Spring break kick off with a sunrise drive through the santa cruz mountains.

Monday this upcoming week I am planning a little drive through 9, and a beach meet.

If your schedule fits, try to make it, I figure leave by 6:00am if you really want to see the sunrise in santa cruz, and then chill at the beach for the rest of the day.

Hope to see you there, call my cell if you can make it. Or if you dont have it message me on here.

I'll give you the specific directions, and we can discuss food and drinks for everyone, and an ideal meeting spot.

There is a beach entry fee of 6 dollars for a day pass at any beach unless we park outside of seacliff and walk down (one of my favorite spots).

Lates!

There are a few options for the drive.

The beaten road (hwy 9 with its gravel snakes). This is definitely the fastest of the three, it will give you a run for you money at 80+ mph, and the views are astounding. I have run this road over 8000 miles myself, so I am just informing those who have not. This route is hwy 9 all the way from Saratoga, very nice, clean drive.

Route two is empire grade, jamison creek road, and 236. This is a slower drive, bumpier roads (might be poor conditions for our nice cars) but the views around us are amazing, and it ends right at UC Santa Cruz college for those who might have friends there that they want to pick up.

The third choice is a more northern route, I took this once when hwy 92 was packed and I knew the way through. It cuts through the mountain, has sand on the side of the road when you get towards the beach, and has the most dense tree coverage I have ever experienced. This road is very bumpy at points and steep at others with many hairpin turns with a tree at the apex, very fun. This road could possibly ruin alignment though if taken too quickly.

The choice is yours, I personally wouldnt mind going any of these, they are all excellent roads.

Exact directions should be up momentarily.

PS: Just so you guys know, I do not own a Subaru, and and a hardcore Honda guy. I do however understand the ways of the "car guy" and the fact that this forum is extremely active in their meets, thank you guys for that.

This might not be enough notice for many of you, but if you can make it, the drive will be rewarding. Make sure to do your regular (tire pressure, oil, fuel) inspections and bring a cooler with water to stay hydrated. I want to make sure everyone is going to be safe and prepared, accidents can always happen.

PS: Option 3 for the route has a few areas where there is no posted speed limit, very fun near the beach, lol, but bumpy on the way down.

DIRECTIONS!:

Route 1- Take Saratoga Exit from 85 West, turn Left at the light.

Continue down Saratoga until it becomes hwy 9

Hwy 9 continues straight from "4 corners" where we will probably take a brief rest.

Turn left to stay on 9 after stop sign (236 is in front of you, private road to the right).

Get into the rightward left lane to merge onto hwy 1 (cabrillo hwy)

We will decide an exit from there (and beach of course.)


Route 2: Saratoga exit from 85 West, turn Left at the light

Saratoga turns into hwy 9

Take hwy 9 from "4 corners" (straight)

Take a Left onto hwy 9 from the 236/9 intersection into big basin

When you reach the stop sign in town (near gas station) take a right onto 236. This bypasses the big basin park

Take a Left onto Jamison Creek Rd

Take a Left onto Empire Grade (This is all by memory, ill double check it with google earth, mapquest, and yahoo maps tonight)

Empire grade becomes High st which later becomes Bay st

Take a Right on West Cliff dr the boardwalk should be dead ahead.

(^This drive is not my favorite by far, due to the ending place, but is a great "drive")


Route 3: Same beginning, but from hwy 9 is where it is different.

From "4 corners" take a Right onto Skyline Blvd

Take a Right onto Tunitas Creek Rd (Left is Blue Jay Way, I believe there is a sign for it, just go RIGHT though)

Take a Right onto Cabrillo Hwy and find the beach of your choice (Kelly Ave is Half Moon bay).

OOOOORRRR!!

For route option three we can go Right onto Lobitos Creek rd

Right onto Verde Rd

Left onto Cabrillo Hwy (1)

UPDATE:

Sorry about the long postings, but I have rescheduled the time for this, and the meeting spot will be selected soon.

Probably around 3pm or so.

