More of the same….jumped on another flight to LA, picked up the X1/9 and headed north. No problems to report although this trip I got really bored sitting on the 5 freeway for 5 hours so on the return trip home, I decided to take the 101. Still, just a smooth ride.

Well I had an itch to visit my girl up in the Bay Area so at the last minute I decided to book a flight to LA, pick up the X1/9 and drive it up. It has been over 4 months since the car has seen any action. Since being stored at my buddy’s house under a car cover, it had only been started once a week to keep the battery charged and to let the engine run for 15-20 minutes.

It was about 7:30pm when I met my friend at LAX, drove to his place in Garden Grove, where I jumped in the car and sped off. It started up just fine; just in need of some gas. Despite haven’t had a significant voyage of any kinds in months, it ran smooth as butter all the way up the 5 freeway and into San Jose. Good thing, especially since I had no tools nor any spares. One minor annoyance that needs to be addressed is the loose auxilary belt around the alternator. While passing through an area of rain, the belt started to squeal which drove me crazy. Needs an adjustment…

Cruising around the Bay Area was great. The cool weather suited the X1/9 just fine and there were a couple of days of sunshine over the weekend when I had to top off. The return trip home was the same….

The morning started out cold and rainy and I hesitated at going to the show. However, I promised a BBQ so I was obliged to go regardless. The drive there was fairly wet but as I approached the Van Nuys area it started to clear. Despite a muddy lawn, the rest of the day was sunny, warm and beautiful. As has been the case the last few years, I spent most of the time around the gang and cooking up lunch. I’ve seen pretty much everything else on the lawn so this is more like a picnic with friends. Speaking of friends, one of our long-time XWeb buddies from the DFW made it out to the show. Albert Alvarez showed his passion for FIATs by flying in Sunday morning and leaving Sunday afternoon! Thanks for “stopping by”!

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