All Car Shows are Local.

And that includes the little Cars and Coffees near you. 

What is interesting to do, is to find some that are outside your normal circle. A great place to start is, of course, http://www.socalcarculture.com. If you're in SoCal, of course. This site covers a huge area, from San Diego as far north as Paso Robles. 

Most of the listings are for weekend morning C&Cs and most are pretty small affairs. Some though, are bigger than some full on, all day Car Shows. 

This past weekend, we hit four of them (THREE in one day, Saturday) and had fun at each one. 

The first was a regular haunt, the Early Rodders' C&C in Montrose at the UA/Regal 8 Cinema. http://www.socalcarculture.com/Images/CruiseNight_Saturday_EarlyRodders.pdf. This is a big one, usually over 100 cars of all types. Everything from VWs to Porsches, Fiats to Ferraris, lots of British, and of course, Hot Rods of all types. There's also a GotBucks coffee place to get your java jolt. Most guys are pretty friendly, if a bit clannish. Hot Rodders hang with Hot Rodders, Muscle Car guys with their own ilk. There are a few oddities that show up--A couple of Rolls, Fauxbras, Broncos, and such. Yes, I'm usually one of a couple of Citroens (the other is Chuck of Autobooks--of course). This past weekend a guy showed with a SAAB Sonnet! The "powerful" V4 version. no less. Always neat. 

The next stop on Saturday was a newer one I've frankly been avoiding. It's at Lake Ave. and Altadena Dr. in Altadena. Yes, THAT Altadena. The cars and people were great but the overwhelming blanket of sadness that hangs over that poor, benighted community is palpable. Growing up, I knew a lot of kids in high school that lived there. Pretty much, all of their family homes are flat gone. Back in '72 I went to East Berlin. This reminded me of that. Burned out shells of buildings, piles of rubble. It indeed looked like the 8th Air Force had done a flyover.  What REALLY struck me was the randomness of it all! You'd see a house standing, looking normal and all around it, rubble. This is gonna take a good 10 years to return to some kind of normalcy, but all the "Dena Strong" signs and shirts won't change the economics of it all. A lot of Altadena was where African-Americans were "allowed" to rent or buy houses. They were the maids, cleaning women, laborers of wealthy Pasadena. My high school, John Muir was right in the middle of it all. It was a serious lesson on class and racial divisions. The one positive thing, however, is that the SPIRIT is still there, even if the bank accounts and insurance payouts aren't what are needed. This little C&C proved that. It's always been an area with a strong identity and this gathering of maybe two dozen cars proved that. 

OK, what is it? 

As the plate says, it's 1 of 276 ever made! 

Give up? It's a DeTomaso/Qvale. A WHAT? Well, it was a partnership between DeTomaso (of Pantera fame and a guy named "Qvale." It's called a "Mangusta" after DeTomaso's first car and built in Modena, Italy. It's got a Ford Cobra Jet engine and a 5 speed. EVERYBODY at the show HAD to ask. And I'm taking serious Car Guys had no idea. Including me! 

An aside, one guy was talking to Chuck and I, and he looked at me and asked "Aren't you a writer?" I was stunned. I've been recognized in various way, but this was a first. Seemed he'd attended my signing at a shop in Altadena (now gone) called "Hoopla" and bought a couple of my books! 

From there, using Trusty SoCalCarCulture, I'd looked for a possible third show on Saturday, one that started later. Most of you know that Car Shows usually start about 9am and to get in, you have to line up well before that. If you've got a ways to go, that means leaving well before the butt-crack of dawn. Like when we went to the one in Paso Robles or the one in Amboy. Unless you fork out for a motel room as well as the usual $50 entry fee! 

I found one. In Jurupa. WHERE? It's a former wide spot in the dirt before you get to Riverside. This one was for All Custom Cars, and was billed as a show for "Life Size Hot Wheels." How could I resist? THIS is what I mean when I say find one that's 40 or 50 miles away. Especially if you've got something as weird as my Yellow Submarine. 

