NCG Calendar Photo Shoot

In a quest to get photos for the NCG Calendar, I organized a photo shoot in the Livermore area on one day’s notice. Most of the locations I have shot myself in the past, so I know there should be some good images… the biggest variable is just how many people are going to show-up.

Sunday came about and after a great night sleep (spending the whole day drag racing really wore me out) I woke-up and headed out for the photo shoot. We met at the Livermore Harley Davidson dealership, 1) because it’s close to the freeway, and 2) it has several nice cinder block walls that should work well for photography. Three GTOs were present for the first location. After some quick shots (and a few minutes showing-off the G8 to a spectator) we headed out to the next photo location.

I had spotted this location (a wall with graffiti) yesterday morning on the way to Tracy and figured it would make for a good background for panning shots. After trying to describe what I was after from my cars/drivers a few times, I was able to get some good shots. We were also joined by another G8 and one more GTO.

I learned a few more things about logistics of photo shoots… like making sure everyone had a working radio. Also, people need to understand that I’m accustom to photographing cars traveling at racetrack speeds… so they don’t need to drive 10mph under the speed limit just for me. Honestly, the faster they go the easier it is for panning (being safe is still a priority).

The third photo location was quite impromptu. We ended-up stopping at the Summit Garage, which I have since found out to be a historic landmark on the old Lincoln Highway.

After a brief talk with the owner and Zeus (the guard dog, who is really a total sweetheart) I set about to getting some photos. We did a few two-car shots, which turned out nice… including a few shots with two G8s together. I’m really glad that I noticed the old cars that normally find a home in front of the garage were not present. A very cool location!

When doing a photo shoot in the Altamont Pass one has to get some shots with windmills. Unfortunately we spent more time than I had planned shooting the other locations and the sun quickly ducked behind a hill. I was able to get shots of one car, and it happened to be the one I thought would look best at the location (and I was right). I guess sometime we will have to re-visit this location for some more photos.

The last photo location I wanted to shoot was “The Top of the World” (at least that’s what I call it) on Patterson Pass Rd. I knew this location, being at the top of the world, would be one of the last places for the sun to set. I also figured the drive on Patterson Pass Rd. to the photo location would be really fun for all the participants. The shots from here really turned out well. The setting sun was getting a little low, but it made for nice contrasty images with very golden reflections. There was also an area where I could get shots looking down at the cars, which worked great for those with custom paint and stripes on the hood.

The logistics here worked out quite well. With one person on each side of the bind corner with radios keeping an eye-out for traffic, we were able to have the cars park across the road. When cars approached they were slowed down and waved-by in a controlled fashion. This process really worked well, and should be used for future shoots on public roads (with low traffic volumes).

Overall, the day was very productive. I believe we have several calendar shots in the bank from today’s activities. The biggest issue now is choosing which of the images to use… and how to use just one image from each car.

Sacramento Raceway Test & Tune

After the drag racing experience at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, I have been wanting to get back to the strip to see what the G8 can do now that I know a little more about what I’m doing. I was feeling slightly disappointing with my times/speeds from Vegas, but understood that the elevations and temperature really played a big part in how I ran. When the NorCal Goats planned a trip to the Sacramento Raceway for a Test and Tune, I knew I had to go along.

Sacramento Raceway (elevation 30′) is a great facility to get the G8 out to. A group of us were heading-out from the Manteca area, so I drove the back-way over to Tracy to scout out the photo locations for tomorrow’s shoot. Several of us got together and then headed-up to the track. We arrived when the gates opened and had some time to relax and let the engines cool off from the drive. I also took the opportunity to empty my trunk of all non-essential equipment.

When the track get hot I headed over to tech (which wasn’t really an inspection at all) and then into the staging lanes. Having spent some time reading about different launch techniques, I decided to just let the G8 do it’s thing. I turned off TCM, left the car in drive, and launched from idle… the resulting run was the quickest pass I made all day… a 13.53s @ 106.4mph (2.12s 60′, DA 1021′). The launch was perfect (no wheel spin at all) and I accelerated all the way through the 1/4 mile… holding 3rd gear through the end (without hitting the rev limiter).

