Soledad to SAN Diego in the Mini Cooper with Dog and Girl

We arrived at another Motel 6.  They’re dog friendly.  Gilbert likes anything dog friendly.

We left Soledad at 830 and have arrived here just after dark at 7 pm.  We’ve stopped at rest stops for pee breaks and Gilbert walks. We’ve filled up a couple of times. The Mini is getting great mileage.

The weather has been amazing.  With the panaramic sun roof on the Mini open we’ve acquired a tan. Laura and I had to take off our sweaters before noon and Gilbert was panting most of the day.  Definitely shorts and tshirt weather tomorrow.  We love the sunshine.  

American free way rest stops are great. We stopped at one where there was even a sign in the pet area warning of rattlesnakes that might fancy one’s children.

I couldn’t drive past LA without cruising down Hollywood Blvd.  Both Laura and I have been here before. With all the NCIS Los Angeles I watch because I love the characters , especially Hetti, I wanted to see the Hollywood sign again.  They show it so often in the show.  

We ended up driving up Laurel Canyon expecting to see famous people taking out their garbage but even at Lookout point we didn’t see anyone we recognized.  

No one recognized us either. I would have at least thought someone would have known Gilbert.

We cruised Sunset Blvd but it’s not the same as it was 30 years ago.  Without Cecil de Mille or the Rat Pack it’s just another street.  

Heading back to the freeway, there was Hollywood Bowl and that fabulous Hollywood sign. We’d just listened to an audio book on the way down where the serial killer drop a body by one of the letters. On this last stretch though we really enjoyed Michael Connolly’s Detective Bosch finding suicides were really homicides.  Great writer.

On the number 5 we got off at a view point and watched the most beautiful sunset over the Pacific. It was wonderful  looking out from the coast remembering sailing down this way some 20 miles off shore. SAN Diego Harbour is something special in my memory.  

Now here we are. 2500 km, 3 1/2 days of all day driving.  Today we were speeding along in 8 lane freeways at 120 to 140 km /hour with motorcycles passing us on the white lines between cars.  

I’m exhausted. These American freeways are so demanding I had to forego reading and texting on  Facebook.

Laura is glad she arrived alive. We’re now settling in for SAN Diego pizza.  

Gilbert’s Mini California Christmas.

We left our homes in the good hands of watchful souls and headed out on the road. All I knew is I wanted to head south to the warm. Gilbert, the blind cockapoo with the sore back, couldn’t be left or fly this year. A road trip was the answer.

Enter the new British Racing Green 2017 Mini Cooper with room for Laura and Gilbert to have their own seats.  Lots of luggage room. I even have a roof rack if we need more space.

Our break of dawn start had a departure time of noon.  Despite crossing borders we were able to make it to Kalama a few miles north of Portland.

Motel 6 is definitely dog friendly and very convenient.  We had Beef Dip, Salad and Chicken Nuggets meals in the room from the nearby restaurant. These were shared with Gilbert who was very pleased.

The Mini handled fabulously on the highway, a delight to drive. I miss my Miata MX5 sports car but don’t have to feel the mild guilt pangs I used to have  looking accross at Laura weighted down under Gilbert and excess luggage.  I will miss the convertible but the marvellous sun roof on the Mini ameliorates the pain of loss some.

I don’t feel as cool. It’s a mini touring car and reminiscent of what my father had when he was much younger than I am now.   Laura says a lot of Mini’s have  racing stripes because they are ‘racing cars’. I certainly experienced this in the Red Wood winding highway.

At the Covered Bridge off I 5  where I fueled up we learned there was snow forecast for Mount Shasta. If I’d wanted more snow I’d have gone hunting in the Queen Charlottes or skiing in Whistler.  I didn’t come south to face a blizzard in the high mountains.  Laura was insistent she didn’t want to experience again that ugly time we had coming down the Coquahala when the ‘climate change’ (weather person) made an error and we found ourselves in freak blizzard.

At Grant’s Pass we took the 199 south and were so glad we did. Great country driving. Beautiful winding roads through the Red Woods. Suddenly we were entering California.  We eventually came out at CrescentCity on the coast. I remembered sailing my 40 foot SV GIRI by this lovely harbour a couple of times.  This coast is amazing.

We turned left when we came To Pacific Ocean heading even more south on a terrific freeway that changed into a winding coastal road that at times had red lights for the the one lane passage before returning to a freeway..

