In a reverseal to all these nightmares, Last night I had a fun drive. A friend bought a vintage Mini Cooper in Malibu and prudently asked me to help drive it home, my having owned one for two years. His wife would follow in the family Ford. We took one of the fampous coastal canyons. I was concerned about possible rock slides, but the major routes were a mess.
I'm doing a prudent 30 MPH and was pleased to see his wife keeping up.
Well, as we entered my town, his 'wife' pulled alongside.We later learned she had passed on that 'scary Decker Canyon, Mr Toads's wild ride at Dizneyland' as she later described it, for bumper to bumper traffic. It was a CHiP cruiser and , as it's a RHD I rolled down the window and saw my friend Officer Green!The canyons have become so dangerous, worldwide drivers are coming here to test these demanding canyons with several wrecks and deaths, that a visible increase in patrols hasd been initiated.
First, I'm told he clocked me at a steady 30 MPH from start to finish, and never saw me brake once, and that he needed me to 'step out of the vehicle.' I'm thinking a big HUH? Wondering how he saw the first hairpin turn posted @ 15 MPH where I half broke the rear end into a slight 4 wheel drift.But THAT was even only 20 MPH, below which any self respected REAL mini will stall out with it's SU carbon any incline over 18 degrees.
Officer Green just laughed, saying " Chris, I just want to see that 6' 2" frame get out of that little itty bitty matchbox.I hope you're not wearing those high heeled cowboy boots!
This is what driving should be all about.