ACH, GVBC, and We All Know What Assume Stands For.

If you are familiar with the Angeles Crest Highway, or ACH as it is commonly known, you know that the combination of very thick fog, slick roads, and a full-size electric pickup truck are not what one would consider the ideal conditions to deliver the best driving experience on this epic road. But those were the conditions and that is the vehicle that I was driving when I got up early to head to the "unofficial" cars and coffee event known as the Good Vibes Breakfast Club, or GVBC, at Newcomb's Ranch a few weeks ago.

If you are not familiar with the GVBC, check out this Road & Track article from May, 2024:

It Happened in California

Less than fifteen miles from my home, past the residential neighborhoods of La Cañada Flintridge, Highway 2 becomes the ACH, and twenty-five miles of windy canyon road later it arrives at Newcomb's Ranch.  Normally, this is some of the finest canyon driving in Southern California.  The ACH is famous in its own rights, and is a staple among Los Angeles car culture experiences.  When the conditions are just right, there are not many driving experiences that can better this one.  Even when the weather is less than cooperative, it can still be a beautiful drive.  

On this particular day, the fog was so thick that I had barely a car's length of visibility.  I hoped it would burn off as I climbed further in elevation into the forest, but it persisted all the way to my destination.  I was driving my Ford F-150 Lightning, which would make for a very interesting drive even under the best conditions. The fog certainly limited my speed, but probably not by much given that nearly seven thousand pounds of full-size truck is not meant to travel too swiftly on narrow, windy, canyon roads. Having driven that road in a half-dozen different cars, in a wide range of conditions, I have discovered that learning how to smoothly, swiftly, and safely cover the distance is the real joy for me, making the most of the conditions and any given car's (or truck's) capabilities. 

The takeaway from all of this? My drive on that Friday was one of the most enjoyable I have experienced on the Crest, hands down.  It has only taken me nearly a half a century to gain the wisdom that seven-tenths can be just as satisfying as going all-out.  When I first started driving on ACH and other local canyon roads in and around Los Angeles, the challenge was to see how fast I could go.  It did not take long to scare myself a few times, and to see a few examples of others going fast gone wrong, before I tried things at a different pace.  What I had once perceived making a canyon drive so appealing, I realized was not a realistic balance of speed and safety.  Not until I slowed down did I get better at smooth transitions.  Not until I had a passenger in the car did I get getter at controlling the body motions.

I thought of applying this approach to the rest of life, and it gave me some great perspective.  If we give into pre-conceived notions of what a "perfect" experience looks like, we can miss the joy of an alternate version of that experience that takes advantage of the imperfections.  We often discuss the risk / reward balance when making career moves or investing in new projects, and I think I have found an excellent application of that balance on a Friday morning drive in a pickup truck.

To add to the balance, the GVBC is attended by some genuinely nice people, welcoming and friendly, and open to just about every four- or two-wheeled vehicle you might want to drive up the mountain.  It is one of the few car-culture gatherings I still truly enjoy, with no pretenses, just community.

And with that, I will remind you not to let assumptions get in the way of finding your joy.

And Respect the Crest, damnit!