2008 MINI "mini" Roadtrip

MINI on the road in Northern California

Sutter's Mill restoration near site of the original mill where gold was discovered in California in 1848 setting off the California Gold Rush.

The summer of 2008 has been a summer of weddings for me. I've attended three weddings in six weeks. An old friend from high school (actually my sister's really good friend) recently got married in the Sierra Nevada foothills just west of Lake Tahoe. My sister and I were both invited to attend the wedding last week and it was close enough to think about driving up together for a long weekend. So, the question was: Whose car? Well, Jennifer had all those nice modifications recently installed on her 2004 British Racing Green Cooper S so I suggested taking her car on the jaunt to the Sacramento area.

Old Auburn Courthouse, Auburn, California

Turns out the car ran like a champ and made for extremely comfortable freeway cruising. I thought the sound of the exhaust might be tiring after a long stint but at freeway cruising speeds the sound into the cabin was minimal. The Larini system is great... throaty when you want to hear it but not too intrusive on an extended drive. The 15% Alta pulley also made the trip feel more effortless even when the air conditioning was in full operation as temps soared to the 100 degree fahrenheit zone on the run through California's Central Valley. With the stock pulley the extra load on the engine from the a/c unit was noticeable. This was not an issue with the Alta reduction pulley installed.

Statue in honor of the Miner 49er Gold Rush pioneers in Auburn, California

The only hitch: heavy winds blew a tumbleweed across the freeway and into the front driver's side of the bonnet. A very slight dent and clearcoat scratches but luckily nothing worse. Looks like the bonnet will see a paintless dent removal specialist sometime in the near future...

On California's shortest state highway (notice the sign) in one of California's shortest vehicles!

At Motowheels in Sacramento. Needed to make a stop at a great resource for Ducati Motorcycle goodies. Visit: http://www.motowheels.com/

The wedding was just wonderful, the outdoor setting very nice with mild temperatures and blue skies. Spent the following couple of days revisiting my old grad school stomping grounds and meeting with friends and colleagues before heading back to L.A. with the obligatory touristy stop at Pea Soup Anderson's in Santa Nella.

An alumnus returns to campus ten years later

Chatting with Dean Elizabeth Rindskopf Parker, distinguished leader of McGeorge Law School, about the changes on campus in the decade since I graduated.

I hadn't been back to the Sacramento area in a decade and it was nice to be able to navigate the city much as I had remembered doing while living and studying there.

Pony Express Memorial, Old Town Sacramento

The funny places you can find Indonesian food... this time in Old Town Sacramento. The Old West meets Southeast Asia! Had some familiar snacks before hitting the road...

Great little roadtrip in a fun modified Cooper S!