A lot has happened in the last week! We arrived in California very late Tuesday night (February 8th) and stayed in a hotel near LAX. At 9:00 Wednesday morning our Uber driver was ready and waiting to take us to the port in Long Beach to pick up the car. At the Matson terminal, we saw a lot full of cars waiting to be picked up – and in the middle of all the cars, there was the MINI. It looked great! Things are continuing to go as planned.

After picking up the car, we went to the Academy of Motion Pictures Museum and the Reagan Presidential Library, neither of which we had been to before. We also met with some longtime friends. SoCal was a bit toasty with temperatures close to 90°!

Yosemite! Never one to disappoint, we have been treated to beautiful clear blue skies and sunny weather. The scenery was spectacular! Spike (the MINI mascot) has been enjoying the trip and scenery too.

Death Valley was next. The landscape and geography were incredible. I really didn’t know what to expect, I just knew it didn’t rain much ever and it’s super hot in the summer. It’s been fun reading and learning more about this area. Yes, it did get its name from two groups of 49ers who died while trying to make their way to the Gold Rush.

While staying at these wonderful national parks, we have had limited cell and Wi-Fi service. I apologize for not getting this post out sooner. It’s a little tricky to try to send multiple pictures with 3G and slower connections. We have had to rely less on our phones which has made for some evenings of rousing and fun Scrabble games. Real Scrabble on a real board!

Real life decided to creep in on our adventure when I developed a very intense toothache. I am so grateful for Advil! I was able to get an appointment with a dentist on our way from Death Valley to Zion. I am so grateful for anesthesia and oral surgeons (and emergency appointments)! Turns out my tooth was cracked in half, so I had to have the tooth removed and an implant put in. Don’t worry though I have not included any detailed pictures of that experience!