After the first pass I wanted to see how Sport mode would work, and to my surprise the run was slightly slower… a 13.64s @ 106.1mph (2.168s 60′, DA 1021′). I think the slower time came from the chirp that was caused when shifting from 2nd to 3rd. While it sounds cool, the loss of traction doesn’t seem to make for a faster time.

I then spent the rest of the afternoon experimenting with different launch techniques, but was never able to better my first run. The last run of the day I used the same launch technique as the first run, but had aired-down the rear tires to 30psi (they were at 40psi to start). The temperature had increased a little, resulting in a DA of 1247′, but I was able to pull-out a 13.62s @ 106.9mph (2.224s 60′). I think that if I would have run the same PSI with the colder air from the morning I could have squeezed out a tenth or two.

Spending time working over the numbers, I was really surprised to see that my times were very consistent. When correcting for the DA run, my best from Vegas was within a tenth of a second and 1mph of what I ran in Sac. Given there was nothing changed with the car, it’s expected.

I am content with the 13.53s @ 106.4mph (I even put it in my signature on the message boards), but I think if the temperature gets a little cooler I will be able to run in the low-13s. I don’t think I have been bit by the never-ending faster ET bug (yet), but spending time at the track with the rest of the GOATs is a blast.

After the day at the track, a group of us headed-out to Sacramento for some photography. The goal was to get a few shots for the NCG Calendar I’ve been working on, and I think things worked-out well. I’d share some of the photos, but they are a secret until the calendar comes out!

GoatRun’09: Wrap-up

Total Distance: 1,355 miles
Average Fuel Economy: 21.3 mpg (Including the trips down the drag strip!)
Speeding tickets: Zero (for anyone who was driving in my proximity)

I’m so glad that I decided to go on GoatRun. There is really no way to explain just how much fun it was. I’m already looking forward to next year!

GoatRun’09: Day 4

Monday was a day for relaxing… if you consider an over 500 mile drive a relaxing day. Before setting off on the long drive home, we had a stop at the Bellagio for a great buffet brunch. The group with GoatRun got an incredible deal on the meal (and didn’t even have to wait in line). After not eating much bread (or any carbs for that matter) for a few months, the food was just incredible.

After breakfast I was able to get a few photos of NorCal members in the location that I scouted-out the day before. I tried to park my car to block the spots, but I couldn’t keep the whole area clear. I think it still worked out well.

Once everyone had finished saying their goodbyes the NorCal GOATs headed for home, but not before giving Las Vegas a nice send-off. Once on the freeway I pulled-up to the #2 spot again and kept an eye out for highway patrol officers. The trip out of Vegas was highlighted when the heard came across a Prius… with racing stripes! After saying ‘hello’ to the brother ‘sports car’ we made our way out into the desert towards California.

Time really flies when driving with a group of people. 537 miles is a long drive, but the constant chatter on the radios was just great. There was lots of reminiscing of the previous weekend’s activities. Eventually we reached Mojave, where the group stopped to re-fuel and eat a quick lunch. The drive through Tehapachi was really enjoyable, not just because of the road, but because everyone was listening to the same radio station… even going as far to singing along to “Born in the USA”. It was just another example of just how much fun traveling with a group of people can be.

As we got further North the trip started to end as people began to break-off from the heard when their turn-offs approached. I don’t think any of us wanted the weekend to end… but it didn’t take long to be leading a group of three people towards the East Bay, where I finally had to break-off to head home.

Thankfully I’m taking tomorrow off from work to recover, this was seriously a fun and eventful weekend!

