California here I come.......
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From: Texas City
California here I come.......
I'm writing this from my cousins computer in Fremont!
Anyway, it's been a long trip, but a fun one so far. I hit the road about 11 am on Sunday, July 3rd and made it to Lubbock, TX that night. Got up early the next day and ate breakfast in Clovis, NM before heading up into Colorado. I took Hwy 84 to Pagosa Springs, then west to Durango and north through Silverton and Ouray. I've made that run on the motorcycle many times and was looking forward to it in the S2000. What a drive!
This is the first time I've had the car up in the mountains and was pleasantly surprised at how well it did. Obviously, she doesn't pull as well at 8000' altitude as she does at sea level but it still wasn't bad.
Question: Does altitude have anything to do with when VTEC engages? My reason for asking is this. My car always transitioned into VTEC right at 6k rpm at home on the Texas Gulf Coast, definitely sea level. Up in the mountains, it was closer to 6.4k.
It's not a big deal, just not something I expected.
The second day, I stayed in Green River, UT. I met a group of motorcyclists out of Ontario, Canada who were headed for California too. Had a nice conversation with them. I was able to give them some info on what they might expect crossing Nevada. One of them is on a cruiser style machine and only carries enough fuel for about 110 miles. Unless somethings changed, he'll need to carry extra fuel to make it across the state. Ely, NV to Tonapah, NV on Hwy 6 is approx. 170 miles.
The third day took me from Green River to the South Lake Tahoe area. I visited with my cousins daughters (they're working a camp retreat in the Sierra Pines area) since they wouldn't be home while I was out visiting their mother. The routing was I-70 to Salina, UT and then pick up Hwy 50 to Lake Tahoe. I have to tell you, I-70 from Green River to Salina is one of the prettiest interstates in the country. It winds around, climbing up and down through the mesa's and the colors are breath taking in the morning sun. Lot's of vivid shades of orange along with browns and greens. Very cool! Hwy 50, the "Loneliest Hwy in the country," and rightly so, also has some very nice areas. From Delta, UT to the Utah, Nevada boarder is ~80 miles of straight and boring. Once you cross into Nevada, it gets more interesting. You climb a mountain pass (most are between 7000 and 8000' in altitude), wind back down and cross the next valley, then do it all again. This continues on for about 3/4 of the way across the state. The scenery is wonderful and, considering the altitudes involved, the temps are very reasonable. It was "top down" all the way for this one! Afterwards, the road flattens and straightens out for the remainder of the trip into Carson City.
Day four has been the icing on the cake, so far.
I stayed at a lodge hear the camp grounds the girls were working at. The following morning, I headed back toward Tahoe on Hwy 50 and picked up Hwy 89 south to Hwy 395. I put on a light jacket, a knit cap to keep my ears warm, and dropped the top in 50 degree temps and had a blast! There's not a straight section of this that lasts more than a mile or so and most of it is a continuous back and forth. Hwy 395 is a wonderful road to take if you've never been on it. It meanders a north/south line, paralleling the Nevada/California boarder and speed limits are near 70 most of the way. The best part is that you've got the Sierra Nevada mountains off to the side the whole way. Lot's of pine trees and still plenty of snow up on the mountain tops. I picked up Hwy 120 at Lee Vining, CA and crossed Yosemite Nat'l Park. I got my biggest "sticker shock" for fuel prices in Lee Vining. They had a Chevron station there that listed regular at $3.099 and premium at $3.299 per gallon. I was "real" glad I didn't need fuel at that place!
Anyway, I always try to cross Yosemite if I'm driving to California. It's one of the greatest parks we've got here in the States. Huge rock formations, tall trees, clear sky, and some of the freshest air I've ever breathed. I live in a heavily industrialized area so I "really" appreciate the fresh air part! Coming out of Yosemite, I simply stayed on Hwy 120. There's one part of the road that really get's twisty and it's all down hill. I think I covered between 5 and 10 miles in third or fourth gear and never touched the throttle. Just and occasional tap of the brakes for the tighter switch backs. I was also pleasantly surprised at how considerate other traffic was. Actually, traffic was "amazingly" light but the few cars and trucks I came up on, pulled over as soon as possible to let me pass. Way too cool! 
