vehicles over the long holiday weekend. We weren't disappointed. Coming over Towne Pass, we spotted what was clearly a near-production Mini Countryman.

Since it has been seen in concept form, we drove right up next to it, taking our shots as the engineer made no attempt to stop us. Heading down into Stovepipe Wells, one of two "towns" located within the park's boundaries, we caught up with three more Mini prototypes and snapped the Camaro alongside them.

On the way east out of Stovepipe Wells, we passed the sand dunes off to our left, one of the most popular attractions within the boundaries of Death Valley National Park. Speaking of the "crowds," between the engineers coming over from Germany each summer and the German tourists who seem to be drawn to Death Valley, English is a second language in the park from June through September.

Our next stop was Furnace Creek Ranch, 190 feet below sea level and one my favorite hunting grounds for prototypes. With a gas station nearby, test drivers and engineers often stop here for lunch.

This time, I came up empty. I took the opportunity to get some shots of the Camaro at various Furnace Creek landmarks, including the fire station, a 20-mule-team wagon train, and the Pete Dye-designed Death Valley Golf