Let's start a west coast tradition!!!!!

s'ko · #1 04-24-2009, 08:56 AM

Ok so we on the west coast have read and groaned at how great reading is and how it's the mecca of SVX ownership.

I propose that in March of next year, we do Death Valley to Mammoth.
Yep for those in the know, this is the original route that the John Lamm took with the SVX in Road and Track's Guide to the New Subaru SVX.
Here is a link to the route.
http://www.mapquest.com/mq/10-9tZrJ8AgWEXG32jiZU9o
here is the link to the article.
http://www.svx-iw.com/svxiw/road_track/
pages 82 to 94

If nothing else, I know I can get two SVXi to retrace the route next year.

So let's make it happen and give those East coasters something to drool over.

BW

ShiuludeSVX · #2 04-24-2009, 09:25 AM

I could do with that.
The location is relatively not that far away for me. Although, in the wrong direction, I think I could live with that.

And it would be cool to drive the test route, for "Old Days" info.

Brandon770 · #3 04-24-2009, 10:00 AM

Hmmm.. Sound like I might be able to do something like that seeming how I'm only bout a 5-6 hour drive from there.... Also I've never seen Vegas so maybe I'll take a double vacation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ShiuludeSVX

I could do with that.
The location is relatively not that far away for me. Although, in the wrong direction, I think I could live with that.

And it would be cool to drive the test route, for "Old Days" info.

stiguy · #4 04-24-2009, 10:12 AM

yeah!! lets make them drool

Brandon770 · #5 04-24-2009, 10:29 AM

Speaking of having fun... any one ever try highway 49 just north west of Nevada City? Definitely a fun drive if you like to play around corners... My brother and I ate up the front brakes on my SVX last trip on that road. Was definitely worth though.

MNYPNNY · #6 04-24-2009, 10:42 AM

I may be up for it, depending on when and where.

EdfromSF · #7 04-24-2009, 11:30 AM

Sounds like fun.

Ed

K_Dub · #8 04-24-2009, 12:30 PM

Let's do this! That'll show 'em. Looks like I've got a year to get my AC running, wouldn't want to do this run through the hottest part of the continent without it.

See ya'll there

huck369 · #9 04-24-2009, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by K_Dub

Let's do this! That'll show 'em.

nah......we've got the Dragon over here

...hehe...

But seriously, that sounds like a cool ideal for a meet.....
so I'll be sitting over here wishing I could make it out there......

WestCoastSVX · #10 04-24-2009, 12:42 PM

Sounds fun and looks like a cool route, the type of thing lots of us have never experienced. Plus it has the SVX historical appeal.

Find a hotel in a strategic location to the start and end and make a full weekend of it. Follow the Reading style of having one hotel where everyone can start coming in on Friday to socialize and rest after their long drive from wherever, have a group dinner there Saturday night, etc, etc, etc. It seems like one thing SVX owners enjoy even more than driving their SVXes is sitting around for hours drinking and talking about their SVXes, and getting into humorous situations that will become private jokes to talk about on this site for the next year.

I love a good event-driven meet like driving tours and such, but I think you also have to have plenty of social time built in to build the relationships that will keep people coming back from year to year, like Reading. It's all about the people. If SVX owners in the west make friends at a meet that they know they will only get to see once a year, they'll make more effort to come each year.

Again, great idea! If this worked out next year, maybe it could become an annual tradition to hold one (hopefully) big SVX meet in the West each year and rotate the location around to different scenic locales each time. Hopefully there'd always be a large core group of diehards that travel to all of them, but it would help others who couldn't make longer journeys attend ones closer to home certain years. Plus there's just too many cool places in the West to not try to use more than one!

A note on date. Probably a good idea IF this did become an annual thing to keep it around the same time each year (as Reading does). But might think about spacing it out a bit more from Reading as there are always going to be certain folks from the West that will attend Reading and make it top priority. And maybe even some from the East would be interested in coming out too. Key of course is finding a good date that works with people's schedules these days. I don't know if summer is better or worse. And in the case of Death Valley, I'd guess worse?

Mike621 · #11 04-24-2009, 12:49 PM

I think Death Valley would be more appealing in a cooler month.

taylorbr · #12 04-24-2009, 01:01 PM

I'd be in. And yes, we're already in the 90's in the Mojave here, but that is unseasonably warm...

K_Dub · #13 04-24-2009, 01:01 PM

Summer does sound like it could be a bad idea. Here's an example of the terrain we'd be crossing.

Perhaps during the winter, we could start in these conditions and end up at a ski area. Not too shabby, although the 395 can get nasty at the other extreme during the winter. At least we've got plenty of time to narrow it down. Let's keep this going, and find a time it works for everyone.

WestCoastSVX · #14 04-24-2009, 01:21 PM

What time of year did John Lamm do the route?

The original idea of March might be a good compromise as far as the 2 extreme climates one would experience on this route.

Definitely don't want everyone to fry in Death Valley in the summertime. But probably also want to avoid heavy snow in the mountain passes in the winter.

Got to consider the weather conditions beyond just the route itself as well. If your goal is to attract owners from all of the West - WA, OR, UT, CO, ID, etc - many of us could run into closed mountain passes or heavy snow just trying to get to the meet.

K_Dub · #15 04-24-2009, 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MacGyver

What time of year did John Lamm do the route?

The original idea of March might be a good compromise as far as the 2 extreme climates one would experience on this route.

Definitely don't want everyone to fry in Death Valley in the summertime. But probably also want to avoid heavy snow in the mountain passes in the winter.

Got to consider the weather conditions beyond just the route itself as well. If your goal is to attract owners from all of the West - WA, OR, UT, CO, ID, etc - many of us could run into closed mountain passes or heavy snow just trying to get to the meet.

John Lamm drove it in March, and discusses the weather in the article, how he went from blazing hot negative altitude up to a snowy 9k feet in less than 300 miles. We wouldn't want winter for access reasons, or summer for obvious reasons so it seems like March, or fall, would be the best time of year to do it. However, passes over the Sierras are generally closed for 9months out of the year. For those in the north/bay area you can easily cross deadly Donner Pass on the freeway, then bomb south to the meet. From the south, it's just dry desert all the way.

We can make this happen. I climbed Mt Whitney in August a couple of years ago and it was over 100deg at the base and below freezing at the summit. That's California; a little something for everyone.