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.

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).

NorCal GOATs Summer Hooters Cruise

Wake-up on a Saturday and drive… Sounds good.
Drive from a Hooters… to Hooters… to Hooters… What more do I need to say!

Total Distance: 142 miles

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The Dublin Hooters is only down the street from my house, but I couldn’t pass-up a chance to go for a cruise with the NorCal GOATs. I was originally going to meet a few of the guys at the Dublin Hooters and drive down to the Campbell Hooters, but then I was exposed to this…

Patterson Pass Rd. is one of my favorite drives, with great curves and views… but it is also one lane and heavily traveled commute times (often in the opposite direction I’m trying to drive), so I tend to avoid it. But knowing that there was going to be a train of GTOs going through, I had to be on-board!

I made the drive to Sonics in Tracy, taking Altamont Pass Rd rather than I-580E (just to spice things up a little). It was very reminiscent of the early morning train chasing in the RX-7 with my father. The group gathered (along with a cool little green grasshopper) and then headed-out towards Patterson Pass.

It was really great having someone to lead the group that knows the road. As we were approaching various areas we would receive notes over the radio about turns and speeds… it was almost like having a navigator in the passenger’s seat calling out rally directions (3 left, 100, tightens). With the knowledge that the road ahead was clear of on-coming traffic, I was able to let the G8 hang-out a little more than I would otherwise… and it really shined. This was by far the fastest I’ve ever done Patterson Pass, and at no time did I ever feel concern. We stopped at ‘The Top of the World’ for some photos before continuing on to the Dublin hooters.

Pulling into the parking lot at Dublin Hooters we were met by another bunch of GTOs. So far it was a really great showing, especially for a pre-cruise!

T-Shirts and keychains were distributed and people regrouped for the drive to the Campbell Hooters. The drive to Campbell was not very exciting (all freeway stuff), but the radio chatter was great as always. Despite the lack-luster roads, there just isn’t anything like driving with a group of other cars… especially ones with the power to get-up-and-go when there are breaks in traffic (or some slow person decided to sit in the fast lane for miles-on-end). It didn’t take long for the group to reach Campbell.

There was a great showing of cars (at least 16 GTOs and 3 G8s). There was the typical show-and-tell session with people popping their hoods and talking about mods, etc. It is really cool to hang with people who all have a similar interest, and to see how each person does things just a little different. I was able to show-off the dead GPS in my dash and everything!

After lunch we re-grouped for the cruise. While we were waiting for a few more people to show-up some of the Hooters girls were kind enough to come out and pose with the cars. Being ‘the professional’ I was requested to take some photos, and I was happy to oblige.

Once the last few stragglers showed-up for the cruise we headed out towards Calaveras Rd. Having a bunch of cars was great, but it also resulted in several people getting left behind or missing exits on the freeways. We even had to pull-over for a while to regroup… The line of cars was quite impressive though.

Calaveras Rd. had some oncoming traffic, so resulted in a slow drive, but it was a nice chance to look out at the reservoir. I also realized that I don’t like being at the back of the pack… you tend to get all bunched-up and there is little room for ‘spirited’ driving.

The group deviated from the planned route once reaching Sunol, and a few people got lost on the freeway trying to make various exits, but eventually everyone made it to Dublin and to the Hooters. There was not much of a meeting at the last Hooters of the day (people were all Hooters-ed out by that point). I stayed around for a little, but after getting no service from the establishment, I decided to go home.

Like all meets, it was great to see everyone. It was nice to not be the only G8 in the pack… hopefully at the upcoming G8 meet we will rival the GTOs in numbers.

NorCal GOATS go to Tahoe (with a G8)

After spending a few weeks on the East Coast with a stupid little rental car I was really looking forward to driving the G8 GT. This trip has been on the books for a while and I refused to cancel it for work.

Total Distance: 510 miles

The cruise up to Tahoe started with a rally point at the Stoneridge Mall. A few people from the South Bay were to meet up and then head to Fairfield and then towards El Dorado Hills.

Before getting to the mall I needed to fuel-up (see the Update on the 92 Octane? post).

I left home a little earlier than needed so that I could program the GPS with the various routes for the weekend… unfortunately the GPS was dead! I pulled the side off the radio and tried plugging in the unit directly into another power outlet (rather than through the splitter I use behind the dash), but there was no change. I don’t know if this is an issue with power like my dad experienced or something with the firmware. Regardless, I’m going to have to pull the dash apart to fix this… I think I’ll install a USB cable as well for any future issues! So being without GPS really though a kink in my plans (I’d not even printed out the routes), but I guess it worked out OK as I didn’t have to lead any of the drives!

