8:00am Saturday morning, everyone met up in Mountain View to sign waivers, get a cup of coffee and grab their lunch for the first day. After getting through all the admin stuff the group hit the road around 8:45am. We made our way down HW 101 where we got a little split up but it was to be expected. The group came back together at the start of HW 1 just our side of Monterey.
The weather was a bit foggy as we started down the coast. Even with the fog, the cost was still breathtaking as always. The group made a stop at one turnout for pictures and then made our way further down HW 1. The next stop was at Bixby Bridge where we got pictures of the cars going across the bridge.
After the bridge, the weather cleared up and we had sunshine the rest of the day. Our next stop was at Julia Pfeiffer Burns to look at the cove and waterfall. Some of the group took the break time to eat lunch while others hiked around for a bit.
The planned lunch stop was kind of derailed by the Emerald Festival. What this was I have no clue but let’s say the people in attendance were peace, love, and flower type. So instead of braving the crazy crowd at the picnic area we head closer to San Simion and had lunch there.
On the way to lunch and about 17 miles from Hearst Castle, one of the members, which we still do not know how it happened, got about a nickel size piece of metal taken out of their oil pan. While this was an unfortunate event, the group managed and we were able to help the participant out with a ride and tow.
After lunch, the group made its way to Hearst Castle where we took over two of the upstairs tours. This was fun as we were the only group there for a whole hour. After the tour, we explored the grounds before heading back. One thing that caught all of us off guard was one of the participants proposed to his girlfriend while at the castle. We wish them the best of luck in their future life together.
After the castle tour, we made our way to San Luis Obispo to check in to the hotel and head to dinner. This was the conclusion to a long day for some as we had to drive away to participate in the event.
Day two: Drivers Day
The second day we left to head back up to the Bay Area. This day was all about driving so we left the hotel promptly at 9:00 am after everyone got a good night’s sleep. We head up 101 where we then turned off to start the twisty road driving. As people were told when we turned off the freeway, you will be asking where the heck are you taking us. While the first mile was a little bumpy, after this rough patch the route went on 44 miles of fun twisty roads where not a single car was spotted. One hair razing incident was a wild boar just happened to run in front of the lead car and almost became part of a BLT. Thankfully radio’s and a sharp co-drive helped ensure no bacon was on the menu at that moment. At the end of the 44 miles of fun, we started the notice the road seemed to be moving. It was not till we reached the first checkpoint we realized these were tarantulas running across the road.
After the first checkpoint, we started the next 60 mile stretch to the winery. This section was all about eating miles on smooth pavement and twists and turns. This was the highlight section after taking a more technical road at the start of the day.
The group arrived at the winery for a catered lunch and photos. There was also a chance to do some wine tasting which I was told by those who did the wine was very good. After lunch, the group made our way to Livermore to say goodbye before going home. Half of the group decided to peel off as they got closer to home and did not make it to Livermore.
This was a fun weekend with good people and good roads. We look forward to doing the 500 Miliga again next year we hope to add a few more activities to the event.
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