The MidShip Report©: 

Club Sandwich

[by john miller; John-M1@ML1media.com]

Photo 1 says it all: It was taken on the way up the California coast towards La Jolla. In front, PCA-Chicago’s Jack and Terry White in their 986S; Behind (look in the mirror), is PCA-Chicago’s Lee Lichtenstein in his 968. And sandwiched in the middle, ME, of course. But this little caravan, midway through the adventure, was spur-of-the-moment, whereas many other ‘coincidental’ connections cannot be explained…..

GO WEST

What are the chances of crossing paths with other PCA-Chicago members driving from the Chicago area to San Diego when none of us left on the same day, none of us took the same route, and with one exception, none of us were overnighting in the same city? And yet, by Day 2 of my trip, I had caught up with the Whites in western Missouri. Granted, Jack and Terry had a slightly more relaxed timetable than I --after departing from the northern suburbs, they felt the need to stop for a snack, having traveled a GRUELING 6.5 miles from home. We parted ways after dinner in Missouri --they took the Interstate south towards Texas while I headed west to Kansas to ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’ (photo 2 --the house and bricks from that movie). Kansas also brought an unexpected reality check. The next day, unknown to me, my non-Interstate route took me through the heart of a town wiped off the map by a tornado a few weeks earlier (photo 3). And then my cell phone rings. I’m 30 minutes north of Santa Fe, NM---the Whites are lunching in Santa Fe and wondered where I was? After a quick sandwich, we part ways, I towards northern Arizona (Grand Canyon –photo 4), and they head south. And then my cell phone rings. Lee Lichtenstein (who left Chicago 2 days after I did) was in Sedona, Arizona and wondering where I am? “Uh…45 minutes away…let me make a call”. What are the chances? “Hi, Jack/Terry, where ya at?” Of course: Just finishing dinner…. in Sedona. We all meet up for a drink before the Whites press onward. And then (the next day) my cell phone rings. The Whites have taken a break outside of Yuma, AZ, and invite Lee and I to lunch at the incomparable In ‘N Out Burger. As Lee and arrive, another couple sits down at the next table. “Any chance you’re heading to Parade” they ask? I don’t even recall their names, but a nicer couple of 356 entrants you couldn’t find. Westward we go—into the desert.  Moments after I snapped this picture (photo 5), the temperature gauge jumped to 115. I drew the line at 100 degrees and closed the top—top-down motoring loses much of its appeal at that point. At 105, I conceded to using the air conditioning. Of course, heat wasn’t the only test of Boxster durability. I can happily confirm that at 60mph and above, even moderately heavy rain will sail right over the open top, occupants and contents remaining dry. Unfortunately, there were a couple of instances where ‘moderately heavy’ turned into ‘deluge’ (photo 6), forcing an emergency, road-shoulder stop to raise the top. A byproduct discovery of top-down-in-the-heavy-rain driving: After a couple of seconds of panic, it occurred to me that the windshield wipers weren’t clearing the windshield of tiny rain droplets because the droplets were on the INSIDE. Swirling wind pushed the rain to the inside of the glass, but gave the illusion of being on the outside. And it never seemed to fail that as soon as the top was up, a bizarre scene of sun and rain would develop (photo 7).

At last, San Diego. And who should be the first person we run into: PCA-Chicago’s Dennis Costis. Dennis drove out in his 911 with one of his sons the same week (how did I NOT run into him?) and flew the rest of his family out to meet them in San Diego. Much the rest of California would not be as hospitable as those at Parade. I’ll clarify that. The Parade attendees were/are terrific ---friendly, helpful, genuine people with a passion for Porsche. It’s a strange irony. California should be the ‘Mecca’ for Porsches. There are more of them there than anywhere else in the world. And yet, Parade wasn’t overflowing with California cars/entrants. Eventually, a reason came to light. Porsche is THE Car to have in southern California. But having one does not automatically instill a passion for the marque. To many SoCal-ers, while it is THE Car to have, it’s also just A car. To make a broader generalization: POSERS. They have THE Car, they just don’t DESERVE the car. Mention the Porsche Club to them and they just blink. 95% of my unreturned waves and light flashes were California plate cars.

