Entering the Royal National Park, for the first time in several years, brought with it not a little trepidation. It suffers badly in horrible weather as the roads turn into something a motorist from the 30's would recognize. Maintenance levels are far below that required for a busy tourist drive with the surface rapidly degrading to the point of downright danger. The Grand Pacific Drive and its Seacliff Bridge features on every NSW brochure, and quite a few car ads to boot, so it is tempting at all costs.
The appalling situation was evident as I crashed through a pothole hidden under a dappled canopy. It was impossible to see, and the sound was so loud, I thought the rear had been ripped asunder. I stopped to inspect the damage, and found a nick taken from the rear alloy. Even though both passenger side wheels hit with the force of nuke, only one was damaged.
The onboard system confirmed the tyre was holding pressure, so it appears the only damage was to my ego.
It took the gloss off the rest of the trip as I weaved through the imperfections like a drunken sailor.
Nonetheless, corners were dispatched with the ease of a kitten on carpet, and acceleration was completely effortless. The latter is a term used all to often, but in this case, it is as subtle as the tones of a Bennet ballad.
The ballad turns to a mad cacophony at the press of a foot.
Twiddling the drive mode dials up the excitement to a level that would otherwise require lassoing yourself to a Titan.
Keeping strictly to speed limits removes urgency, allowing the driver to breathe in the fresh forest air. After a series of hard turns, you emerge from the canopy again, high above the Pacific. After a quick coffee at Flying High Café, I turned homeward bound.
The afternoon brought a cool change, but I refused to raise the roof. I was driving a LEXUS LC500 Convertible and was determined to drink in every single moment.
More LEXUS at GayCarBoys
No comments:
Post a Comment