GoatRun’09: Day 3

Day 3 of GoatRun started with a nice breakfast buffet at the Palace Station. When we arrived there were several other NorCal GOATs in front of us in line, making the breakfast very enjoyable. We had some good talks about the previous day’s events at the drag strip, the car show, and the BBQ.

Sunday was cruise day… and for the early risers (those not nursing a hangover)… the first cruise left the Palace Station at 9:30am.

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This cruise headed out towards the Red Rock Canyon Scenic Loop. A great little park with a one-way road that wound through one of the more picturesque valley I have seen. There were loads of interesting red rock (hence the name) formations. Part way around the loop the group stopped to admire the view and I took the opportunity to climb-up a little hill (avoiding any rattle snakes) to take some photos.

The remainder of the cruise was very enjoyable… a long line of GTOs winding its way through the park. When exiting the park the group became a little separated, and I found myself getting passed for not going around slower traffic, but it was still fun. The group gathered at the Red Rock Casino to wait for the party animals who were able to sober-up enough for the late cruise.

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While the roads used for this cruise were great, the way things went down was less than enjoyable. The group headed out of the Red Rock Casino and, much like the drive from Barstow to Vegas, everyone just took-off. I was really glad that I had the route programed into my GPS, so I at least knew I’d not get lost, but having to drive excessively fast just to keep ahead of the last car in line was not much fun.

Like the other day, I understand it’s the desert and the roads are acceptable for higher speeds, but the cruse was more about ‘keeping up’ rather than enjoying the drive. It really gave me a greater appreciation of the group of people we have in the NorCal GOATs. When we go on a cruise we keep the pace fun, but not so extreme that people are left behind.

At the top of the hill we stopped to talk and enjoy the views. The weather was quite cool compared to Vegas, and it didn’t take too long for people to get cold and want to head back. I took advantage of the scenery to take a few more photos.

I would have loved to rotate some of the NorCal GOATs into the prime photo locations, but there wasn’t time (and I couldn’t find the owner of the car that was in the best spot). The drive back to the Palace Station, like the one out, quickly turned into playing catch-up. I didn’t worry about trying to stick with people (and I don’t think I even saw another GTO for quite some time).

At this point I had to say goodbye to my Dad and dropped him off at the Bellagio. I took the opportunity to take some practice shots from the top of the parking structure where the group will be tomorrow morning. I think the view is going to be really impressive tomorrow! I then headed-off to the Palace Station to meet-up with some NorCal GOATs for an early dinner and then a night on the strip.

Dinner was incredible. We went to the Hofbrauhaus (a great German place) where people were drinking 1 liter beers. If the beers were not enough, when people would get a shot… they would get spanked with a wooden paddle. I don’t know what the obsession was with getting spanked, but I’m sure it had to do with the waitress (who had HUGE tracks of land).

After dinner we walked across the street to the Hard Rock Casino and then made the “short” journey to the strip. I don’t know who’s idea walking to the strip was, but it was a little farther away than anyone thought. It did lend to a nice 1.2 mile expedition with several intoxicated individuals. Once on the strip the group headed from one end to the other getting into all sorts of fun shenanigans… I would go into more details, but… what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!

GoatRun’09: Day 2

Saturday was spent at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway (elevation ~2,100ft). There was a ‘test and tune’ at the drag strip that allowed me the first chance to take the G8 out and see what it can do. We showed-up early (way early compared to the other NorCal folks who were recovering from hangovers) and registered for the day’s events.

I’d never been down a drag strip before, but I have been reading-up on the basics of what to do. After going through tech inspection (which really wasn’t an inspection as far as I could tell) I headed directly to the staging lanes. My dad was in the passenger’s seat and it turned-out that he didn’t need to get out of the car, so made the first pass with me (it was his first trip down a drag strip as well).

I was lined-up next to a fellow NorCal member, which was somewhat nice (the fact that he was in a 10-second car didn’t help my ego though). I spun the rear tires quickly (didn’t do a burnout with the stock tires, but just enough to get any dirt off) and pulled into the staging beams. I was in Drive mode with the Stage 1 VMS TCM tune (the mild one), traction control off, and revved the engine up to ~1,100rpms. When the light went green… off I went!

