In 1962-63, two distinct groups of people had their interests intersect. The Australian Antarctic station in Mawson needed an inexpensive and durable vehicle to transport things and people around the base. At the same time, Volkswagen wanted to promote its Beetle to Arctic markets. So VW Australia donated a red Beetle to the station. The 1962.5 Beetle was red in order to make it really stick out in the snow. Find out more about this experiment here.
The rumor today is that Rahm Emanuel may be Obama's White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel is a great organizer and was instrumental in helping the Dems win Congress back in 2006. It's early yet, but I predict that Obama will ask Republican Chuck Hagel to be Secretary of Defense and he will appoint Hillary Clinton to the Supreme Court. I think there will be a place for Mike Huckabee as well. I am no Nostradamus, as I also predicted that Honda would win the F1 Constructor's title.
According to a New York Times car review, this was Saab's flagship. There were no options. Everything was included. It was the most spacious imported luxury sedan available. Its 2.3 liter turbo 4 was fast. But the price of $42,000 (over $62,000 in today's dollars) was a bit steep. What did it come with? A gold card that could be used at dealer shops to receive free scheduled maintenance for three years, driver's side airbag, seat belt pretensioners, ABS brakes, traction control, a cellular phone that can be removed from the center console, a CD changer in the trunk and a CD head unit in the cockpit, separate AC for the rear passengers, heated and power mirrors, headlight washers and wipers, one-touch driver's power window, trip computer, and a warning for black ice when the outside temperature reaches a certain threshold.
The Auau Channel which cuts between Maui and Lanai is my favorite body of water in the world. Mark Twain once said that humpback whales were so numerous in the channel, you could literally walk from one island to the other on the backs of these whales and not get your feet wet. Hyperbole aside, there was once a time, hundreds of thousands of years ago, when one could walk from one island to the other.
There is a great article about Maui Nui here.
CKY
The 930 with the original whale tail.
A later 930 model. Notice the black lip is much thicker and the bottom part of the spoiler is more integrated into the engine compartment lid.
Although this 964's spoiler appears smaller, computer aided design means this spoiler provides more down force and better cooling for the engine.
The 993 Turbo's spoiler is evolving and appears to be morphing into an integral part of the rear bodywork. But not quite yet.
The 996's spoiler is almost completely tucked into the bodywork.
The current 997 spoiler is about 25% larger than the 996's but is more aerodynamic and provides more down force.
CKY
The Carmel mission is, without a doubt, the most aesthetically pleasing of the Alta California missions. The amount of resources spent on restoring and maintaining this complex is obvious. A couple of busloads of children were visiting the mission when I arrived. The interior was jam packed with people and soured my experience.
Father Junipero Serra is buried here. The picture above is a reenactment of his death scene. Morbid.
The drive from Santa Cruz to San Juan Bautista was fantastic. I took the Pacific Coast Highway down to Watsonville, then crossed Highway 101 via 129 and 156. The route was filled with farmland, interspersed with rolling hills. Because I started so early, I arrived before the museum opened. The mission sits on top of a fair amount of land and is located smack dab in the middle of town. San Juan Bautista has the feel of a small, tourist-free town in Hawaii. The pace is very slow. Even when I had a stop sign, local motorists who had the right-of-way waved me through. 
CKY
Early on the morning of Day Two, I set off for Santa Cruz. The drive down Highway 17, against the flow of traffic, was terrific. It was a cool, overcast day. The mission is set in a residential neighborhood with a school next door. I did not go inside because mass was taking place. The Catholics go to church a lot! 
Last week, we saw Obama in front of 100,000 in St. Louis. Here he is this weekend in Denver in front of 100,000. Just a year ago, it was highly unlikely that Colorado would vote for a Democrat as President. Now, anything is possible.
Contrary to popular belief, Mission San Jose is not in the city of San Jose. Rather, it is in nearby Fremont. It took me a while to get there because of the rush hour traffic on the surface streets. This will have to be my last mission for Day One. It was rather mundane and not at all exciting. It has the obligatory museum, gift shop, and a cemetery as well.
CKY
It's about noon on Day One and I've arrived at my third mission. Suddenly, I realized the origin of the names of Church Street, Dolores Street, and the Mission District in San Francisco. It should be noted that the little white building on the left is the original mission, not the grander basilica on the right. I was also surprised at the densely packed cemetery in the back.
CKY
CKY
