The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 25 and Home Again

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation. 

 

Apologies that we haven't written a proper post since our return on Saturday night.  It was a very long day, and we've spent the last couple resting and seeing family before Stella's flight back to the UK tomorrow.

We decided to make Saturday the final push; by then getting home was our top priority.  We didn't fancy another night in a hotel, and stopping anywhere east of Alexandria, Louisiana, seemed silly...so, we kept going!  Crossing parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, it was a record day for the number of states visited.  Our license plate was no longer the attention-attracting oddity it had been out West.  We were amused by sights along the road like the Y'all Come Back Cafe and the It'll Do Deli. 

By this point the starter motor was dead weight so our main criteria for choosing gas stations or eateries was, "Does the parking lot have a hill?"  We slinked off ever-so-quietly from each place we stopped...sometimes with one foot out the door to get some momentum.  The ongoing electrical fault with the tail-lights meant wiring up the brake lights to serve in their place as it grew dark in Slidell, Mississippi.  MG owners: Always travel with a jump wire. 

Otherwise Madge didn't miss a beat during 617 miles at near-constant high RPMs.  We were blessed with temperatures in the mere high 80s (although no longer what they call 'a dry heat'!), and some clouds.  We crossed the 20-some miles of the Atchafalaya swamplands.  Traffic for the most part was manageable, though some more challenging - including a near-incident between another car and a motorcyclist going so fast they appeared out of thin air. 

Nancy was surprised that we'd be back a day earlier than she expected.  When we arrived home just after 10pm, she'd made us a really tasty meal - just what we needed.  We all enjoyed it together with a well-deserved bottle of wine.  It was wonderful to be home to familiar surroundings - and beds!  It will probably take some time to get used to being stationary and to stretch out after 6,251 miles cramped in an MG.

Above all, looking back at where we've travelled, what we've done, and who we've seen and met, we feel incredibly lucky to have been able to make the journey.  Even without the MGA's great performance all the way there and back, it would have been the trip of a lifetime.  We've loved regaling family with stories and looking at photos since we got back. During the trip, it was no small comfort to think of friends following our progress here on the blog. 

Some scary, some mundane, some gross, some funny - we've made a wealth of special memories.  Thanks so much for keeping up with us and letting us share some of them!

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 24

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

We focussed on covering ground today:  510 miles from Clayton, NM to Greenville, TX.  We made few stops except to change drivers, eat, and refuel.  At one of them, the guy across the gas pump cracked us up – watching Mike squeeze into the passenger’s seat with the top up, he said, “Dang!  I think that’s the first car I seen where you hafta lay down an’ roll over to get in it!”  We laughed and said he ought to see us try to get out!  Moments later, the starter motor gave up the ghost; we took advantage of the slight hill behind us for a reverse bump-start.  Later in the day Stella jumped out to push for another at a red light.  It wasn’t the first push of the day – earlier we’d mysteriously lost power in traffic and took refuge in a nearby parking lot.  Mike investigated but couldn’t deduce the cause; he had no problem restarting.  We’re hoping the problem isn’t with the generator / charging system.  As we get closer to home we’re slightly more inclined to cross our fingers and just hope Madge makes it! 

Our last excitement came just 30 miles short of our stopping point for the night.  Hoping to arrive before dark, we came upon a stationary convoy of tractor-trailers with oversized loads – entirely blocking both eastbound lanes of the highway.  Flummoxed, several of us took to the centre turn-lane to pass the blockage.  But, thwarted by the median and surprised by an angry truck driver standing in the road waving his arms, most turned round.  I ended up driving down the (thankfully quiet) wrong side of the road for 20 yards or so to a turn-off.  From there we watched the cock-up across the road as a flag man at the head of the convoy waved frantically and a driver sprinted up and down, until all six concrete bridge-spans had finally turned off.  The time we stopped allowed Mike to rig up a jump-wire to give us functioning tail-lights – eliminating our cause for concern about arriving after dark. 

Checking into Super 8, Dad was asked where we’d driven from today, but he couldn’t remember right off.  I think that says it all: we’re tired!  A very long push tomorrow would take us home.  All being well, we’d love to be there by evening.