Run #1:
ET – 14.561s
MPH – 98.16

Not as quick/fast as I was hoping, but not bad for having a passenger and a trunk full of stuff. The G8 went straight down the strip and was very stable all the way.

For the second run I was alone and used Sport mode (still the Stage 1 VMS TCM tune). I again turned traction control off and loaded up to 1,100rpms.

Run #2:
ET – 14.083s
MPH – 96.83

While this was my quickest ET of the day, I didn’t drive all the way through the end of the 1/4-mile. I didn’t know where the finish line was (and was too far behind the other car to feel like I needed to push hard) and let-off early (hence the 96.83mph speed through the trap). I wonder if I would have been able to break into the 13’s if I’d gone all the way through the the finish on the gas.

For the next runs I wanted to load the more aggressive Stage 2 VMS TCM tune. The re-tune went quickly and I was able to get back to the staging lanes. This run was much closer to the car in the other lane (only lost by 0.1794) and was therefore much more exciting.

Run #3:
ET – 14.199
MPH – 99.97

I was only planning on doing three runs down the strip, but after being so close to a 100mph speed through the trap I just had to do one more run. The last run I tried to push things, and the track wasn’t working in my favor. Unlike the previous runs, loading up to 1,100rpm was just too much… and I left the line with a noticeable squeal in the tires. I think that a lower rpm (or maybe having traction control on) would have helped the ET a little.

Run #4:
ET – 14.225
MPH – 101.44

I thought about one last run, but after watching some of the other cars go down the strip I knew I wasn’t going to improve on my best ET. Cars that were running high 13’s were now in the mid-14’s.

Spending the day at the drag strip as a competitor (rather than a photographer) was definitely learning experience. I think I will need to go out an try the G8 at a strip that is closer to sea level, as people were talking about how the 2,100ft elevation was robbing some power. Not having a trunk full of bags, water, cameras, etc. would have probably also helped. Using a Density Altitude (DA) calculator for the time of my quick ET was like running at 4569ft… and a corrected ET would have been around 13.3 seconds. I’d really like to get into the low 13’s on the stock tires with this setup, so I’m sure this is something I’m going to have to do again!

After the test and tune, there was a BBQ and car show. I had really hoped to take some photos of cars as the sun was starting to set, but the location for the car show was less than photogenic. Also, by the time the light was right, my car was blocked-in and everyone else was enjoying the show… I felt that it wasn’t the best time to pull people away for photography.

After the BBQ people started to vote for their favorite cars and I went around getting some detail shots of NorCal cars. There was a raffle with some really cool prizes (like break rotors, a clutch, etc.)… while I didn’t win anything, several NorCal members did so that was cool. At the end of the night there was a ‘best sounding exhaust’ competition, which was taken hands-down by BillyGoatGruff (another NorCal GOAT).

After the BBQ and car show a group of us headed over to the enterence to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. There are a set of tunnels that lead into the infield, and at night they are lit-up nicely (good thing I brought my tripod). I got my chance to be photographer and took several shots of several different cars. I think a few of the guys gained a better respect about the difficulties of being a photographer… we were constantly having to move cars around because of traffic, and the lighting conditions were difficult at best. While I’d have rather been at the same location shooting ~4 hours earlier, I think I came away with a few decent shots.

After the photo shoot I needed to drop my Dad off at the hotel, at which time I also crashed… it was almost midnight anyhow and I needed to be up early in the morning for the cruise (wow I sound like an old man).

GoatRun’09: Day 1

GoatRun has been on the calendar for several months and it is finally here! The first day started really early (like wake-up at 3am early) so that I could drive to Livermore and pick-up my Father for the trip to Las Vegas. It turned out that he was going to be in Vegas the following week for work… flying-in on Sunday, but why fly when you can drive with a heard of GOATS!?! The group met-up at a gas station in Tracy at 4:45am and then headed out for Las Vegas.

