Thoughts on California, Part 1

For the first time in my life, I got to go to California this week. It was a busy, enjoyable, whirlwind three-day trip. On the whole, it went very well.

I usually don't use my blog to recount my own experiences, but some were so interesting that I deemed them worth sharing.

Driving certainly is worth mentioning. We took the Hertz bus from the airport terminal to the pick-up location nearby. I had already reserved an Economy-class vehicle ("Hyundai Accent or similar"). The clerk dutifully tried to talk me into an upgrade, but made it easy: For an extra $5 per day, we could have a Ford Mustang convertible! So we decided that we'd take the Mustang.

And then it improves from there: I turn the key (first mission: to put the top down), and the odometer has the following number on it:

00010.0

And I notice that there a few pieces of plastic that haven't been removed yet (notice carefully the steering wheel in the photo)...and the floor mats still in the trunk, encased in plastic. We are the first to rent this vehicle. We get to cruise around southern California in a brand new black Mustang convertible for three days...in beautiful weather...with the top down most of the time. God is good!