Written By: 1HotRod

Temecula – It was a beautiful November day, and a perfect day for a cruise.  The day, Sunday 22 November 2009, a dozen Challengers from across Southern California convened in Old Town Temecula to participate in a cruise to the small mountain community of Julian in San Diego County.  The goal for many was to purchase some renowned Julian Apple Pies for Thanksgiving.  The route was a simple but scenic one, State Route (SR) 79 through Warner Springs to SR 78 at Santa Ysabel and on into Julian.  The route back took a turn at SR 76 that led us through Pauma Valley to Pala Road then back into Temecula.  The weather, road conditions, and traffic were ideal for a cruise.

It was October 23rd when G1 submitted a post to the forum that SCC had no events planned for November, and I took a hard look at my calendar and selected November 22^nd for a cruise to Julian.  This was the first day after the end of the club soccer season, and a week before the high school soccer season began.  I assumed from the beginning that I would be lucky to get a handful of cars to make the cruise. 

On Nov 1^st I  pre-ran the route with Pentastar (G2) to scout out the route and plan the itinerary.  When we got to Julian, we noticed that parking was going to be an issue, especially if SCC wanted to park together.  We checked out several of the lots in town, and settled on the largest parking lot in Julian.  Even though it was a gravel lot, it was our best option.   With info from the pre-run in hand I finalized the route and itinerary. 

A week before the cruise it looked like my assumption of a handful of cars was going to be correct.  However, during the final days before the cruise several people signed up.  On the morning of the cruise there were 11 people confirmed.  I expected the local guys (G2, HemiLvr, SparkChicken, and ChuckR) would come out for this one, but he never expected guys from as far away as Thousand Oaks and Glendale to show up – Woo Hoo!!!  G2 couldn’t make it that day due to prior commitments in Las Vegas.

Cruise day started with some freshly brewed coffee from Starbucks in Old Town Temecula where we all met.  Old Town Temecula, with its Early California architecture, is home to the annual Spring & Fall Old Town Temecula Car Shows formerly known as the Temecula Rod Run.  In its hay-day they were pulling in over 1000 pre-1973 cars, trucks and motorcycles.  I will be petitioning the event coordinator for acceptance of the “New” Challenger at next year’s events if anyone is interested.

Upon arriving in Old Town, I was met by REDDOG, SparkChicken and SRT4RJ.  G1 rolled in right behind me.  By 8:40 there were 11 Challengers lined up on Front Street.  I checked my list of participants and found that JamesW in his B5B RT did not sign up – he drove in from Thousand Oaks.  We were waiting for Challenger #12, Furious.  He rolled in around 8:50.  At that point, we had 12 cars – 5 HO, 3 BSM, 1 TR, 1 SW, 1 BB, and 1 B5B.  The HOs won for most popular color.  The plan was to roll off at 9:00, but a valuable lesson was learned this day, these guys love to talk.  The group finally rolled off about 9:15. 

The first 5 miles through South Temecula were the toughest, with no less than 15 traffic signals.  Leading the pack, I kept the speed down, and used two-way radios to communicate with the middle (G1) and rear (REDDOG) cars to maintain the group’s integrity as we negotiated the traffic signals.  Just beyond Temecula, SR 79 turns into a twisty two-lane road that climbs through the valley north of Palomar Mountain.  Knowing this route is typically heavily patrolled by CHP and San Diego Sheriff Deputies, I set the cruise control at the posted speed limit. 

Our first stop was at Sunshine Summit General Store.  We had our 12 Challengers lined up side by side for a great photo op.  We were there a little longer than anticipated which seemed to be the theme for the day.  Did I mention these guys love to talk?  We lined them up once again and continued our drive through Warner Springs, and past Lake Henshaw.  This is where we saw the only CHP this day.  He was alone on the left shoulder with his bubbles flashing.  With the cruise control set at 55, we were not breaking any obvious laws, and we did not invite him to come harass us.

