I am wondering if there are others out there as obsessed with the idea of doing the WHOLE MTTS Rally? I will be leaving Home (Pineywoods of East Texas) on July 1st to head up to Montvale, NJ. I have made all my Hotel reservations, researching the Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives & Man vs. Food recommendations for all points in between. Found an interesting app for that. I have seen a couple of others posting they too plan on the full Rally. Just thought we could chime in here. Maybe have a "Gotchyaback" group along the way. I will be traveling solo, so a little piece of mind would put my friends and loved ones more at ease. They just don't understand.
I'm tempted to do the whole enchilada too.. But, can I justify 2.5 weeks away. Sure, I can work from anyplace I can get a good internet connection. Yet, will there the time to do anything besides the daily transits and the evening events. And, do I want to put 6K miles on the car?
Re: peace of mind for loved ones, from my long-distance motorcycling activities, folks have used SPOT devices (and associated tracking), along with a service like Spotwalla (SpotWalla - Home) which can be setup to track your location based on SPOT or even your smartphone's location. Can be as private as you like, but it can be helpful to family to see that you're HERE or THERE or have stopped for the night, etc.
Interesting app for finding great eats on the road? Do tell! Very interesting in such, I too plan routes that way. Which app was helpful? Thanks!
My wife and I are doing the entire route, in her R57. In MTTS 2010 we tried to do the entire route, but had to start in Pittsburgh instead of NY. We did that run in my R55, with more room for stuff and more electronics (radar, CB, etc). We had a full-size spare on the roof then. This time, we'll run a full-size spare on the boot, thanks to MINI Fini. If you use Waze (iPhone and Droid), I have a MTTS group established. We can use that to spot LEOs, hazards, traffic, etc and to send quick notes to whomever else is in the group. If you have radios, I strongly suggest you take them. (If I run in any group larger than 4 I want some means to communicate, at least with the sweep car.) MINIUSA doesn't seem to believe in / rely on comms with the group. Heck, I don't even know if they have comms with each other. -Jim
"Stuck on Minis" will be making the whole trip, we leave the LA area on June 29th and will arrive in NJ on July 3rd. Then travel with MTTS all the way back to LA. We look forward to seeing all our MINI friends along the way. Bill & Joanne
Its called "TV Food Maps". The lite version is helpful, but I chose to upgrade so I can have the "Want to Try List" ability. Well worth it, reminds me when I am near a restaurant I have listed.
You could run with us and have someone to come back to Ohio with. We have booked rooms for the whole event unless something comes up.
<<< Hey see you along the way (Black JCW Conv) >>> Will be going 1/2 way LA to IA back to LA... CH7 - 21!
Mahalo Jim for setting up the waze. Our local (LA) station has been advertising the Waze - so I signed up... I do have the Escort Radar 9500ix GPS, so any marks I can assist well all " have each others back"... I was thinking to add their Escort-Live but its limited to only Escort Passport models... (Social network alerts) - Waze seems more easier to build the social empire....
I have built a long "Try List" along the route, way more than I will be able to actually try. I guess I'll you the ole tried and true coin flip when I have too many choices.
Signed up for Jim's WAZE Group... I have been using WAZE ever since Jim recommended it on here. Familiarizing myself with it locally. I honestly think it is an AWESOME app. Its potential in an area with a large user base is incredible. Not a lot of users here in the Piney Woods of East Texas. I sure plan on helping get the word out, more users = more information. I also get a kick out of the "PacManesque" game play. I have found myself on roads less traveled for sure. Or trying to eat the roads that are no longer there due to development. I am so ready to hit the road - MTTS 2012!!!
MTTS - 2012 Looking forward to it too Went to 2008 & 2010... 2010 - I ended up almost at 3 stops SF, LA, almost to Phx (Since I got into it and drove almost all the way out to Bythe)... then I rejoined in Vegas! (Wish I went to Co that year!) So I'm making it a point & taking days off to stop and spin the pavement!@
After Pittsburgh to Denver (MTTS 2010) in my month-old 2010 MCS (just traded her in with a lot of miles on her...52K..lol), we now ambitiously plan to do the entire route to LA. Kim, my wife-nav, two traveling dogs (as in 2010), Cerise, a goldendoodlem and Siobhan my lovable collie. Unfortunately, unless we kennel our backseat friends, we can't take the highways in my new 2012 Coupe S so... This time we travel in Kim's R53 MCS, "Clover", named although she is Chili Red/White, and we have devised a slight deviation form the MTTS route. Too many hours traveling I-40 thru the Kansas heartland made me plan this route outward: NJ---DC---NC----TN----then Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and finally hooking up again in Albuquerque, NM with the Minis! See you all on the road...and Jim, I am checking out WAZE right now! packimocity