I have been trying to make it a point to drive without an exact reason. I'm always running around and going to this place or that place, all with purpose and things to do. Sometimes though, I think it's necessary to just get out there without having a destination. It's stress relieving, fun, and good for your mind.
That said, I met up with one of my dear friends Bengt and his E9 to go for an afternoon cruise. It was tons of fun and it felt almost strange to just be out there in the mountains without a real plan. It was nice to have a casual day of hanging out and just enjoying photographing our cars along the way. Bengt is an avid photography enthusiast and is constantly driving around the Bay Area, collecting places to revisit and take photos at during his next drive.
I decided to give the Touring a good wash and wax before I headed out for the day. I later ended up miscalculating the depth of a mud patch off the side of the road, and my washing efforts ended up being slightly wasted. But admittedly, it was pretty fun.
Below is a collection of photos from our day out - I hope you can imagine how the sun and wind felt.
First, we came together at Alice's Restaurant. We stopped a ways down the winding road to take a few quick snaps of the cars on a turn out.
Anyone who's driven out to the coast past Alice's knows this big barn. I love this picturesque scene - it's like something out of a storybook. The two cars looked pretty small comparatively.
This Express Shine Carnauba Spray Wax from Turtle Wax is the wax that I used after washing the Touring before our drive. I not only love the smell of it, but it leaves behind a clean and residue-free feel, which is a big plus in my book.
This is a spot that I love to stop off at whenever I'm in the area. It's gorgeous no matter what time of the day it is, and it's relatively safe compared to the other busier stretches of the mountain roads. It's peaceful and quiet here, with only the occasional car rolling by.
California is pretty damn cool, right? Our next stop was along Highway 1 at this surreal lookout point along the coast. The beach has always been a place that resonates with me. It's my happy place, if you will. Our point of view lent us an expansive view, making the couple of people below us seem almost nonexistent.
On the way back inland, this was our final stop. A cute conglomerate of little shops create this old fashioned, green storefront along the side of the road. It's charming and also a well known stop for regular drivers out here. There's a deli right off to the side, a fire station, a post office, and a handful of other small businesses.
It was getting closer to the evening by this point, so we decided to call it a day and went our own ways. The really wonderful thing about cruising around with Bengt and his E9 is that he's genuinely there for the drive. He likes to take in the sights and make frequent stops to poke around the environment, just to see if he can find something new. This is definitely my driving style - take your time, explore, and don't be afraid to really experience your car. We run enough of a race in our daily lives, so my relaxing cruises need to be anything but fast.
When I got home, I busted out the soap and water again and washed down those mud cakes that had accumulated at the rear of the car. Drive, clean, maintain, repeat.
This is a sponsored post. I am a Turtle Wax Shine Squad Influencer, although all opinions expressed are my own. Since I was on my own this day, I didn't have the time available to photograph my entire process of washing and waxing before my drive. I hope to bring more material like that to light in the future - but what I really wanted to focus on in this blog is the real experience of driving and enjoying your car. Thanks for reading and I hope you're able to enjoy days like this one.