Tecnica-lly Inclined

AJ is no stranger to decently fast cars. His last vehicle was a supercharged 2008 Civic Si. He recently decided to trade it in for an STi. Good choice, AJ.

As I meet AJ for the first time, I can tell he’s an interesting guy. His shoes match his shirt and hat. His STi is impeccably clean, and Chandler tells me he always keeps it this way. Even his driving style isn’t typical of your average twenty-something STi owner. AJ pilots her along at the speed limit from one shooting location to the next, Invidia downpipe lending to a faint burble streaming into my open window. I am enjoying it. Judging by the melody, he never breaks half throttle, content to follow a Harley at touring pace.

We all enjoy the scenery as he leads me to our first location. Apparently he’s been scouting it for a while. I can see why, as the trees create a tunnel overhead resulting in dappled sunlight. He parks in the middle of the road, but we bother nary a soul throughout the entirety of the scene. There is no one to bother out here.

I picked our next locale, a winery I spied on the way to the first. The rows of grapes make a pleasing background, but folks look at us funny as they pass on by.

On to a lake AJ had heard about. Down, down, down a steep and windy road. Across a one-lane bridge where I used to swim. As we climb up to the lake, I catch the only glimpse of playfulness as AJ leaves my Corrado in the dust on the short straights. Just a quick dab of the throttle, and back down to perfectly respectable speeds as he nears a blind corner. At the lake, people are fishing. I’m parked across someone’s driveway, so we make this stop quick.

We travel on 15 miles of single-lane roads, while I lead to our next destination. The hills are looking better and better in the setting sun, which prompts us to stop several times and try to capture some natural beauty as a background to the STi. But I hurry us along as I want to get to our final location as the sun settles beyond the horizon.

The clouds begin to pink and I know we’ve timed it right. The three of us end up spending almost an hour here, simply talking and enjoying the presence of the machines and our common interests.

Thanks for the opportunity to capture the beauty of your STi, AJ.