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I am up to 1,800 miles for the trip (over six days). Will be around 2,200 total over 7 days. Heading back to LA tomorrow from Monterey. Skipping the John Fogerty concert due to Coronavirus. Going to bypass Big Sur because I have been there, done that, I have had more than my fair share of coastal driving over the last six days and I am leaving at 5 am. I won't see much of the coast at that hour anyway and if you have not driven Big Sur, it has lots of twists and turns and one wrong move (especially in the dark) and you could be over a cliff.
Anyway, my three days in Sonoma were awesome. Stayed in Healdsburg at SingleThread Farms' hotel over its restaurant. First class all the way. A+++ for service, the room, the dinner, the breakfast, everything. I will be back.
I got in some amazing drives during my three days in Sonoma, including a drive through Dry Creek Valley as per Perimeter's recommendation. I drove all the way from Healdsburg to the coast and back. Epic, epic roads. I also took a mountain pass between Napa and Sonoma which was a blast. I was in second gear the whole time. Tons of hairpin turns. The car's capability is truly awe-inspiring. It puts my GTS to shame. In fact, after much consideration, I know in the past I have said if I had to keep the GTS or the Touring it would be the GTS because it is more dextrous as a car and a better daily driver. Although that remains the case, there is no way I would ever get rid of the Touring. Of course, this is all hypothetical, as I plan on keeping both cars forever.
I have also changed my mind about the Touring's sound. I do not find it at all too loud while driving. I would never consider insulation for the car. In fact, on second thought, I may go with the Dundon system in order to improve the soundtrack, the performance and to shed some weight. The stock noise level is, to me, perfectly fine for daily driving. I did find myself rolling down the windows when driving the back roads in order to hear the car better. That is another advantage of my GTS cab - the engine note is right there behind me in the open air. I also still think the GTS sounds better at lower RPMs than the GT3. But above 5,000 RPM, there is just no comparison. It is a guaranteed dopamine dump in the brain and a guaranteed smile on the face every time the car reaches 5,000 RPM in any gear.
Each gear is quite distinct in the car. I spent a lot of time in first gear when driving in the snow (I still can't believe I did that) and when driving up steep, windy inclines along the coast just north of SF. I was in second and third gear throughout the Sonoma trip on the back roads. When cruising on the 5, I tended to stay in 6th for fuel economy but man, that gear is so tall, I can toot around at 80 and be at 120 in the blink of an eye. So fun to see the cars left in a trail of dust behind me. As the days progressed, I found myself driving on the 101 in 4th and 5th gear. It just makes for a more spirited driving experience on the highway.
Is it just me or does the car sound different as you approach redline in different gears? To my ear, the higher the gear, the more epic the sound as I approach redline. I have redlined from 2nd to 3rd and come close (about 8,000 rpm) to redlining from 3rd to 4th. That, obviously, is harder to do on public roads as that is pushing jail speeds.
I have attached pictures from the Fort Ross area (yes, I had an encounter with a lynx) and pictures from my trip to Ridge vineyards in the Santa Cruz mountains today (notice the infinite loop in the background). Amazing wines they have and a gorgeous setting for kicking back and drinking a nice glass of wine after the spirited drive up the mountain to get there (it is at 2,200 feet elevation). I also included pictures of my favorite golf course in the USA, Pasatiempo, in Santa Cruz. I stopped by this evening for a burger and beer, just to visit my happy place. I also included a picture of my drive over the Golden Gate Bridge from this afternoon.
The week was filled with fun, random encounters with car enthusiasts. I met a woman at a gas station in OR who went on and on about the car. Then, two young girls pulled up behind me in the station, only to tell me how much they liked my car. An Oregon love-fest! I also had an employee at Pasatiempo approach my table and ask me if it was my GT3 in the parking lot. He is a member on RL and had seen pictures of the car on RL. I let him get in the driver's seat and fire up the ignition. I think it made his day. Another guy in the farthest reaches of Nor Cal said seeing my car "made my day." I am glad that my car brings others joy into their day as well. I'll be back with my next road trip and I encourage others to post their trips and Touring stories as well!
