Best of France and Italy Weekend, Oct 30 - Nov2

[ventura ace]

The annual Best of France and Italy car show is set for Nov 1 at Woodley Park in the San Fernando Valley. Again this year, there will be a contingent from Fiat America in the San Franisco Bay area making their way south to Los Angeles and back north again on a well planned scenic tour.

Friday: I plan to take a 1/2 day off work Friday and take a scenic mountain drive from the LA area to meet the Fiat America group near the southern reaches of Sequoia Park that evening. Dinner is at the famous John McNally's steak house. We'll stay overnight in Lodging around Kernville.

Saturday: Early birds may take a short hike in the Sequoia's, then have a leisurely breakfast in Kernville. Then, more scenic driving in a round about way back down to the LA area, with lunch at the Voyager Restaurant on the taxiway at Mojave Airport at around 12:30 PM. The airplane boneyard should be visible from the restaurant and they play the flight radio in the eating area.

Sunday: Best of France and Italy show. We're expecting to greet special guests Brett Melancon and friend who are driving a 1999 Fiat Multipla from Chicago to LA on highway 66. Most of the rest of the 500 - 800 other classic French and Italian classics will arrive from shorter distances!

Monday: The Fiat America group heads north. I'll join them for some fun twisty mountain roads through Ventura County (Moorpark, Santa Paula, Ojai, then lunch at Frazier Park near highway 5). Then more twisty roads through Pine Mountain Club and take the dramatic Cerro Noroeste Rd (probably one of the best sports car roads ever!) along the top of a ridge in the Los Padres National Forest. Where Cerro Noroeste Rd meets 33, I'll head back south through Lockwood Valley, Ojai, and on to Ventura, where it's about 60 miles away to LA down highway 101, or the coast road if you prefer.

Anyone from the LA area that would like to join the party for some of the driving and/or overnight in the Sequoia's, feel free to contact me, and I'll help coordinate a way to have you join the group for any part or all of it.

I plan to leave Santa Clarita about 1:30 PM on Friday, Oct 30, and take this route to meet up with the Fiat America group:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source= ... 521118&z=8

The Saturday Route will be given to us on Friday evening.

The Monday planned route (caravanning with the Fiat America group for 1/2 day before returning to LA):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source= ... 760559&z=9

Contact me directly for more info if interested. You're 'ride' should be capable of several hundred miles of hardy mountain climbing:
Alvon Elrod
805-338-1767
ventura_ace@juno.com

Hope to see you along one of the drives or at the BFI show!

Alvon

[rlux4]

I'm in!
After last year, when Krissy and I joined you and the group from the bay area on this ride, I wouldn't miss it for the world.
Ron

[jimincalif]

I'd love to be in, but I doubt my spider will be operational by next weekend. Just got the gas tank out this morning, but have to wait til Monday to get it to a shop to get cleaned out. Time estimates are "about a week". In Fiat time that means I won't get it back next Friday.

Jim