Another White Dash

The rest of MTTS went by like a blur of white highway dashes, twists and turns, and parties. But I'll try to recap it.

MTTS Day 2/3: The evening event at Sandia MINI in Albuquerque wasn't dampened by the rain. They moved it under a tent, and they had a band and some nice food. I checked in and picked up my badge and goodie bag.  Then I ran into Suzanne from Seattle, a fellow native Long Islander and Mets fan whom I'd met on the way to Denver during MTTS 2010. It was nice to see her since the rest of my Sin City Mini folks were not scheduled to join us until Phoenix. The MINI USA people brought several special MINIs with them including a new GP and the ClubVan. MINI USA VP and Chief Motorer Jim McDowell was driving a black MINI convertible which he allowed MINI owners to sign with a gold or silver sharpie! Every inch of it was covered. I just barely squeezed in my name on the bonnet.

They also brought along our very own Paralympic athlete. MINI USA sponsors the Paralympics, so Michael Johnston, a triathlete hopeful for 2016, was going the whole way from NJ to LA and issuing challenges along the way. If you signed up you could swim, bike or run along with him at different stops along the rally route. He had different leg attachments for each sport. He drove the whole way in a Countryman, and was given the title of Motorbassador.

The next morning we lined up to be escorted by Albuquerque police officers out of the dealership lot and onto the freeway for our run to Phoenix. The first hour was pretty much all freeway, but then we turned off onto some pretty nice little roads full of twisties, and altitude changes down through mountain passes. We had a stop at a casino in Payson, AZ where the Dynamic MINI Collective, an AZ club, provided a little goodie bag/desert survival kit. We had just over an hour more to get to Scottsdale where the host hotel and event were taking place. It was a long drive, around 410 miles. We arrived in hot muggy Scottsdale and I retired to my hotel for a nap before the evening event at the Saguaro.

My hotel was really cute. It had hardwood floors in the room! I tried to watch the Mets game on my iPad while I was in there, but it wasn't working and it turned out they were having technical difficulties. The Mets lost. After two hours, I got up and changed clothes and headed over to the Saguaro hotel. They only offered valet parking and I realized this was the first time I ever valeted my car. I avoid it whenever possible. I don't really want strangers getting in my car. But I figured since it was a MINI event, full of other MINI owners and their cars, it would be fine. The party was okay. They offered h'orderves, but we had to pay for drinks, even soda. They had a band which featured a drummer who also worked at MINI of N. Scottsdale in the service department. They were okay, a typical cover band. They had a raffle and the usual thank-you speeches. The Sin City folks arrived from Vegas after an extra scenic drive through the 12 miles of terror. There were about a dozen of us altogether including Agro, Chris, Lisa, Julie, Karen, Mike, Kerry, Toni, Richard, Alia, Tommy, Larry and Dee. Suzanne arrived at the party with her boyfriend Eddie in tow; he'd surprised her by flying down from Seattle. Scotty from the DMC, who I'd also met on MTTS 2010, was excited because we were finally in his territory after he'd spent so much time hanging out with us in Vegas. He had arranged a TV spot in the morning on the local news about MTTS and was trying to get volunteers to show up at the station early in the morning before we left for L.A. I told him I'd try to make it, and I didn't go to bed too late, but the next morning when my alarm went off at 6:00am, I decided it wasn't going to happen. He told me later they had about 40 cars show up so I didn't have to feel bad for not showing, it all worked out.

MTTS Day 4: With the storms passing through all weekend, it was uncharacteristically muggy in Phoenix, so I was glad to be heading out in the morning. We gathered once again at the Saguaro, and picked up our snack and route instructions.  This day's drive would be a straight shot on the 10 Fwy all the way into L.A. about 405 miles. We stopped in Indio, CA (home of Coachella) for lunch at In'n'Out Burger, then got to L.A. just in time to check into the hotel and get to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena for the MINICross. I got to drive the Coupe and the Roadster in the MINICross course. It was fun. Then it was back to the hotel to change for the evening event, the big MTTS wrap party at the House of Blues on the Sunset Strip.    

