Pooh and I made a break from the Mini Meet hotel in Irvine California at 4:15 a.m. local time Monday, August 26th, to beat the LA traffic rush...LA is huge compared to Metropolitan Vancouver. There were few vehicles on the Santa Anna freeway (I-5) at first but traffic kept building. However, I was off to Ventura and Santa Barbara before daybreak.

In fact, as I drove down Santa Barbara's beachfront and out onto the pier only the first joggers/runners/walkers were showing themselves. With the sun rising behind the headland, I had NO film. Off to Ralph's (imagine a full service super market) open 24/7 to buy more. There were almost no vehicles on State Street as I dashed (at 25 mph...the speed limit) back to the pier. Sun was up but Pooh got snapped anyway.

Retreated to a coffee bar opposite the Hotel California for juice, muffin and coffee, amused to listen to a roving radio reporter lining up two "actors" for a live radio game. Then it was off to Pismo Beach for pigeons, pelicans and porpoises at the pier.

Next stop was the British Sport Cars shop and store in San Louis Obispo. Busy as ever with Austin Healy, Jaguar, Lotus, MGTD, MGTF, MGA, MGB, MGC, Rolls Royce Silver Spur, and Triumph cars in the shop...a tired but in-service Mini Cooper S in the rear lane. Speedwell aluminum head for Cooper 998 on offer too at $400 US for those interested.

Soon we jumped off Hwy. 101 and onto the original Hwy. 1, headed for San Simeon, Big Sur, Carmel and Monterey on the coast. There were several exhilarating "squirts" through the curves, which even a fully loaded Pooh was happy to engage. Of course, with citizens using the route, care was required. Several learned that a reasonably well sorted Mini shows no brake lights and hardly slows.

At Gorda it was time for a break and, as it turned out, two delightful encounters. First, the lady running the store said, "Are you the man who owns Pooh. Can I give you a hug?" Seems she is a big Pooh fan and was taken by the headrest covers (featuring a Pooh face). Had never seen anything like that in California, so...I sold them to her (I'll settle up John).

While we chatted a couple closed in to listen. Turns out they had photographed Pooh in Santa Barbara while I was having coffee. Wife wanted a photo of husband, me and Pooh. Husband wanted to know all the Mini basics. They had flown from Michigan to LA to pickup up a BMW and to take a 25th wedding anniversary drive back home!

Sea fog, only a few hundreds of feet wide and thick, blanketed much of the lower coast which severely limited most views. Typical of August though, including British Columbia's outer coast.

After lunch in Moro Bay it was off to Carmel, the streets, shops and beach, before getting to Pacific Grove for a walk-in motel room. Pacific Grove is on the Monterey Peninsula north of Pebble Beach and adjoining Monterey to the west. Walked Cannery Row, scouted Ed Ricketts residence and laboratory and noted that he died at 51 in 1948 when his vehicle was struck by the evening Del Monte express train. The rail route is now a bikers, joggers and walkers route through town and out to Pacific Grove.

Interesting too that Chinese fishermen and their families established the first fishing village on Monterey Bay in 1851...crossing the Pacific in Junks up to 80 feet long.

Wanted to hit the Reebok store today Tuesday morning, August 27th, before leaving town. Had time after breakfast to enjoy a 45 minute seaside stroll on the old rail line before the shops opened. Pooh had me a little concerned early with a misfire on startup and apparent excess and unburnt fuel. Topped up the dash pot with only a few drops. Readjusted the carb and set off for Laguna Seca. Taking the 16% climb into the raceway into account Pooh seemed to be down on power.

After picking up something for the next VMC 50/50 draw, I headed for Hwy. 1 and Santa Cruz. Words that I had uttered last week came back to haunt me. Kent Summers had asked on the way to LA if we needed to stop for fuel and when. I answered, "Web can go to 400 kilometres but not much farther." I ran out of gas at 65 mph just 403 kilometres from the last fill up and short of Marina let alone Santa Cruz. Fortunately the freeway was essentially flat, had a wide paved shoulder and I could see an off ramp in the distance...so I grasped the door pillar and began walking Pooh towards it.

Many vehicles surged by in the few minutes before "Captain" Kirk pulled his pickup, laden with used ventilation ducting, over. He greeted me with the declarations that he loved Mini Coopers and was a professional tow truck operator. Out came a big tow strap and off we went...rapidly. I snapped a photo at 120 kmh I think...we'll see.

Mini fact: An empty 7 Imperial gallons fuel tank takes 8.84 U.S. gallons of fuel to the bottom of the neck! Kirk got my new Mini hat in appreciation... and asked for my card so he could mail me a rare Mini model.

I was off up the coast thankful to have had it all work out so well. But, in hitting some of the short steep ascents on the coast road Pooh still seemed down on power. North of Half Moon Bay I pulled into a beach park to have a look before climbing the next hill. Took out the plugs, looked good, cleaned and checked the gap and reinstalled. Checked that all leads were secure. Removed the valve cover and retorqued the head (after letting it cool a little). Checked the dash pot, oil and coolant levels. Nothing obviously amiss.

Drove into San Francisco and climbed all the inbound hills comfortably. Ran into the bumper to bumper traffic headed for the Bay Bridge, chickened out, took the 4th Street off ramp, headed down Embarcadero and cooled my heels at Pier 39 until the rush hour traffic eased. When the bridge traffic was seen to be moving steadily, Pooh was fired up for the last leg to Sacramento.

Despite the rising temperatures as the Bay area was left behind, Pooh kept pace with the fast moving freeway traffic, crossing the highest hill at 120 kmh up I-80. Nonetheless, the Summers' driveway in Carmichael was a welcome site, as was the cold brew as will be the cool sheets when this is dispatched.

Our agenda tomorrow is to visit Seven Enterprises' new California digs, spend a $50 gift certificate, maybe find a set of wheels for Kent, one for Steve and....

Still plan to be off Thursday morning for the Oregon Coast and on into the Portland area for the big All British Field Meet at PIR on Labour Day weekend.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

Rick Higgs (and Pooh of course)

Pooh, E-mail:  mhabc@telus.net