METROdigital
Well-Known Member
- First Name
- Daniel
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2023
- Threads
- 7
- Messages
- 156
- Reaction score
- 206
- Location
- Seattle
- Website
- www.danielkopald.com
- Car(s)
- 1985 720 King Cab 4x4, 2024 Z M/T
- Occupation
- Producer
- Thread starter
- #1
My older brother John flew into Seattle from Kauai, our plan was to drive to Los Angeles where he would pick up a white Pomeranian puppy arriving from Russia, but that is a different story. This trip was a chance to spend time with both my older and younger brothers, and my wife while finishing the Zs break in period. We rolled out with 913 miles on the odometer.
John and I hit Mt. St. Helens the first day. A nice hour long open road off I-5 with changing climate zones and spectacular views. After 20 years in Washington it was my first time visiting this remarkable location. I was a paper boy with a â67 GMC truck in Albuquerque at the time of the explosion, March 27,1980, we got a light dusting of ash two days later.
After driving back down the mountain we stopped for dinner in Kelso Washington where we had two fanboy experiences. The first during dinner at Capân Yobys, where a guy walks in and surveys the crowd and then walks up to my brother and asks if the Z is his, he was in a nice Hawaiian shirt, and iI was pretty shabby. He raved about it and went out to take pics while he waited for dinner, his wifeâs first since hospital discharge and all she wanted. The second was at a grocery store parking lot a few blocks away where a guy comes charging up with his cart to share that he has a â73 240Z. He really loved the new Z.
The next day we found ourselves in Oregon at Crater Lake. Another first for both of us. And another American National Park jewel. The roads to and from were open, rolling and scenic. The park was well attended the day we were there, but rest assured you could get in trouble pretty quickly on the east drive. A truly stunning place with incredible color and skies.
That evening we drove south on CA-97, a straight shot southwest with a stunning view of Mt. Shasta in our windshield. Someplace here my brother got us up to 97 without trying, my best had been 90. The next day we had planned on seeing Lassen Volcanic Park but fires had closed the park.
From Redding to LA was our next day back on I-5. We showed up to our younger brother Adamâs house unannounced and just in time for dinner. The next day John tried to figure out where his new, third Pomeranian was. In case youâre curious, the white ones only come from Korea and Russia, and yes, he and his wife already have a Korean model!
The Petersen Auto Museum in LA was the main attraction the next day. When you go make sure you include âThe Vaultâ which is essentially the first floor of the parking garage filled with the rest of the collection, around 250 cars. As much as I loved the current show, Lowriders, the vault was the best part and worth the price. Cars are displayed in a really honest, simple way and lots of knowledgeable people around to answer obscure questions. We even got 45 minutes with a guide who was encyclopedic. The only Nissan or Datsun product we saw was a 280ZX hidden in a corner of The Vault just outside the Legends Gallery which was chocked full of only Ferraris. Another highlight.
From here I dropped John at LAX and he flew home without the dog. The CDC and USDA laws for allowing dogs in the country are changing this month and the agencies could not agree and the âpuppy courierâ (no doubt a sweet gig) was not able to convince the air carrier that all the puppies papers were in order. Mine is not to judge, but feel free!
An hour later my wife flew into Burbank and we spent the next few days in LA. With my younger brother at the wheel we went up Mulholland Dr. and down Coldwater Canyon. At the bottom of the hill we saw 20 million+ in cars going back up into the hills. Three Rolls Royce's, including a Wraith, a Lamborghini, that makes our cars seem tall, and a second Bugatti Chiron on a transport truck (the first was at The Petersen, but it may have been the same one going to Monterey).
Headed back up I-5 the next day my wife made it to Berkeley where immediately upon exiting I-80 a Supra pulled up beside us. The next day at breakfast I saw a black one. Here we spent a couple days with my youngest sister and got a ride in her Ionic 5, my first electric car. On the way to get the Z washed, my nephew and I took the car up and down Grizzly Peak Boulevard, another great road made for the Z.
From the bay area we headed to Redding and then west on CA-299, an incredibly fun and scenic road to drive to the coast. US-101 had us going through the redwoods right away on open four lane roads that required little attention, except for the giant trees right next to the road. Once we hit the coast I stopped for fuel and Max came flying out of the gas station exclaiming it was his first Z in real life. He said the best reason to work at a gas station was seeing cool cars.
A quick night in Crescent City California featured fresh halibut fish and chips for dinner within the sight of the ocean and a working fisheries marina. Getting there was another story. It was late, we put the address of the restaurant into the Nav as we left the hotel and immediately heard âyour destination is on your rightâ. All we could see was a tall hedge but lo-and-behold on the other side of the hedge was the place we wanted. It would have been way faster to walk.
Next up, the Oregon coast, yea weâve all heard about it, but itâs twice as nice as you can imagine. Rugged and soft, green and sandy, curvy and hilly. In a part of one beach we visited in the Oregon dunes we found a group of early Ford Bronco enthusiasts. From restored to beaten and worn, they were a feast for the eyes.
Our last stop on the coast was Florence where we headed east on OR-126 which surprised us with a long sweet, windy trip up The Siuslaw river, at first wide, and then up through the hills of the Siuslaw National Forest where the river was a creek.
Back down in Eugene it was a short fast trip back up I-5 to Seattle. Itâs true, you can now pump your own gas in Oregon and even better, premium is $4.29 a gallon and 92 octane.