Once I was through this part, the roads straightened up considerably and it was back to the routine drive through various towns as I'm heading west. I filled of the car and myself in Oakdale, CA and continued on. I picked up I-5 and headed south the the Patterson, CA exit and turned west to catch CA 130 that runs between Patterson and San Jose. You'll pass the Lick Observatory up in the hills and this particular run has to be taken if you've never been there before. The sign said, "74 miles to San Jose."
Mind you, that's 74 miles of road that's so twisty that you can't make much over about 30 mph average. You follow the canyons through the hills, occasionally climbing up out of one and then back down in the other. Once you start the climb to the Observatory, you'll find switch backs tight enough and steep enough that you're limited to 2nd gear at best! Once at the Observatory, which is well worth a quick look-see if you've never been there, you'll be treated to a nice panorama of the entire San Jose and southern SF Bay area, weather permitting. On this trip, I thought it looked pretty clear, all things considered. There were some others there that were complaining about the haze but it didn't seem that bad to me. Once you leave the Observatory, you've got another 24 miles of downhill switch backs to play with before it's all over. This is one really nice way to travel!
Well, now I'm into "let's visit family" mode. Actually, I'm looking forward to staying out of the car for a while. I'll have computer access while I'm here and then will be out of touch for a week or so before getting access via another friends computer before heading home.
Will be in touch!
Drive Safe,
Steve R.
Anyway, it's been a long trip, but a fun one so far. I hit the road about 11 am on Sunday, July 3rd and made it to Lubbock, TX that night. Got up early the next day and ate breakfast in Clovis, NM before heading up into Colorado. I took Hwy 84 to Pagosa Springs, then west to Durango and north through Silverton and Ouray. I've made that run on the motorcycle many times and was looking forward to it in the S2000. What a drive!
This is the first time I've had the car up in the mountains and was pleasantly surprised at how well it did. Obviously, she doesn't pull as well at 8000' altitude as she does at sea level but it still wasn't bad.Question: Does altitude have anything to do with when VTEC engages? My reason for asking is this. My car always transitioned into VTEC right at 6k rpm at home on the Texas Gulf Coast, definitely sea level. Up in the mountains, it was closer to 6.4k.
It's not a big deal, just not something I expected.The second day, I stayed in Green River, UT. I met a group of motorcyclists out of Ontario, Canada who were headed for California too. Had a nice conversation with them. I was able to give them some info on what they might expect crossing Nevada. One of them is on a cruiser style machine and only carries enough fuel for about 110 miles. Unless somethings changed, he'll need to carry extra fuel to make it across the state. Ely, NV to Tonapah, NV on Hwy 6 is approx. 170 miles.
The third day took me from Green River to the South Lake Tahoe area. I visited with my cousins daughters (they're working a camp retreat in the Sierra Pines area) since they wouldn't be home while I was out visiting their mother. The routing was I-70 to Salina, UT and then pick up Hwy 50 to Lake Tahoe. I have to tell you, I-70 from Green River to Salina is one of the prettiest interstates in the country. It winds around, climbing up and down through the mesa's and the colors are breath taking in the morning sun. Lot's of vivid shades of orange along with browns and greens. Very cool! Hwy 50, the "Loneliest Hwy in the country," and rightly so, also has some very nice areas. From Delta, UT to the Utah, Nevada boarder is ~80 miles of straight and boring. Once you cross into Nevada, it gets more interesting. You climb a mountain pass (most are between 7000 and 8000' in altitude), wind back down and cross the next valley, then do it all again. This continues on for about 3/4 of the way across the state. The scenery is wonderful and, considering the altitudes involved, the temps are very reasonable. It was "top down" all the way for this one!
Afterwards, the road flattens and straightens out for the remainder of the trip into Carson City.Day four has been the icing on the cake, so far.