Our next stop was the Inaja Memorial Park.  This is a small park along SR 78 just east of Santa Ysabel.  There were just enough parking spots left for our 12 Challengers.  From there we proceeded to our destination in Julian.   I pulled into the St. Elizabeth’s parking lot, where the attendants were expecting us, and told me to park wherever we wanted.  The lot had plenty of space, with parallel parking spaces available.  These are the best; you don’t have to worry about door dings. 

It was high noon already.  Figuring enough time to grab some lunch, pie, and do some shopping, we agreed to meet back at the cars at 1:30.   First stop for several of us was the Julian Café.  I put several names on the wait list to ensure the group all got in to eat. 

After walking around the town and visiting a few shops, several members met back at the café.  I was the next on the list to be seated.  I got a table for 6, and invited Furious and his wife to join me along with G1 and Brenda.   DutchChallenger, REDDOG, SparkChicken and his clan, and the RJ’s eventually all got seated and ate lunch. After lunch, we walked down to the Julian Pie, Co. to buy apple pies for Thanksgiving Day.

On our ride out of town, we drove down Main St. Julian to showcase our cars.   As my wife Kelly said to their daughter later that evening “If you think we get a lot of looks when there is one Challenger, just imagine the looks we got with 12 Challengers.” 

Since we had spent more time in Julian than anticipated, I made the decision to forego the stops on the route back to Temecula.  The route down SR 76 is a little more twisty than SR 79, and the drive through Pauma Valley and Pala is a pleasant one.  We arrived back in Old Town Temecula around 4:00, took a few end-of-day pictures, and said our goodbyes. 

This is the first event that I had organized for the club.  When I to do this again next year, I will plan it ahead of time so more of the SCC members can get this on their calendars.  I would also like to do this as a charity event, either to support the local food bank, or the USMC Toys for Tots or both.

The food was good, the conversation was better, the company was best, and the scenery was breathtaking during this cruise – especially the view in my rearview mirror of 11 Challengers snaking through the turns behind me.

I want to thank everyone who participated – without you this cruise is just another Sunday drive.  Special thanks to G2, G1, and REDDOG.  G2, thank you for doing the pre-run with me.  Without the pre-run, the cruise would not have gone off as well.  G1, thank you for being my sanity check, and for your notes from the cruise.  As you can see I put them to good use.  REDDOG, thank you for being my tail gunner, and not letting any lChallengers stray from the pack.  And thanks again to all the participants for coming out and enjoying the day with Kelly and I.   We will do it again next year.

The member participants were 1HotRod [aka:G3], GregTheUPSMan [aka: G1],  REDDOG, DutchChallenger, SparkChicken, HemiLvr, ChuckR, and SRT4RJ.  Guest participants were Furious, SpeedKing, JamesW, and MrJay_RT.  Of the 12 participants 8 had their significant other with them, and 2 had friends.  I like seeing the wives, girlfriends, and kids participating.

Glendale – August 8^th saw a dozen Challengers winding their way through the Angeles Crest Highway stopping at Newcomb’s Ranch and the scenic Mt. Wilson Observatory. This was SoCal Challengers second cruise event this year and was as memorable as their first cruise which went across the Ortega Highway in Orange County. A pre-ride breakfast at the historic Foxy’s Restaurant in Glendale was enjoyed by a majority of the participants.

A group of us down in the OC decided to meet early to make it up to Foxy’s for the breakfast at 7:30 a.m. We met at Dan’s shop in Anaheim. I made it there first and saw G1 arrive shortly after. It was the first time I was able to meet G1’s wifey Brenda. I was excited that she finally attended an SCC event. Super nice gal, too. We need more participation from our significant others. I’m extremely lucky that my wife attends almost every event with me no matter what. That’s not the usual with the other members however, and I know they would love to have their spouses and family with them. Dan was next to arrive and I got to hear his ride with his new mods. The car sounded fantastic. I was very thankful for Dan as it was my second event without my car. “Jack” was still under construction. Dan let Heather and I use his SRT-8 Jeep for this cruise so I could go. James came last and brought his nephew’s girlfriend Chris. She had attended events with us before and it was good to see her again riding shotgun with James. We hit the freeway and headed north.

