Nomi reminded me that my “audience doesn’t like long” but, this is a long blog. After all, we spent 13 days on a road trip that covered 2,484 miles, four states, four national parks, stops in eight communities not to mention vista points, searches for espressos & lunch spots. I was going to break it up into multiple blogs but it flows & you can take your time & breaks as needed. “Miles” (of Smiles) our 2012 Cooper S MINI Roadster behaved impeccably. MINI of Marin checked Miles out before we departed & only had to replace a cracked lower motor mount. That was a good move considering some of the rough roads we encountered along the way & the fact that we finally broke through 25,000 miles on the odometer. The MINI Cooper S handled beautifully on all the roads, even when our teeth were chattering on some roads & at high speeds.
The roads & byways were spectacularly, fabulous. Often we’d top a rise or come out of a curve & go wow, would ya look at that! The driving equaled anything we’ve done in the U.S.A., England, New Zealand, or Europe. Norway is pretty hard to top though. Accompanied by a skilled driver, navigator, co-pilot & entertainer was a treat.
Knowing that I’d be taking photos through the windshield, I washed the windshield every chance I got. Please forgive any windshield spots that I missed when editing. I had glass spritzer & paper towels in Miles. Chevron stations consistently had the cleanest water, best squeegees & towels. It was worth it even if the price was a few cents more/gallon. The steepest gasoline price was in Death Valley at over $8-/gallon. We had plenty of fuel at that point, phew. We were careful to top up the tank before entering a national park.
Regarding the blog heading:
-Updated Burma Shave signs still exist along Route 66.
-The Death Valley, Zion, Bryce Canyon, & Grand Canyon National Parks are treasures. Our senior pass made the visits all free. The Park Rangers, maps & Audible books that we listened to as we approached each park, were most helpful in allowing us to get the most from our visits.
-Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles, trains, watercraft, aircraft…
-And, automobilia being items connected with cars and motoring... On a road trip like this we were sure to see plenty of both.
I planned the drives from CSAA maps, Google maps, "N. American Road Trips- Unforgettable Journeys of A Lifetime” by Martin Derrick, “Nat’l. Geo. Guide to Scenic Highways & Byways - The 275 Best Drives In the U.S. - Featuring America’s Byways” 3rd Ed. (Thanks Michael & Diana) & “Road Trip USA - Cross-Country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways” by Jamie Jensen. Very few alterations were necessary until the end when we cut out Nevada’s Hwy 95 in favor of US 95 in California & a jaunt through Joshua Tree National Park. Enough was enough.
Please enjoy our road trip adventure.