It was held in the parking lot of a place called "Birrieria Gonzalez." It promised a lot of one of my secret pleasures, Low Riders. I don't know why, but I love 'em! 

And it didn't disappoint. Naturally, as I was about to turn into the parking lot, I set the Citroen up to its highest level, and when I parked, I could see people walking over with that "WTF IS THAT?" look on their faces. That's of course when I set the height lever to its lowest. Lots of slack jaws! As usual! 

"Man, that's the quietest air bags I've ever seen!"

"Didju do that to that old car?"

"What is it?"

It's so much fun. My next lines are:

"It's a Citroen, from France, and the suspension is hydraulic, FROM THE FACTORY!" 

The usual response is a stunned "NO SHIT!"

THIS is why I say go out of your area. You'll meet new people and reaffirm the notion that Car Guys (and Gals) are Nice People. No matter WHAT kind of car they, or you have. 

I even got interviewed by a local guy for their Instagram. www.headtwisterz.com Look for it! They loved my BS...uh, I mean DS! 

And by the way, the tacos at Birrieria Gonzalez are FANTASTIC. Here's some pix: 

Oh, this GT6 has to go like STINK! And that Mazda engine must weight a whole lot less than the TR motor! 

And they were giving away Hot Wheels, so naturally, Nora and Abby got surprises from Gramps! 

The other great thing about this show was it was pretty warm out in Jurupa. Warm enough that ice couldn't form...if you get my drift? 

On Sunday, we got up and went to Marianne's favorite C&C, Carcadia.  http://www.socalcarculture.com/Images/CruiseNight_Sunday_Carcadia.pdf 

It's once a month (last Sunday of the month) and has about 100 cars and really nice people. Marianne likes the people and the vibe. Everyone is friendly, chatting, lots of people know the car and come up. 

SWAT? In Arcadia? Really? 

An honest to God TRAUBIE!!!! 

It takes people 15 minutes to read my car! 

Chuck's Traction

In between all this, the F1 race at Spa was on, so it's been a serious Car Weekend. Hope you have many in your future! 

HOORAY!

 Marianne had her last treatment! All went well, and it seems Cancer Bitch has gone to hell where she belongs! So, what do we do? WE ROAD TRIP! 

It was gonna be 98 here in Monrovia, so an escape plan was needed. And, just for giggles, I was looking on Hotels.com (our go to site for finding places to stay--it's easy to navigate and when we had to cancel our plans for France, we had no problems!) and found the Silver Surf in San Simeon, CA for under $100--in JULY no less! So, off we went. 

Didn't leave at the usual 0'Dark-Thirty--we had plans to meet long time friends Dudley and Julie at their campsite on the coast at Rincon. Didn't think they'd want visitors at the butt-crack of dawn. 

Naturally, we stopped first for breakfast in Ventura, at the Busy Bee, one of our go-to breakfast stops. Excellent as usual. Here's a tip. Since covid, Ventura had made Main St. a pedestrians only street, so you can't park in front of the restaurant. Getting off the 101 at California (and we naturally took CA126 to avoid Da Valley) turn right instead of going straight up the hill. Turn left at the next signal (Chestnut) and continue past Main. There's a public parking lot just north of Main and in front of the Ventura Courthouse. It's perfect for early morning, but will get full up as the day goes on. Just walk down the hill to the Busy Bee. 

Ah, coffee!

WAFFLES! 

After great waffles, we trudged back up said hill (oof) and off to Rincon. Dudley had left us a spot to park and we had a great time catching up. We hadn't had a chance to see them in FAR TOO LONG! 

Rincon

Yers Truly, Marianne, Julie and "Le Quack" 

From there, along PCH (and memories of it being 101--and driving the TR3 along it to Carpinteria and getting splashed by the surf!) back to the 101. We were hoping to stop at the Gaviota Rest Stop, but it's STILL CLOSED! Come on CalTrans, we NEED that pit stop! 