All that was forgotten as I wound the Boxster up the California coast towards Los Angeles. It was post-Parade and we had all gone our separate ways. Or had we?  And then my cell phone rings. The Whites, who were somewhere in the LA area, were heading towards a friend’s house. Hey, I’m in that area. I hang up the phone and less than 60 seconds later, while waiting for a stoplight in the middle of the most auto-crowded city in the US, a blue 986 S flashes past. Can’t Be.?. I chase down the Boxster (my apologies to the guy in the Nissan Altima that I had to squeeze by) and catch up to…YES, the Whites. They advise they have the perfect spot to stop, clean, and overnight the Boxsters (photo 8). Perhaps it was my enthusiasm for my upcoming destinations (and rightly so --photo’s 9,10,11) that convinced them. Although our paths would not cross again, they ended up in Monterey, CA a day after I had departed, and then Reno, NV a day after I had left there.

Along the Way

The road trip was as much about seeing the USA as driving the USA. And the 986 fills the bill perfectly. Although I repeatedly tried (but failed) to coax my friend Kim into riding along as my co-pilot (some lame excuse about earning a living) I was traveling solo, so storage was never an issue. A few chance conversations with Boxster travelers that were riding ‘two-up’ confirmed the same: space for everything was ample. I also solved my ongoing GPS dilemmas by not choosing one (a Garmin) over another (a Mio)---I used both at the same time. Even then, GPS directions are only as good as the driver following them. Sometimes a ‘mistake’ will even reward you. I missed a turn as I was heading north out of San Diego (on the backroads) and instead of bypassing a town, I drove right into the middle of it. And right into the middle of a StreetRod show (photo 12). And while the Mio GPS wanted to keep the Boxster on the interstate all the way to the hotel in Reno, the Garmin took me onto city streets much sooner. I thought that to be a poor choice, but was wrong. I had expected Reno to be much like Las Vegas. Not even close---much more car friendly, much smaller, much more tolerable, and home to the National (‘Harrah’s’) Auto Museum. If you had to choose between staying at a ‘hot’ paying slot machine or going to the museum, choose the museum. Not just for ‘classic’ cars like Ed Roth’s Beatnik Bandits (Photos 13-14), but for the real ‘name’ cars that were made by real people ---names like Louis and Marcel Renault, CH Wills, Ned Jordan, Bruce McClaren, John DeLorean and, of course, Ferdinand Porsche. Heading north out of Reno took the Boxster into the biggest, prettiest open country you’ll find anywhere. In fact, throughout the trip the scenery looked so perfect, you’d think it was either fake or taken from a magazine ad for Porsches (photos 15, 16(doorside service!), 17-20). This repeated over and over for ONLY the next 3000 miles.

This was not THE TRIP TO END ALL TRIPS. On the contrary, I think of it as ‘reconnaissance’. I picked the destinations carefully and tried to cap the distances each day (for the return route, at least), to no more than 400 miles.
This proved too aggressive. As well, I had booked hotels rooms at each destination, that, while affording a certain level of comfort knowing I had a room, left no flexibility for adjusting my schedule or itinerary. A few discoveries for those that contemplate undertaking a trip like this. The best plan is a loose plan. Sure, picking out destinations and doing research is advised, but prepare for the unexpected turn in the road----go wherever the road interests you. Hotels are everywhere. Not once did I find that I would have had trouble driving into a town and getting a room at the hotel that I had already reserved a room---nice, small hotels and motels abound in this country. Go with friends---all the better if they drive Porsches---and having one two other cars to run with, or even to occasionally cross paths with is an excellent way to travel. And lastly, it would be best NOT to have a timetable. I will take another trip like this in the next couple of years. I’ll take the time to compile a list of places and roads I want to drive and things I and to see. A couple of years…should just be about the right time to get one of those Orange…or maybe the Azure Blue Boxsters that will have direct fuel injection and PDK (Dual Clutch). And that’s just about the duration I would suggest for a trip like this – a couple of years. Where’s my cell phone?....“Say, Kim, have I told you about this trip I’m planning…….”

Next Month:
The aftermath: The Boxster needs a bath. Don’t get the wrong idea, I washed and waxed it several times during the trip, and immediately after I returned home. I took a picture of it after the post-trip wash which I’ll post up next month. But I will say that even though it was an ‘AFTER’ wash picture, you wouldn’t be wrong to think it was a ‘BEFORE’ shot

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