Olympia to MTTS and Back

Day One

Nice early start this morning... had to put the top up before I even made it to I-5 'cause it was COLD!  Put it back down just after crossing the Columbia and rolled into Rasmussen Mini in style... stopped by to pick up a left rear brake rotor.

After an embarrassing explanation of why I needed only one rotor--when putting on my new Green Stuff pads a couple weeks ago I forgot that the metal goes on the outside --I made my way over to Mini-Madness for Koni FSDs, an adjustable rear sway bar (a 10 lb hollow 25mm instead of a solid 15 lb 22 mm--same net effect),  a front OMP lower stress bar, OMP strut tower bar, and Madness polyurethane engine and gearbox bushings...

George suggested I find some lunch, take a walk in the park, etc.  But NO-O-O!  I had to hang around and watch... 

We got to talking, and since I'm doing the stiffening, George suggests a 15% pulley... hmmmmmm...  Okay, more torque properly managed is a good thing...

At this point I could feel the credit card beginning to overheat

Then, since his new assistant Miguel was pulling the shocks anyhow, this would be a good time for H-Sport Coil Springs--lower the CoG 3/4 inch, make the ride more stable, and add progressive damping--sure, good idea!  Let's do it!

Earlier in the morning, as George and I were talking about the various stiffening bars, another customer, Anthony, stopped by to pick up a couple gauges.  With two MINIs in close proximity, hoods were soon lifted.  The subject of my newly installed Alta Intercooler Diverter came up and it was discretely pointe out how it leaves two HUGE gaps for air to go everywhere but into the intercooler... diverter, yes... where you want it diverted to, not so much...

Before I left George hooked me up with a used OEM hood piece (behind the scoop) and loaner intercooler cover that I'll return once I get home and replace my original.  Next time I'm calling him BEFORE I buy any more mail order mods.

Anyone want to buy a very slightly used Alta Intercooler Diverter? 

As George and Miguel were wrapping up the newly-tweaked GoKart, I asked if he'd seen the covers some people are putting over the strut tower openings.  They both chuckled, Miguel disappeared into the office, and soon returned with two strut tower covers that popped right into place.  Beautiful! 
Add in the two MM t-shirts I'll be sporting at MTTS, and I am truly stylin'!

Next installment I'll let you in on a GREAT twisties route I found on the way to the Oregon coast.

'Til then I'll just say that GoKart is even MORE Go Kart-like that it was this morning and it is ONE SWEET RIDE! Thanks so much to George and Miguel!


Edited by GoKart - August/19/08 at 6:34am

Why to go John. PM Sent

John

POWER shopping is right!

And I LOVE my new set-up!!!  It's so tight and low I'm all day!

Can I have your credit card number?

John,

Stayed at the Coho before, The Happy Camp name comes from the miners of the gold rush.

1851 - a group of about thirty miners arrived to seek gold in the Klamath River Valley. According to Vera Toleman's history, published by the Siskiyou County Historical Society, "At a time of celebrating their survival of the hardships of the trip up the treacherous Klamath and of having found a spot where 'the pickings' seemed so promising, they named it 'Happy Camp'." They made their way up the Klamath River in the late spring or early summer from the Salmon River, southwest of Happy Camp, working the Klamath's gravel bars as they came.1851 - a group of about thirty miners arrived to seek gold in the Klamath River Valley. According to Vera Toleman's history, published by the Siskiyou County Historical Society, "At a time of celebrating their survival of the hardships of the trip up the treacherous Klamath and of having found a spot where 'the pickings' seemed so promising, they named it 'Happy Camp'." They made their way up the Klamath River in the late spring or early summer from the Salmon River, southwest of Happy Camp, working the Klamath's gravel bars as they came.

Note you would also like Dunsmuir Lodge.

John


Edited by johnf36 - July/27/08 at 2:37pm

Thanks to johnf36 for the historical prospective - very interesting

Edited by GoKart - October/18/08 at 7:27am

John a couple of things
1.When you decide to do base jumping in the Mini we can work out the chute in the boot for you.

2. When out in the wilderness you my want to consider changing you after shave or cologne. Seriously, maybe Bob can add some pointers here. But sounds like you got charged by a male for being in his area and with the smell, color and size of the car. Once he figured out you weren't what he thought and he had scared you off he bailed. I say this because if it had been a female she would have been in the car and majorly pissed.

