Rolling British Car Day: To go or not to go. We had a nice little group planning to go but the possibility of rain and a health concern for one group member put a stop to that. We were still on the fence about going, but when we got up Sunday morning and it wasn’t raining and no rain in the immediate forecast, my wife and I decided to go for it. We had a pleasant, light traffic drive to Carlsbad where the meet up was scheduled for take-off at 9:30. Another group from more southern locations/San Diego area was to pass us along the route but as has often happened in past years we never saw them. We were either too early or too late to catch sight of them. I suspect we were a bit late as there were lots of cars already at the picnic site (Bates Nut Farm) when we got there. The drive was very nice, not a lot of traffic and some interesting scenery. This is an all-British car drive and so we saw a great mix of old and newer British cars. The drive organizers really emphasized that it is not a timed event, so slow down and enjoy. We did! We arrived at Bates Nut Farm about 11:30. They have a huge grassy area for parking and picnicking (bring your own lunch). They also have a paved parking lot close to the store and lots of picnic tables and clean restrooms nearby. After a leisurely lunch we enjoyed looking at all the cars. Hard to guess but the organizers said they were expecting over 100 cars and I’m sure they got that and more. We were even able to take our jackets off and enjoy the sunshine. The other club members we saw were George McHarris, who brought his cousin, dual-members Jeff Boysen, now residing in San Marcos, who picked up his navigator in Carlsbad, 13-year-old grandson Ben Cate, and Terry Cowan, who made a late showing after working on his Healey’s front shocks.
I apologize if I missed anyone. After our walk around, we decided to not tempt the rain gods and we headed for home. There were a few congested areas on the freeway, but they were brief, and we made excellent time. The rain held off until we hit Long Beach.
It was a great day for a drive! Photos courtesy of Chuck, Jeff, Terry and George. More photos of the drive can be found on George McHarris’ Facebook page.