UPDATE: With the help of Ford, I was able to recover my book, tripod, and camera charger. Unfortunately, the little bit of rubber marble from Bristol Motor Speedway that Hilary and I received on mission 5 was not recovered.

Last night, I went down to the Palladium on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood for the official Fiesta Movement party. It was an extravaganza fit for the grandeur of the program and the personalities. For at least one night, all the agents were stars, bathed in media attention and opportunities to further their brand.

I left early, stopping for only a brief moment.

What is more insane, driving across Europe and Asia to reach Mongolia or driving across North America in 3 days with a pregnant wife? Right now at 9 pm on Thanksgiving night, I am definitely thinking the latter.

Jen is getting a final few hours of sleep. I have cleaned and prepped the Fiesta. We will be pulling out of VT in a few hours. This is going to be a long trip. Reports to continue.

Drive on.

It was early in the morning, not ridiculously early but early enough that the countryside was still hitting snooze. I had driven all night to reach Lubec, Maine, the easternmost point in the United States. Lost in a trance, gazing across the cold blue waters of the Bay of Fundy, a familiar sound penetrated my head. "Hey, is that your car?" I turned to see a jolly chap lumbering towards me, pointing back at the Fiesta with his Mini Cooper parked next to it.

"What is that thing?" he asked.

In the 1960's, Ford was resurrected to a position of dominance. Its return was fueled by new focus on the emerging youth market, the baby boomers. The core of the appeal was auto racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans was the ultimate goal.

Today I find myself in the middle of another resurrection of the Ford brand. Once again it is being directed at an emerging youth market. However this time the strategy is built on speed of communication in place speed of vehicles.

It was early afternoon on Sunday. The weekend had been a continuous flow of gray skies and intermittent drizzle. The leaves were just about peak in the mountains and begged for some blue skies. I was on the phone with my mother when the first hint of sunshine started to peak through. I stopped mid sentence and stated, "I have to go, this may be my one chance." I quickly threw the camera and tripod in the Fiesta and headed for the hills.

In the end, there was a good hour's worth of blue skies before the gray demons floated back in. Here are the shots and a video of the hill climb.