I am glad you are having so much fun, Like we talked before I know where your at and it is hard between the view and driving some of those roads in a Mini either choice would be heaven.

Keep the tails coming your great at this and my sides still hurt from the Bear encouter.

Motor On Dude

John








Edited by johnf36 - July/28/08 at 5:19pm

John,  thanks for the  bruin heads-up...my brother "Wink" lives in the Grants Pass area and is a bear hunter/guide...I'll have him ride shot-gun next time I take your route...he's pulled them out of trees before so his dogs could then tree them again.

YIKES! and WOW!     What an INCREDIBLE adventure!!! 

I think I like the shredded one for the driver's side--maybe three of them? 

Where can I get them?

Day Five--Dogfighting Through the Plumas National Forest

After almost 1000 miles (85% of it on two-lane or smaller roads and somewhere less than 30% in a straight line) Day Four's rest was much-needed.  The GoKart sat for almost 24 hours and was rarin' to go, as I was

Sixty-four degrees at 9 AM...  maybe we can dissipate some brake heat to warm things up a bit... top down and headed down Buck's Lake Road (DH 7, the Oroville-Quincy Highway)... How many of you ordered at least DH Washington since you read day one?  If not, you're missin' out!  Maybe if all y'all tell 'em you liked my accounts so you ordered the books I'll get a deal on Oregon when it hits ;-)  Or maybe not...

About eight miles out of town there's a Y and DH says take the right fork (TE-A), though I would've anyhow just to get past the big green pylon that had all day to get to wherever.  I have all day, too, though faster runs mean more runs .  Lots of vacation homes along Buck's Lake, but since it's Monday, most driveways are empty... back to the real world for them, not yet for me... MOTOR ON!

Smelled smoke at 24 miles out of town and it stayed with me for a while... probably because the valleys on each side of the road were so filled that you could see neither the other side nor the bottom.  Good news was that I could see the road in front of me, it was pointed DOWN at a 13% grade and smooth as glass... well, shower door glass... YEE HAW!

As I swept through the curves I felt like a WWII fighter pilot in one of those movies scrambling to shake the enemy off my tail--tight left, sweeping right, another right, hairpin left--all the while headed down to the deck with the hopes of losing him in the low hills... or maybe I'm Belushi in "1941"? 

If you run this northbound, do yourself a favor and turn around and also run it southbound.  I think it's a LOT better!

Towards the end of the run I slowed a bit and made the mistake of looking in the mirror--a black pickup crawled up close like he knew me so I gave him something to chase for a bit, then just before it straightened out for a bridge I pulled over to admire the god-awful tiny man-made "lake" with 27,000 boats moored at one end.  On weekends you can probably walk across the entire lake stepping on all the boats 'having fun' and not get your feet wet.  I prefer our brand of fun!

For those without a map, I'm now 40% of the way across CA E-W and about even with Fort Bragg N-S.

Two things happened right after I got underway again...    
     1) I actually heard the music that'd been playing the whole time.  Apparently my concentration had shut it out during the FUN...

     2) I looked a big bug right in the eye a microsecond before his butt went through his brain...  This is better than drugs!  I think... =:-0

Now it's time to hit the snoozeway and make some time... got to see a man about some shoes on the other side of the state--and it's also time to turn over the DH map...

While "making time" I got to experience real traffic for the first time since Portland.  I'd forgotten that there is such a thing and quickly remembered that I prefer to play solo (or with other MINIs).

Called Tristan (of NAM and Alameda) and we met at a Shell station so he could show me one of his favorite local runs.  Turns out it's in DH, but it wasn't on my list, so I had me a bonus!  As soon as we left SR24 east at the Fish Ranch Road exit (BAY TE-K and -N), I knew we were in for a fast one.  He went wide left, then DOVE into a tight right and up the hill with me caught unaware and playing catch up.  Up then down, left then right then right again, then

WOW!!! LOOK AT THE VIEW ALL THE WAY TO SAN FRANCISCO!

NO!  DON'T LOOK!  TURN NOW!

FULL TILT BOOGIE! 

