Driving is Fun

Some of you may know that I do some work for a company called eHometours. I film real estate properties up here in northern California for the Torrance-based, SoCal firm.

Most of the time it's kind of a hassle to drive all over the Bay Area to these properties, but every once in a while the house is amazing and well worth the drive.

And sometimes, the drive itself is what makes it enjoyable.

The last two tours that I shot were both fun to drive to and from. One was in Stinson Beach where I had to follow the coast on Highway 1 and the other in Nacasio, sandwiched in the mountains between Point Reyes and San Rafael.

On the Stinson Beach tour, (see the video here), I was stuck behind a Wisconsin-plated Ford Edge that poked around slower than melted Limburger on a sesame rye. The lady kept gazing westward at -- what was probably her first encounter with -- the Pacific Ocean. On the drive home, however, I was challenged by a white BMW 328i convertible (late E36 model) that was in front of me. The drive that got me home was way more fun than the drive that got me there.

I followed effectively - screeching tires and high revs aplenty - without losing ground to the better-handling coupe for most of the drive. But on the second leg of our trip away from the coast, after a slower car that had given us and our engines a breather pulled off to a turnout, the local 328i driver, obviously familiar with the roads, started pulling away steadily. I just couldn't keep up.

My engine was plenty willing to rev and pulled hard out of every banked curve, but my stock tires, soft suspension, and over-zealous traction control played the foil. After amicably driving through city streets, one behind another (in full obedience of traffic laws) I waved goodbye to my impromptu driving partner while passing him on the 101.

I like it when drivers enjoy a good jaunt without getting all pissed off and competitive. At no point did this guy feel like I was attacking his masculinity or saying "I'm better than you!" We just drove and enjoyed it.

The second, more recent, drive happened today when I went to Nacasio in Marin County.

This was a much shorter drive and much less aggressive because there was no 'driving partner'. But it was still just as much fun on the banked hairpins and sweeping chicanes. I do need to get stickier tires though.

Pictured:

1) part of the Stinson Beach drive down beautiful Highway 1. Filled with banked turns and brightly lit roads, this highway is a driving enthusiasts dream! (Except for the sheer cliff drops, slow traffic, speed traps, and blind turns.)

2) a portion of the heavily shaded Lucas Valley Road that is mildly reminiscent of a better-paved version of the backwoods passes you expect find in Hazzard County.

3) the view from the front of the house I shot at the Nicario location.

4) my IS itching to get back to work.