But we’ll just have to see…

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 23

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

After a reasonably early departure from Farmington, we followed Highway 64 through northern New Mexico most of the day. Varied terrain made it an interesting drive. From sandy high desert we drove up and up into lush mountains. Green meadows and conifer and aspen forest made the air cool and fresh.

At about 10,000 feet, it was a bit thin too! Madge simply could not speed up the steep hills but that’s just as well – sharp bends abounded. Mike adjusted the gas mixture before we left Farmington but had to play with the idle speed on the road to stop the car dying in traffic. Tomorrow we’ll have to readjust it as we descend to lower elevations. The starter motor definitely sounds worse for wear…fingers crossed it makes it home. Otherwise we (I mean, Mike) will resort to the trusty crank handle for the final legs of the journey.

In forested areas we spotted a couple of elk. On the way over theTaos Mesa we crossed the Rio Grande, carving an impressive canyon. Skies ahead threatened as we passed a remarkable community of eco-houses, off-grid and built from recycled materials. The dark clouds were a mixture of dust, smoke from a fire in Los Alamos to the south, and thunderstorms (which would hopefully put it out!). News said a rare dust storm happened today in Albuquerque, further south
along the interstate route we’d decided against.


After some tense moments approaching the menacing weather, we stopped to put the top up. Of course this ensured no further rain! We stopped in Taos, with its distinctive pueblo buildings, for lunch and coffee. The local arts and crafts scene is so vibrant we couldn’t resist some shop browsing. Heading out of town we passed lots of pleasant canyon campgrounds and steered carefully round lots of curves. The elevation and breeze made it chilly enough for a jacket – a big change from yesterday! In Cimarron Canyon 
Mike dipped his feet in the river.

Further east, the scenery changed dramatically where the Rockies meet the plains. Our final 85 miles ploughed practically straight across flat, empty scrubland. Pretty antelope grazing at dusk caused us to keep vigilant eyes open, but thankfully none leapt into our path. In Clayton tonight, the sky outside our family-run motel is very dark indeed, showing plenty of stars along with the crescent moon.

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 22

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

Temperatures of 100°+F (over 38°C) challenged us during the first part of the day. From Green River, where we had a (too-)hearty breakfast in a quirky café, Arches National Park wasn’t far. Blistering sun kept us from doing any long walks. However, we enjoyed incredible views and did explore one beautiful formation up close. Touring the unbelievable arches and towers, we speculated about early explorers’ reactions when they stumbled upon the place, and the significance it must have held for native people since long before. We also felt grateful to be modern travellers, not
stumbling through the desert heat, hallucinating amongst towering stone figures. Mike did keep saying something about seeing palm trees and a waterfall, though…

Travelling south and east on fast highways, we left Utah and crossed
briefly into Colorado. Just before the state line, a crazy truck driver
began overtaking us despite oncoming traffic. To avoid the car in the
other lane, they pushed back into our lane before getting past us, so we were nearly crowded off the road. We honked our horn, shook our fists and decided to chase the truck down to get its license plate number. Crossing the state line snapped us out of that futile mission, and we stopped to take photos instead. Hopefully the driver was just having a moment and won’t do the same to others on the road…

Speaking of dangerous road incidents, we realised today what fortunate travellers we’d been on Monday. Looking at news and speaking with family, we heard about a 26-car pile-up in a sandstorm just west of Winnemucca and
floods in nearby Reno. Complaints about a rainstorm and blowing sand seem petty; we feel very thankful for our safe journey so far.

We weren’t long in Colorado before entering New Mexico. We travelled through the Navajo people’s tribal lands before stopping in Farmington. The MG has performed well again today with only minor idle speed issues. Remarkably, there’s been no overheating yet – without wanting to tempt fate, we’ve been delighted that this common MG problem hasn’t plagued us. Even with hot temperatures and long uphill drags, judicious use of the heater blower keeps the
temperature down. Mike’s theory is that installation of an
advanced thermostat, a high water to antifreeze ratio,
and the use of Water Wetter all contribute to
good radiator performance.

