Anyone else from here doing MINI Takes the States this year? Here is my trip so far: Day1 Chicago to Cameron Mo.. We got off to a late 2pm start after my wife finished up work and other errands.. Stopped in Iowa City for dinner with my son. Periods of super heavy rain. After Chicagoland traffic was pretty good. saw a beautiful sunset and a crazy lightning show in the evening. Didnt get to Cameron MO till almost midnight. Day 2 Cameron Mo to Dodge City KS. Today was a more casual day winding thru Kansas.. We stopped at Bobby D's BBQ in Emporia for a yummy pulled pork sandwich, explored Fort Larned and stopped at the center of the United States..
Day 3: We are not in Kansas anymore.. Another long day drive thru Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and ending in Albuquerque New Mexico with just a couple quick stops.. All new driving states for us. The MINI flipped over 120,000 miles along the way. We had one tense half hour period when an unnamed person refused to backtrack for gas in Dalhart Tx, and it turned out the next station happened to be about 75 miles away instead of the expected 30 or so miles, we made it without running out, but took more gas than we ever have before.. The scenery changed from corn fields to grazing land to scrub brush. The views were amazing. We then pulled into the MINI dealership for a giant party in progress with a hundred or so MINIs filling the parking lot for registration. Ran into a couple club members and friends from prior events. Tomorrow should be a crazy day. Road construction stoppages
First official day of MINI Takes the States was a blast.. About 500 MINIs gathered at the Hot Air Balloon grounds in Albuquerque NM. Met up with a bunch of Chicago club members, and MINI friends from around the country I only see every year or two. The drive to Durango CO was well paced and the scenery was amazing, changing from southwest desert to lush green in Colorado.
Today's MINI Takes the States drive was from Durango CO to Grand Junction CO.. The morning event was well organized, and I ran into a couple MINI friends I havent seen in 2 years and met a few new friends.. The drive thru the mountains was amazing.. The MINI was only able to pull 3rd gear in a few of the steeper sections. We stopped at Silverton to explore for a bit and also spent some time checking out downtown Grand Junction This one is a short video.. Click on the picture or link below MINI Takes the States by Ernesto Vumbles, on Flickr
Today's drive was from Grand Junction CO. to Salt Lake City UT. I got a special shift knob hoodie from a MINI friend I run into every year or 2 at national events.. She snuck it into my car (with Linda's help) and I didnt notice it till I made my first shift. Many spectacular scenery changes from desert and rocks and mesas to trees and green.. A couple mountain passes along the way. The Energy Loop in Utah (UT-264) was a lot of fun mostly because low traffic allowed for fun-size cruising speeds.. We made a stop to see Bridal Falls on the way into town. A light drizzle came in just as we stopped to cool the temp to a comfortable 75 degrees while we explored the area. Tonight is a MINIUSA party event and tomorrow we start heading in the homeward direction.. MTTS 2024 by Ernesto Vumbles, on Flickr