2009 Day After Thanksgiving Run
At 9:00 am we met at the Malibu Colony Plaza, 23841 Malibu Rd, Malibu, CA 90265. After about an hour and fifteen minutes of looking at cars and talking to each other we started the run. It was a gorgeous day. The weather was perfect and we had a nice turnout. Thank you everyone who came. After the run a bunch of us went to Rib Ranch in Woodland Hills. You really have to taste their ribs and Steve says the Tri-tip is pretty good too.
Follow along if you want to take the run.
- Exit parking lot from rear, turn left on Malibu Road for 0.1 miles.
- LEFT on Webb Way for 0.1 miles.
- LEFT onto CA-1 N/Pacific Coast Hwy for 12.5 miles.
- RIGHT on Decker Canyon Rd (CA-23) for 3.9 miles.
- RIGHT on Lechusa Rd for 0.1 miles.
- CONTINUE STRAIGHT onto Encinal Canyon Rd for 5.0 miles.
- RIGHT on CA-1 N/Pacific Coast Hwy for 2.9 miles.
- RIGHT on Mulholland Hwy for 7.5 miles.
- LEFT at 'T' onto CA-23 (Mulholland Hwy / Decker Canyon Rd) for 1.9 miles.
- RIGHT on Mulholland Hwy for 2.4 miles.
- LEFT on Encinal Canyon Rd / Mulholland Hwy for 1.4 miles.
- REGROUP at the Rock Store overlook, 0.5 miles past Kanan Road.
- CONTINUE on Mulholland Hwy for 8.2 miles.
- Arrive at: Mulholland Hwy & Las Virgenes Rd – end of run!
Morgan in his Caterham pressured me all the way up Decker then took off for a faster crowd. He can really move and there is no way I could keep up with him if he were in front. Here I'm waiting for the others to catch up.
Nate can make his Metropolitan move, considering it has an automatic transmission. Nate kept all four wheels on the ground, sort-of. You'll have to ask Nate.
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Drawing Cars in my Youth
I graduated high school a year early in 1973. Because of a mix up with my classes they didn't send me my diploma until August 1973. After graduating high school I went to the Academy of Automobile Design in Los Angeles. I went there a year and after Detroit laid off about 70 percent of the Automobile Stylists, I thought that maybe I should pursue a different career. I sometimes wish that I had stayed with it and graduated as an Automobile designer. When going through junk today that has been in the garage since I moved to our home in October 2005, I found a design I drew, I believe in 1974 when I was 18. I thought it had been lost many years ago.
I based it off the front wheel drive of the Saab Sonnet III. Looking at it now, I think I should have moved the windshield just behind the front wheel and given the mid section a little bit more length. After all these years, I still like it.
2009 Vintage Motoring Independence Run
At 8:00 am we met at the Malibu Colony Plaza, 23841 Malibu Rd, Malibu, CA 90265. After about an hour and a half of looking at cars and talking to each other we left. The run was a lot of fun. Deer Creek is a gem of a road. The driving was brisk and the scenery was gorgeous.
Follow along if you want to take the tour.
- Exit the Plaza through the rear exit turning left onto Malibu Road for 0.1 miles.
- Turn left on Webb Way for 0.1 miles.
- Turn left on PCH (North) for 16.6 miles.
- Turn right on Deer Creek Road for 6.1 miles (becomes Pacific View Road, then Cotharin Road).
- Turn left on Yerba Buena Road (at ‘T’) for 7.6 miles (becomes Little Sycamore Canyon Road).
- Turn left on Mulholland Highway (at ‘T’) for 0.4 miles.
- Turn left on Decker Road (at ‘T’) for 1.9 miles.
- Turn right on Mulholland Highway for 2.4 miles.
- Turn left on Mulholland Highway / Encinal Canyon Road for 17.3 miles.
- Gather at overlook 0.75 miles past Kanan Road.
- Turn right on Old Topanga Canyon Road for 5.6 miles.
- Turn right on Topanga Canyon Road (at ‘T’) for 0.5 miles.
- Turn right on Fernwood Pacific Drive for 2.7 miles.
- Turn right on Saddle Peak Road for 3.2 miles.
- Gather at top of Saddle Peak.
- Continue onto Schueren Road (left at ‘Y’ toward ocean) for 1.8 miles *** CAUTION: HUGE BUMP NEAR TOP ***.
- Turn right on Piuma Road for 6.4 miles.
- Turn left on Malibu Canyon Road for 4.6 miles.
- Turn left on Pacific Coast Highway for 0.7 miles.
- Arrive at Malibu Colony Plaza – end of run!.
Here we are at the top of Saddle Peak.
There were a few more cars.
Jane didn't come with me on this run, something about a “semi-grueling 78-mile run through a variety of canyon roads, ranging from moderately twisty to vomit-inducing” didn't appeal to her.
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May 2009 Saddlerock Ranch Drive and Tour
On May 16, 2009, the Southern California MG Club met at the McDonalds on Las Virgenes Rd in Calabasas, CA. Jimmy Nylund planned a nice tour for us to take in the Santa Monica Mountains. We spent a lot of time on Mulholland Highway as well as a short run on the Pacific Coast Highway. Jimmy took time to stop so that everyone could catch up.
We ended up at Malibu Wines for wine tasting and a picnic. Jimmy and Annette were gracious hosts. They not only put on a nice tour, but we also got to see Mr. Semler's antique car, horse drawn carriage and vintage Airstream trailer collections. When one of the MGBs sprang a leak in its oil gauge line, Jimmy made a temporary fix and later at his an Annette's home, replaced the oil gauge line with one of his own.
Follow along if you want to take the tour.
- Head south on Las Virgenes Rd toward Agoura Rd, go 3.0 mi.
- Turn right at Mulholland Hwy, go 9.7 mi.
- Continue on Encinal Canyon Rd, go 3.4 mi.
- Turn left to stay on Encinal Canyon Rd, go 5.0 mi.
- Turn right at CA-1/Pacific Coast Hwy, go 2.9 mi.
- Just past Leo Carrillo State Beach turn right on Mulholland Hwy toward Yellow Hill Rd, go 11.7 mi.
- Turn right to stay on Mulholland Hwy, go 49 ft.
- Turn left to stay on Mulholland Hwy.
- The wine tasting is on the right at Malibu Wines
31800 Mulholland Hwy
Malibu, CA 90265
All in all, my wife Jane and I had a very nice Saturday morning with the Southern California MG Club.
Disneyland Celebrates Patrick’s Christmas
We just wanted to do something extra special for Patrick this year.