Total Distance: 537 miles

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Given that I have a radar detector I was given the privilege of driving in the #2 position in line. While we kept the speed close to the speed limit, there is always some added attention created by a line of ~20 GTOs cruising down the freeway. Along the way there was even a CHP officer who was performing a traffic stop who’s head perked-up when we drove by!

The sunrise was great, and was highlighted by driving with a candy colored fleet of GTOs! The radio chatter was also lots of fun (as always). There were several stopping places along the route to Vegas to pick-up more people. For the most part they were quick stop-and-goes (bathroom, fuel, and go) because we had to reach Barstow by 11:45am to meet-up with the SoCal GTO owners.

After reaching Barstow and meeting-up there was a short time for talking. I had my first chance to see the Haddad Motorsports G8 and ask some questions. Unfortunately, by the time we stopped for lunch it was already time to get on the road again (my Dad even ate my half of the sandwich in my car!).

While the drive from Barstow to Vegas included a huge line of cars, it wasn’t very much fun. I ended-up towards the rear of the pack and spent far too much of my time trying to ‘catch-up’ with everyone else. There wasn’t much talk on the radios (I kept changing channels hoping that I was just on the wrong frequency). Eventually the traffic on I-15 slowed way down for a gnarly motorcycle accident… and I was left way behind when the road opened-up again.

There is something strange about driving at uncomfortably high speeds for 20 minutes and not catching-up to anyone. I later found out that most of the pack was driving well over 100mph (some topping out >150mph). I understand that it’s the desert and the roads were empty, but still… isn’t the idea to drive WITH other people? By the time we reached Vegas a few people had caught-up with me and we rolled-in three-wide.

After checking-into my hotel (I stayed at a Courtyard a little ways away from the Palace Station because of the points/free nights) I returned for the meet and greet. There was quite a showing of cars on the roof of the packing structure and lots of people to talk with. I wish I’d talked with more people, but I found myself out taking photographs (which was cool too).

Before heading back to the hotel I joined a few NorCal GOATs for dinner in one of the casino restaurants. Dinner was nothing special (an overpriced piece of steak), but the company and conversation was great. When everyone else headed to the bars (with an overly obnoxiously loud band) I headed to the hotel to work on some photos and get some sleep. It was a very long first day, but lots of fun as well.

East Bay Cruise

East Bay Cruise
After the Half Moon Bay cruise there has been some talk about getting together for more regular cruises. Given the Mod day and GoatRun, this weekend was the only one that I would be available for. With short notice to both the G8 and GTO communities, I put together a cruise through some of my ‘normal’ roads in the East Bay.

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The group gathered at the Stoneridge Mall in Pleasanton at 10am. I didn’t know how many people would be in attendance, so we waited around until almost 11am before starting out. There was one other G8 and a GTO. I had hoped for a few more cars, but small groups make doing cruises much easier.

The drive down Foothill Blvd. was nothing special. When we got to the curvy part I happened to get a phone call from one of the cars in the cruise (we didn’t have enough radios for everyone). I understand the idea behind the hands-free laws, but trying to get my bluetooth on and in my ear… while answering the phone… while trying to drive around corners. The trip on Hwy84 through Niles Canyon was quite nice… very scenic.

I had given everyone a heads-up about the turn onto Palomares Rd. I was impressed that the GPS (which worked perfectly by the way… including the route loading via the computer) pointed out that we needed to make a “sharp right turn”. Palomares was nice and clear of traffic, so worked out really nicely. I had a good chance to use the manual shifting mode and really liked how the tune was blipping the throttle on downshifts (it’s a great sound). There was some ‘popping’ noises while coasting in a higher gear (that were not present before the headers and exhaust), but the car behind me couldn’t hear it (so it couldn’t have been that bad).

