Random encounters
Ok one last photo dump from the trip 😅 Most of them represent in general my absolute favorite aspect of taking this car out on long road trip adventures. Sure the national parks and major landmarks are neat, but the most enjoyable moments are always unplanned and are always on the most random out of the way routes. I love scouring the map along my intended route and finding all the most twisty, interesting looking alternate paths and making every effort to take those instead of the main roads. I'm talking the type of roads that don't even show up on Google Maps unless you zoom way in. It can be a gamble for sure since you don't always know what the asphalt will be like, but the scenery and random unexpected off the beaten path sights are always worth it regardless. If the roads are rough then at least it's still a nice rural cruise and also a fun game of pothole dodging, or if the roads are fresh and smooth then it can make for the absolute best sort of canyon carving fun! Either way, having traffic ahead of me or in my rear view mirror kills all the relaxation I get out of driving, so avoiding main roads at all costs is usually a primary focus. From time to time the path happens to be dirt which can be fun as well! I did get the opportunity to do some dirt trail driving again on this trip, which I actually really quite enjoyed. I am a huge fan of rally, so makes sense I guess.
Anyway, other than the driving pics here there's also a shot of Hotel Charlotte, a pretty neat haunted historic hotel built in 1921 I stayed at in Groveland, CA. There's also another drive-thru tree pic, making it the second redwood the car has driven through 🙂 There's also a DUKW pictured cus DUKWs are awesome. First time seeing one in the flesh in years, this one on display just south of Lake Isabella. If I were ever super crazy rich one day, I might get into collecting military surplus vehicles and a DUKW would be the first one I'd buy. After that it would be a Chevrolet C8A.
P.S. Fav random route of the trip: East on 128 from Hwy 1, north on Flynn Creek Rd, then back west on Comptche Ukiah Rd. Absolutely nobody up there, and perfectly suited roads for this car. 😍
