Rolling Down the Road

There is something Norman Rockwell-esque about climbing into a vintage car for a holiday road trip. It evokes the spirit of Americana, that timeless, romantic, dreamy “thing” outside our readily identifiable experiences. The idea conjures up emotions and smells, feelings we reserve deep within ourselves. It is apple pie and exhaust, comfort and exhaustion. In a sense, everything good outweighing everything bad. It's wood-paneling in our mind, but laminate in reality.

For my holiday, it will be a special trip. Nothing could possibly bring more trepidation than a road trip in a vintage British sports car. Ordinarily, this trip would be the domain of my trusty and reliable 1966 Mustang. But this year, she is out of action. So, the journey falls into the hands of my newer car, a 1969 Triumph Spitfire named Pheona after the legendary Phoenix, which also liked to burst into flames periodically. Pheona came to me a little over a year ago when my long-time girlfriend was forced to retire her boring, tired Japanese sedan. My lady needed fun in her life, and this little convertible fit the bill. Maybe a little too much sometimes.

                                                   Pheona, our 1969 Triumph Spitfire Mk III

Our trip isn't a long one by modern standards, just to the East Bay area. In a modern car, one would turn on the radio, set the cruise control, and maybe the heater. Probably wouldn't even bother checking the tire pressure before leaving.

In our idealistic minds, we imagine the same thing in vintage iron. In reality, it's not like that at all. Few people today even remember what road trips in vintage cars were like. And throwing the British wrench into the cogs makes it even more dramatic. For starters, Pheona has neither a heater or a radio.

This week, little Phe started to stink of gas, not at all uncommon for British cars with multiple carburetors. I tested the fuel pressure, nothing abnormal there, so I tore apart the front carburetor fuel bowl, a standard procedure for vintage British cars. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. So, I richened the carbs up, thinking maybe that would help. Now, she is running better, but still stinks.

In a modern car, the computer would do all of this, never even alarming the driver that anything was going wrong, and certainly never giving off a smell. But 40 years ago, this was normal.

So, the next step will be to recheck the valve adjustment, something that takes all of 10 minutes on the little car but would take a week on a modern car, reset the timing, something that is part of the process, but not possible on new cars, inspect and adjust the distributor points, parts that modern cars don't have, and then synchronize the carburetors for cold weather, in part something done entirely by computer on modern cars today, except that modern cars do not have carburetors. Normal. Then to check the brakes, tires, driveshaft, axleshafts, suspension, radiator, oil, belts, hoses, and lights. Nothing uncommon for vintage cars, something taken for granted by those who own modern ones.

And then comes driving. A road trip in a vintage British car can be as short as to Roseville, a distance I laugh at even in my 1966 Mustang, but can be serious in the little British car. Electrical problems can pop up at any moment. Just the other night, the headlights went out on the freeway. No big deal, just reach under the dash, pull the fuse, put it back in and Voila! Lights again. Normal. There is a reason Brits drink lots of warm beer. The same guy who designed the electrical system in this little car also designed the most common refrigerator in England.

The Norman Rockwell part happens somewhere along the road, where kids in SUV's give you the thumbs up, and despite the stench of exhaust and maybe burnt electrical wiring, you feel accomplished when you get where you are going. You look back down the road smiling, and think, that wasn't so bad, maybe we will do another trip in a couple weeks.

Pyramid Brewery

One of the best places in downtown Sacramento to people watch is Cathedral Square. And what could be better than hanging out with friends and having a beer or three while enjoying the scene?

It happens that Pyramid Brewery's Sacramento brew house sits right across from the cathedral and very near several of Sacramento's newest, hottest night spots, right in the heart of all the action. Gated outdoor seating invites, and when the weather isn't pleasant, large picture windows keep the brew house from seeming like a bar.

Pyramid does have the regular gastropub fare, but nobody goes there to eat. The brew house has the regular, year round brews on tap, but you can get those at Savemart. People go to Pyramid for the hand-crafted, small batch beers.

Walking in, one is greeted by a usually friendly and smiling hostess. In addition to the outdoor seating, the brewery has a full length wooden bar counter and numerous diner-style tables for larger groups or those who want a pizza with their beer.

The bar has a dazzling array of colorful tap-handles displaying names like Hum'buger and Red Rye Ale. Brews can be ordered in sampler flights of five tasters, by the pint, or by the pitcher. They also sell six-packs to go, t-shirts, and they offer tours of the brewery for those who want to see how beer goes from grain and water to good stuff.

The first beer that caught my eye was called Outburst Imperial IPA. IPA stands for India Pale Ale, and it refers to a style of beer that uses lots and lots of hops, little cone-like flowers that give beer its bitterness and foaming properties. IPA's developed in the 19^th century as a way for British merchants to transport beer long distances without the beer spoiling. Hops are the key. Once the water had gone rancid, and the rum had all been drunk, there was still the IPA.

