A group of local NSXers (mostly from Los Angeles and the Valley, but one from as far away as San Diego) gather at the Metrolink parking lot in Moorpark. Initially planned as a way to get Lojack installed at a discount, John (Anytime) and Craig's event has become a full-blown canyon drive much like the popular NSXCA Canyonball Run. For many of us NSX Prime forum members, this is the first time we meet each other in the flesh...and it is great finally associating a real face and car with everyone's NSX Prime avatar.

Randy (FuryNSX) brought along his 'Mini-Me', an RC NSX-T. Unfortunately, the combination of 100 speed film and the infamous Southern Cal marine layer zapped the color and collapsed the depth of field in this shot.

Though the late spring weather appears to be much more pleasant (i.e. cooler) than mid-July Canyonball, Valerie and I decide to keep the top on...but will we be able to resist the temptation of the open-air experience for the entire duration of the drive?

With great enthusiasm, the West L.A. boys start their engines. From left-to-right, Marc (SpeedDemon) in his twin turbo red NSX-T, Sam in his Comptech supercharged silver NSX, and Ilya in his NOS injected white NSX. These were the only guys I had met before the event...and I was supposed to intercept them in Santa Monica so we could caravan to Moorpark. Oddly, I was the only one to actually arrive before the agreed departure time of 8:30am (and I thought I was running late). It was probably good that I didn't try to drive with them because my stock NSX-T wouldn't have been able to keep up!

As we enter the twisties of Grimes Canyon Road, the marine layer begins to dissipate...and we are immediately treated to some spectacular vistas. (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

Ilya, John (Anytime), Walter (W), and Randy (FuryNSX) bunch up in the corners. (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

On Chambersburg Road (the first straightaway after the twisties), the length of our caravan becomes readily apparent. Despite some early confusion over which frequency they were actually operating on, radios did a fairly good job of keeping us together...even when we made some impromtu decisions to drive past planned stopping spots. (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

Our caravan pulls off road and stops for lunch at Boccalis in Ojai. From left-to-right, Sam's supercharged NSX, Craig's NSX, Marc (SpeedDemon)'s twin turbo NSX-T, Chris' NSX, Eric's NSX, Randy (FuryNSX)'s NSX-T, Calvin (CChung)'s NSX-T, John (Anytime)'s NSX-T, Steve (NSX1)'s NSX-T, my (akira3d)'s NSX-T, and Walter (W)'s NSX (I cropped out Ilya's NSX from the left side of the shot because it was parked behind some unsightly porta-potties).

For some reason, I get a big kick out of seeing exotic cars parked on dirt and grass. The hay bales in the distance complete the country setting...in fact, I often forget that Southern California's diverse terrain includes farmland. And it boggles my mind that roughly an hour away from Los Angeles, people actually live in communities that have true small-town atmosphere. Amazing!

Calvin stands proudly behind his Y2K NSX-T. His car is so new (one of the last produced in model year 2000) that it is still within the 600 mile break-in period. Keeping the engine revs below VTEC range is fine for the daily commute, but, as Calvin soon found out, can be quite limiting during spirited drives like these. Though his NSX reached that milestone shortly after the NSX Prime canyon drive was over, I suspect that Calvin still had a lot of fun. Another interesting thing about Calvin: he sold an earlier NSX only to spend several frustrating months looking specifically for a red/tan 2000 NSX-T. When he couldn't find that particular color combination, he settled on this Silverstone beauty.

And whose NSX could this be?

Not exactly the best spot to shoot from, but I had to make sure that I captured the gathering from all perspectives (I couldn't leave Ilya's white NSX out of all the group shots).

We NSXers obviously weren't the only ones enjoying the fine driving weather on this fine Sunday. Not only did a group of Harleys roar by as we snapped pictures of our cars, a caravan of Alfa Romeos pulled into the Boccalis parking lot just as we sat down to eat. If you compare this shot with the earlier photos, you may notice that another yellow NSX-T squeezed into our group (look through the window of the left front car). This NSX belongs to Steve/SSNSX, who happens to live in nearby Santa Paula.

Our thirteen car long caravan stops in Oak View long enough for Sam to burn through hundreds of dollars worth of rubber. Unfortunately, I didn't grab my camera in time to capture the insanity. After noticing that nearly half of our group had been enjoying the open-air experience, I could no longer resist the temptation to remove the roof from my NSX-T. The temperature was perfect...even under direct sunlight.

On the road again...but not sure on what road. When in doubt, just follow the leader (he's in a Honda). (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

Just as the drive starts to get interesting again, we rediscover the marine layer and get stuck behind what has to be the slowest moving truck in the entire world. The sudden drop of temperature and speed makes even me sick! (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

Once we hit the 101, speeds pick up dramatically, but the temperature in my topless NSX-T remains uncomfortably cold (I knew I should have left the roof on). As the caravan moves south, Marc/SpeedDemon, Steve/NSX1, Steve/SSNSX, and Eric/6D go their separate ways, leaving only nine NSXs to brave the treacherous Malibu Canyon leg of our journey. (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

A brief stop in Camarillo gives us a chance to stretch and, for me, an opportunity to put the roof back on before the more challenging roads ahead. Ironically, the skies would stay warm and clear for the entire remainder of our drive!

Encountering little traffic as our caravan enters the canyons of Malibu, we pick up the pace and really start to enjoy the drive. (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

As the route gets much more twisty along Mullholland Highway, I start to depend on the cars most immediately ahead to keep me from getting lost (in this case, Walter/W in silver, John/Anytime in yellow). I can no longer rely on inter-car communications because I find it too difficult to operate the radio while simultaneously navigating these demanding roads. (Photo by Valerie Iwasaki)

As the street divdes into two lanes (on Deer Creek Road?), the caravan decides to stop so that everyone can catch up (myself included). Though the road we had just traveled upon lacked center lines and appeared far too narrow to be anything but a one-way road, I wisely chose to take it easy...and had no problem finding space to navigate around an on-coming car. Where was my radio warning, guys? Slowing down also meant losing sight of the caravan. I fell so far behind that I thought I was on the wrong road until I caught the welcome sight of NSXs winding their way up a hill in front of me.

This makeshift stop turns out to be quite a picturesque spot. With my favorite NSX colors parked back-to-back-to-back, how can I resist snapping a shot? From front to back: John's Spa Yellow Pearl, my New Formula Red, and Calvin's Silverstone. Wait a minute!?!?! Wasn't Walter in front of me?

Since Walter does not have a radio, we have no method for getting in touch with him, nor he with us. We decide to wait at this spot for a few minutes in case Walter figures out where he went wrong. In the meantime, I can't resist snapping another picture of my car.