The drive to Monterey: depressing

[BE911SC]

Piece from the last page of December's Sports & Exotic Car.

[BOOMER]

A good read, I'm afraid the cannon ball run days of my youth are gone forever in this PC world.

[RWebb]

nothing PC about SUVs -- it is Soccer Mom Syndrome

[Noah930]

Two words: Targa California

[AirKuhl]

What a crock of ****. This is my back yard. I see fine cars all the time, driven well.

Those of us who enjoy sports cars drive PCH on Superbowl Sunday, it's deserted. Or maybe in the winter, many days of which are sunnier and less foggy than the summer.

I remember recently seeing a '20's era Bugatti being driven so hard around Laguna Seca that he was drifting through turn 2.

A Ford F-150 is an honorable vehicle to aspire to, as any of us who do things other than write whiny articles for a living can attest.

I followed a Veyron for about 20 miles through the Santa Cruz mountains earlier this summer. I see F430's, 360's, Gallardo's and other nice cars almost every single day, being used as daily drivers even. Porsches are so common I hardly notice them any more. My boss drives a 458 Italia as a daily driver and has a Keoniggsegg for weekends.

We have regular drives with exotic cars and motorcycles all through this area. Some of the roads are well known and can get crowded. Others are less well known, even better and deserted. You can drive all day to the limits of your and your machines abilities. No, I'm not posting which roads.

This guy needs to comb the black hair off his forehead, lose the guyliner and black nail polish, throw his Cure CD's in the trash and hook up with some folks that are still doing everything he thinks is gone, but in far better cars.

[Tervuren]

^ +1

Nothing wrong with a F150, and if the scenery is nice, maybe drive slow and take it instead of getting all wadded up.

I don't like holding people up, but if its a nice day and no one is behind me, I'll cruise in my Porsche with the windows down and 10-15MPH under the speed limit. Saved me a wreck one night when a deer jumped out of a ditch in front of me, doing 15MPH under the limit I was able to easily brake for it.

[scottmandue]

Mr Carlson has sand in his mangina...

Hwy 1 up Big Sur has been a parking lot since the 80's (ask me how I know).

People have just as much right to drive a motor-home (or pickup truck) on public roads as sports car... and just as many people think WE are idiots for driving sports cars "why would anyone drive a car that only seats two adults and gets horrible gas mileage?"

[nostatic]

The author should feel free to move to another state. Too bad that other drivers dared to actually use the routes he wanted to take. Were he really a local he would know hundreds, if not thousands of miles of world-class roads that are there for the driving. OMG, driving through Monterey is crowded! I shall alert the media!!!

[scottmandue]

I would have to agree with the author that overpopulation is a massive problem (the root of almost all the problems with the human race).

And mass transportation needs a BIG improvement... but who will pay for it?

[LakeCleElum]

Nothing in the article I didn't figure out 20 yrs ago....Start the PCH from either end at 5:00 am or 5:00 pm on a weekday in the fall or spring and life is still good.......I do it on a regular basis.

[Rot 911]

I can't comment on Monterey, but I was just thinking about how much emptier the roads were back in the '70's when I first joined the army and started my cross country car traveling. There are still plenty of places I can get out to for a nice Sunday drive or ride on the motorcycle, but the interstates just seem to be a 24 hour a day clogged artery. At least the ones that are used for commerce.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by nostatic

The author should feel free to move to another state. Too bad that other drivers dared to actually use the routes he wanted to take. Were he really a local he would know hundreds, if not thousands of miles of world-class roads that are there for the driving. OMG, driving through Monterey is crowded! I shall alert the media!!!

I love California, always have. I think Carlson was just being wistful for the days when the state was for all intents and purposes empty, even the busy parts.

I lived most of my youth there, moving to SC late in HS. It was just easier then, as I am sure you remember.

Remove yourself from my lawn.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I would have to agree with the author that overpopulation is a massive problem (the root of almost all the problems with the human race).

And mass transportation needs a BIG improvement... but who will pay for it?

There is a lot of empty spaces out there if you don't like crowds...of course, crowded areas bring the convenience of having a lot of things close by, you can't have everything.

[scottmandue]

I remember driving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in the 80's... in places you would crest a hill and be able to see 50 or 60 miles... and not one car.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Seahawk

I love California, always have. I think Carlson was just being wistful for the days when the state was for all intents and purposes empty, even the busy parts.

I lived most of my youth there, moving to SC late in HS. It was just easier then, as I am sure you remember.

Remove yourself from my lawn.

There is a line between wistful and whiny, and imho Carlson stomps all over it.

Being 3rd generation SoCal, I've seen the massive changes first hand. And while I might wax philosophic about the "old days," if one isn't a moron they can find plenty of open space and open roads in California. But throwing a textual tantrum about Monterey road conditions is kinda like going to a Chinese restaurant and complaining because you can't order pizza.

Besides, back then I had to walk uphill both ways...

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by nostatic

Besides, back then I had to walk uphill both ways...

In the snow!

Ironic title... I find the ride to Monterey anything but depressing... escaping Lost Angeles (I'm a native) getting on the fabled "Ventura freeway"... rolling through the Santa Monica mountains... by the time I hit Santa Barbara I'm giddy.

[AirKuhl]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

I would have to agree with the author that overpopulation is a massive problem (the root of almost all the problems with the human race).

And mass transportation needs a BIG improvement... but who will pay for it?

I did the math once. At current population levels, every human on the face of the earth could fit into Nashville, Tennesee with room to spare.

Or looking at it another way, humans comprise less than .000002% of the Earth's biomass.

Interesting how self-important some humans are.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by AirKuhl

I did the math once. At current population levels, every human on the face of the earth could fit into Nashville, Tennesee with room to spare.

Seven billion people?

[Heel n Toe]

Many of you who came of age in the '60's will remember those wonderful Chevy ads and brochures... where were they shot? I always thought that would be a beautiful area to drive. Anybody know if it's fully accessible and/or crowded at certain times?

That would definitely be an area I would visit if I ever make it out that way.

[BeyGon]

just a whinner, they should take the road to Hana