MG-Cars.info

Welcome to our Site for MG, Triumph and Austin-Healey Car Information.

Parts

MG parts spares and accessories are available for MG T Series (TA, MG TB, MG TC, MG TD, MG TF), Magnette, MGA, Twin cam, MGB, MGBGT, MGC, MGC GT, MG Midget, Sprite and other MG models from British car spares company LBCarCo.

MG TD TF 1500 - California Road Trip

I recently completed a long dreamed of road trip from San Diego to Monterey and back that I would like to share. The pdf's have some choice photos, and the image file from Google Earth has the approximate routes up and back. I took 3 days each way. The entire trip was about 1500 miles - about another third as long as the direct route.

Being the first long trip in my car I was tentative at first, but the car ran beautifully the entire time.

I went backcountry roads as much as possible. Stand-outs include:

Highway 33 out of Ojai to the Santa Maria River valley.

Carmel Valley Road from Greenfield to Carmel.

River Road in the Salinas Valley

Highway 198 from King City to Coalinga.

Hudson Ranch Road (Coast range mountains above Ventura)

Hwy 2 in the San Gabriel Mountains (note the ski resort!)

Hwy 4 in the San Bernadino Mountains

Joshua Tree National Monument

The San Diego backcountry also has some stand-out roads.



J Barry

Outstanding. And doing this as a single car, especially in this day and age.

What a memorable trip you will cherish forever.
Christopher Couper

Here are some additional photos and a video link for fun. It wasn't all easy driving,and some segments were not fun at all (freeway legs, a long stretch through the Mojave desert). I also learned that driving into the setting sun is not something one should do in these cars! But some of the other legs were absolutely awesome.

People love these cars. Many of these roads are ridden for sport by motorcyclists. They were invariably friendly and patient!

Jim

Here is the video link:
https://youtu.be/NKin1DntlpE
J Barry

Chris, I hope this is the first of many such trips. Have toolbox, will travel!

Jim
J Barry

These are the elevation profiles for each way from Google Earth. It's kind of fun to be able to see that.




J Barry

Jim. Was this drive done with a green MKII? Sorry we missed you. I would have enjoyed meeting up with you in Monterey. The best drives are those laid back trips were you can go at your own pace while taking routes less travelled. Glad it was an enjoyable experience for you.
W A Chasser

Jim,
Thanks for sharing your trip. Back in the day when my car and I were both young, I drove many of those same roads, but not all on just one trip. Your photos bring back a lot of happy motoring memories. I'd love to relive them, but these days I'm too terrified of the occasional freeway traffic I'd have to endure at times to get to there.

Out of curiosity, where is the road in your video?

Joe
Joe Olson

Congratulations and thanks for sharing.
I often say that the pleasure begins when you put the suitecase in the boot. Meaning that two days is much more fun than twice a day trip from home. Never driven more than 4 days.

Remember : drive them till the roads wear out.

Laurent.

LC Laurent31

W Chasser, no green MKII - solo trip. I will be back up there in September (Big Sur this time!) and I look forward to meeting you.
Joe - I've come to the realization that freeways are loud and unpleasant but basically safe. Being in the right lanes with the truckers is not fun, but they are pros and are usually courteous. Some of the undivided highways were scary because of high speeds and aggressive drivers -wouldn't air bags be nice! The road in the video (G14) is between Paso Robles and King City in the Santa Lucia foothills west of Hwy 101.
Laurent - thank you. What fun it would be to tour the French countryside!

Jim
J Barry

Jim - I've driven G14 but not in the MG. Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, another wonderful little-traveled winding road, is accessed through Ft Hunter-Liggett at Jolon on G14 south of King City, and goes over the Santa Lucia Mountains to Hwy 1 south of Big Sur.
Joe
Joe Olson

Joe, I drove the Nascimiento-Fergusson Road years ago and have stopped at the Mission San Antonio many times in the past to get a dose of history. Apparently the last section that switchbacks down to Hwy 1 on the coast is in really bad shape right now. It is truly a wonderful little road, way out there in the wilderness. These roads are supposed to get fixed up this summer.

Jim
J Barry

Glad you enjoyed a small piece of what Southern California has to offer! I wish I had known you were coming, as I could have given you some really amazing lesser known roads to travel. As you get off the main roads and onto the real back country stuff, it's like you've slipped out of time and into the distant past. Not at all what most people envision when they imagine California, especially the Southern half. And if you haven't driven through the Sierra Nevada Mountains, it's worth the diversion on your next visit. Tallest mountains in the contiguous USA, just 85 miles from the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere (and hottest place on Earth).

