A little over a week ago I took a brief trip to Los Angeles to visit friends and family, snap some photos, and escape the dreaded Chicago Winter for a few days. With no solid plans set for Monday last week, I decided around 10 AM (when morning traffic is somewhat-cleared) to hop in my 2012 Mazda 3 rental (rented via Turo) and travel from where I was staying in Redondo Beach to LaCanada-Flintridge where Angeles Crest Highway begins.
Traffic was easy and once I got past downtown Los Angeles I began climbing, slowly but surely, into the San Gabriel Mountains.
I snapped the following photos along Angeles Crest Highway and up to Mount Wilson, 5,700ish feet above sea level.
From on top of Mt. Wilson itself. Notice the mountain tops in the distant haze.
This was my mighty steed:
I held back and didn't try to push the car's limits. It was a rental, automatic, and I was driving it in an unfamiliar place. The car was incredibly fun though; the independent rear suspension did great at keeping the car glued-down through the corners and torquey 2.5 liter engine was excellent at pulling it out of them. While the 3 was pretty quick, the entire time I kept thinking it would be 10-times more fun in my 2 with its sticky Summer rubber, aftermarket suspension and manual gearbox.
My main objective was to enjoy some corners and stop periodically to snap some photos and just hang out and enjoy the view. Mission accomplished. It's phenomenally beautiful up there, and looking back I should've devoted more time to exploring other roads and thoroughly enjoying all of the amazing views that the San Gabriel Mountains have to offer. I definitely need to return in the not-too-terribly-distant-future, preferably with my own Mazda 2 as it would be an absolute blast through all the tight stuff and make the experience so much more memorable.