After Palomares we had to drive through Castro Valley to get to Redwood Rd, which was no fun. I wish there was a good way to get to Redwood Rd without having to drive through the ‘city’ streets. I was being a good guy when driving, knowing I had two people following me, and not passing slower drivers. I’m never really sure when to pass slow people when they are consistently not pulling over on a two lane road. When we got to a place where there was room to pull over I did and let the slower car get farther ahead. After a short wait we headed-out again and had a really great drive. When we caught-up with the slower car they finally took the hint and pulled over to let us by.

We took a quick pit-stop at a park before heading back out onto Skyline Blvd. The remainder of the drive went by quite quickly. The view from Skyline and Grizzly Peak Blvd. was a bit disappointing due to haze, so we didn’t stop to take and photos. The drive through Tilden Park was relaxing as well.

This lead to Wildcat Canyon Rd. which was just awesome. There was a slow car (I think we actually passed it twice in the day) that kept the road nice and clear. I took the opportunity to let the G8 show what it can do in the curves and it performed perfectly (I even lot sight of the GTO in my rear view mirror)!

The last part of the drive around the reservoir was a nice cool-down. Since we were close to a photography location that I’ve been really wanting to check-out, we headed up Hwy4 towards Martinez. To my surprise, as we were pulling into the parking lot there was a police officer waiting to also turn in. I figured he was going to follow us up to the photo location (it’s clearly a place people go to do donuts and stuff). I parked and got out of the car and talked with the officer about how we would be doing some photography, and he left (we all figured he drove out of sight to wait for us to do donuts and race up and bust us)… but all we did was photography.

While I dislike that ‘punks’ would potentially ruin a great photo location by doing donuts… it does makes for some cool ‘details’. With some proper positioning we get all the benefits of doing burnouts and donuts without needing new tires (or getting tickets from the waiting officer).

The photo location really worked out nicely, but I wish the light was better… I will for sure be returning later in the evening to take advantage of the golden hour.

The cruise appeared to be a success, and was a great shake-out drive before GoatRun. While more cars would have been nice, I think just having some sort of activity (involving the G8 folks) at least once a month. The more people we can get out to see what being in an active car club/community is like, the more people who will continue to come out to events.

NorCal GOATs Mod Day

The JBA Shorty Headers have been installed! It was a long day of working on the car, but I’m generally pleased with the results.

On Sunday the NorCal GOATs had a Mod Day… it was really great to see everyone get together and wrench on cars! There was a constant stream of cars being works on… from header installs (3), fender grinding/rolling (3), ignition cylinder replacements, front splitter modifications, spark plug/wires, etc. There were over a dozen people working on things at various times. There was also a TV with football games and a great lunch.

On the way to the Mod Day a few of us met up at Stoneridge Mall and made the drive to Tracy via Patterson Pass. The road was great (as always) and made for lots of fun before a long day of work.

I got the G8 up in the air (I’m glad I had the experience from installing the Corsa Exhaust) and started removing the stock manifolds. The engine compartment of the G8 is a bit tight, so I’m really grateful there were some people with smaller hands to get into the tight spaces. After removing the stock manifold on the driver’s side we tried to install the new Shorty Header… unfortunately, there was a problem.

The header was not connecting up to the stock mid-pipe/catalytic converter… the bolts were not going into the flange on the header. We had to remove the mid-pipe, where we discovered that the header had not been properly machined. The holes the bolts go into were not elongated the same on both headers… so out came the dremel! After a little grinding everything fit right and we continued on the install.

Since installing the header to the mid-pipe was easier outside the car, we also removed the passenger’s side mid/cat (while others were grinding on the header). This side was machined properly so went very smoothly. Unfortunately, the driver’s side header/mid-pipe could not be installed as a single piece… this resulted in an exhaust leak when we first fired-up the engine. The leak was quite clear, but it took several different tries at fitting in different orders to get everything right. We even had to drop the exhaust on both sides to get things in right… but this resulted in an opportunity to hear what the G8 would sound like with no exhaust (it was nice)!

