If you’re ever in North California go to City-Rent-a-Car http://www.cityrentacar.com/fleet-convertibles-fun-cars.html Rent an MX-5, they DO have at least one manual car, and point it north accross the Golden Gate Bridge, turn left onto Route 1 North and ENJOY! A wiggly road with rolling green hills on one side and the beautiful Pacific on the other, heaven! Turn inland eventually and explore the interior, maybe even drive up Mount Tamalpais.
It really is one of the best MX-5 roads in the world.
Cheers, Peter.
P.S. I have no connection with the rental company apart from being a happy customer.
Would you recommend the Highway 1 south, I was looking at doing this for My 50th but saw a programme recently (Great Motorcycle Rides of the World) and he sort of put me off it. What time of the year did you go? Sorry for hijacking this thread.
I drove the road in 1977 in a Pontiac Trans am, not quite a '5 but brutal in a straight line. From Santa Barbra to Carmel is simply sublime, and a stop at a restaurant called Nepenthe is an absolute must. The southern side of San Francisco is a much better road than the northern one. There is an article in soft top hard top a couple of years ago by Molly Mazda who lived in Vegas for a couple of years, she and her husband Bavers did the run and loved it.
I remember that article. Will have to dig it out. The guy (Henry Cole) on the motorbike programme recently (on the programme anyway not sure when it was filmed) did a tour in New Zealand on South Island and reckoned it was the best trip he’d ever done. Got me thinking. The Highway 1 I would consider something like a Mustang Convertible.
After Qld, the south island is my favourite place in the world. For us it’s just a 4 hour flight to a bit of paradise. Driven it in a couple of different hire cars, and really wished I had had my '5 over there. Last trip I met a guy from the UK Morgan owners club, he had shipped his car to Christchurch for a big Morgan anniversary. Talk about a big grin.
I’d have to say I loved south on from San Fransisco to LA (drove it before we got married in Vegas) although the as you near the southern end it dives away from the coast at times and those sections aren’t so spectacular. Biggest problem is trying to not look at the incredible view around everycorner whilst being on the edge of a very long cliff drop!
Riding south is perfect, beware though sometimes the road slips into the sea. Especialy after a storm. Monteray is a lovely little town with and excelent aquarium, try breakfast on the pier, In the autum you may have to slow down for the butterflies around Carmel. Further south you can get log cabins in the forrest by the sea. San Louis Ospisbo has a great farmers market day each week. The Big Sur is what its called and you can watch the whales going north from the cliffs and see the elephant seals on the beach. Just past the Hearst Castle ( Tourist Trap) is a little town also some motels practicaly on the beach. A mustang would be dangerous on the road south !! Enjoy !
Going North from SFA you get into Marin county , check out Stinson Beach cafe for breakfast. But go further north to Oregon the coast is spectacular and wild. Golds Beach is not too far but it gets better the further you go. Huge Forrests much further north.
Many years ago, whilst considering Grad School in the US, I embarked on a road trip (in a ropey Honda though) from San Diego/ La Jolla, just heading north, staying in college towns until I ran out of money, which was when I got to Eugene, Oregon. Up Highway 5, down Highway 1. To be fair, once you get past Frisco, the roads become decidedly more misty. Staying in college towns, like Davis, means you save money on digs (cheaper hotels), eat better (tend to have more cosmopolitian menus than the Mom and Pop places, plus they are always running student specials). Things can get a bit strange north of San Francisco. Eureka is a nice little seaside Victorian town; it looks like a smart Margate. Its also home to Humboldt State University, which has a superb Hydroponics program. This means the town is full of Potheads. Then there is Eugene, home of the University of Oregon. It also has more fraternity houses than any other university. Hence is was the film location of Animal House. So you can dine in the food hall where they had the famous food fight. Delta House is no more, but through a friend of a friend, I stayed for free at a Frat house. But a strange campus; Fraternities, or the Greek System, is generally a fairly politically conservative movement (no, they don’t all have beer bong parties); but the student body at Eugene had a real 60s-flower power vibe to it. Nice place, beautiful part of the world, surrounded by redwoods. Oh, and watch out for the hookers in Monteray
