1500 miles road trip in the Spider

[htchevyii]

1480 miles in the '82 Spider on CA HWY 1, Fort Brag to Solvang with stops in Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, etc. We came back on I-5 and went to a vintage trailer rally in Lodi. We had to dodge between the fast lane with people going 90 and the trucks going 60 in the slow lane. Swung by a vintage trailer rally in Lodi. Beautiful weather until the pouring rain on the way home. The only issue was a failed fan switch that I replaced with a toggle switch in the O'Reilly's parking lot. 3 yr old Chinese junk, (it was a lower temp VW fan switch).

[jagonza]

i love your dash wood, how did you finish it, it looks beautiful

[htchevyii]

I bought it from Denise. It just has clear on it.

[profcucchi]

That is living the dream!

[baltobernie]

Great trip!

[spider2081]

Thanks for the post. It took me a while to realize I was driving my 81 Spider over 3000 trouble free miles a year before I gained the confidence to take it on a 1000+ mile trip. My wife and I would go out for a 2-3 hour drive a couple times a week, yet were nervous to venture too far from home. Now we have taken week to 10 day trips of 1500-3000 miles. Love driving back roads and seeing the USA from a top down perspective. Enjoy your ride.

[htchevyii]

I hear ya. It is a little more nerve racking driving that far from home, getting well past the Hagerty 150 mile tow,(which I have never used). I figure worst case, I'll rent a Uhaul and a trailer, but even new cars break. More than once I've found myself driving the Spider when the new cars were broken.

[spider2081]

just went on another drive with the wife yesterday. Nearly 100 miles total. It was a little chilly mid 50's here in CT. We drove with the top down but with s sweatshirt more than comfortable. Got some strange looks from some of the other drivers. Stopped for gas and a guy came out from the station office to see the car. He had a couple Fiat Spiders in Romania and loved the car. It sort of make the day worth while when some stranger makes conversation with us because there was a Spider in their life and we brought up the memories. All in all another great Spider day.

[SeattleSpider]

Just saw your October 21 post and I have a question for you: Have your ever taken your Fiat to Petrolia? I have. Well, in my first Fiat: a 76 Spider (I have a 1980 now). Took the Mattole Rd out of Ferndale, out to the coast, through Petrolia, and back to 101 just north of Weott.

That was my first long distance Fiat trip. It was in 1992. From Seattle to Grants Pass; Down the Smith River to Crescent City (love that road); Lost Coast (see above); Humboldt Redwoods; Leggett out Hwy 1 to Mendocino; over to the Napa wine country; down to San Francisco; On down Hwy 1 to Big Sur and on down to LA; Next out to Palm Springs; then north through the Mojave desert; up over Tioga Pass to Yosemite; Gold country; back over the Sierras on highway 4 (nice road - loved Markleeville) to Reno; then North to Mt. Lassen and on up I-5 to home (two weeks - I was young and crazy!).

Oh, and the only problem I had was by Mt Lassen the oil pressure light kept flickering on. Figured out it was an electrical issue and not the oil pressure.

[htchevyii]

I haven't driven the Spider to Petrolia. The last time that I was there was about 5 years ago and the road was horrible! It had dirt sections, potholes and spots that had 3" drop offs from seismic activity. It would be a great sports car road if repaved, but I'm not too excited about replacing a cracked crossmember or broken control arm bolts!

[brackie1]

I drive my '77 around 3,000 mIles per year, but have been reluctant to make a continuous long distance trip. Might try this spring or summer.

[SeattleSpider]

htchevyii,

Well, you always have that wonderful Hwy 1. I love the Leggett to Mendocino stretch and even down to Pt. Arena. Also, Hwy 128 is nice. You live in great country!

[SeattleSpider]

brackie1,

My understanding is that you have some pretty good road around you as well.

I like to get out for some long distance road trips, but, yes, it can be an adventure. I am located in Seattle and in 2015 I drove through Glacier Park, down through Yellowstone and was on my way to Rocky Mt National Park in Colorado when the transmission went out in small town Wyoming. Not fun!

The trip I talked about in an earlier post was the longest I have taken a Fiat. My other long trip was in 2014 when I drove down the Oregon coast to Gold Beach (almost the Calif. border); then over to Crater Lake and back up through central Oregon.

This summer I am headed back to California for a family reunion in the Humboldt Redwoods. Hope to do Hwy 1 to Mendocino; the Healdsburg wine country; Grass Valley in the Sierras; Crater Lake; Hood River and home.

It is not an adventure if your are not taking some risk

[narfire]

Planning a road trip this summer( August?) weather permitting. Going to get the car well sorted, needs a new muffler for example and stop some rattles. Plan on going to Van. Island then the ferry to Port Angeles then down to Portland to taste some of what the micro breweries have to offer. Return I-5 then east to Hwy 97 and back to the Okanagan... Going to have to travel light as we will have two Golden Retrievers in the back seat.... Hope the exchange rate gets a little better, no worse anyway.
Chris

[brackie1]

Seattle spider:
How did you get the tranny fixed in a small town? It's difficult enough around here?