Long may it continue!

 

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 21

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

  

Today we crossed from Nevada into Utah, leaving a state famous for legalised prostitution for a state famous for Mormonism.  Not that either has been remarkable in either place!   Just over the border we found ourselves in moon-like terrain, on bright white salt flats.  We took a short detour to visit the Bonneville Speedway, of record-breaking speed trial fame (à la The World’s Fastest Indian).

What a surreal place.  Mirages, hazy whiteness and seaside smells in the middle of desert made the next hundred miles’ drive bizarre and memorable.  To the north and south of the interstate lie vast military testing grounds inaccessible to the public.  The contrast with Oregon’s ‘People’s Coast’ – signed into law as public lands from end to end – as well as the contrast in scenery and temperature made me nostalgic for the place we left yesterday.  However, after discussing why anyone would ever choose to live in a place without trees, we had to acknowledge that plenty of people appreciate wide open spaces too.  For them, this is the place! 

 A rest stop we paused at marked the spot where the final wire-splicing of the first East-West telephone line took place, linking New York to San Francisco, almost exactly 99 years ago. 

Just south of Salt Lake City – after passing roadside sailboat marinas on the lake itself - we participated in 8 lanes of heavy traffic.  It only cost us about half an hour.  The car never showed signs of overheating, even if we did!  On the move again, the ubiquitous gusty winds kept us cool.  Highway 6 provided uncrowded, fast-moving, interesting driving and a change of country:  white salty sand flats gave way to striated, lava-stained buttes and patches of scrubby green.  Price, Utah seemed an oasis of trees and green parks amidst dramatic evening shadows in the surrounding mountains and canyons.  Green River, where we’ve stopped tonight, lives up to its name. 

There’s much of nothing to report about Madge today, except that she’s been splendid:  gears shifting nicely, running at good temperature, starter motor functioning well, smooth body-work getting plenty of compliments.  Cruising at about 68mph suits Madge just fine.  I don’t want to jinx anything with this kind of talk, but it wouldn’t be right to leave praise unsaid. 

Tomorrow we hope to visit Arches National Park, which means we’ll have a break from long-distance driving – 421 miles clocked today.

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 20

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.  

Today we’ve driven about 540 miles to Elko, Nevada.  We’d planned to stop in Winnemucca but wanted to get a few more miles behind us.  John and Joyce fed us up good last night with home-fried shrimp and scallops.  (We’re still salivating over it.)  John front-doored us all the way here on his route elsewhere; this was much appreciated given the desolate country we’ve passed through – over 200 miles with not a gas station and hardly a dwelling in sight!  Elko is the only town of any size in miles.  The casinos’ lights flash all night and most of the motels boast no vacancies...but we found one (finally). 

 

Early in the day we had a freak occurrence with the starter motor.  I pulled the start switch with the car in gear (accidentally) and the extra electrical load on it caused it, bizarrely, to meld together.  The car stalled but the starter motor wouldn’t stop running.  Dad reacted quickly and jammed a screwdriver between the contacts to keep it from burning out, then put it back to normal…but it sounds, and feels, a little worse for wear.  Fingers crossed we’ll make it home without having to resort to the crank handle or bump starts! But never fear if so.

We had a bit of heavy rain near the state line and rode with the top up for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  It proved doubly helpful, keeping out not just rain but also blowing sand later in the day.  Gusty winds, a constant on this journey, are still with us.

It’s over 15 hours since we left Oregon, quite sorry indeed to say goodbye, and we’re knackered.

That’s all for tonight folks!

The Great Darby Road Trip - Days 18 & 19

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.  

After the previous night’s birthday celebrations, we made a leisurely afternoon departure for the coast yesterday.  During a (late-)morning jog, Stella spotted some wildlife when a pretty grass snake crossed the road.  The drive to the coast across Bear Camp Road necessitated pick-ups instead of less-rugged cars.  Slightly rough terrain was worth it for the mountain, river and forest surroundings. 