I was joined by two other GTOs at the Stoneridge Mall and we headed out towards Fairfield. I was in the rear of the line and spent far too much time looking in my mirrors while we were trying to make-up time. It was nice to have some running partners while heading up I-680N. We all had two-way radios so there was a bit of chatter that livened-up the drive as well.

This was the first cruise that I’ve been on since getting the Valentine One radar detector. I mentioned that I had it on when the group first started out, but wondered if it would really be of any use. I didn’t want to be calling out a bunch of false alarms, so kept things to a minimum. The first call over the radio I made was for a weak Ka signal from the front… which was returned by a “what is a Ka?”. I said, “5.0”… which was almost instantly returned by “white CHP ahead entering the freeway”. Given our speed and how the CHP officer was pulling onto the freeway, if I had not had the radar detector it more than likely would have resulted in a ticket (or three). The V1 got several kudos… and more than likely paid for itself!

The three of us reached Fairfield and picked-up another GTO (and a Mustang) and headed for El Dorado Hills to meet up with the rest of the Heard. Traffic was a heavier, resulting in some fun maneuvering to keep the group together. It was fun using blockers and such… one car pulling into a lane and slowing down enough to let the rest of the group pass through.

Just before reaching El Dorado Hills there were two CHP officers at the side of the road… one standing outside his car (perpendicular to traffic) with a LASER gun. The V1 didn’t alert until the patrol cars were visible and it received a Ka radar (more than likely off axis). I was surprised that I wasn’t able to pick-up the officers sooner (and never received a LASER alert), but after talking to another GTO owner who has a V1 it seems like we both had the same response. I guess he got a really nasty look from the CHP officer as he drove by (under the speed limit because of picking-up the Ka signal).

The group gathered in Fairfield and headed out on Hwy-50 towards Lake Tahoe. While the first part of the road was two lanes each way, but it didn’t take long for the group to get held-up by slower traffic. Most of the really slow vehicles (motorhomes, trucks towing stuff, etc.) pulled over at turnouts, but there were still a few cars that just wouldn’t get out of our way…

The best of the ‘slow vehicles’ was a shiny Aston Martin V8 Vanquish. I was farther back in the Heard of GTOs, so missed-out of some of the shenanigans. Well, passing lanes and big V8 let the GTOs shoot past the Aston, but the two-lane twisty section showed the refined side the GTO is lacking… then again, you can buy a few GTOs/G8s for the price of the Aston Martin.

Other than the fun with the Aston, the drive up to Tahoe was quite mundane, but the company (and the radio chatter, was a lot of fun).

The Heard pulled into Tahoe (did someone say traffic?) and headed to Harvey’s Casino and the Hard Rock Cafe for lunch. The lunch at the Hard Rock was great… we had two large tables full of people. I had an open face sirloin sandwich that was awesome. All told the tab came to $350… and thankfully someone had a AAA card that saved us 10% (which was placed on a roulette table to help pay for everyone’s gas… without success).

After lunch most of the group headed-out for a drive around the lake. Before starting out there was one GTO with a wheel/brake issue. It was really impressive to see everyone pull together with jacks and lug-wrenches trying to solve the problem. Once everyone was ready we grouped up and headed-out… minus the few who had a date with a craps table.

Total Distance: 71.4 miles

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The road around the lake is all two lane (one each way), so the driving was far from spirited… but the view made-up for it! There really isn’t anything like going up and down over tree covered hills with a gorgeous view of Lake Tahoe! The Heard stopped off at Emerald Bay to admire the view. I wanted to get some photos of the group, but there wasn’t enough room at the pullout to get everyone together. I had to settle for just one GTO with a proper background.

I would have liked to rotate the cars through this spot/shot so everyone could get a quality photo, but everyone (other than me, who was climbing up a wall) wanted to keep going.

After the photos, the group continued around the lake. It was quite nice to have a knowledgeable tour guide leading the drive. There was a constant supply of landmarks being called-out over the radios (the house from Godfather II got quite the attention). The Heard pulled-off at a house so the ‘old people’ could use the restrooms (again). During the stop a paintball gun was unleashed on a tree ( a neighboring house was a collateral damage). I tried to take some photos, but stupid (and blind) me had the lens in manual focus.

