Monterey Spring Fling Epic
Story by Lionel Neff Photos by Bill Hallier
T
his epic, three-day adventure started with unbridled anticipation on Tuesday morning, March 22, 2022. At 8:30 a.m. our group of intrepid Porsche drivers and their partners started congregating in the parking lot adjacent to The Habit Burger Grill in Santa Barbara. The Porsches were divided into two groups: I led the first group and the second was led by the distinguished Nicholas Liakas. By 9:15 all participants had arrived; the pre-ride messages were delivered and at 9:30 everyone was in their cars, lined-up with motors revving, and ready to go. Our drive took us over Highway 154 out of Santa Barbara for 33 miles, at which point we merged onto US 101 North where we continued until mile marker 118 and exited the highway at Spring Street in Paso Robles. A few blocks on brought us to our delightful lunch stop at the Paso Market Walk. This is an enclave of various restaurants and shops that form a semicircle around a courtyard of shade trees, picnic tables, and umbrellas. It is a wonderful venue to enjoy with good friends a midday repast of fine gastronomical delights. Following lunch, the adventure continued once we got back on the 101. At route mile marker 160 we exited and headed east on Highway 198 where a series of curves whet our appetites for what was to come. At route mile marker 175 we made a left turn onto the vast and pristine California
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DER AUSPUFF May/June 2022
State Route 25, known to locals as Airline Highway. The road garnered its name from early pilots using the road as a navigation aid while flying over Central California towns. The drive on SR 25 is a scenic delight replete with open ranch land, farms, and vineyards. The road is a delightful combination of tight 15-, 20-, and 30-mph curves mixed in with wide sweepers and long straightaways. It’s impossible to be bored on this thrilling road. I am pleased that while the drive was frisky there were no incidents or accidents to report. However, the smiles at the end were hard to remove.
