Hi! I finally got to take a long drive on some fun roads in my IS (2018 IS300 base). What a car!  
I live south of Los Angeles so had to spend a few hours on the freeway to get to Santa Barbara, then up the mountain to Solvang California. Solvang was settled by Danish people and is a very quaint tourist town. I spent a few hours walking around town and found a used record store, which is cool I collect records and got a couple LPs and a six pack of local beer to enjoy once I got home.

After Solvang the roads get really good. I drove Ballard Canyon and Foxen Canyon to Santa Maria. Both favorite roads from when I was younger and rode motorcycles. The IS handled them great! It's my 1st sports sedan so I really enjoyed Sport mode automatic for wide open curves and manual mode and the paddles for the tight twisty sections. Plus this is my 1st rear wheel drive car (That isn't a basic 80's or 90's Toyota PU).

The late afternoon I went from Santa Maria east on highway 166. It's wide open and scenic but also a route for trucks and weekenders to Bakersfield from the coast. Then one of my favorite roads Cerro Norsete, a road from 166 up into the mountains it's beat up, but great views, great corners, got to exercise the IS and I thought "I can't believe this is my car!". Then freeways home (paid for all that fun by getting stuck in bad traffic), and home at 7pm, 12 hours after I left.

Pictures are the IS in Atomic Silver, Lake Cachuma, near Solvang, Solvang, and starting up Cerro Noreste.

1st Road Trip in my IS300!