After
fretting over the weather forecast for two days and considering
another postponement, Rallye Master Gene Olson let the scheduled
Saturday date stand. It was with a little fear and trepidation
that we all set out for the starting point at Morgans West in
Santa Monica. Rain was headed down the coast and three
TCs from up that way arrived with tops up...the Simons, Olsons
and Mel Appell. Arriving in an assortment of "comfort
coaches" were the Wilmers, McCannes and Steve Simmons in
his BGT. Mel had come only to see us off and did not make
the run. Driving up from Orange County, the weather looked
passable, but threatening. North of LAX we did get
a few drops from the leading edge of the storm.
Arriving at Morgans West, there was much staring to the west
and wringing of the hands deciding whether to go ahead or not.
In the end, it was decided to proceed and we were handsomely
rewarded for our fortitude and adventurous spirit. As we
headed down Pico Blvd to PCH, the small patch of blue sky
became a bit bigger. By the time we turned off onto Topenga
Canyon, it was quite sunny and clear with beautiful puffy white
clouds. One could see all the way down the coast to the
Palos Verde peninsula....one of those rare clear days when the
views were truly spectacular.
We
proceeded up the canyon enjoying every twist and turn in the
very twisty road, all the while collecting answers that would
help to decipher Gene's diabolical code, all about a small bird,
the finch (hence, "Da Finchy Code"....I tell you, this
man's imagination, creativity, sense of humor and puns knows
no bounds.). We passed by a number of view points
with the San Fernando Valley to the north, downtown LA to the
east and the ocean to the south. The views did
actually reach that fabled state of being breathtaking.
After a rather steep decent down a one
way road, we headed just a bit further up PCH to Duke's Hawaiian
restaurant and studied our clues to break the code and enjoy
a fine lunch. In the end, it was Fran Thelander who finally
got the 
answer
and claimed the Lame Duck.
It had been a fun day with lots of good TC roads, wonderful views
and great camaraderie.
