Well, the break-in period was over – and it was time to play. Play hard – and fast. An over-the-weekend trip from San Diego to Phoenix and back again sounded like just the ticket! Chris & I loaded up Brooksie with just enough clothes to cover a coupla nites, threw in some Gallo hard salami & some cheese in the cooler, and hit the road straightaway after work Friday night. We shot UP the hills thru Alpine, Boulevard, and Jacumba, but the real fun was going DOWN Devil’s Canyon AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE!!!! Awesome! Brooksie zipped thru the sweepers and stuck like glue thru the nadgery bits, all at least double the suggested limit! Big Rigs were passed like a PT boat thru a convoy of Cunard Line Four-Stackers! - and we didn’t just pick off the SUVs & cars like easy meat, we blew ‘em inta the weeds. El Centro was a blur – onto Zonie land!!
We decided Motel 6 was a good idea in Yuma that nite, so we could enjoy
the drive thru the stinking desert to PHX the next day. Jesus to Jesus and eight hands around, IT WAS EFFING HOT – 113 deg F !! THAT’S why I live in CA, my fried brain sez. Brooksie took it all in stride, just kept on boppin’ to the Firesign Theater. The Auto Air was fantastic, the Cruise control was perfect, and the steering wheel radio/CD controls are just the ticket. No wasted effort. GET THE LUMBAR SUPPORT. We opted to stop by the Scottsdale MINI dealer B4 we got to my Dad’s, and it was….interesting…….! As far as I could tell, ALL the MINIs on the big second floor showroom were second-hand! They’ve been buying ‘em up off various re-sellers, & marking ‘em up. They had some pretty high sticker numbers on some pretty ordinary MINIs, and they must be selling. They had a helluva lot of ‘em. The market is as hot as the pavement there, I guess. Poor Brooksie looked so small and forlorn from the view upstairs, we exited post-hastily for Dad’s.
We had fun surprising my Grandmother, yakkin’ with my Dad, and eating beer-can barbecued chicken with a good friend. Then it was back to the road out. If anything, it was even hotter than the way in! Brooksie once again just ate up the miles, ‘specially when we hit the ton for a nonce on a flat wide section. The curious thing happened going UP the Devil’s Canyon grade – the CVT combined with the cruise control was absolutely butter-smooth. I’ve never had such a smooth drive up the mountains with any other car. We got back in time to give Brooksie a wash, -hadda get rid of a billion-zillion squashed bugs! – and a well earned rest. Pics soon in my Gallery - Brooksie looks so good!
Anybody have any specific feedback questions?
BCNU,
Rob in Dago