The location was pretty neat, I had never been there. MINIs filled the valet lots and there was a nice view out over the city.

The HOB restaurant provided a really nice buffet dinner and there was a concert by singer/songwriter Matt Nathanson who provided good music and witty banter about MINIs, his songs, and the audience. 

There was also a giant cake shaped like a MINI which Matt commented about continuously as the HOB chef began slicing it up. 

I enjoyed this party much more than the one in Phoenix. I did not enjoy the traffic getting off the Sunset Strip however, but oh well. I got back to my hotel in Pasadena around midnight. Only one more event to go. 

MTTS Day 5: In the morning I got up and headed out to Gladstones at the Will Rogers State beach in Santa Monic on the Pacific Coast Hwy. There we gathered for the official end of MTTS, at the Pacific Ocean. They provided a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, granola, and muffins. There were more speeches and thank-yous and they announced the sweepstakes winner of an all-expenses paid trip to the London Olympics at the end of the month. That would've been nice to win. But all in all, there was plenty of fun to be had and Rory's first big rally was a great success. 

After a quick shopping stop on Melrose, Rory and I headed home. We hit some stormy weather so it took longer because the roads were flooding a bit. We got home around dinnertime and I unloaded my luggage and all the goodies I'd accumulated. George had been by in the morning to check on the turtles and had told me it was stormy in this area too. And it poured down last night and was still raining this morning when I got up. I was glad I took the extra day off to rest up. Back to work tomorrow. 

Fugitive Motel

MTTS Day 1: I left late. I always leave late, but I was actually waiting to see if my meds came in the mail. They didn't. So I set off without them around 1pm, jumped on the 95 and was on my way. Passed Hoover Dam, into Kingman, AZ to get onto the 40 and then a long ways to Flagstaff. I didn't make a hotel reservation because I wasn't sure how far I'd get the first day. It turned out to be a good thing. Even leaving late, I was in Flagstaff by 5:00, too soon to turn in for the night. I stopped at a Taco Bell for dinner. They got my order wrong. First they forgot my cinnamon twists so I went back and asked for them and then I realized that they had given me beef soft Tacos instead of chicken but I ate them anyway. I enjoyed the break and the 30 degree temperature drop from Vegas (82F!). Afterwards, while in the parking lot, I booked a room in Gallup, only another 2.5 hours further. I figured it would be best to get that far, so it would only be another 2 hours to Albuquerque in the morning and I'd have some time to get settled and explore on my own before the rest of the Minis got to town from Boulder. It also turned out that Gallup was the furthest reach of my gas tank. I arrived at the motel with only about 20 mi worth of fuel left. The place was cheap, and smelled a little like someone had smoked in the non-smoking room. I was able to park Rory right outside the room, literally at the curb outside the door, so it was like he was sleeping right next to me. I read for a while, the book I'd been reading about a group of women on a road trip to Las Vegas from Wisconsin, so it felt appropriate. Outside, right across Route 66, cargo trains rolled by all night. It wasn't a great night's  sleep.

Day 2: In the morning we fueled up and then got back on the road. Besides podcasts, I've been listening to a playlist I made called MTTS which from what I can tell was probably made back in 2008 for the rally that year. But I have to say, it's a pretty kick-ass playlist. I don't recall what made me put these particular songs together, but it's really good. I started to make a new one for this year, adding a few more recent songs, mostly stuff with the words road, drive, car or street in the title. You can make a pretty good long list just from that. I didn't spend a lot of time working on it though, so I've deferred to my previous MTTS list.