Pyramids Imperial IPA pours a rich, warm reddish color with a thin touch chalky-colored head. The hops are very forward, greeting the nose like a rose bush on a warm summer evening. The first sip reveals a surprisingly approachable beer, smooth and almost sweet, with a grapefruity bitter finish that leaves your lips curled in a smile. The brew is not overly carbonated, and one glass really isn't enough. This is the kind of IPA that could be ordered by the pitcher.

Next, I had a glass of Goose Bump Stout, a seasonal dark brew that is scary good and brewed with real coffee. Stouts are dark beers created by using dark roasted barley. Stouts and Porters are closely related, and the names are often interchangeable. The style originated in England in the 18^th century, but lost popularity in the late 19^th century. In England, stouts and porters are often drunk at room temperature.

The Goose Bump is smooth and rich, with smoky notes and a soft, tan head. Pyramid serves this brew in a fancy tulip-shaped glass that enhances the aroma of the hop character. In the glass, this beer seems to draw the light out of the room it is so dark. From the first sip the alcohol is very present, and a glass or two of this brew might be a bit much for the person not looking to get loaded. The finish is smooth and dark, like the night sky in October. This is a beer that, like the IPA, goes down all too fast.

A new style I was hoping to try is a dark IPA. This is a style that is currently becoming popular. It originated in Northern California and the north-east because of specialty hops grown nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, Pyramid did not have this brew on tap yet, so I will have to go back again.

A pint at Pyramid is about $5, depending on what style you try. Taster flights range from $10-15, and a pitcher can be had for $10.50 during the weekday happy hour.

Pyramid Brewery, Sacramento

1029 K Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
(916) 498-9800

pyramidbrew.com

The Car Show Fail

I am a classic car enthusiast.

I wish I could explain what all that sentence entails for me, for my life. The truth is I have shaped my life around my lust. I have been physically and emotionally involved with old cars since before I can actually remember, thanks to my dad, who still is the best mechanic I have ever met.

I can't remember where most of my friends in high school lived, let alone their names, but I can tell you exactly what the interior of a 1969 Chevrolet Pick-up smells like, even though I haven't spent time in one since 1995.

I listened to Adam Carolla on Love Line every night when I was 18 or 19, working night shift at a Chevron gas station. I can remember laughing until I had tears in my eyes at the ridiculous, juvenile horseplay on the show. The show was innuendo and fart jokes and silliness, and I understood it.

I probably watch significantly less TV than most Americans my age, largely because I don't own a TV. My car hasn't had radio in about 8 years, so I haven't really followed Adam Carolla's career since those nights.

I was pretty pumped when I saw a car show hosted by Adam Carolla. I'm a long time fan of Top Gear UK, and I always thought there was no way a car show like Top Gear could be done in the US.

Top Gear is a show in which three average British car enthusiasts discuss, drive, and do ridiculous challenges, stunts, and driving escapades in a variety of cars, ranging from budget to super-exotic. What makes the show brilliant is the sheer British-ness of it. To take away that essence would be like a Jaguar made by Ford. It might look the part, but you know that underneath, it's just a Taurus.

Indeed, The Car Show is overly flashy, ashamedly cheap, and annoyingly American, just like the Ford-produced Jaguar. The intro, the hosts, the music... it's all just too much. The humor, funny when I was 19, isn't anymore. The stunts? Race around some $500 cars for 24 hours. Not that funny. Not that much fun to do, either. I drove a $500 car for a year and a half myself.

I kept hoping the show would get better. I really wanted it too, but it never did. Americans, it seems, aren't funny when it comes to cars. Perhaps we become too invested in our cars. I think they matter too much to us sometimes.

I should be the target audience for this show. Not only do I have a huge interest in the subject matter, I am familiar with the hosts. This show should have been like starting a newly rebuilt engine for the first time for me. Instead, it bored me. It was too scripted. Carolla looked old and sounded crotchety. The other hosts were lackluster at best and just as annoying as Carolla at times.

I don't know if anything could have saved this show for me. A key component of this type of show is having compelling cars, which they did not. In my mind, the first show of the first season should have had really spectacular cars. Don't get me wrong, a Porsche GT3 RS is a hot car, and a Rolls-Royce Ghost is a great touring car, they just have no sizzle. Maybe drag racing Jay Leno's tank-powered roadster instead of the Porsche. Or setting off on a road trip in a 1909 Peerless. 

After I watched The Car Show, I put an old episode of Top Gear on. Top Gear is a really well made car enthusiast show and deserves to be the benchmark all other car shows are tested against. The Car Show falls short by a mile.