The California Coastal Oil Leak hit the road officially this morning. This is the largest group of cars and participants we've ever had in the six years of Oil Leaks, and without the strong leadership of Jerry Mouton it would have been easy for the planned schedule to be gone for nothing very quickly. As a result, Jerry made it clear that if you were not ready to leave the Apple Farm breakfast venue at 8am, you would be left to your own devices. The Apple Farm was consequently packed when they opened at 7am, and a good breakfast was enjoyed by all.
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| Debbie admiring the bed of Coleus outside the Apple Farm restaurant before breakfast |
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| Unlike the Leakers, this uninvited guest was still waiting to be served breakfast... |
We left the Apple Farm only a few minutes after 8am and were soon heading north on US-101 in a convoy towards our first destination of the day. As befits an Oil Leak, it didn't take more than a few miles before we were all pulled over on the shoulder addressing a problem with one of the cars.
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| A line of E-Types on the shoulder of US-101 with an open bonnet at the head of the line... |
On this occasion, it was Vikram's horn which was at fault, deciding to spontaneously sound and refusing to desist. Disconnecting it, solved that problem! The convoy resumed it's northward progress in pleasant temperatures - a great relief from yesterday's record highs. Soon we were off the highway, onto open backroads with no traffic.
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| The open road, and blue skies (and blue bonnet) |
Soon we entered the grounds of Fort Hunter Liggett. Founded in 1940, at 167,000 acres it is the largest United States Army Reserve command post. Today it is largely used for training purposes, though we saw no sign of it today. Within the grounds, is the Mission San Antonio de Padua which was to be our first stop. The mission was founded in 1771 by Father Presidente Junipero Serra.
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| An impressive lineup waiting for the mission to open it's doors |
The mission doors didn't open until 10am, so we waited as the temperatures steadily rose. We were soon joined by more Leakers bringing the total to 18 Jaguars - 16 E-Types, an XK-140 and an XJ12.
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| Lineup complete in front of the Mission |
Once the mission opened, we spent an hour or so enjoying it's gardens, and sanctuary.
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| Entrance to the Mission |
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| Rose gardens inside the Mission |
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| Several large vessels were on display, though their purpose was unclear... |
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| A large cauldron for cooking what, or who....? |
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| Inside the Sanctuary |
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| Lloyd makes a new friend |
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| Who knew that the original Mission was equipped with Satellite TV? We later found out that this is a modern reproduction, and that the priceless original is housed in a museum in San Francisco |
Following our visit to the mission the rising temperatures encouraged us re-join the road for our drive over the mountains to the coast and cooler weather. The narrow winding road was a challenge which we all enjoyed with the "more enthusiastic" drivers leading the way, and those disposed to a more leisurely approach following. The road wound upwards through the forest until the summit was reached, at which point the Pacific Ocean was revealed below:
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| The Pacific Ocean partially obscured by fog below |
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| The California Coast washed by fog from the ocean |
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| About the clearest shot I got of the ocean all day, far below |
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| Heading down the twisty Nacimiento Fergusson Road to Highway 1 |
On reaching Highway 1, we headed south to the Treebones Resort for lunch. Unfortunately, by this point the ocean was shrouded in fog, and the potentially spectacular view from the restaurant was obscured. We consoled ourselves with burgers and other fare before setting out for the drive northwards on Highway 1 along the coast through Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey to Santa Cruz. This stretch of the coast has been referred to as "the greatest meeting of land, sea, and sky", and so it was a shame that we couldn't see very much of it. The road was larger free of fog, but the coast below was obscured except for the occasional tantalizing glimpse of a beach, or rocky outcrops. These are the best photos we were able to get, courtesy of Dave Drake.
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| An opening in the fog shows a cove. Note the highway on the cliff face above |
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| Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - if you look carefully you can see the waterfall dropping from the cliff face into the ocean. OK, you can't really (at least I can't....) |
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| The waterfall is really visible in this one - really.... |
Al the state parks along the coast were closed because of the Soberanes fire which continues to burn east of the highway. We saw a number of fire trucks, and helicopters associated with the fire, but fortunately, no flames, and very little smoke.
The low point of the day occurred when Jerry's generator failed on the drive to Santa Cruz, which was not repairable. As a result, MIK was transported home on a flatbed. Jerry and Dave will be continuing the Leak on his Porsche Boxster. We wish MIK a hasty recovery....
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| A sad end to the trip for MIK, as it is hoisted onto a flat bed truck. |