Again (for the last time) we continued on around the lake. The view was again spectacular… this time close to the water. The sun was also starting to get a little lower in the sky giving everything a golden glow. The last section of the route around the lake had two lanes for some more spirited driving. To the Heard’s surprise this little Miata (with a goober in a big straw hat) did a great job of keeping-up (and even working through) the line of GTOs.

Once the group made it back to South Tahoe it broke-up and headed our own ways. Some wanted to spend the night in the Casino, but I’ve never been too into that (I’d rather spend my money than loose it). I had reserved a room in Reno for the night, so headed in that direction. While I had wanted to take the Kingsbury Grade, I ended-up following another GTO down Hwy-50. It was not as twisty as the Kingsbury Grade, but the 2450′ decent (nearly a half-mile) over 12 miles (averaging a 7% decent) was great fun. After reaching Carson City I decided that the drive to Reno was a little more than I wanted to do, so changed my reservations.

While driving through Carson City I started to wonder what sort of people lived there… there were several groups sitting out on the street in lawn chairs! As I drove around a little more I came across several class car gatherings… I can only imagine people were there to watch them cruise down the main-drag. I was quite tired from the driving so headed to bed rather early… but it would have been nice to look around a little more.

Sunday morning I checked out of my hotel and headed across the street for some breakfast. I didn’t know what anyone else was planing on doing (and the anti-social part of me didn’t get other people’s phone numbers). After breakfast I headed out on NV88 towards California.

Total Distance: 148 miles

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As I was driving through the Carson Valley, the Sierra Mountains towering to the West, I just had to stop and take some photos. I found a nice little backroad where I could get views with the valley and with the mountains.

After taking a few photos (please excuse the bugs all over the windshield) I headed back onto the road. The roads were mostly two lanes and in fairly decent shape. Things never became too narrow and for the most part things kept moving with reasonable speed limits.

From time to time I found myself behind a slower moving vehicle, but the road has all sorts of passing opportunities. I must say that the G8 is great with passing lanes… just drop it into third gear and away you go! Just watch-out for oncoming CHP officers! The V1 picked him up, but by that point I was out in the passing lane… he put on his brakes as I went by, but didn’t turn around to come after me (thankfully).

Before exiting the Sierras I stopped at an overlook to take a few more photos. It happened to be in an avalanche area (no stopping, no peds, etc.), but I didn’t think it would be too big of a deal. The photos were worth the risk of being buried under a wall of snow (all six inches of it).

Most of the drive on CA88 was really pleasurable. I didn’t have much company on the road, but that allowed me to relax and not sweat passing people. I turned off onto CA26 to get some extra curves in before getting back into the boring multi-lane freeways. It was a really nice section of roads with lots of curves and elevation changes.

It was at this point that I learned something interesting about the G8… it knows when you are going downhill and shifts accordingly. Most of the time I do my driving in ‘Sport Mode’, but more and more I find myself switching-over to ‘Manual Mode’ when going through the hills. I was going down hill and noticed the transmission was ‘bogging down’ the car, so put it manually into 6th gear to minimize the resistance. Well, this drastically changed the cars stopping characteristics (no nearly as much slowing you down) while going downhill. It only took a few squealing corners to teach me to keep the car in a lower gear, even if it is ‘bogging down’ (aka. doing it’s job slowing me down).

The remainder of the drive home was typical California highway driving… nothing too special. One thing of note however was the crazy high temperatures in the valley. When I stopped in Lodi for something to drink it was 109°… when I went through Manteca it was 111°! I’m really glad that I was able to spend the weekend in the low-80’s and not in the triple digits!

All-in-all it was a really great weekend of driving. The GTO folks were very welcoming and made the drive much more enjoyable. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend their Tilden Park Cruise & BBQ in July, but I think quite a few will be joining the G8 cruise to Half-Moon Bay in August.

NorCal GOATs Santa Cruz Cruise

I am really spending a bunch of time on the road lately. This weekend I went out with the NorCal GTO boys again, and had a blast.

This meet has been on the calender for a while, but the weather decided not to cooperate this weekend. The forecast called for rain and it scared a few people away (they missed-out though). Dublin was rain free, but I checked the radar before leaving home and there was some moisture heading into Santa Cruz. I guess we’ll have to keep things a little slower…

On the way to the meet I had to stop at FedEx to pick-up my Valentine One (Radar Detector). I didn’t want to mount/use it yet, as I figured it would be best to read the manual first. Also, I wanted to enjoy the drive and focus on the road.