Once everything was back together and checked-out I put the car back on the ground and took her out for a test drive. The drive was a short one though, as after a few minutes the engine was acting really rough and threw a Check Engine Light (CEL). I also noticed a noise when turning the car to the right (much more on this in the future). Fortunately, someone at the Mod Day had a DashHawk and was able to check and clear the CEL… turns out there was a “cylinder 2 misfire” caused by a loose spark plug wire. Once it was plugged back in I took the G8 out for a serious test drive.

I don’t know if there was any ‘seat of the pants’ difference with the headers installed, but there is definitely an audible one. The G8 is actually QUIETER now. The sound is much more even… very refined. The car is mild at idle and low RPMs, but still screams at WOT… just what I wanted! I think the ECU tune, that was designed for running the headers, was not at homeostasis with only the exhaust installed, resulting in the louder sounds.

Once my car was wrapped-up I had some more time to talk with some of the other people at the meet. It was really great, lots of information about all sorts of stuff from smog checks to photography. The night wrapped-up and I headed home (and actually made it without any major issues).

Huge thanks go out to those who helped wrench on the G8… I would have never been able to do this by myself!

G8s and GTOs go to Half-Moon Bay

This cruise has been in the makings for quite some time. After the last G8 cruise, there was a little break… then people started getting antsy for another. I was spending too much time on the East Coast, but knew I’d be back in August. Well, it worked-out that I was able to attend!

Total Distance: 142 miles

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The group of G8s were scheduled to meet in San Jose, but after the great times we had driving Patterson Pass Rd. a few weeks ago… the GTO folks had a pre-cruise from Tracy. There was some question if Patterson Pass Rd. would be open due to a fire on Corrol Hollow Rd (just a few miles South). Before heading out we stopped to get some two-way radios (which put us a little behind schedule).

The drive on Patterson Pass Rd. was great (it always is), but wasn’t as spectacular as the last time. There was some additional traffic on the road (and there was some question about law enforcement pretense).

Going through Livermore there was a real sense of caution placed on speed-traps. I was moved-up to #2 in the line because of my V1… and once again it paid-off! Heading South on Hwt84 (which is no fun anymore) there was a CHP officer sitting on the blind side of a turn with his rear-facing radar blazing. I was quite impressed that the V1 picked up the reflections of the radar… allowing me to radio out “Ka ahead” before he came into view. The V1 did it’s job and we were able to make good time to San Jose.

We reached the Winchester parking lot about 15 minutes late (I hate being late) and needed to take some time to re-group before the cruise. Unfortunately, the other G8 folks seemed to want to hit the road (and I can’t blame them, I’m sure they’d been waiting around for a while already). After a short time what I thought was the group was ready to head-out and people started to get into their cars… but it turns out there were a few people still re-grouping and one GTO (driving from Sacramento even) who was a few minutes out. The first-half of the group headed to Santana Row while the second-half got together and headed-out.

After a trip down Santana Row everyone headed out on the cruise. There was quite a long line of cars… and while impressive to watch, it made staying as a group very difficult! I was the last car in line to make sure no one got left behind and actually got stuck at several lights as cars headed out on CA-17. I found myself so far behind that the radios would no longer work and I had to call the lead car (thank goodness I asked for his phone number). The group waited in Saratoga for everyone to get back together… unfortunately, this would be a trend for the cruise.

Once we made it to CA-9 (which was quite a chore in itself) things started to get more fun. The last three cars in the line got stuck at a one-way traffic signal (you know, those road construction ones). While putting up way behind the rest of the heard, it did allow for some nice open roads. The drive was very enjoyable (one of the better ones) and we caught up with the rest of the group by the time we reached the Skyline (CA-35) junction.