I’ve driven it a few times in each direction but it was Laura’s first time.
“The Red Woods are huge,” she kept saying.  “I love the beaches, too” The surf and smell of salt air was delightful.
 Laura kept saying,”It’s so warm it’s like spring. I see people wearing t shirts and sandals.”
I loved seeing the seagulls. The sailor in me enjoys their company.

We stopped and let Gilbert, our blind dog, gambole about off leash on the beach. He almost ran into the surf but other wise had a marvellous .time knowing somehow from memory, it was safe to run on a beach, his little tale wagging and his legs going a mile a minute.

“That’s the best Christmas gift you could have given him.”  Laura said.  We so enjoyed watching him running and skipping about for really the first time since he had his last eye removed because of the hereditary glaucoma.

Back in the Mini Cooper I sped along the winding highway as the night set.  It was dark when we reached Eureka.

Eureka used to be a major hippy town.  There was still a huge neon Peace Sign. Humboldt County Sesame was the competitor to BC Bud.  That was back in the day I had flowers painted on my face while dancing in the streets of SAN Francisco. Now the town had Nutcracker showing in the main theatre and there were a lot of ATV and sports oriented stores.

We’d liked to have gone to church for Christmas Eve but this is Gilbert’s holiday and blind he’s anxious in new places. We listened to a Christmas pod cast on advent and Christmas and listened to Christmas carols driving south today..

Now we’re going to have an early night after eating turkey wraps from Safeway. We’ve found another  dog friendly Motel 6.  I really like the Motel 6 sta..

Merry Christmas.  Thank you God and Mother Mary, Joseph, and Jesus Christ.