We started to meet up at the Santana Row Back Parking Lot. It was raining, but we were able to talk about cars for a little while. We were hoping for a bigger turn-out, but the rain killed that. There was a total of 5 of us… 4 GTOs and my G8. After waiting around to catch any stranglers, we headed out on the cruise.

Total Distance: 124 miles
Driving Time: 4 hours 1 min

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We started out down CA-17 towards and then took CA-9 to Saratoga. Nothing too exciting, but it’s really nice to be on the road with a group of people rather than just by myself. It’s also cool to see a trail of GTOs in the rear view mirror!

The rain was falling, not too hard, but it made the roads wet. We kept the pace on the slower side, which made for a more scenic drive… although the fog did steal most of the views. Then again, it was cool to see the fog rolling in-between the trees and up the hills.

CA-9 was great, a very nice two-lane road that winds around/through the redwood trees. I kept enough space between me and the lead car to allow for some more spirited corners, without encroaching too much. For sure this was a lot of fun.

For the most part the first half of the drive was not interrupted with many slow vehicles on the road. Unfortunately, this was not the case for the whole day… but more on that later.

When you are trailing someone who ‘tests the waters’ for you, it’s much more relaxing going around blind corners. There were a few sections of the route that narrowed down to one-lane. Not that they were bad roads, actually the opposite, but I probably would cut those out if I do this drive on my own.

I spent quite some time playing with the Manual Shift mode this trip. One of my criticisms of the auto in G8 is that it likes to go high gears way too soon (like 45mph in 6th gear). Sports Mode helps this a little (keeps things in 5th), but there are many times when going through hills that a lower gear is desired. I found that when going up hills 3rd gear was perfect, but the car will not stay in 3rd when cruising at 40mph. Going downhill the car was riding on the transmission a little more than I desired (not bad for slowing down into corners), so I’d bump it up to 4th.

I do have to remember that I am in Manual Mode though… the car is smart enough to shift to 2nd when I come to a stop… but being use to an Automatic can be a little embarrassing when the car doesn’t up-shift when you expect it to.

Oh yeah… and a note on the Manual Shifting… who’s idea was it to push forward to up-shift? I’ve always thought you pulled-back to up-shift… Oh well, I’m learning (fast) not to go the wrong way!

We reached Santa Cruz and parked for lunch at 99 Bottles. Lunch was good and the talk was great… lots of talk about mods, track days, crazy street action, etc. I learned quite a few things about preparing for a track day (what to bring, what type of work needs to be done at the track, etc.). I’m sure it would be something I’d really enjoy (Grand Turismo meets real life!), but putting that much wear-and-tear (brakes, tires, etc.) on my daily driver is really a worry for me.

After lunch we headed up the coast on CA-1. The weather was better (little rain), but the view was spoiled by fog. The road was also spoiled by many slow cars. Being in a group of people who want to move quickly… having a handful of cars going slowly makes things tricky.

CA-1 does a great job providing passing lanes and marking the roads with passing zones (not just a double-yellow ling for miles on end). If the traffic on the road would pay attention to the “Slower Traffic Keep Right” signs, it would have been simple.

I have to be honest, I don’t like passing slower drivers when it requires speeding, but when you are trying to keep-up with the front runners (and there are people behind you waiting as well) it becomes a necessity. The G8 GT handled every passing situation very well. The auto transmission (even in Sports Mode) still has some lag when downshifting to make a pass, but I started getting ‘smart’ and going into manual (4th gear) before making a pass. I must admit, the G8 GT handles great at higher speeds… seriously, if I didn’t have a speedometer I wouldn’t have been able to tell how fast I was going.

A note to (poor?) drivers in California (maybe they were a tourist?)… when someone is heading towards you on a two lane road… making a pass… there is no reason to honk your horn and pull-off the road… a 1/4-mile before the car reaches you! It did make for a funny story though…

Speaking of funny things… while driving on CA-1 we passed a line of maybe a dozen PT Cruisers. Many of them were all tricked-out with extra (plastic) bodywork. While it’s great that there were other people out enjoying the roads, it was kinda funny to see.

The group stopped in Pescadero (to pick-up some fresh baked bread) and then headed back out on the road. At this point I found myself farther back in the line of cars (#4 of 5 rather than #2) which made it a little more difficult keeping up with the front runners. I was also following someone who was driving a little slower (which is fine). The drive was very enjoyable… another great choice of roads winding through the redwood trees.