We can either meet at West Valley College or there is a nice little bar in Saratoga, we could park our cars and wait for everyone to get there (right side of the street, near entrance of 9).

There are a few options for the drive.

The beaten road (hwy 9 with its gravel snakes). This is definitely the fastest of the three, it will give you a run for you money at 80+ mph, and the views are astounding. I have run this road over 8000 miles myself, so I am just informing those who have not.

well, please DONT. why do you feel you have to TELL people about roads?

if people want to do mtn roads bad enough, they will download google earth and find some.





PS: Just so you guys know, I do not own a Subaru, and and a hardcore Honda guy. I do however understand the ways of the "car guy" and the fact that this forum is extremely active in their meets, thank you guys for that.

YOU understand the ways of a car guy?

car guys that drive the mountains RESPECT THEM and dont go off naming them and inviting other idiots (see 1st quote bold) to do it, not to mention at 80mph.

nothing against you, its cool youre putting together a meet, but its best and very V E R Y important to keep roads a secret.

and just realized that i shouldnt have bumped this thread. more booze4me

have fun

a lot of people know about those they arent secret

do you by any chance own a green integra?

a lot of people know about those they arent secret
your right but theres no reason to make them any more advertised.

^^true dat

Yes I am the flying integra guy...sorry, no more crazy times for me, ive learned.

Would you like for me just to post up a meet, saying message me for directions?

That usually leads to confusion for the people who actually want to go. I gave three routes dude, I have not concluded on here where I am going out of the three, and there are enough roads up there to never be able to see me anyways.

I have 3-6 cars coming so far, probably at least 7 people.

I am suprised to see no one wanting to go on this, you guys are usually a very active group and I trust you guys as drivers.

other then the fact it would take me two hours to get there I would do this.

Hehe, I love the roads in Napa, you are lucky dude...

Hehe, I love the roads in Napa, you are lucky dude...

Yeah its a rough life we live out here in napa.

http://johnnyonthespot.q45.org/STi%20Pictures/wooden%20valley/030.jpg
http://johnnyonthespot.q45.org/STi%20Pictures/3-4-08/008.jpg
http://johnnyonthespot.q45.org/STi%20Pictures/3-4-08/001.jpg

^^that looks like the mean streets of napa.

nice pix btw.

Nice pics, thats the Napa I remember, all green!

Anyways, the drive was nice, had 6 cars with me, another 5 or so met me at the beach, huge bonfire till 11pm, lots of food, great drive, and nice people.

Too bad no one wanted to come, you guys are usually such an active group.

youre right with the "active group" part.

But you cant force city-folk parking-lot-meet-flatlanders to drive the mtns.

youre right with the "active group" part.

But you cant force city-folk parking-lot-meet-flatlanders to drive the mtns.

I think it had more to do with the 6am on a Monday thing than anything else.

I ended up going at noon, lol.

The time, was irrelevant, I changed that almost immediately, sorry if you didnt catch it.

I had uh, 10 cars or so end up coming, so no biggie, it was fun.

There will be another drive/meet on April 5th and possibly one on either the 12th or 19th of April as well.

Directions will not be released, but I will need to find a good meeting spot from hwy 9.

Suburb guy here...south bay. I cant stand to drive straight roads, flat roads, all that bs...it has to have many turns and some elevation change to be fun.

April 12, 2008 Another Meet/Drive, This Time On Saturday, yay!

Where: Intersection of Almaden Expressway and Foxworthy Avenue there is a large parking lot next to a church.

When: Meeting at that spot @ 10:30am

This meet will start here, cruise down 85, and take Saratoga Exit. From there we will continue on Hwy 9, and the rest is decided on whichever beach a few of my friends want to go to.

Beach Choices: San Gregorio/Half Moon Bay/Seabright

A different road for each.

We will be staying at the beach all day, so bring some extra sunscreen, some food and drinks, and if you dont mind throwing some wood in the back of your car, we will be having a bonfire as well.

Hope to see some of you there, sorry about the previous meeting day (monday), but it was spring break for all three of my schools, so I took advantage of it.