After carefully breaking in the engine of my new '03 Suzuka, I was itching to take her out for a long drive. The weather gods agreed with me, and this weekend, we got the perfect driving weather So we packed our bags for a nice little day trip to Solvang, a quaint little Danish town nestled in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley. We decided to take the Hwy 1(Pacific Coast Hwy) to Santa Barbara, then take Hwy 154 to Solvang.

Since I've driven the PCH near our home many times before, we took a short hop on the freeway to Santa Monica to save time. From there, it was PCH all the way. Cruising on PCH with view of the blue Pacific on the left, beautiful scenery on the right, and winding roads straight ahead... Just what the doctor ordered As an icing on the cake, passing through Malibu means a chance to see some really nice cars. Since I was blessed by the weather god, why not a car god? In front of me, stopped at the traffic light, a brand new MB SL55 It wasn't as nice as my S, but hey, it's a nice car As if reading my mind, car god decides to present me with a citing of THE perfect car: another Suzuka Blue S2K near Ventura just south of 101 junction. They were stopped on the opposite side of the road and appeared to be looking at a map. Anyone from here?

Once at Santa Barbara, we found our way to Hwy 154. It's a wonderfully scenic hwy and also a perfect proving ground for S2K's handling capability. VTEC'ing past the slower traffic, I see a group of older 911's coming the opposite way. Then as I pass the last of the slower cars, another batch of P-cars: Boxsters, Carreras, TT's... You name it, there it was. There must have been at least 20 P-cars in what appeared to be a group drive. I guess car god smiled on them as well, since they got to see my perfectly zainoed S2K After another 40 minutes of spirited driving, we were in Solvang. By this time, we were pretty hungry. After walking past picturesque little shops lining the street, we finally found a nice casual Danish restaurant called Greenhouse Cafe that we liked. After a plate full of very tasty Danish sausage & meatball with red cabbage, my wife was ready for her job, uh, shopping that is

Finally, as we drove back, we decided that we were hungry again, and stopped at the harbor area in Santa Barbara. Found a restaurant called Waterfront Grill which had a beautiful view of the harbor. With sunset over the Pacific as the backdrop, we enjoyed shrimp cocktail, Fanny Bay oysters on the half shell, and Cioppino. The dishes were all good, but oysters were exceptional. Recommended. After dinner, it got dark and cold, so we put the top up and drove home. Except for the heavy traffic on 405, trip home was uneventful. This day trip took 280 miles and was accomplished on a 1 tank of gas

 

that's exactly what I've been wanting to do this week! did you stay overnight or do it all in one day? 280 miles one way? california has the best weather, glad you have a good time redondo!

 

Well that sounds like a wonderful day!! I love reading posts like this, it seems to give more meaning to life in general.

 

Hi Jane!! So great to see you again last night! Keep up that healthy confident glow you got!

 

you too steve-o! you have a GREAT trip going up north this week

 

Sometimes, I wish I was in California. I took a drive this morning in subfreezing temps in my beater pickup. On the right hand side, I see some old person driving 5 mph in a 40, and on the left side, someone riding their brakes.

If only I could hibernate until it gets warmer...

 

Thanks for sharing your day. When I lived in Santa Barbara, (1969-1971), my wife and I were both U.C.S.B. students. Our family sports-utility-vehicles were a matched pair of Peugots--UO-8 bicycles, and a pair of Kelty backpacks to haul groceries home from the supermarket. We did travel though, by thumb or by bus, to the Sierras, to Solvang, to Big Sur.

Your was was more fun. I really enjoyed reading about your trip.

 

Man, Just another reason why I got to get the hell out of New England. Born here, live here, just hope I don't die here....

 

I second that motion, especially after having spent time in Cali and Florida while in the military. It just makes hit harder living in a hell like New England when you know there is so much better out there. Too cold to do anything in the winter, too humid to anything in the summer, WTF!!!

Great story by the way, I guess I will just have to live vicariously through you, thanks.

 

Nice story, Redondo!

One of these days keep going further north until you hit PCH near Carmel and Pebble Beach and Big Sur. Breathtaking, and especially in the S. You'll not only feel the wind on your face, maybe a little salt spray, too.