USA - BRIDGET THE MIDGET

Route 101

21st August 200914th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

I chose to drive north from San Francisco on highway US101 rather than the quicker route I-5 after several people told me that the coastal road was really pretty. I left immediately after an early breakfast; the weather was sunny but the temperature only just over 70ºF. Being a Sunday the traffic was light. A forty mile stretch of the US101 between Garberville and Pepperwood is called Redwood Highway or the Avenue of the Giants, referring to the giant redwood trees that are reputedly the largest in the world. I drove Bridget through the Chandelier tree which is one of four that has had a small roadway bored through the trunk. Not surprisingly they are big tourist spots but fortunately the conservationists have ensured that no more suffer this fate in the future. The drive as far as the town of Fortuna, eight miles north of the worlds largest timber saw mill, was picturesque and I decided to stop here for the...

Onward, Onward, Into The Valley Of Death…

15th August 200914th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

We drove out of Vegas early Sunday morning and made good time heading north towards Carson City and Reno. After around 80 miles we turned left heading for Death Valley National Park. This is one of the iconic drives in the USA that motorheads must do similar to the historic Route 66. It is supposed to be one of the hottest areas to drive in although I had some doubts about that after being in Pakistan and Australia. Bridget started out well with no misfire or hesitation. Approaching the turn to Death Valley I thought I had fluffed the gear change when there was a grinding of gear cogs, but then I found it extremely difficult to shift into any gear. I pulled over and sprung the bonnet catch. Getting out and lifting the bonnet I removed the top of the clutch master cylinder. Sure enough it was almost empty! When on earth did I last check the level? Apologising...

Unique Page

8th August 200914th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

Page, Arizona is a small and very young town. It really didn’t exist until it was decided to build a dam, creating Lake Powell and the town was officially incorporated in 1957. It also has a copper mine but the major income earner for the town today is tourism. It is a great jumping-off point for the Grand Canyon, both southern and northern rims, has a fascinating and quite unique canyon called Antelope Canyon and lots of water sports on the lake. The people here are genuinely warm, hospitable and friendly, and they are also well aware of the outside world. The owner of the local radio station, Dan Brown, a fellow MG owner (2 in fact, a MGB and a TD), contacted me through this website and invited me here for a couple of days R & R. I thought this was very kind of him and that was before I knew that he had arranged a number of activities for my...

Amarillo to Grand Canyon

5th August 200914th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

Last day of July and the drive from Dallas to Amarillo went well. The first 100 miles was a little worrying as I kept smelling petrol which has occurred previously. Eventually I pulled into a service station and lifted the bonnet (I don’t want a repeat of the Volvo’s fate). Instead of the trickle that has happened before it was running out quite freely. I switched off the engine and removed the carburettor bowl, where the leak appeared to be. The gasket looked OK but I wasn’t totally convinced and so I checked my stores for a spare. Unfortunately it was not one of the items I had but I did have some ‘instant gasket’ which I used. I also refitted the old gasket and since that I have had no further problem. The remainder of the journey was really straightforward. As today’s drive is fairly short I started rather lackadaisically but Bridget was very ready to go. She accelerated smoothly...

Lone Star Country

31st July 200914th March 2020 By roychinnorNo Comments

Exiting from Mexico was far easier and quicker than I had ever expected. In fact I just drove straight out without getting an exit stamp in my passport or anything, I just passed straight through the customs area and over the ‘International Bridge’ to the US entry point. I am not at all sure if I was supposed to do that or if I accidentally short circuited the system but if all signs are in Spanish and you don’t understand the language what can you do? I was also pleasantly surprised how quick and straightforward entering the States was by road. I had expected all sorts of paperwork and searches but again it was very easy with the exception of purchasing car insurance. This did present some difficulties that took me several days to resolve. Each State has its own rules regarding auto insurance and in Texas insurance is compulsory, which is pretty much universal, but to purchase it you need...