Upon arriving at Foxy’s in Glendale, we were greeted by several members that were already there. Dave, Kevin, Howard (Along with wife Nicki), and Jim were parked and ready to eat. We also got to meet Bob from Rowland Heights with his black Challenger. Great guy and we were glad to have him join us. Foxy’s opened in 1964 and is famous for their omelettes that have a south of the border flair. We ate heartily, James and I called each other liars, and after an hour or so, it was time to head to the meeting place for the cruise.

We met at Dave’s shop in Glendale and picked up members Chris and Rick. We had another guest join us too. Brandon came all the way up from Coronado in San Diego to ride with us. He brought his silver Challenger with him (More silver, more silver, more silver). Once everyone was there Dave gave the guidelines for the ride and handed out packets for everyone. I then had the pleasure of giving new members, Jim, Rick, and Howard their club shirts. We welcome them to the SCC family. It was time to drive!

We hopped on the 2 Freeway and proceeded up Angeles Crest Highway. The weather was great, 75-80 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. It was amazing how quickly you go from big city to two-lane mountain road. The curves were as I remembered them, soft and sweeping with lots of middle and late apexes. The last time I was on that road was on my sport bike I had owned some ten years earlier. This time I was on four wheels going much, much, slower and enjoying the scenery. We stopped at Newcomb’s Ranch for lunch and were extremely lucky to find parking for all of us relatively close together. Heather and I sat with Kevin and Brandon for lunch. When we came out people were staring at our cars from afar. I asked Rick to open his hood and all of a sudden people just started coming over to look at his engine bay. A lot of good conversation ensued with motorcyclists and car drivers alike. One gentleman we met was a retired Chrysler mechanic who gave us and our cars a lot of praise. We got the usual rock start treatment before we saddled back up to head to Mt. Wilson.

Upon arriving at Mt. Wilson we encountered a packed parking lot as there was an endurance racing event going on. Lots of runners running around everywhere thinking it was a great idea to run up the side of a mountain on a Saturday….. for fun. Luckily, we all found places to park and enjoyed the view from 6,000 or so feet up. Jim suggested we take a group shot, and me being one with no shame, I used the idea because it was a great one. I walked over to one of the runners who had finished the race and was enjoying a Moosehead Beer to take a photo of us. He agreed to take the shot and it came out great. We chatted for a while and after an hour or so it was time to head back home.

Dan had approached me earlier that day about going home the scenic way through Wrightwood instead of back through Los Angeles. Again, great idea. G1, Brandon, Chris, James, and I joined Dan and took this route home. I had never taken this route before past Newcomb’s Ranch and it didn’t disappoint. Great mountain views and a great view of the high desert off to the left for most of that route. We were surprised as we rounded one corner by a huge glider going straight up very close to the guard rail. You don’t normally approach a mountain corner and think, “I bet we’ll see a big-ass glider fly up right in front of us”. It was definitely a surprise. James hit the big 3,000 mile mark in his Challenger and stopped for a photo op. Dan thought his car was a rock knocker and took out a sizeable boulder. Luckily, he suffered no damage but the Forest Service is seeking his vehicle for rock removal duty. There were a lot of rocks to dodge on that road. Thankfully no one else hit anything. We stopped at the 15 freeway to fuel up and head home. Dan helped a newlywed couple from Italy put gas in their car as they had no clue how us “Americans” do it. They were heading to Vegas. Dan and I took part of the old Cajon Pass road back home which I hadn’t been on since I was a kid on the back of my Grandfather’s motorcycle. That brought back some great memories. It was a great day for everyone.

I’d like to thank Dave for planning and doing the legwork on this event. It went really well. I’d also like to thank Dan for letting Heather and I attend this event in his Jeep. Another cruise is coming shortly!!!!