Delivered As Promised

Where has the time gone? The last 19 days have flown by and today Whitney came to retrieve the Mini. We spent some time this morning getting the Mini cleaned out and up. She looked alot better after a bath! Most of the bugs came off anyway! So now we are Miniless and we're left wondering where all the stuff we pulled out of the car came from! We will spend the last couple of days enjoying the Olympia area via walking and using the excellent (and sometimes free!) transit system. It has been a fun adventure that we will always remember. The Mini is one lucky vehicle to be able to live in the Pacific Northwest!

Another Mountain To Climb!

This little Mini is not going to know how to travel on horizontal roads after this trip! She's spent most of the last 2 weeks either climbing up a mountain or rolling down one! Our friend Ruth drove with us for a day of exploring Mount Rainier. The weather was absolutely perfect and we viewed the mountain from all angles. Our timing was good because another week from now and visitor centers will be closing for the season. We enjoyed lunch at a wonderful restaurant perched on the mountainside in a major ski area. We were also treated to the experience of watching helicopters move giant trees from further towards the mountain top to an area near the restaurant. Great food and entertainment!

Mini Hits The Beach!

Long Beach, WA boasts of having the longest beach in the world so the Mini wanted to see at least part of it for herself. Having the beaches in Florida for comparison, she figured no way could that be true. Roy decided to take the Mini out for a drive on the beach as was permitted this time of year. Never having driven on a beach before, it was an experience. He kept looking for the switch that would slip the Mini into 4 wheel drive! In the end, we all agreed that the claim to fame is true...Long Beach has the longest beach in the world!

Shy Mini

No opportunity to catch the mini on camera today due mostly to weather conditions so just the text will have to do for the moment! The Mini took us north along the coast on highway 101 and we enjoyed incredible vistas. The fog rolling over water a distance off shore contributed to an even greater scene. The northwestern picturesque California coast is different from the rugged Oregon coast. We haven't seem much of the Washington coast yet but we'll see more tomorrow and will be able to compare further. Made a stop in Oregon at one of the world's largest sea cave and sea lion habitats. It was foggy but we descended in an elevator and was up close and personal to the sea cave at water level so the fog wasn't a problem. It was impressive. There was only one sea lion sitting on a boulder as the others had decided to hit the water. We were told that at times there can be 200-500 sea lions in the cave at one time. It was fun and interesting even if there was only one sea lion. The Mini will be driving into Olympia tomorrow and is looking forward to a bath! Time to get some of the road grime, bugs and sea salt off the girl. Nothing like a little freshening up!

Mini Goes Coastal!

The Mini experienced the difference between the northwest California coastline and the rugged Oregon coast. We were fortunate to have more opportunities for viewing Redwood forests as we enjoyed our continued driving trip on hwy 101 north. Stopped for the obligatory cheezy tourist trap and visited for a couple moments with Paul Bunyan and Babe! Our overnight stay is in Coos Bay, OR. Had very good dinners of salmon and halibut at a favorite place of the locals. After eating we drove to a viewing spot to watch the large colony of sea lions gathered on huge boulders surrounding sea caves. The barking sounds were deafening! It was also exciting to see a pair of whales and thousands of sea otters frolicking in the water. We don't see that in Wisconsin!

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

The Mini experienced beauty and excitement today as she motored us around a wonderous scenic byway. We began our adventure in Ferndale, CA starting the epic drive by immediately downshifting into low and climbing the mountain side. We enjoyed a variety of vistas that were all breathtaking! The mighty Mini negotiated 10 mph hour switchback, hairpin turns as though she was made for this trip. We experienced the beauty of fertile farm valleys, mountain sides of trees and an incredible ocean drive. The drive continued through the Humboldt Redwood State Forest and we were awestruck by the majesty of these trees. We were able to take advantage of photo ops and some hiking. It was almost surreal walking amongst the Redwoods. It was quiet, peaceful and powerful. The Mini escorted us through the Avenue of Giants to finish this awesome day!

California or Bust!

The Mini did great on the scenic mountain drive today. We left south central Oregon and headed southwest for highway 101 on the California coastline. As per our normal traveling, we chose the scenic route and what a display we saw! Mountain roads with 10 mph switchback curves through Pondersoa Pine stands, tiny mountain hamlets and breathtaking Redwood state forests. What an amazing day! The Mini loved the zigzagging, down shifting, braking, accelerating and the drive even kept Roy awake while I drove! The Mini was made for this road! We stopped for a photo op near Mt. Shasta, CA. If you squint, you can make out Roy's V-sign sticking out the roof of the Mini. Lots of snow still on Mt. Shasta. The weather today went from 90+ degrees to somewhere in the 60's the closer we got to the coast line. We enjoyed a few pints at the local brew pub down the road from the hotel we're staying at in Fortuna, CA. Looking forward to more of the Redwoods tomorrow!