We were initially planning on leaving early Sunday morning, but decided that we might as well get a jump start on the hills since the next day was supposed to hot.  We dumpster-dived some cardboard from the VFW hall garbage and fabricated radiator shrouds in the parking lot.  Al cut and taped and in ten minutes we had full shrouds probably neater than factory.  At 9:30 we hit the hill toward Atascadero.  WHAT a difference! The temp was twenty to thirty degrees cooler the whole way. The Crosley hummed up the mountains at 190 degrees! 

We hit Atascadero only to find most hotels booked, and the ones available asking $100 for a room.  The night driving wasn't the harrowing experience we'd suspected it might be, so we decided to go on to Coalinga.  When we got to 33 I traded off with Al, giving him his first chance to really put some miles on the Crosley.  I enjoyed the plush passenger's seat for thirty miles, and we pulled into Coalinga at 1:30, the car running like a top. We checked in at the Laura Lodge-- $25 a night.