Why am I just now seeing this thread? Love these threads so keep the stories coming. Sounds like you had a fantastic journey in an equally fantastic car. Thanks for sharing!
I was planning on flying to South Dakota in early June for a marathon. Marathon is off but I still want to see South and North Dakota. That will leave me with just Alaska to complete my tour of all 50 states. Given the current COVID-19 crisis, I am now leaning toward driving my Touring from LA to Deadwood, SD (1,100 miles). From there, I will tour SD, ND and then head to Kansas City for some golf with my best friend and my Dad. Thereafter, I will drive back to LA, visiting some of my favorite spots in the West, including Moab, Arches, and my favorite of all, Monument Valley. Part of me wants to take my 991.1 GTS cab because it would be fun to drive with the top down but then I think back to how much fun it was driving the Touring on my road trip up the coast. Plus the buckets are soooo much more comfortable than my 4 ways. Good problem to have, having to decide between two 911s! More pictures and stories to come!
I'm envious of all the trips you're taking, but sure great to hear about and see...especially these days. I took my car on a 3,500 mile trip up thru Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada and enjoyed every mile. And I agree about the sport buckets. They were very comfortable on my trip, even on several 9 hour days. Below is a photo of a particularly desolate, (private) road from the trip.
How did I miss it earlier? Oh, wait, I know, I was driving Coast-to-Coast, to Coast. Turns out we were in Bay area around same time and could have met up.
But I guess my walkabout was cut a bit short also due to virus.
I'm envious of all the trips you're taking, but sure great to hear about and see...especially these days. I took my car on a 3,500 mile trip up thru Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah and Nevada and enjoyed every mile. And I agree about the sport buckets. They were very comfortable on my trip, even on several 9 hour days. Below is a photo of a particularly desolate, (private) road from the trip.
Yea, that is a 130 mile stretch of road that is pretty much like the photo the whole way. Cruising at 90 was very comfortable. Taking that photo was actually pretty difficult at that speed, as I was holding my phone in my right hand and steering with my left. By the time I took the shot, I had unconsciously slowed down about 6 mph. I found it interesting that at those speeds, the engine temps didn't climb much, especially considering the outside temps.
Chris88 - What are you up to mileage-wise after your road trips? I have made road trips to San Diego, Santa Cruz, Vegas, and OR/Nor Cal. I am up to 4,900. I will probably put 3,000 or more miles on the car when I go to SD/ND/MO and back to LA. These cars were made for driving! The more miles, the more smiles!
Just took the car out for the first time in a month today. I'm at about 12,775 miles. The car just keeps getting better...
I bought new Cup 2's (on sale) about 2 months ago, but will put on another 1,000 to 1,500 miles before I install, as they still have a fair amount of tread. They definitely don't stick as well as new.
I was planning on flying to South Dakota in early June for a marathon. Marathon is off but I still want to see South and North Dakota. That will leave me with just Alaska to complete my tour of all 50 states. Given the current COVID-19 crisis, I am now leaning toward driving my Touring from LA to Deadwood, SD (1,100 miles). From there, I will tour SD, ND and then head to Kansas City for some golf with my best friend and my Dad. Thereafter, I will drive back to LA, visiting some of my favorite spots in the West, including Moab, Arches, and my favorite of all, Monument Valley. Part of me wants to take my 991.1 GTS cab because it would be fun to drive with the top down but then I think back to how much fun it was driving the Touring on my road trip up the coast. Plus the buckets are soooo much more comfortable than my 4 ways. Good problem to have, having to decide between two 911s! More pictures and stories to come!
Cool thread! Love the pictures.
FYI Moab was closed three weeks ago when I drove through after picking up my GT350R. As in all the hotels are shut down.
03-13-2020, 02:33 AM