Mini Cooper S 2017 and Yaletown Mini

“What do you think about a road trip?” I asked.
“Where to?” She said.
“I don’t know. San Diego, maybe.” That’s about 2000 km from Vancouver Canada.
“Would you take the truck?” She asked,
“I could.”
“We couldn’t go in the Miata. Now that Gilbert’s blind and has a sore back, he’d not be able to travel that far on my lap’”
I’d thought about that. The new Ford F-350 truck is for hunting and hauling. It’s for carrying my Honda Pioneer ATV and towing my Fifth Wheel Fuzion toy hauler.  lt’s a cowboy Cadillac ride but heavy driving and not the best gas mileage. Okay if it’s doing it’s job but this would be purely for play.
I wanted to go to sunshine. It’s a hard winter in Vancouver with the constant darkness, cold and rain. I’d thought of flying to Mexico but with Gilbert now blind and having a sore back I didn’t think that a good idea. The Miata would be a great road trip ride but I didn’t want to choose between Laura and Gilbert:) Better to consider a different car.
 I sure could use a back seat. I’d like more storage room. Laura and I had enough room in the Miata for a carryon flight suitcase each. But if we wanted to buy anything there wasn’t any room. Good for a weekend trip. But not really suitable for much longer. My brother and sister in law had driven the Miata down the California coast, loved the convertible and  loved the ride but bemoaned the lack of storage. I’ve got a Harley for the joy of a ride.  I don’t really need the convertible.
Everyone I know likes the Mini.  Laura had one in her youth. Even carried her St. Bernard in it.  My motorcycling friend  Dave had had one, said it was a whole lot of fun to drive.  I need something for the city.  Something for commuting and something I can park. I’d like something I could take more gear, maybe for more than a weekend trip. Maybe camping.  Gilbert needs his own seat.
Mini Canada has a great site. I looked at all the machines.  Then I emailed Langley and Yaletown , the dealers nearby, saying I needed a sun roof, roof rack, didn’t need all wheel drive but did need blue tooth for my phone.  Other than that I wanted to know if it parked as easy as a Miata.
I didn’t hear from Langley but Kevin Smith from Yaletown got right back to me.  Said he had a show room full of Mini’s and would be glad to show me around.   Kevin was great fun.  Obvious he loved the Mini and loved his work.  Warm, kind, hard working guy.
Right off he showed me a great selection of Country Mini’s and Coopers, helping me narrow my choices down based on my comments. We zoned right in on exactly what I was looking for.   There really is a wide selection, some of the Mini selection being quite a bit bigger than I imagine.   I wanted small and maneuverable.  That’s the Cooper.
While I looked at Mini’s with Kevin someone else from Yaletown was checking out my Miata for resale potential.
What utterly astonished me was the amount of storage in all of the Mini’s.  My Miata is mostly engine.  I’m going to miss the convertible but the Mini Panoramic Sun Roof is truly a treat.  The Ford Sun Roof was a selling feature on my F350 truck too. Having a dog I need to  vent the hot  air. Being a motorcyclist I don’t get that caged feeling if a vehicle has a sun roof.    The Mini  sun roof is amazing.
I loved the interior to, really comfortable bucket seating.    Lots of design consideration.  BMW.  Heavy duty construction. Nothing tinny about it. Solid.  I loved the workmanship and little thoughtful design touches everywhere.  You just have to swing the door to know that it’s the real deal. There’s a whole lot of visibility too. I liked the mirrors.
I scheduled a test drive.  I’d considered the Soul and Fiat.  All the other cars except Laura’s Smart car were a bigger class.  I liked the Mini. Always thought it was fine looking car.  Several friends over the year told me they thought I’d like it.  In the modern city bigger cars just are too big getting around and parking. Vancouver has lost all it’s roads to bike lanes and construction too. My truck is simply too big for getting around and for underground parking.
Laura met me at Yaletown Mini.  Kevin was there waiting with a Mini parked outside.   It was a rare sunny day.  Lots of traffic. I’d thought we were going with one of the blue Minis.  I’d told Kevin, I thought just in passing,  my favourite colour was British Racing Green.  They’d not had one out in the show room.  He’d taken the time to  find one in inventory and brought it out. It didn’t have the roof rack but they could have that installed. The British Racing Green with black top is elegant.  I loved the drive, right from the get go.  Heated seats. Like my Ford there was a sensor system for backing up.  All the electronics with blue tooth were light years ahead of the 2011 Miata.  I love the electronic features in new cars and trucks.  I”m a Trekkie.  I loved the space age touches.
The drive was delightful. I pulled a u turn in the middle of the street, barely legal and  a surprise to Kevin and Laura. That’s what I wanted to see.  Could I make such a tight turn fast enough because that’s what I’ve been doing in the Miata city driving in Vancouver. Sure enough it did the turn like a charm. Not one honk from behind.  It maneuvered perfectly in rush hour traffic then parked on a dime. I was impressed.  I was sold.
Back at the dealer Laura was beaming.
“Do you like it?” I asked.
“I love it.” She said.
“Would you consider a road trip in a Mini?”
“Absolutely. Gilbert would have his own seat.It’s so comfortable you could drive for days.”
Kevin showed me the figures with trade in. I’d have like a couple more thousand for the Miata but I was glad to pay for the convenience. I love trading in at dealers, not having the hassle of private sales. After my work day, the last thing I want to do is meet with strangers in the evening.  Kevin put together a good,  reasonable package and didn’t hustle. I like that. He made the whole experience pleasant.
Bo in finance completed the paper work with us.  I had the extra cost in my savings account having put aside money monthly this year just for such an eventuality. Scotia bank at the end of the block cut me a bank draft for the difference.
The long slow part was wading through the  ICBC insurance process.  The smart young man made that go as quickly as possible.  Kevin was kind enough to get me a coffee.
Laura said, “Gilbert’s going to be so happy with his new wheels. He’s just glad to go with you. I’m glad too. The Miata was a whole lot of fun and the Mini is going to be too.”
I really think about my life in terms of the vehicles I’ve had over the years.  A whole new chapter was opening.
“We could put his blanket with his smell on it and a couple of his toys .  Then he’ll know this new car is his car right away,” she mused.
Next I knew Kevin was taking me out and handing me the keys to the beautiful little machine. I shook hands and thanked him, seriously.
My Mini Cooper S  really looked beautiful.  I remembered then  British Racing Green was the colour of a car we had when I was small.  Laura was pleased. I had to drive her across town to where she’d parked her red smart car. It was fun drive.   The Mini has a whole lot of  great pick up.  Spunky little car.  Brakes well too.
After I dropped Laura off I got out the book and learned somethings about the Center display. So much information on the car, like a regular computer console.  I set up blue tooth with my iphone. The first song that played then in the car was Amy Grant’s “Holy Holy Holy” Good omen.
That night I drove around trying it out on the freeway. The Miata hugged the road better at high speeds.  The Mini performed pretty good.   Comfortable ride.  I know I’m going to miss the convertible top coming down but I loved the Panoramic Sun Roof.
Today I’ve been driving around some more in it and enjoy zipping in and out.   It parks so easily.  I brought Gilbert along.  He climbed inside curious.   Then he walked from back to front and sniffed everywhere.  At first he settled in in the back seat but not for long.  Pretty soon his little tail wagging he climbed into the front and sat down in his front passenger seat to enjoy the ride.  Laura did say she liked the back seat too.
The best part is everyone likes my Mini Cooper.