I arrived in Albuquerque around 12:30, but I was able to check into my hotel early, so that worked out. I did a little internet recon, then headed into Old Town. First I got a car wash. The thunderstorms we'd driven through yesterday were refreshing but left Rory with a dirty boot. I determined that the rest of the Minis should be arriving in town around 4:00, and the evening event is not until 7:00. It's at the local MINI dealer, Sandia MINI.

In the meantime, I did a little IPS fan geeking; I stopped by the Sunshine Building which is what they used as the exterior of Mary and Marshall's office on the show. In reality, it houses a theatre, so a closer inspection revealed posters for upcoming concerts, so that was kind of neat. Too bad the show isn't filming anymore, I found a website that gave details of places/dates where they were were shooting around town. But alas, the final season is done. Next I was off to a nice place for lunch called Sadie's. I think I remember Chris Hardwick recommending it once on the podcast. I got a chicken burrito which is huge. Half of it is still sitting on my plate right now.

Next I'll go back to my hotel and change I guess and get ready to go to the evening event which is called, "Westward Go!" Live music, food and drinks and mechanical bull rides are in store, and MTTS will begin for Rory and me in earnest.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Location:Albuquerque, NM

On the Road

The Biennial Cross-country rally known as MINI Takes the States (MTTS) is here again. And it's Rory's first time. I purchased him just after MTTS in 2010. MTTS 2012 began in New Jersey last week and is heading west. I've decided to join the rally in Albuquerque and finish at the endpoint in L.A. Many of the Sin City Minis are going to join in Phoenix on Friday, but it seemed too dull just to do the last leg. I had time off coming to me, and it's just enough of a trip to get the full MTTS experience without spending too much money. The downside, I have to get to Albuquerque on my own before I'll likely encounter anyone familiar. Last MTTS, I was a co-pilot, and our group went all the way from here to Denver. I'm kind of looking forward to the time alone though. I can take my time, and relax on the way out. Then all the MTTS craziness will be a good contrast on the way back. I'll be leaving tomorrow, probably with a stop in Flagstaff, and then on to ABQ by Thursday night to meet the rally. Then we'll head to Phoenix, then L.A., then home.

Coincidentally, I was actually in L.A. twice last month. First I went to see a live taping of the Nerdist podcast with Chris Hardwick, Jonah Ray and Matt Mira. Kind of spur of the moment since my trip to New York got cancelled. Then three weeks later, Dad and I went down to see the Mets play the Dodgers. It was his Father's Day present. George was supposed to come too, but he had to beg off at the last moment. It was a good time though. I took my Dad to the ballgame, the Mets won 5-0 (another gem from Johan!), Ike Davis hit a home run just for me, and we had a fun little road trip. There was singing along to Neil Diamond. I was surprised that Dad was happy to go in my car, but with just the two of us it was perfect. So one trip on my own, and one with Dad. And now the main event. I still hope to go to New York to see Hina, but we'll have to figure that out after the rally. 

On the bus home from work today I was thinking about the sort of symmetry that's coming into play here. MTTS 2006 traveled west to east. After it hit Vegas, it headed for Flagstaff, then Albuquerque before continuing on, ending up in Connecticut. MINIfir was just 3 years old. When I started, I knew no one in the MINI community. Now 6 years later, I'm a veteran of the MTTS scene, travelling in my second MINI (a nearly two year old youngster), and after two other variations of the route, we'll again be hitting some of the same cities, but east to west. It also puts me in mind of another road trip I took, a little over 10 years ago, in a foreign land, unravelling spools of string as I went. This time, I'll have GPS.

It also happens to be the All-Star Break for Major League Baseball. Two Mets made the squad, R.A. Dickey, whose phenomenal 12-1 first half should have earned him the start, and David Wright who was cheated out of his starting slot by some overzealous fans in San Francisco. They both got in the game at least. The Mets finished the first half at 46-40, six games over .500, just 4.5 games back of the 1st place Washington Nationals. It would've been nice to win that last series against the Cubs. The Braves were able to just squeak into second place ahead of us by 1/2 game. But it's all good. We start the second half against them, and maybe some bulllpen help will be on the way before the trade deadline. We can only hope...