Unfortunately, there was a Mustang GT between the last three of us and the rest of the group… and it was driving too darn slow (like under the speed limit). After a few miles, much to our surprise, the Mustang pulled-off the road… at 35mph… into a bunch of gravel. There was quite a bunch of radio chatter about that maneuver… “The GTOs scared the Mustang off the road”, etc. The Mustang followed for a few more miles and then turned around (and ran away).

The group stopped at the Mountain Terrace parking lot in Sky Londa (intersection of Skyline and CA-84) and prepared for the second half of the drive. The cars did get some attention, but most of the drivers were over checking out a pair of new ’10 SS Camaros. While really impressed with their power, the insides looked really cramped and the trunk was choked by a small opening… definitely not the of similar size to the G8, despite being built on the zeta chassis.

Once the group got back on the road, it was more of the same. I was at the tail-end of the line to make sure no one got left behind… and found myself (and a few others) being split-off from the rest of the pack. There were a few more Mustangs driving really slow (I was caught by a Suburban of all things!), and there were very few passing opportunities. While one or two cars could get around the slower traffic, it doesn’t do much good when there are a dozen cars trying to pass. But overall, the roads were great and the tree cover made for a different drive than the ‘normal’ California dry grass.

When we reached CA-1 the group was able to stretch its legs a little, but not too much before we entered into Half-Moon Bay. Once again me and a few others got left behind, so the group pulled into a shopping center to let us catch-up. Unfortunately, getting out of the shopping center with so many cars proved to be a difficult task… not being helped by a left-hand-turn signal that would only let a handful of cars through at a time. There was a lady in a Prius (smug smug smug) that made a real stink when she couldn’t back out of her parking space… oh well, wait your turn!

Eventually we all made it to Half-Moon Bay and parked at the Half-Moon Bay Brewery for lunch. While several of us had called to make reservations, we didn’t think it was appropriate to require a credit card to hold one. Because of this, it was going to be over an hour to be seated… something that most of us didn’t want to wait for. We decided to take a walk around and see if there were other restaurants around that could seat us quicker.

We chose to eat at Crab Landing, which turned out to be a poor choice. I won’t dwell on it, but the service was so bad that most of the group did not even get served their food. Hours of waiting for nothing is not a good way to do business, but at least they only charged us for drinks. While we were there there was some great talk about our cars and modifications (coincidentally, all the G8 owners sat at one table and the GTO owners at another).

Unfortunately with the lunch fiasco, half of the group was ready to head home and the other half was still looking for food. After showing-off the in-dash GPS and Back-up cameras, iot was getting late so I decided to head home. Three of the G8s headed up CA-92 together, but I would have really liked to had more of a group heading back towards the East Bay.

I planned on taking CA-92 to Skyline and then Page Mill Rd. down into the bay. While driving on CA-92 the other two G8s in front of me did a great job moving through the traffic. It was quite spirited, so much so that I missed the turn-off for Skyline… thankfully the G8 has great brakes!

The drive on Skyline was very enjoyable and there was little slow traffic… I actually had an Acura MDX (SUV/Crossover type thing) keeping pace for me! I could really see why Skyline is such a popular drive for cruises… great sweeping turns through the redwood trees.

The top of Page Mill Rd. is very tight and not very wide, but the road condition is perfect. The decent is nice and the curves are tight, they definatelly keeps you on your toes. Farther down the road there are many loops/hairpins with elevation changes that are a blast. Unfortunately, if you get a slower driver in front of you (like I did) they more than likely will not pull-over (stuck-up, slow, BMW drivers). Eventually the road runs into I-280 and I blasted home.

It was for sure a long day of driving, and some of the headaches of being in such a large group of cars (well, at the back of it) made it even longer… but the day was definitely fun! I’m really glad that I was able to enjoy most of the drive on Skyline and the surrounding roads with some great people. I really hope that we can do it again soon (there is talk of re-doing the Santa Cruz Cruise because of the rain-out before).