersey this last week, had no ambition to join her on that particular trip so I decided to take the week off and go for a drive. My only scheduled event was the L.A. Porsche Experience Center on Wednesday. Here's a brief recap of this most excellent solo adventure:

1. Monday: I live in the Bay Area so started by driving down Highway 1 along the coast through Big Sur. This is such a wonderful road and I take it several times a year. Too many tourists to really enjoy the driving except for a couple lucky spurts, but it's still an absolutely gorgeous drive that everyone should take at least once. Stayed the night in Santa Barbara, which is a great town.
   
   
2. Tuesday: Headed down to Malibu for lunch. Walked the Malibu beach. Zig-zagged through the hills above Malibu (Mulholland hwy, etc..). These are some wonderful roads and not too much traffic but there are lots of residences (and cops) so be careful! Afterwards headed up Bouquet Canyon Road for some back-country canyon carving (BTW, I happened to drove right by where the big Saddleridge Fire broke out, which is making the news, but I was there before the fire started). Then drove through the Angeles National Forest (N3 and Big Tujunga Canyon Rd). I was going the right direction since there were no cars going toward LA at that time -- I had the road to myself! Finally, drove through the Hollywood Hills to eat dinner in Beverley Hills. Ended my day crawling through LA traffic to my hotel in Carson right by the Porsche Experience Center.
   
   
3. Wednesday: PEC day! Last year I reserved my car (718 Cayman). This year I got a Carrera S. My main goal was to feel the difference between mid and rear engined. On the low friction surface and skid pad I could definitely feel more rear pendulum action with the 911. Easier to get into a drift without going straight into a spin-out. But the 911's stability control works marvels to control that back end. Yup, the car was faster at launch and in straightaways but on the handling circuit the 718 and 911 felt surprisingly similar to me. Sitting in the driver's seat looking forward the two cars "feel" quite similar up until you hit the limit. But once you get to the limit that rear end comes-a-swinging. I got pretty good at that course and was passing everyone else out there including GTS's and even a GT3 (Of course, in the hands a professional the GT3 would have blown me out of the water). I must have been doing it right since my instructor said I went around that course at just about as fast as one can in a Carrera S and hitting ~100 on a tight, technical course (and I stripped the tires, they needed to replace them after my stint). The great thing was when I was all done I just handed back in the car and they asked to come back next year, all costs included in the reservation fee.
   
   After PEC I got back in my 718 and headed to Big Bear Lake up Hwy 18 north of San Bernardino, had Bolivian for dinner then back down on Hwy 38. That last stint on 38 was epic since it was getting dark and no cars on a very windy mountain road. Ended the day in Yucca Valley.
   
   
4. Thursday: Driving break. After three days of a lot of intense driving I had to take a break so spent the day in Joshua Tree National Park. Perfect day, temperature in the mid 60s. Lots of great hiking but I won't bore you with that since this is a car forum ? After Joshua Tree I drove straight through the Mojave desert (mostly boring, flat roads) and stayed in Ridgecrest. I've stayed in Ridgecrest so many times now on my travels to that part of the country. There's just so little around there that it becomes the one convenient place to overnight. I did not notice much earthquake damage, but I didn't really spend much time there.
   
   
5. Friday: I had to make a decision this day. I contemplated going to Death Valley and then up Owen's Valley to end the day in Mammoth Lakes. Then spend the next day driving through Yosemite. But, even though those are all fascinating places to visit (and have been many times) most of that drive would be boring, flat desert straightaways. So, instead I headed east to Lake Isabella and had lunch in Kernville and then set out north on the best roads I took the entire week: Mountain Hwy 99, then M-90 and on to Hwy 190, all straight through Sequoia National Forest. This is now my favorite road. It's so remote that there are virtually no other cars and yet a well maintained road. The few cars I did pass where very kind to let me pass. These roads have just the right amount of curvyness to keep me entertained. But keep in mind if you take it, this area is REMOTE! No cell service, or anything else the entire way. If there's an emergency you may be sitting in your car for a long time. Afterwards I had to slog straight across the boring central valley (boring from a driving perspective) and stayed in Coalinga.
   