In the meantime, GO FORTH. GO WEST. GO MINI.

   

So Long & Thanks (for All the Fish)

I can't let this weekend go by without acknowledging the end of an era. On Friday I sold my first MINI, my beloved 2003 Indi Blue Cooper, MINIfir. I haven't been able to drive her for a long time. She was laid low with a bad transmission just before her 7th birthday with just under 80,000 miles on her odometer in July of 2010. I got a new MINI at the end of that August, Rory, and I could have just let the dealer take her as a trade, not worth much in her condition, where they'd send her to auction, probably for parts. I couldn't do it though. I held out hope that I could fix her someday. I bargained with MINIUSA to get them to help me out on the parts if I had the CVT replaced. They gave me a small break, nowhere near enough. I would still have to come up with $5000, at least. I decided to put her in storage, first at a storage facility, and then my friends Annette and Jeff were kind enough to let me store her in their backyard down in Boulder City. There she sat for nearly two years. Annette tried to start her up every so often so she'd keep running. She even gave her a wash, and kept her under a car cover. She sent me pictures and updates. She was well taken care of. I visited her a couple of times when I went to see Annette. But as time went by, the chances of me being able to fix her were more and more remote.

The guys at White Roof Radio suggested I weld her shut, fill her with water and make her an aquarium.   In the last few months I thought perhaps the best thing to do would be to donate her to Public Radio. They'd tow her away, sell her, probably for parts, and use the money to fund KNPR. I'd get a tax deduction. And whenever I listened to KNPR, I'd be reminded of her, that she had helped support my listening. I was pretty much decided. I was getting ready to make the phone call to have her picked up. But I was dragging my feet. I felt bad that she was taking up space in Annette's yard, when there no longer seemed to be any logical reason to hold onto her.

Then by chance, at AMVIV last weekend, which I originally wasn't going to be able to attend, Bill from Kensington, the shop that had done most of MINIfir's repairs over the years, asked me about her. I  told him I still had her. I'm getting ready to donate her. Why? Do you want to buy her? I asked, only half-serious. Yeah, he said. I can give you a couple o' grand for her, make her a project car. He mused about possibly doing a conversion to electric. Sure, I said. That'd be great. She'd get another chance, one I haven't been able to give her. Not just that, but I'd know where she was, and could even check on  her progress as she is restored.  I'll be stopping in there to get Rory his oil changes and whatnot anyway.

So Friday I went down to Annette's; we dusted MINIfir off, and watched as she was loaded onto a tow truck once again. She was delivered to Kensington. I followed a bit later. When I got there, she was installed in the shop, hooked up to a battery charger. I went into the office where Bill was ready to write me a check. I signed the title over to him, and it was done. I lingered for a bit, talked to Bill and asked about his plans for her. I felt good about it. I went back to say good-bye to her one last time. Hopefully I'll see her again, good as new. But for now, I'll have the memories of all our good times together. So long little Min, until we meet again.

Blue

So after all the trying and towing MINIfir around seeing if there was any possible way to get her a new transmission, my efforts fell short. MINIUSA agreed to give me 30% off the parts, but it was still $8000 I didn't have.

What next then? I went back to Desert MINI to pick up my MINIfir and take her home. Finally I admitted that it was probably time to start thinking about a new car. During the six weeks I'd been without MINIfir, I had considered it. I'd even test driven that new Hyundai Genesis coupe; a nice car definitely. I considered other small cars, more down market granted. But in the end, none of that made sense. Really, I couldn't tell what made the most sense anymore. All I knew was that I couldn't bear to be without a MINI.

So Bob, the service guy at Desert, told me to come in and pick her up, but that Tony the GM of the dealership wanted to work with me personally to see if I could find something new, maybe a 2009; they had a few of those left. So I came in on Friday. And Bob called for Tony, but he wasn't available. So they told me not to go anywhere, and I ended up sitting in the service waiting area watching several episodes of Spin City.

