Giant trees and twisty bits

Posted on by Ian C.

On Friday, after working a week at CMEC in Selma, CA, I watched the machines I had been working on being loaded for transportation:

I now had half a day free, so headed south and east to Sequoia National Park; I paid my $20 entrance and headed up the mountain (to a high point of about 7000ft) – this road was nothing like Mount Washington, with no scary drop-offs or unpaved sections, but WOW did it have some amazing twisties to it … I wished I had my MINI instead of the rental car!

 

More spectacular than the drive are the huge Sequoias when you reach them – “awesome” is a fair description!

Sharing the beautiful views with me – a bear!

 

The drive back down the other side of the mountain was much less twisty – but dramatically foggy for a while:

Where are the MINIs?

Posted on by Ian C.

I’ve been working this week in Selma, CA – so I’m driving some Ford while GPMINI waits at home! Today I had a few free hours, so took the opportunity to arrange lunch with MINI friend Robert, of TwistyBitz fame. We met in Bakersfield, halfway between where I was working and his home; Robert’s MINI is sick at the moment, so he drove up in his wife’s Audi … so two MINI owners, but no MINIs! We had lunch in Zingo’s, more of a truck stop than anything, but friendly service …

It was great to chat for a few hours, and switch off from my work – until the company called with a crisis, and I had to rapidly cover the 100 miles back to spend the evening working.

Thanks, Robert, for heading up – great to see you again 🙂