Hello All,

After my note very early this morning here goes for the return trip with Pooh from California...

After early morning goodbyes on Thursday, August 29th, Pooh and I got underway from the Summers' home in Carmichael, California at the tail end of Sacramento's short morning rush hour. On Kent's advice we headed up I-5 to Williams to take Hwy. 20 west over the hills and past Clear Lake to join Hwy. 101 north to the California and Oregon coasts.

The run was as interesting as Kent promised with the highway winding through scenic countryside, offering a few Mini miles, some short steeper uphill sections and a rather large 'Clear Lake' in a dry climate.

Once out on 101, the traffic volume picked up and somehow the hills seemed longer and steeper. They certainly were compared to my memory of dashing over them in my son Jeremy's MG Metro 1275 cc powered Mini sedan enroute to MMW 1996 in Long Beach. One long hill, in particular, knocked the stuffing out of Pooh's meager horsepower about half way up and we screamed over the top in third gear after what seemed like forever.

As we neared the coast, the sea fog varied yielding those exciting views of long Pacific Ocean rollers tumbling up the beaches and crashing over rocks. After 751 kms./466 mi. we closed at Gold Beach in Oregon at the mouth of the Rogue River.

Next day, Friday, August 30th, Pooh wanted to start on just three cylinders and was treated to new plugs, new distributor cap and rotor. Fired up right away and died. All was dismantled and reinstalled with close attention to the rotor and cap. Bingo...off we went up the Oregon coast. The Oregon coast is truly spectacular as the raw Pacific Ocean hurls its waves onto dramatic rocky shorelines mile after mile. However, today we needed to close on Portland and so the stops were limited as we encountered early weekend traffic streaming south to and down the coast. Fortunately we were headed towards the city and moved in much lighter traffic volumes into its heart.

The last few miles to Vancouver Washington found us in the heavy traffic leaving Portland, but only for a few miles and an early end to the day after 565 kms./350 miles. I enjoyed a visit over dinner with my Mother-in-law and then an early to bed. Pooh would not get washed for the All British until morning.

Saturday, August 31st dawned grey under a completely overcast sky. This was perfect for washing and detailing Pooh before dashing back over the Columbia River to Portland International Raceway to claim our registration packet and enter the field. Soon the overcast was burnt off and blue sky and brilliant sunshine graced the remainder of the concours day.

Many friends from the Vancouver Mini Club were there including Rob & Christine Fram, Tim & Bev Kolisoff (and family), Andy & Rachel Nelson, Chris Higgins & Ann, and Kent & Terryl Summers, who flew in from Sacramento on Friday night. The Oregon Mini Society was out in full force as was expected.

The meet celebrated the Jaguar "XK Engine" (3.4 and 3.8 litre displacements) which powered Jaguar cars for 40 years. I hope you enjoy the photos of the Jaguar two-seaters, as well as the Minis!

Andy & Rachel Nelson took 1st place for both their immaculately restored Cooper S and exquisitely built turbo Woody Wagon. And, they would have also very likely done so in Costa Mesa if they had been able to take the time to travel there.

The Concours Day ended in late afternoon and all retired to socializing before day two's Rallye, Giant Slalom, Land Rover Off-Road Jungle Course and Swap Meet.

Pooh and I returned to Vancouver Washington for me to repair garden hoses for the Mom-in-law, enjoy a quiet dinner and prepare Pooh for next morning's Rallye and Giant Slalom.

Earlier I had determined to get a better handle on the weight I might be dealing with at the Slalom start line. The perfect opportunity arose at an Oregon roadside truck weigh scale, which read out 1,950 lbs. with only 2.5 US gallons of fuel missing from the tank. On getting in to Vancouver, I borrowed Mom's digital scales and removed 206 lbs. of parts, tools, luggage, camera, floor mats, spare tire, jack etc. Parts and tools - 67 lbs.! And, I would manage fuel levels to a sensible minimum. Nominally, Pooh and I could weigh something like 1710 lbs. at the start line under the racing helmet.

After the fact - Pooh had only 1.4 US gallons in the tank, indicating a little less than 1,700 lbs. at the start line - a not insignificant 12-13% weight reduction from the traveling load.