Finally I was introduced to Dennis. He showed me around the lot; we looked at 2010s because the only 2009s left were MCSs or convertibles. I found one I was drawn to; a Horizon Blue Cooper with a black roof. It had the premium package (including the sun roof, an upgraded stereo and auto A/C), and a few other nifty bells and whistles. I took him for a test drive. Yes, I'd already decided, he was a boy. I had Dennis and the financing guy work up some numbers if I wanted to buy or lease. Then I had MINIfir towed home.

Later that day Dad said, "So I see MINIfir is back." Yes, I said. I needed some more time to figure out what to do with her. I showed him the printout of the numbers on the new MINI. We discussed pros and cons of leasing vs. buying. And that night I went to bed trying to decide.

In the morning, I knew what I wanted to do. I had even picked out a name already. He would be called Rory. I drove to the dealership to ask any last questions I had about the deal. I stood in front of him. Hello Rory, I thought.

I didn't expect that I'd actually get it all done and take him home. I still had John and Pedro's car, the Buick they'd so graciously let me borrow. But Dennis and the finance people got me all set up. I drove the Buick back to my house, and about 45 minutes later, Rory was delivered right to my driveway.

The next day, I called up Pedro to see if he and/or John would like to come pick up their Buick. And I pulled MINIfir out of the garage and took some pictures of them together. Big sister and little brother. I knew they wouldn't be able to stay together forever. But for this short shining time, I had my old love, and my new baby, both blue, side by side.

I began to slowly remove MINIfir's personal accouterments; badges, stickers, dangly mirror decorations, the contents of the boot and the glovebox, and finally, her British plate. Some of the things I could use for Rory. Some little bits big sis could donate to him. Other stuff I'd just put into storage and keep. I didn't and still don't want to think about what will happen to her when we finally say goodbye. But she will never be forgotten. She will always be my first MINI.

Joyriders

MTTS 2010

"On the road with Julie and Neo.

8/11/10

Just arrived in Grand Junction after a long day of driving. Stopped in Helper, UT to photograph "Big John" and at Papa Joe's to buy some beef jerky, or other meat based jerky.

Bummed to have missed out on the Salt Flats but apparently the salt can really mess up your car. Neo doesn't regret missing that. Some rest and a calm night here in Grand Junction, then off to Winter Park in the morning."

That was my lone journal entry during the trip. I couldn't even manage to write in complete sentences. I thought I'd have more time, being a co-pilot instead of a driver. But I ended up being pretty useless in that capacity too. Misinterpreting instructions and failing to make sense of maps. But Julie, she was doing it all. She was actually texting and posting on Facebook while driving. Every now and then, I looked at the live feed and saw posts from her, which she had somehow managed to type out and post while driving, while I was sitting there next to her. I could hardly manage to post one update a day, and when I did it was only stuff like, "has just arrived in Denver" etc.

One good thing about being a co-pilot, I got to look around at stuff. It's hard to do when you're driving. I didn't really manage to take more pictures than I normally would. I was still pretty forgetful and had hopelessly bad timing when I did get some shots. But otherwise I got to see a lot. The twisty roads, the scenic bits, lots of other MINIs.

The first overnight stop for me was Salt Lake City. It was kind of cool being back there, since I'd lived just south in Provo for 5 years. And I got my MINIfir at the dealership there, 7 years ago. The party they had at MINI of Murray was a bit disappointing. Partially because we arrived late, and it was mostly over, and then also because we missed an announcement about the change in the Salt Flats drive-off time. We left over an hour late the next morning, and ended up turning back with a small crew of minis we ending up traveling with for most of the rest of the journey. We stopped at a truck stop on the route back towards Salt Lake and had a nice breakfast. Mike made a little Salt Flats on the table, using salt and a tiny model mini.