Coming at us we saw some knee-draggers on bikes and way too many bicycles going both ways!  I know the signs say we're 'sposed to "Share the Road"... NO!  If you're in the twisties on a bicycle, you're in the way!  A couple times I thought Tristan was gonna pick up a hood ornament... better him than me!

As the road finally straightened out, he did a quick U'e (how's that for spelling what sounds like?), got out and asked if I'd like to do it again?  I did a quick check, decided that my cheeks needed some time unclamped, and said, "Can we go at 80%?"  He smiled that, "okay, old man (he's in his early 20's so I have at least 30 laps on him), I'll take it easy on you..." smile and did about 70%, which was fine with me.  I followed him to his house where we wrapped up the deal on a set of R90s he previously let me have for a good price and were just waiting for me to show up... even had a couple boxes for shipping the old S-Lites back home... 

While we rearranged the now FULL back seat area (that platform is SO nice), he said, "The WHOLE time we were running BTTW, I could hear your supercharger better than my own and you were BEHIND ME!"   {BIG GRIN mine, not his}  I told him it was thanks to last February's installation (by Tristan YakiMINI) of my Mini-Madness CAI.  He said that he has a CAI, too, 'but it never sounds like THAT!"  We lifted hoods (Who first called this, "Men playing Barbies"?   That is SO TRUE!) and immediately saw the difference... his is by D-something and safely ensconced in a solid stainless steel box while mine is open when the hood is up. 

George, if you're reading this, expect a call or email from Tristan in Alameda re a CAI and an OMP STB.  Dave (MINI Rolls), you will be hearing from Tristan re the '04 brake light mod that uses the top bulb and from MINI of Mountain View re the NHLPB.  The MofMV Sales Manager (Nancy) said she gets LOTS of customers who don't want the front plate mounted on the bumper.  She's also gonna be ordering a new one to be shipped to me, but I'm getting too far into tomorrow's telling.

Went corporate for the night's sleep, so on to Tuesday and Day Six...

 

Edited by GoKart - August/19/08 at 6:40am

Hi John ~

Wow, it sounds like you've had quite a trip in the past few days!  Thanks for the photos you've posted.  I'd love to rent out a room at the house that you're buying after you win the lottery.    What a view!  Those photos from the aquarium were impressive as well.

What?!  No photos of the bear?  Are you sure it wasn't an overgrown dog in need of a haircut?  Maybe you need to lay off whatever you've been drinking... or were you dehydrated?   No, seriously... thanks for your "on the road" journal.  It's been fun reading...

 

Be safe and see ya when you get back,

Brenda

Day Seven--Elephant Seals, Berry Farm, Big Sur's Nasty Subaru-driving Locals, and the Hermitage

Up early, I was breakfasted and on the road by 8... and sidetracked almost immediately

One thousand three hundred seventy two miles into my trip and a few miles south of Costanoa Cabins is Año Nuevo State Park.  I figured that since I only had 90 miles or so to go today, it'd be a great place to sit and catch up on this writing... and it would've been except that just as I was pulling away from the entrance ($6 for parking, good at all state parks today), the ranger asked if I was planning to see the elephant seals.  HUH?  Elephant seals?  Cool!  So writing is gonna have to wait--maybe tonight--while I hike 1.6 miles to the overlook that is all of six feet above the beach where a couple dozen HUGE elephant seals. 

    

 

Sufficiently impressed, I hiked back, put the top down (as it has been for 98% of the trip and I have the sunburn to prove it), and headed south again on US 1.

A few more miles down the road it was time to take a left onto Swantown Road (DH74/TE-E) for some nice, but rough, curves.  Forewarned by DH, I took it easy and enjoyed the scenery alternating between forest and ocean views and going almost straight up for the first two miles.  About five miles into the seven mile road it got a bit smoother, but any attempts at speed brought about scraping.  I hope George makes some more of those lightweight skid plates (call him and tell him you're in--he said that if he gets enough orders he'll make them).  I already found a couple rocks up under by the power steering (?) cooling fan when it was up on the rack yesterday for re-shoeing.

Now for the highlight of the non-driving day--Swantown Organic Berry Farm! On the right as you come to the end of Swantown Road, with the ocean in view, this is a must-stop!  I loaded up on a Loganberry Truffle, a pint of fresh organic strawberries, and a chocolate-covered strawberry... sitting on top of an incredible cheesecake brownie.  Hey, I'm on holiday and everyone knows that there are no calories on holiday ;-)  Besides, gotta keep my strength up for Bonny Doon.

