Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Huntington Beach, Ca
Wednesday morning, again a leisurely breakfast and chatter. After breakfast, into the car and off from Palos Verdes ('Hills Green' in Spanish) down the Coast to Huntington Beach, following Bob's directions and our GPS.
We still don't want to attempt Hwy 405, the Santa Monica Freeway, a main artery in the LA area, so we stay with Hwy 1, the Pacific Coast Highway which is just called 'PCH' by the locals. Once again, like on the way to Bob and Celine's, we pass the streets and surfing beaches that are famous from the surfing culture of the '60s, what a ride. The names are legendary, Seal Beach, Sunset Beach, Huntington Beach Pier just up ahead.
On a long narrow spit of land, water on either side and oil pumps bobbing their heads up and down to the east and a big drilling rig offshore to the west, the speed limit on PCH goes up to 60mph briefly. Hesitantly, I connect the Overdrive and feel the 'clunk' as it engages. Good. now the switch up again to 'off'. Another clunk and the rpm jump up again. Encouraged by this, heady with excitement, I do it again saying 'Look Jan, it works'. The God of British Cars becomes enraged by my hubris and thwarts me. The OD engages but won't disengage. We're back to our pre-Monterey problems again. Maybe the shop guy was right, the problem's in the switch and not the solenoid. Next will come the blown fuses, I guess our Tuscon Arizona journey is really out of the question now.
After about an hour on the road, mostly a slow easy drive with not a lot of traffic, we pass the Huntington Beach pier on our right and then a left turn and five minutes to Sher and Rob's house.
Later, Jan and Sher go to see Taylor's ice skating lesson and I go shopping to Albertson's.
Tonight an excellent BBQ of Chicken and steak. With wine and beer, of course. It is Huntington Beach after all.
