Now having entered the state of California the terrain Suddenly changes again. Gone are the bleak desserts of tumbleweeds and distant hills 
now replaced by lush green mountains and twisty roads that seem to descend for an eternity. We’ve been at high altitude for so long that it’s easy to forget that before you can reach the sea, you need to reach sea level. Down we dropped along with the tempture and the windows were closed for the first time this trip. As we dropped, the Giulia gained her power back and the seemingly forgotten days of a quick responding engine returned. The car culture in California was a refreshing change from the endless pickup trucks that we have been seeing on the road for most of the trip. Entering the town of Salinas, we felt it was fitting to stop by the home of John Steinbeck who also trekked from Long Island (Sag Harbor) to Salinas. We then traveled up to San Francisco airport to pick up our Dutch buddies (Cor and Dinky). With four of us in the Super and a trunk full of luggage the Giulia was dragging her rear end pretty low but still felt fairly good on the highway. After dumping the bags we took a scenic trip north on some amazing twisty mountain roads through the redwood forest parks then south on the Pacific coast highway.
In summation; the cross country trip via Giulia Super was a fantastic trip. The only downside was the long and quite dull stretches of travel in Iowa, Nebraska and Nevada. Traveling for much of the trip via the Lincoln Highway helped us avoid the dull interstates and focus our attention toward the past history of this famous American inter-coastal roadway. Small town America is still there if you are able to take the time to find it. Many downtowns are coming back from near death and the local populations are starting to remember what drew them to main street. Hopefully this resurgence will continue and fill the parking spaces along main street and empty the parking lots at walmart.
Driving a classic car (especially and Alfa) helps pass the time and gives you something extra to look forward to at the start of a long day of motoring. You are surrounded by a special feeling as you roll along. When meeting the locals. it gives them an opertunity to start talking to you, a stranger in their town. From an unusual car, a strange manufacture, and a New York License plate, they have plenty of inspiration to strike up a friendly conversation.
Surprising, we only saw four other Alfas on our trip and one of them (a GTV) was parked at a car show. The other three were the ubiquitous red spider.
Next for us will be participation in Concorso Italiano, attending Pebble Beach and various other car/tourist activities in the Monterey area before Cor, Dinky and I head back across the USA towards New York on a much more Northern route.