Sunday, September 1st dawned grey and cool too, but with our confidence that the sun would soon burn off the low cloud. My brother-in-law Martin Curry had volunteered to navigate in the rally and photograph Pooh's slalom antics. After a quick breakfast we three entered PIR and lined up for the start as entry #14.

A Gimmick Rally, the route took us to the ports, forts and jails of the Vancouver and Portland area with two crossings of the stateline. Martin and I had a wonderful time, lots of laughs, passed more British cars going this way and that, stayed on route, got all but two answers (but not necessarily accurately...the gimmick part) and returned in the estimated 2 hours.

Then it was off to register in a late run group for the slalom, get the car teched, "will anything fall off?" "No!", and empty it as planned.

Without any idea as to what small bore Minis might have already run, the task was to get the fastest possible clean run in our three chances. The course looked a little longer in the start finish straight areas and into the 180 pylon deep in the drag staging area. Only the 180 pylon in turn 9 on the road course looked to be about where it was in past years.

Given a few late retirements as the day wore on, only five cars lined up in the final run group, including a highly modified Jaguar V12, a V8 powered TVR and a Triumph Spitfire, all driven by seasoned veterans. Given Pooh's meager 998 cc/60 cubic inches we would trail this group but maybe push the 1,500 cc Spitfire. And that's how it worked out!

Pooh and I collected better times and a final clean run. At 1.04 seconds, we trailed the Spitfire by 2.5 seconds. It finished second among the Triumphs (and Pooh, as a Triumph, would have been third). Pooh and I took 1st Place Small Bore Minis because...no other 998 or 848 engined Minis had been entered. Being faster than all but two Triumphs, all Land Rovers, and close to stock Jaguars were the best comparisons to make.

Our club's Rob Fram toyed with the course in his 1380 cc powered Moke and recorded a clean 53 seconds flat to compare to the fastest Lotus 7s and Caterham copies and take 1st Place Big Bore Minis. Sharing the Moke experience was Oregon's Jeremy Thorpe who "practiced" several dramatic emergency or e-brake 180 turns in his runs. "Practiced" because he had assembled the Moke just this year.

Occupied by the rally and giant slalom, I did not get a chance to cruise the Swap Meet which drew many sellers to the field. They were dismantling as the slalom awards ceremony was getting underway.

After the awards, it was back across the Columbia River to get Martin home after a very good day and, feeling fresh, to load up Pooh for an evening run to Canada and home. With one rest, one fuel and one customs and immigration stop, we arrived home in 5 hours and forty-five minutes after logging a final 504 kms./313 miles for an average speed of 54.4 mph.

Pooh's California Run closed at 5,431 kms/3,373 miles and a rest over the drip tray in Pitt Meadows 14 days after setting out for mini Meet West in Irvine and Costa Mesa.

The oil cooler proved a very useful addition once again in managing engine temperatures in the heat of California's central valley and on highway hills designed by engineers for cars, SUVs and pickups with big displacement engines.

Distributor caps seemed to get chewed up by the hour after hour of 3,800-4,200 rpm's of Pooh's 998 cc Series A engine. Fresh basics cured the ills of the cumulative wear of plugs, cap and rotor.

No other operating problems arose during the trip. The new Cooper S disc brakes worked superbly as they bedded in. The wheel alignment and tightened inner steering rack ends gave precise and instant steering. The Yokohama A008 tires did want to grasp the truck tire ruts somewhat more vigorously than did the former GX 501s from Yokohama.

Though horsepower challenged, Pooh got us there and back safely. We shared good times with good friends. And, we enjoyed the pleasant vagaries of life on the road in a little "tin box" that, for the most part, "ran like a tank".

Photographs will be uploaded soon to provide images to outdo our poor words. It is hoped that visitors will have enjoyed the california Run from a distance and that Maple Ridge and Pitt Meadows residents will send their contribution for wheel chairs to the Maple Ridge Hospital Foundation promptly!

Thank you for sharing Mini fun with Pooh and me! Thank you for supporting our local hospital's genuine need for help from 'Wheels for Wheels'.

Rick Higgs (and Pooh of course)

Pooh, E-mail:  mhabc@telus.net