Before leaving Pescadero the group discussed their plans for break-off. I decided that I would just keep on CA-84 all the way home. The rest of the group broke-off at I-280 N. The rest of my drive was less than exciting… lots of city driving and traffic. The trip over the Dumbarton Bridge was nice. Niles Canyon was full of traffic (although I did pass one slow car to get some clear road). I debated if I should take Palomares Rd., but I thought I would just head home.

The day was a great one. If the rain had cleared-up it would have been a little nicer, but no reason not to attend the meet. It was nice to have a small group, but a few more cars would have been great too. I’d have liked to stop for a few photographs (even if the views weren’t spectacular), but I didn’t make a point of it (next time I will).

I think this cruise is going to be done again when the weather is a little better… hopefully soon!

April G8 Meet

Having only seen a few G8s on the road, I’ve really been looking forward to meeting a few other owners. The route for the drive was one that I’d made several times before, so I had a feeling that I would be leading (the GPS shouting out directions probably doesn’t hurt either).

The group meeting place was set for the McDonald’s parking lot just off the freeway in Castro Valley. Unfortunately, the lot was closed-off for construction. I didn’t see any other G8s around (I was 30min early), so just posted-up in the neighboring parking lot and kept an eye-out for other G8s.

Three other G8’s (MGM, Liquid Red, and Maverick Silver) eventually gathered for the cruise. Most of us were relatively stock, but the Liquid Red had a supercharger and Pedder’s Track II mods (and maybe more). The In-Dash GPS, Back-up Camera, and Smoker’s Package did get some nice attention.

At noon we headed out for the cruise…

Part 1: Group Drive

Total Distance: 24.5 miles
Driving Time: 1 hours 2 min

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As expected, I was the leader (yikes!)… we headed out in our convoy. After a short wait (we sent someone back to double-check there was no one in the McDonald’s parking lot) the four of us set-off for Redwood Rd.

My biggest concern about leading was the speed… what is too fast or too slow? Well, for the most part I think it went well.

The first delima was a slow car that wouldn’t move over to let us by (this will be come a reoccurring theme). Rather than trying to force our way by, we decided to pull over… which happened to result in a good location for some photos.

After some photos, we got back on the road. There was some nice clear road and we were able to stretch the legs of the G8s a little. I didn’t expect it, but there were very few bicycles on Redwood Rd.

Unfortunately, there was another slow car in the way. This time (and the first time in all my drives) I decided I couldn’t wait any longer. After several miles of going 20mph in a 25mph zone, I saw my chance and crossed-over the double-yellow line and passed the slow car. This is where having radios came in really handy… I was able to radio back to the other cars telling them that the road ahead was free from oncoming traffic.

After the slow car, things were very nice for a while. Once into the Berkeley hills the roads became a little more crowded with cars and bicycles. It didn’t make for the most ‘spirited’ driving, but the roads are fun and the views are nice.

Towards the end of Grizzly Peak Rd. the group pulled-off to take a few more photos.

At this point, it was time to get to lunch as people were getting hungry. One of the group members needed to take-off, so… then there were three. We headed off towards CA-24, but I made a wrong turn. So, after going West on CA-24… then back East… we eventually made it to Orinda for lunch.

We ate lunch at the Europa Hofbrau Deli & Pub. The food was good, but the conversation was better. Good to discus things like oil changes and gas mileage. The comment also came up about modified suspensions… the last car in the pack noticed that the Track II equipped car had much less body roll. They also noticed that it didn’t bottom-out like I did (D’oh!) going over a big dip… really makes me want to do the Xa coilover Street II upgrade! After eating we all headed-off our separate ways.

It was really great to meet everyone… I can’t wait for the next cruise!

Part 2: Solo

After lunch, rather than just driving home on the freeway, I wanted to take some back roads. Nothing that I’ve not driven on before, but it was much better than the alternative.

Total Distance: 87.2 miles
Driving Time: 3 hours 23 min

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The drive home was uneventful, but quite enjoyable. The hills are starting to turn brown, but the flowers are starting to bloom. It’s nice to see something other than just brown… not that it doesn’t have it’s own beauty.

When I was driving through the Altamont Pass I decided to stop again and grab a few photos with the windmills in the background.

All-in-all it was a really great day of driving!