We arrived at John & Joyce’s favourite seafood restaurant, in Gold Beach, just in time for sunset.  We watched seals swimming in the harbour below.  Dungeness crab and fresh-caught local cod were highlights of a scrumptious meal.  (We munched dessert – leftover birthday cake – back at the hotel!)  This morning saw most of us strike out across Gold Beach Bridge, with its art deco sculptures at each end, for strolls or jogs.  The better to make room for decadent French bakery-style breakfast across the river…

Next we drove south down the Oregon coast, stopping several times at irresistible viewpoints.  At Cape Sebastian the party split for a few hours:  Mike, John and Joyce hiked down to the beach where one vehicle waited to save them trekking back up the hill.  Despite the sand-blasting effect created by high winds, Nancy enjoyed taking photos at water’s edge.  Stella took time for some bouldering on beach-side cliffs and ocean rocks.  Snake number two appeared on her path down to the sand!  

After one more roadside pause to marvel at a natural arch off the coast, we headed for home, re-tracing part of the route we’d taken inland from the California coast last week.  We felt glad to be home but really satisfied with a great day spent outdoors. Tomorrow will be our last day all together here in Oregon. 

The MGA is washed, aired up, and filled up.  Aside from a little work on the side-curtain windows, the car is ready to roll.  We’ll be sad to go, and we’ll have to push ourselves a bit more to get back to Alabama on schedule.  But none of that eclipses how glad we are we made it here, or the brilliant time we’ve had visiting (not to mention getting here!).

The Great Darby Road Trip - Days 16 & 17

 Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.  

 Yesterday the five of us visited Crater Lake – we couldn’t have had more perfect weather.  Crater Lake, one of the deepest in the world, was created nearly 8,000 years ago when a volcano erupted and then collapsed in on itself.   Brilliantly blue, it’s surrounded by high cliffs all around; each stopping place on the trails and roads around it shows a new spectacular view.  The contrasting colours of the snow, trees and lake had us reaching for our cameras over and over, even though photos just can’t do it justice.  Some snow cover lingers, but we were thrilled to have bright sunshine and no wind.  A perfect day to appreciate an incredible place!
 
On the way home we topped up our ‘natural beauty’ fix even more, walking along the Rogue River Gorge.  The Rogue winds back and forth through the local area, meaning we crossed it so many times yesterday we lost count.  The gorge was…well…gorgeous, of course!  (Sorry.)  Every minute enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool passes through the waterfall, flanked by a canyon of lava rocks.  No one fancied their chances in a kayak.  But the walk was great!
 
Having stuffed ourselves at a good diner at lunchtime, we stuffed ourselves again with good Mexican food in the evening.  All in all, a fantastic day out.  We couldn’t ignore the news about Tropical Storm Andrea back on the Gulf Coast, signalling the beginning of hurricane season…fingers crossed for everyone in the zone this year.  

Today we stuck close to home – more laundry, sunbathing, porch-sitting and a quick shopping trip into town.  Mike put in plenty of work, though:  he finished the rear lighting repair, adjusted the valves, and topped up the gearbox and differential oil levels…as well as cleaning the dust off the car.  Tomorrow he’ll air up the tires and fill up the tank, ready for departure early next week.

In the meantime we’ll visit the Oregon coast before heading home.  Tonight Stella’s enjoying a birthday beer, looking forward to the birthday cake Joyce has baked and is about to frost…yum!  Surrounded by family, out in the country with curious deer and thick trees up to the porch railing, warm evening sun going down over mountains…seems a pretty good way to turn 29 (yes, for the first time, thankyouverymuch!  Haha). 

The Great Darby Road Trip - Days 14 & 15

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation. 

We made it!  We’re in Oregon now!  If our blog posting has been sparse the past several days, it’s partly because we’re a little road-weary, but also because we’re having such a fantastic time.  We can’t stop remarking how lucky we feel…

Yesterday we left Fortuna for our last day of driving up the Pacific coast.  A hazy morning fog made for a cool Northwest atmosphere.  We passed low marshy spots and lagoons as well as more groves of incredible Redwood trees.  Nancy tested the water with her toes – just as cold as it was further south!  At Patrick’s Point state park, the views from rocky cliffs were superb.  Mike hiked down to the water’s edge to get splashed by lively surf.   Heading inland, we admired river gorges and the sun returned.  A herd of grazing elk surprised us around a bend – they impressed us with their size, grace and confident alertness.  We were equally impressed by two bull elk a few miles further along, both sporting striking velvety-fuzzy antlers.  

