I'm an east coast resident and recently started a new job (commuting every couple of weeks) in the San Diego area and moved my 03 C4S there as a daily driver to/from work. The perfect car for the nicest climate in the U.S. Anyway, I had always wanted to see the famous Palomar Observatory, home of the equally famous 200-inch Hale Telescope (commissioned in 1949 and the largest telescope in the world for 45 years). The observatory is on a peak at around 5600 ft, accessed by a couple of roads from the east, west, and south.

I had done enough advance research to know that the southern road to the peak was 7 miles and very scenic. What I didn't appreciate until I started up was just how fast, technical, and wild a drive it was. In 7 miles, I climbed over 4000 ft (about a 10% grade) and experienced a series of 180 degree, decreasing radius switchbacks. Most of it in 2nd car in the short straights and the corners. What I also experienced was a large number of bikers who apparently spend their weekends honing the horizontal-planted-knee cornering skills around the tight corners.

I held my own with many of these guys but a few of them were incredibly quick and, of course, they knew the road. If the ride up was fun, the ride down was downright white-knuckled. I highly recommend this to anyone in the greater San Diego area. You should head out early to avoid any car traffic (although the small number of cars I encountered were good about pulling over). Don't worry about getting in the way of the bikers because most of them with smoke you anyways.

Here's a picture of my car (in my driveway, sorry, I didn't take a picture at the summit) and the observatory.

Enjoy it if you do it.

 

Yup the torque of the 996 engine makes up hill cornering so much fun.