But first, it occurs to me to check the lug nuts.  Since I brought along my torque wrench and 17mm socket, it's a simple matter of loosening each one and then re-tightening to 88 ft-lb, just like it says in the Bentley Brick.  Then it's on to Bonny Doon Road, a.k.a. DH74/TE-C, where the only sounds are my supercharger, Scottish Rock group Wolfstone (complete with bagpipes--get it? Bonny Doon is Scottish ;-), and the occasional small slide {thumbs up}.  I planned to take a right on Smith Grade Road (TE-A) but somehow miss the turn and continue on what is now called Pine Flat Road.  Unsure where they got 'flat' 'cause the road is anything but...  A quick right at the school onto Ice Cream Grade Road that, it turns out, should be called Rocky Road!  Who came up with the concept of diminishing radius hairpin turns?  Whoever it was, I think he started here... LOL  Another tight cheek-clencher as I hold onto the wheel with both hands to keep from being ejected.  What shifting gears?

A short run on Rocky Ice Cream Grade Road and it's right onto DH74--Empire Grade Road--which turns out to be one Giant Slalom!  WHEEEEEEE!

EGR ends at UC Santa cruz and as I once again find a bit of traffic, it dawns on me that I'm at the end of DH NoCal :-(  Guess I'll have to make another trip once SoCal hits...  I know I've said it before, but the book and the map are well worth the $90 sticker price--otherwise you get to drive over 17,000 miles to find the 334 best MINI roads in Northern California--and we get a PSMINI discount.  Last plug:  destinationhighways.com...  And no, I'm not on commission... yet.

Heavy traffic on US 1 south of Santa Cruz is off-again, on-again, and I was surprised--though I probably shouldn't have been--that in many stretches it's four and even six lanes.  I had an image of a nice tranquil two-lane road... probably left over from the 60s and a family trip as a kid.  It's not our parents' world anymore, is it?  And a good thing, too, 'cause they didn't have a supercharged MINI (or Mini) convertible...

Since I've heard a lot (all good) about Phil's Fish Market and Eatery in Moss Landing, I decided to stop in for lunch.  It would've been a hard find without the GPS, but even with no signs directing you there, the parking lot and most of the dozens of tables were full.  You walk in past the fish-on-ice (Fishmarket part) and stand in line to give your order and pay.  Then you take the number they give you, put it on the edge of your table (you are told this at least three times verbally and in writing), and they bring you your soggy, overcooked breaded then stir-fried calamari.  When you send it back and choose a grilled salmon sandwich instead, that comes with a lecture because you ate too much of the soggy overcooked breaded calamari before sending it back.  She couldn't tell me what the cutoff point was to not receive the lecture, so I think it's standard--no extra charge.  It was worth it though, because the sandwich was very good--a nice big salmon filet--and I'll never be back ;-)

During a later stop for supplies I spotted the first ever yellow drum brakes...

 

From the highway, Big Sur is a long drawn out wide spot on the map apparently populated by Subaru-driving locals who take pleasure in pulling out V-E-R-Y-S-L-O-W-L-Y in front of little purple convertibles who are trying to pass EVERYBODY.  Then giving those behind the finger as they (locals) drive 25 in a 45 just to see how many tourists they can stack up.  Can't really blame them, though... tourists can seriously change the quality of life... and not for the better in most cases... so I motored on.

After passing the spot on the map called Lucia, I turned left into the New Camaldoli Hermitage, my bunk for the night.  Run by a branch of the Benedictine Family of the Catholic church, it's primarily a place where people can go for monastic community and solitude.  At 1200 feet above the Pacific, it's a wonderful location.  When you check in they tell you that talking is only permitted in the gift shop and--if absolutely necessary--elsewhere at a low whisper.  The result is an incredibly peaceful experience that is so quiet you can hear the proverbial pin drop... and with little artificial light outside the small monastic sleeping quarters (singles only), there are about 1,000,000,000,000,000 or so stars for contemplation... when you get tired of your navel

Edited by GoKart - August/19/08 at 6:42am