As we crossed the Oregon state line and neared our destination in the MGA, we discussed the list of things needing attention.  Top priority was the clutch slave cylinder – fluid leaks from it constantly leaving a huge slick overnight.  It also causes difficulty engaging first or reverse gear, not to mention fast shifts on mountain switchbacks.  Also on the list:  the running lights, brake adjustment, oil change, and valve adjustment.  Not much if you say it quickly…!

 

Nancy’s brother John and his wife Joyce, welcomed us in style with a great seafood dinner and plenty of space to relax.  It feels nice to park the car and settle into bedrooms we’ll occupy for longer than one night. 

Today we enjoyed the luxury of doing laundry (!), sunbathing, and using a roomy garage to replace the clutch slave cylinder, check the steering and front disk brake pads, and adjust the rear brakes.  The oil change will be easy with the spin-on filter adapter fitted specially for the trip.  Over the next few days there will be time to accomplish the other necessary tasks – much more comfortably than in a motel parking lot or on the roadside.  Despite needing some attention, we think Madge has done quite well for having covered 3400+ miles over the past two weeks.

 

Whilst we’re here with John and Joyce we’ll also enjoy the opportunity to explore Oregon’s coastal and mountain scenery.  What’s more, they’re both excellent cooks with a keen appreciation of good food – so we know we’ll eat well too! J  We feel happy to have arrived here in one piece and to get the chance to spend fun time with family.  (We’re not thinking too much about the route back to Alabama just yet…)

The Great Darby Road Trip - Days 12 & 13

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

Yesterday’s trip to Ukiah farmer’s market was a great way to get a feel for the local area.  Our hosts, Nancy’s cousins Dennis and Peggy, sold tasty organic produce alongside other producers at the weekly event.  After a tasty lunch we headed back up to Smart Mountain Farm and helped out a little bit with collecting eggs, picking strawberries and minor vehicle maintenance.

Mike left a Toyota pick-up running on a piece of household wire in place of no. 3 ignition wire – not up to his usual standards, haha, but it worked (as a purely temporary fix of course!).

We all enjoyed the beautiful mountaintop setting and the good company, not to mention the delicious and nutritious meals Peggy made.  It was hard to tear ourselves away this morning so we weren’t on the road until 1pm.

The route today gave us plenty of coastline views, but we also loved the golden mountain scenery, river valleys, and incredible giant redwood trees.  A friendly hitchhiker joined us for part of the journey including a stop on the beach. 

The driving along both coast and mountain bends kept Mike on his toes in the MGA.  Electrical gremlins are still alive – Mike used a jumper cable across a brake light switch to ensure bright taillights for the last stretch of road to Fortuna, where we’ve stopped for the night.

Tomorrow will be our last day on the coast road, destination Oregon!

The Great Darby Road Trip - Days 10 & 11

 Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.

The past couple of days seem a bit like a blur – perhaps that’s the San Francisco effect.  Yesterday morning we felt especially nourished by our B&B hosts’ Chinese breakfast – including delicious homemade soy milk.

Whilst replacing the main headlight light switch, Mike discovered a burnt wire to the map-reading light.  Was this caused by manoeuvring a full-sized road atlas under an MG dash?  No more bump-starts since the disconnection of the offending wire…so far!  Maybe he’s uncovered the root cause of our electrical problems.  New developments include a serious fluid leak from the clutch slave cylinder area and increased reluctance to shift into first gear.  Stella struggled with this on a hilly exit ramp in front of a queue of traffic towards the end of today’s driving…hopefully she and Madge can kiss and make up soon.  Oil consumption continues to be mysteriously low. 

We feel fairly confident of reaching our Oregon destination before Mike must spend time rectifying these irritating (but not disastrous) issues.