   
6. Saturday: Coming home I took 198 then onto 25. These are also excellent roads and nobody on them when I headed out in the morning from Coalinga. Dig some hiking in Pinnacles National Park and then headed back to my home in Silicon Valley.

Epilogue: Looking back, this was the quintessential California road trip. Went through three national parks and numerous state parks. Experienced countless ecosystems ...and the roads were nice too. All told, 1477 miles and 31:51 hours of driving. To my surprise, I averaged 28.5 mpg. The mountain roads were more like 21 mpg but the boring expressway stints were above 30 mpg. My Cayman has perfect ergonomics for me. The PASM made the car very manageable and composed on the rough mountain roads (even in the sport setting) and when I put it in the soft setting I could cruise all day on the highway (not that I wanted to!). These cars are our toys, play with them, and don't be afraid to take an adventure!

P.S. Sorry, I'm not a big photographer and tend to forget to take photos. But here's a couple I took along the way.

 

[Guaji]

What a trip!!! It has me psyched up for my 4 day road trip I plan to do at the end of October in my Carrera T. I have that car in LA since I am there part time for work and want to take advantage of the nice driving roads out West. I am familiar with some of the roads you drove around LA. I love the Malibu canyons and Angeles National Forest and some other roads south of LA. I was at the PECLA last Saturday morning for the monthly Cars and Coffee. I want to do the Manual T experience.

I am still planning where to stay and visit on my 4 day road trip. I definitely want to see Yosemite. I need to figure out if I should also visit Sequoia or Big Sur instead. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

I am amazed how remote California is once you get out of the Metro areas. I worry about lack of cell phone coverage, but as a Floridian I love the remote driving roads with no cars around. Feels like another country.

 

[jimmuller]

Nice!

 

[hume]

@Guaji, Yosemite is a must to visit as a tourist however it's also notorious for traffic jams so don't plan on any spirited driving. Likewise, Big Sur is a must see but, again, lots of tourists. I'd recommend seeing those sites but then picking random other roads which look windy on the map. Don't forget the desert parks. Death Valley may very well be my favorite national park and in the winter months the temperatures are quite comfortable.

I would recommend starting out by going to Death Valley and then driving 395 up Owen's Valley, see Mono Lake and then take Tioga Pass to get into Yosemite (don't forget to get into Yosemite Valley once over Tioga pass!). Owen's Valley is the only valley in the US (maybe even North America) with 14,000 foot peaks on either side. You can then bear the bore of driving straight through the central valley to get to the coast and take Hwy 1 through Big Sur back. Or... save Big Sur for another trip, since it's kinda out of the way for a mountain adventure, and only 4 days. In that case you could drive back on the western side of the Sierras and see Sequoia.

Have fund on your trip!

 

[Guaji]

Thanks for the suggestions. I will put them on my list. I’ll drive Big Sur on another trip.

 

[sevencyclist]

My wife was on a business trip to New Jersey this last week, had no ambition to join her on that particular trip so I decided to take the week off and go for a drive. My only scheduled event was the L.A. Porsche Experience Center on Wednesday. Here's a brief recap of this most excellent solo adventure:

1. Monday: I live in the Bay Area so started by driving down Highway 1 along the coast through Big Sur. This is such a wonderful road and I take it several times a year. Too many tourists to really enjoy the driving except for a couple lucky spurts, but it's still an absolutely gorgeous drive that everyone should take at least once. Stayed the night in Santa Barbara, which is a great town.
   
   
2. Tuesday: Headed down to Malibu for lunch. Walked the Malibu beach. Zig-zagged through the hills above Malibu (Mulholland hwy, etc..). These are some wonderful roads and not too much traffic but there are lots of residences (and cops) so be careful! Afterwards headed up Bouquet Canyon Road for some back-country canyon carving (BTW, I happened to drove right by where the big Saddleridge Fire broke out, which is making the news, but I was there before the fire started). Then drove through the Angeles National Forest (N3 and Big Tujunga Canyon Rd). I was going the right direction since there were no cars going toward LA at that time -- I had the road to myself! Finally, drove through the Hollywood Hills to eat dinner in Beverley Hills. Ended my day crawling through LA traffic to my hotel in Carson right by the Porsche Experience Center.
   