Our ending mileage was 3,850 for a first road trip final of 2,937, And I saw more Rolls Royce's, Bugatti Chirons and Supras than our Zs. I also saw hundreds of Teslas including five plus truckloads going to dealers, but oddly I never saw one on the road after dark.
Next up is Seattle-Albuquerque-Seattle, with the possibility of an LA detour for tacos!
John and Adam on the right.
John and I hit Mt. St. Helens the first day. A nice hour long open road off I-5 with changing climate zones and spectacular views. After 20 years in Washington it was my first time visiting this remarkable location. I was a paper boy with a â67 GMC truck in Albuquerque at the time of the explosion, March 27,1980, we got a light dusting of ash two days later.
After driving back down the mountain we stopped for dinner in Kelso Washington where we had two fanboy experiences. The first during dinner at Capân Yobys, where a guy walks in and surveys the crowd and then walks up to my brother and asks if the Z is his, he was in a nice Hawaiian shirt, and iI was pretty shabby. He raved about it and went out to take pics while he waited for dinner, his wifeâs first since hospital discharge and all she wanted. The second was at a grocery store parking lot a few blocks away where a guy comes charging up with his cart to share that he has a â73 240Z. He really loved the new Z.
The next day we found ourselves in Oregon at Crater Lake. Another first for both of us. And another American National Park jewel. The roads to and from were open, rolling and scenic. The park was well attended the day we were there, but rest assured you could get in trouble pretty quickly on the east drive. A truly stunning place with incredible color and skies.
That evening we drove south on CA-97, a straight shot southwest with a stunning view of Mt. Shasta in our windshield. Someplace here my brother got us up to 97 without trying, my best had been 90. The next day we had planned on seeing Lassen Volcanic Park but fires had closed the park.
From Redding to LA was our next day back on I-5. We showed up to our younger brother Adamâs house unannounced and just in time for dinner. The next day John tried to figure out where his new, third Pomeranian was. In case youâre curious, the white ones only come from Korea and Russia, and yes, he and his wife already have a Korean model!
The Petersen Auto Museum in LA was the main attraction the next day. When you go make sure you include âThe Vaultâ which is essentially the first floor of the parking garage filled with the rest of the collection, around 250 cars. As much as I loved the current show, Lowriders, the vault was the best part and worth the price. Cars are displayed in a really honest, simple way and lots of knowledgeable people around to answer obscure questions. We even got 45 minutes with a guide who was encyclopedic. The only Nissan or Datsun product we saw was a 280ZX hidden in a corner of The Vault just outside the Legends Gallery which was chocked full of only Ferraris. Another highlight.
From here I dropped John at LAX and he flew home without the dog. The CDC and USDA laws for allowing dogs in the country are changing this month and the agencies could not agree and the âpuppy courierâ (no doubt a sweet gig) was not able to convince the air carrier that all the puppies papers were in order. Mine is not to judge, but feel free!
An hour later my wife flew into Burbank and we spent the next few days in LA. With my younger brother at the wheel we went up Mulholland Dr. and down Coldwater Canyon. At the bottom of the hill we saw 20 million+ in cars going back up into the hills. Three Rolls Royce's, including a Wraith, a Lamborghini, that makes our cars seem tall, and a second Bugatti Chiron on a transport truck (the first was at The Petersen, but it may have been the same one going to Monterey).
Headed back up I-5 the next day my wife made it to Berkeley where immediately upon exiting I-80 a Supra pulled up beside us. The next day at breakfast I saw a black one. Here we spent a couple days with my youngest sister and got a ride in her Ionic 5, my first electric car. On the way to get the Z washed, my nephew and I took the car up and down Grizzly Peak Boulevard, another great road made for the Z.
From the bay area we headed to Redding and then west on CA-299, an incredibly fun and scenic road to drive to the coast. US-101 had us going through the redwoods right away on open four lane roads that required little attention, except for the giant trees right next to the road. Once we hit the coast I stopped for fuel and Max came flying out of the gas station exclaiming it was his first Z in real life. He said the best reason to work at a gas station was seeing cool cars.
A quick night in Crescent City California featured fresh halibut fish and chips for dinner within the sight of the ocean and a working fisheries marina. Getting there was another story. It was late, we put the address of the restaurant into the Nav as we left the hotel and immediately heard âyour destination is on your rightâ. All we could see was a tall hedge but lo-and-behold on the other side of the hedge was the place we wanted. It would have been way faster to walk.
Next up, the Oregon coast, yea weâve all heard about it, but itâs twice as nice as you can imagine. Rugged and soft, green and sandy, curvy and hilly. In a part of one beach we visited in the Oregon dunes we found a group of early Ford Bronco enthusiasts. From restored to beaten and worn, they were a feast for the eyes.
Our last stop on the coast was Florence where we headed east on OR-126 which surprised us with a long sweet, windy trip up The Siuslaw river, at first wide, and then up through the hills of the Siuslaw National Forest where the river was a creek.
Back down in Eugene it was a short fast trip back up I-5 to Seattle. Itâs true, you can now pump your own gas in Oregon and even better, premium is $4.29 a gallon and 92 octane.
Our ending mileage was 3,850 for a first road trip final of 2,937, And I saw more Rolls Royce's, Bugatti Chirons and Supras than our Zs. I also saw hundreds of Teslas including five plus truckloads going to dealers, but oddly I never saw one on the road after dark.
Next up is Seattle-Albuquerque-Seattle, with the possibility of an LA detour for tacos!
John and Adam on the right.
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but yeah, she does it real fast.