We passed on going to Bob's Well Bread in Los Alamos (they're closed of Wed/Thurs), so we kept jetting up to Morro Bay and Giovanni's Fish Market. Their BBQ oysters in garlic butter are FANTASTIC! Marianne had their equally good clam chowder. Add GARLIC fries and a glass of 805, and what more could you want? 

You takin' a photo of ME? Again? 

AH!! OYSTERS! 

From there we cruised up CA1 to our digs in San Simeon. 

The Silver Surf is a nice place. Dating from the heyday of Motels, it's been nicely maintained and features an indoor pool and spa (no, we didn't use them--afraid someone would think a pair of sea-elephants had waddled over from the Friends of the Sea Elephant place across the highway) and rooms that are neat and clean. What more do you really want? One nit to pick, however. They have succumbed to that ridiculous trend of having beds that are so high off the ground that even I need a step stool to get in! All 5'2" of Marianne has the devil of a time with it. Luckily, she remembered that she had said step stool in the truck of the Honda for just that reason. No worries.

At my Birthday Party the previous week, Dear Daughter Meaghan had given me (well, US) a bottle of Champers! Naturally, being a celebratory Road Trip, we brought it along! 

Kinda average

But first, dinner. We walked next door to the Big Sur Restaurant for a very average plate of fish and chips. The Gordon Fisherman seemed to be the source. At least the host was VERY friendly. Ah well, you can't have everything. 

Back at our digs, we popped the cork to Marianne's initial misgivings. The Treatments had really screwed with her appetite and she "just wasn't sure" she'd be able to handle the bubbly. Half a glass later, however, it was "POUR ME SOME MORE! THIS IS GREAT!" 

WHOOPPEEE! 

So we finished to bottle while watching the last episode of "Line of Duty" (great show on Acorn. Incredibly tense cop show. The Brits REALLY do those well). 

Next morning it was up---slowly--and off for breakfast further up the coast to Ragged Point. 

But first a warning. CA1 is again closed as they are AGAIN trying to fix the landslide damage. This time near Lucia. So, you can't take CA1 to Monterey...AGAIN. SIGH.

The benefit is that, especially at 8AM, there's no traffic. Setting the Honda in Sport Mode, I was really hauling the mail...even in the fog. That section of CA1 is one of the most delightful roads to drive. Long steady sweepers, a few whoop-ti-doos, great Esses, and a few tight spots to keep you honest. No, I didn't hit 100 (like we had one time slipstreaming an Aston Martin DB4 Dropped on the old Iron Bottom driving the TR--he was a bit upset I was hanging with him!) but...Anyway, an incredible drive. 

Ragged Point is a great Inn on the coast. It's also REALLY expensive to stay (double the cost of the Silver Surf!) but the breakfast there is fantastic. Again with the waffle. Marianne opted for Crunchy French Toast. And it cost about the same as breakfast at the Busy Bee. 

Great View! 

More Waffles! 

Heading for home, we stopped in Cambria for a cruise through some antiques stores, a pee, then up over CA46 to the 101.

Needing another break, and knowing the rest areas were STILL closed, we hit Solvang for a lunch of pastries and a quick nap. 

Marianne thought she could help with the driving (she hadn't done ANY during her battle--too much fatigue) and she did a great job, all the way to Carpinteria. Another pee break, then home via CA118 and the 210. 

So, a great Victory Road Trip. And a huge thanks for the VERY kind folks at USC Keck/Norris. We've NEVER had a medical experience with the king of kindness and empathy ALL these people showed. An I mean ALL. Not only the doctors and nurses, but the office staff and right down to the janitorial folk. It was amazing. 

The REAL HERO of all this is, of course, Marianne, my BEST FRIEND and Navigatrix For Life. What a (as one friend from the old Iron Bottom dubbed her) BAD ASS WOMAN! 

Now, let's start plotting next summer's make up trip to France!