   
3. Wednesday: PEC day! Last year I reserved my car (718 Cayman). This year I got a Carrera S. My main goal was to feel the difference between mid and rear engined. On the low friction surface and skid pad I could definitely feel more rear pendulum action with the 911. Easier to get into a drift without going straight into a spin-out. But the 911's stability control works marvels to control that back end. Yup, the car was faster at launch and in straightaways but on the handling circuit the 718 and 911 felt surprisingly similar to me. Sitting in the driver's seat looking forward the two cars "feel" quite similar up until you hit the limit. But once you get to the limit that rear end comes-a-swinging. I got pretty good at that course and was passing everyone else out there including GTS's and even a GT3 (Of course, in the hands a professional the GT3 would have blown me out of the water). I must have been doing it right since my instructor said I went around that course at just about as fast as one can in a Carrera S and hitting ~100 on a tight, technical course (and I stripped the tires, they needed to replace them after my stint). The great thing was when I was all done I just handed back in the car and they asked to come back next year, all costs included in the reservation fee.
   
   After PEC I got back in my 718 and headed to Big Bear Lake up Hwy 18 north of San Bernardino, had Bolivian for dinner then back down on Hwy 38. That last stint on 38 was epic since it was getting dark and no cars on a very windy mountain road. Ended the day in Yucca Valley.
   
   
4. Thursday: Driving break. After three days of a lot of intense driving I had to take a break so spent the day in Joshua Tree National Park. Perfect day, temperature in the mid 60s. Lots of great hiking but I won't bore you with that since this is a car forum ? After Joshua Tree I drove straight through the Mojave desert (mostly boring, flat roads) and stayed in Ridgecrest. I've stayed in Ridgecrest so many times now on my travels to that part of the country. There's just so little around there that it becomes the one convenient place to overnight. I did not notice much earthquake damage, but I didn't really spend much time there.
   
   
5. Friday: I had to make a decision this day. I contemplated going to Death Valley and then up Owen's Valley to end the day in Mammoth Lakes. Then spend the next day driving through Yosemite. But, even though those are all fascinating places to visit (and have been many times) most of that drive would be boring, flat desert straightaways. So, instead I headed east to Lake Isabella and had lunch in Kernville and then set out north on the best roads I took the entire week: Mountain Hwy 99, then M-90 and on to Hwy 190, all straight through Sequoia National Forest. This is now my favorite road. It's so remote that there are virtually no other cars and yet a well maintained road. The few cars I did pass where very kind to let me pass. These roads have just the right amount of curvyness to keep me entertained. But keep in mind if you take it, this area is REMOTE! No cell service, or anything else the entire way. If there's an emergency you may be sitting in your car for a long time. Afterwards I had to slog straight across the boring central valley (boring from a driving perspective) and stayed in Coalinga.
   
   
6. Saturday: Coming home I took 198 then onto 25. These are also excellent roads and nobody on them when I headed out in the morning from Coalinga. Dig some hiking in Pinnacles National Park and then headed back to my home in Silicon Valley.

Epilogue: Looking back, this was the quintessential California road trip. Went through three national parks and numerous state parks. Experienced countless ecosystems ...and the roads were nice too. All told, 1477 miles and 31:51 hours of driving. To my surprise, I averaged 28.5 mpg. The mountain roads were more like 21 mpg but the boring expressway stints were above 30 mpg. My Cayman has perfect ergonomics for me. The PASM made the car very manageable and composed on the rough mountain roads (even in the sport setting) and when I put it in the soft setting I could cruise all day on the highway (not that I wanted to!). These cars are our toys, play with them, and don't be afraid to take an adventure!

P.S. Sorry, I'm not a big photographer and tend to forget to take photos. But here's a couple I took along the way.

View attachment 24238 View attachment 24239 View attachment 24240 View attachment 24241 View attachment 24242 View attachment 24243

So jealous you had the chance for such a great trip!

 

[kirkb]

Great trip @hume - thanks for sharing.

I live on top of the hills above Malibu so get to experience those roads quite often (though normally on a bike or moto) - but I can't wait to do a similar type trip as yours but headed North instead.

 

[Steve48]

Amazing trip!