I've traveled all over the West in my TC, and I agree that while freeways aren't always fun, they are for the most part safe. But it's also a matter of what you're used to. The first time on a crowded freeway during peak traffic hours can be scary in any car until you get used to it. Especially in areas with older roads where the lanes are narrow compared to newer freeways. Downtown Los Angeles comes to mind. Very narrow lanes that weave back and forth, and fast traffic. Not for the faint of heart.
Steve Simmons

Steve,

I was amazed at the remote beauty of the Sierra Pelona and San Gabriel mountains, just spitting distance from L.A. I know the Sierras well, and look forward to a long trip there and beyond. But it is a long slog across the San Joaquin Valley or up 395 to get there. So many roads...

The attached photos are a hidden rancho at the beginning of N2 near Lebec complete with a lost treasure that I just had to take a photo of.

Jim




J Barry

Jim, congrats on your road journey. I had to shed a tear for the Studebaker Hawk in your second pix. My dad had a 1956 Hawk.

Cheers

Gary
79 MGB
Gary Hansen

Congratulations on your trip. Much Spanish name in the places visited. Common story that one day it would be nice to meet like you, traveling in my TD. For now I am satisfied with the first "Sierra Nevada" that I have next to home.
Gabriel Martínez

Well there's one difference right there between California and Hawaii, or most other places for that matter. That Studebaker could be sanded and painted. Anywhere else it would have rusted to pieces after sitting out in the open for several decades. I see you took the old ridge route. It's a historic road, but unfortunately it's crumbling and barely maintained anymore.

The San Gabriels are amazing, especially being just miles from metropolitan Los Angeles. Most don't realize that there are peaks over 10,000 feet an hour from LA, with several ski resorts. The San Gabriel mountains were one of John Muir's favorite places. Angeles Crest Highway is a legendary drive. And just to prevent confusion for those not familiar with CA, Sierra Pelona and Sierra Nevada are two very different places.

It's a long way from the coast to the Sierra Nevada, but you can spend an entire trip exploring them. The gians Sequoia, largest living things on Earth. The Bristlecone forest, the oldest living things on Earth (technically in the White Mountains nearby). Tallest peak in US (14,495') and lowest/hottest point in US (-252') just an hour away from each other. Yosemite National Park, Crater Lake, Gold Country, so many unbelievable places to see.

Had you timed your trip a little differently, the Northern side of the Sierra Pelona would have looked like this...





Steve Simmons

Gabriel, I looked up Spain's Sierra Nevada, and they look amazing. Right next to the Mediterranean. Steve, I was hopeful for the wildflowers, but my schedule was set by other obligations. I had also planned to go up the Carizzo Plains, but circumstances would not permit. I was basically flirting with the San Andreas fault much of the way. The Ridge Route is linear because it follows the fault trend. The road is fast because of the straight sections, but there are plenty of nice curves. There is definitely some wonderful motoring to be had in those parts.

Jim
J Barry

The historic part of the ridge route is between Castaic and Gorman. It's been closed for a few years, unfortunately. Small, twisty road with the ruins of a couple hotels, old gas stations, diners, etc. Opened in 1915, paved concrete in 1917. There are places where you can see tire tracks from 1917, where people drove through the wet concrete. It's a treasure that is literally crumbling apart. It was mostly replaced in the 50's by US-99, and then Interstate 5 around 1970. But much of the original road exists, although only small sections are open to vehicles.
Steve Simmons

I may have missed this but how did you get the car from HI to CA?
efh Haskell

Steve, I think much of that road is visible on Google Earth. One can lose many hours checking out those areas. Your crew must have a lot of fun. Ed - I live in Hawaii, but my car lives in San Diego. That may change, but Hawaii is not a great place for these cars - lots of rain, termites, and very few motoring roads.

Jim
J Barry

The Ridge Route Preservation Organization is working to keep the road maintained and open. They have a lot of work to do. Information, pictures, and videos at http://www.ridgeroute.org/. I haven't driven the original ridge route, but I did drive old Hwy 99 many times in my TD before the freeway was built. It had some scenic curvy stretches that are now underwater in Pyramid Lake.
Joe
Joe Olson

The late Huell Howser did a nice piece on the old ridge route in his video series “California’s Gold”. for PBS Television. He tagged along with a Model T or horseless carriage club on the excursion.

Jim any plans to go to GOFWest 2021. There will be a group coming up from SoCal on the coastal route up into Oregon and then up the Columbia River gorge to the destination.
W A Chasser

I found the various videos about the Ridge Route and the town of Lebec fascinating. Funny how much history turns up where you least expect it.

W Chasser, my schedule won't permit the GOF this year. I've never been and will go one of these years. That would be a long trip!

Jim
J Barry

A bit of history trivia, it's rumored that there's a huge stash of weapons from the 1800s stashed in the Sierra Pelona Mountains, as well as a bunch of stolen money and valuables from the same era. People have been searching for it for years. Hidden in caves and covered up, so the story goes.
Steve Simmons

This thread was discussed between 28/04/2021 and 02/05/2021

MG TD TF 1500 index

This thread is from the archives. Join the live MG TD TF 1500 BBS now