From Salinas yesterday we re-joined the coast road, carrying on north.  High winds and sunshine continued.  After a coffee and cake break, we stopped briefly on the beach.  A couple of surfers braved the frigid water but we only waded!  

It was a fairly short but leisurely trip up to San Francisco, where we were able to find our way to the next beautiful B&B in time to settle in and meet Nancy as she arrived.  It was great to catch up with friends from Florida now living in the area and enjoy a fantastic sushi meal in the Mission district together.  If only these stops could be longer…but it’s treat to see old chums even for a short visit. 

This morning after picking up Nancy’s rental car we sampled the Mission’s breakfast offering, which didn’t disappoint.  A trip up Bernal Hill, thanks to friends’ kind tip, offered us great views of all of San Francisco.  Next we drove out of the city – a challenge for both navigator and driver, perhaps intensified by what I’ll call…um…‘precision teamwork’! – complete with all the joys of a vibrant metropolis including cyclists, delivery drivers’ flung-open doors, loopy pedestrians and a one-way system. 

Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge felt like a welcome achievement.  We picked up Highway 1 again north of the Bay, now in convoy, for the curviest-yet sections of the road.  Spectacular vistas, warm beaches, laid-back vineyard towns and roadside fruit stands made it a great drive, but we headed inland to pick up the freeway so we could join our cousins in Ukiah at a reasonable hour. 

Leaving the MG safely garaged, we followed Dennis up the mountain road to their organic farm.  We couldn’t have been more grateful for the wonderful home-cooked meal Peggy had prepared – even including dessert. Tomorrow they’ll take products to market, so we’ll get to wake up to the roosters’ crows and see how it’s done in northern California.

The Great Darby Road Trip - Day 9

Mike Darby, well-known British car restorer and SABCC'er is on the road his newly-restored 1959 MGA roadster with daughter Stella, undertaking the dream trip of a lifetime. The Darby duo will be traveling from their Alabama Gulf Coast home to Southern California, then up the Pacific Coast to Oregon and then back to the Heart of Dixie. 

Stella has kindly agreed to send along a daily report of their progress as well as observations of the people and places that make up our nation.
 

We felt fresh this morning after a good night’s sleep and tasty coffee thanks to our B&B hosts Robin and Paul.  Mike swapped the old battery for the new spare while Stella went for a longer-than-intended jog.  Both tasks proved helpful in getting us out of Arroyo Grande on our way to San Luis Obispo.  There, Jason Len gave us a tour of his impressive operations at XKs Unlimited, and we got to meet sales manager Armando Piñera with whom Mike’s done business for years.  

Next we continued north, venturing the most exciting stretch of Highway 1 so far.  We lunched at a characterful, tasty Mexican restaurant in San Simeon recommended by Mike’s nephew Tim (whom SABCC members may recognise as The Correspondent from Across the Pond)!  Next we stopped to peer incredulously at elephant seals on the beach down the road – lounging, galumphing, swimming and barking at each other, so ugly they are almost beautiful.  

This point in the road marks the beginning of excitement for the driver (and a surreptitious tightening of the seatbelt by the passenger).  We both took turns and drove the MG hard – so as not to hold up any other cars on the road, of course.  Stopping often to take photos, we repeatedly remarked how lucky we felt to be able to enjoy such an incredible trip.

 

Our arrival in Salinas to stay with our next B&B hosts brought a different kind of adventure as we tried to cobble together handwritten directions, half-labelled internet maps and the road atlas’s meagre offering.  Several U turns and one mid-junction bump-start later (with the help of a kind onlooker!), we arrived at our hosts Han Wei and Hui Wu’s lovely home.  We were pleased to pull the MG safely into the garage.  Further investigation will hopefully reveal the reason for continued total loss of power when running the headlights, despite the new battery…another early morning spanner session seems likely.  

Tomorrow we’ll continue to San Francisco where Nancy will join us, having handed over keys and pet food to the trusty house-sitter.  We look forward to another gorgeous stretch of coastal highway before meeting Nancy, then catching up with an old friend of Stella’s now living on the west coast.  It must be time to try some seafood soon...