I stayed at a lodge hear the camp grounds the girls were working at. The following morning, I headed back toward Tahoe on Hwy 50 and picked up Hwy 89 south to Hwy 395. I put on a light jacket, a knit cap to keep my ears warm, and dropped the top in 50 degree temps and had a blast! There's not a straight section of this that lasts more than a mile or so and most of it is a continuous back and forth. Hwy 395 is a wonderful road to take if you've never been on it. It meanders a north/south line, paralleling the Nevada/California boarder and speed limits are near 70 most of the way. The best part is that you've got the Sierra Nevada mountains off to the side the whole way. Lot's of pine trees and still plenty of snow up on the mountain tops. I picked up Hwy 120 at Lee Vining, CA and crossed Yosemite Nat'l Park. I got my biggest "sticker shock" for fuel prices in Lee Vining. They had a Chevron station there that listed regular at $3.099 and premium at $3.299 per gallon. I was "real" glad I didn't need fuel at that place!Anyway, I always try to cross Yosemite if I'm driving to California. It's one of the greatest parks we've got here in the States. Huge rock formations, tall trees, clear sky, and some of the freshest air I've ever breathed. I live in a heavily industrialized area so I "really" appreciate the fresh air part!
Coming out of Yosemite, I simply stayed on Hwy 120. There's one part of the road that really get's twisty and it's all down hill. I think I covered between 5 and 10 miles in third or fourth gear and never touched the throttle. Just and occasional tap of the brakes for the tighter switch backs. I was also pleasantly surprised at how considerate other traffic was. Actually, traffic was "amazingly" light but the few cars and trucks I came up on, pulled over as soon as possible to let me pass. Way too cool! Once I was through this part, the roads straightened up considerably and it was back to the routine drive through various towns as I'm heading west. I filled of the car and myself in Oakdale, CA and continued on. I picked up I-5 and headed south the the Patterson, CA exit and turned west to catch CA 130 that runs between Patterson and San Jose. You'll pass the Lick Observatory up in the hills and this particular run has to be taken if you've never been there before. The sign said, "74 miles to San Jose."
Mind you, that's 74 miles of road that's so twisty that you can't make much over about 30 mph average. You follow the canyons through the hills, occasionally climbing up out of one and then back down in the other. Once you start the climb to the Observatory, you'll find switch backs tight enough and steep enough that you're limited to 2nd gear at best! Once at the Observatory, which is well worth a quick look-see if you've never been there, you'll be treated to a nice panorama of the entire San Jose and southern SF Bay area, weather permitting. On this trip, I thought it looked pretty clear, all things considered. There were some others there that were complaining about the haze but it didn't seem that bad to me. Once you leave the Observatory, you've got another 24 miles of downhill switch backs to play with before it's all over. This is one really nice way to travel! Well, now I'm into "let's visit family" mode. Actually, I'm looking forward to staying out of the car for a while. I'll have computer access while I'm here and then will be out of touch for a week or so before getting access via another friends computer before heading home.
Will be in touch!
Drive Safe,
Steve R.
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From: Santa Clara, California
I dunno if your into the racing scene at all, but while your down here there are some private runs tonight and a big meet... Meet @ amc mercado (near great america) at the in n' burger around 12:15
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From: Texas City
Well, finally made it home last Friday. Man this car is great. I put 6012.4 miles on on it an 2.5 weeks. Spent a much time as possible in the mountains and along Ca. Hwy 1. Fuel mileage ran anywhere from 26 to 36.4 mpg. Yup, you read that right. I had two tanks up in the mountains, running at altitudes between 7000 and 11000 ft on roads that limited cruising speeds to not much more than 35 to 40 mph and I wasn't in a hurry anyway. Top down, cruising easy and totally enjoying the scenery makes for some darn good gas mileage!!
I ran Hwy 1 from Cambria to Leggett where it joins Hwy 101. I really envy you guys who have access to those kinds of roads.
The only issue I had upon getting home is a dead computer.
The one I writing this on is a new one I assembled myself. I've never done that before. It's an interesting experience. Oh well......... 
Drive Safe,
Steve R.
I ran Hwy 1 from Cambria to Leggett where it joins Hwy 101. I really envy you guys who have access to those kinds of roads.
The only issue I had upon getting home is a dead computer.
The one I writing this on is a new one I assembled myself. I've never done that before. It's an interesting experience. Oh well......... Drive Safe,
Steve R.
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Hi Steve,
Enjoyed your narrative about your trip west.
It's particularly interesting to me because I just drove the Patterson - to - San Jose route via Lick Observatory on CA 130 yesterday for the first time!
What a blast!
Rick
Enjoyed your narrative about your trip west.
It's particularly interesting to me because I just drove the Patterson - to - San Jose route via Lick Observatory on CA 130 yesterday for the first time!
What a blast!
Rick
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