Then we began the long road to Grand Junction. Eastern Utah was pretty dull. And it was peppered with state troopers. It was nice to be back in Colorado though. It had been a while. Since I went back to Colorado Springs to give that paper I think. Or maybe it was for the Teach for America interview, I can't remember which came first now.

The hotel in Grand Junction was nice. Then we met up with our motoring companions; DB from California, Mike and Scott from Arizona, Jim from Nebraska, Suzanne from Seattle (who was originally from Long Island and a Mets fan too!), me and Julie and this guy Markus and his son Ryan (forgot where they were from). We ate at the RockSlide Brewpub, where I got to watch the Mets blow a lead to the Rockies in the 8th inning by giving up a grand slam. Nearby Rockies fans cheered, and I sighed. The Mets did with that series though :)

Then we walked down the street to a gelato place to get some free ice cream compliments of MINIUSA. After a stop in a nearby bar for a drink, or two we headed back to the hotel. We met up with Gert Hildebrand, the head designer for MINI and a few guys who were apparently his handlers, looking after him. We hung out for a bit in the hotel lounge area and listened to some stories. I mentioned to one of the handler guys that I didn't have my Mini with me and explained about her tranny. He repeated my situation to Gert, and he said, you know the guy you need to talk to is Vinny.

The next morning we gathered in a nearby parking lot and did our check-ins and lined up to go. We managed to keep a pretty good sized group of Minis together, but eventually we ended up back in our little group. We stopped in Frisco for lunch and some photos, then got back on the road toWinter Park. It was a beautiful little town, at high altitude, the effects of which took me by surprise. MINIs in the Mountains was based here, and coincided with MTTS. We did a cool drive through town, we even had our own lane, and then we ended up in a park for some entertainment and relaxation. Mark and Ross had joined us by this time. Then we had dinner in another local pub. The hotels there were shocking. Mine was simply rustic, when I asked about cooling off the stuffy room, the guy just told me to open a window. It didn't get very hot there, but still this was an eye opener. Julie and some of the others stayed in the hotel across the street which according to them was nightmarish. It was likened by more than one person to the hotel in The Shining. We stayed in Winter Park most of the next day for MITM activities including a lovely Bar-b-que lunch up at the top of the moutain. We had to get up there by ski lift. After a group photo, we were off to Denver.

For this part of the journey I rode with Kerry, who I didn't really know at all before this. He turned out to be pretty cool with good taste in music. After hitting some traffic in Denver, we made it to my hotel. I waited there for Julie who was staying with me once again. She got into her Trinity outfit and we headed for the owners garage party at the Infinity Park events center. Unfortunately we took a long and unnecessary detour being mislead this time by google maps. We had actually been just a few blocks away from the venue, but we got there eventually. Pedro had arrived in town by then and we happily greeted him and added another number to our party of SCMC members. The party was pretty fun, basically a showcase of the new Countryman and some photos and video from the trip so far. Also this was our first time meeting up with those who rallied from the East Coast locations, New York, Chicago, and Atlanta.

We called it an early night so we could be rested up for the Red Rock run the next morning. For me it was the highlight of the trip. We first gathered at the Red Rock amphitheater where U2 had filmed their "Sunday Bloody Sunday" video years ago. We made our way down the steep steps to get a briefing and a bit of a cheering section going. We did this YMCA like action to awkwardly spell MINI. And there was a sing-a-long to "I Got a Feeling" by the Black Eyed Peas. It kind of fell flat due to the MINIUSA crew not having a way to amplify the music from the boom box they had brought. There were some break dancers that did their thing on stage and then we all climbed back up to the cars. It was a huge effort for me and I was glad to have made it without dying. They took some cool photos of what seemed like a sea of MINIs. Then we headed off to Estes Park via some of the coolest, twistiest roads anywhere. We left Red Rock in a massive group and stayed together quite a lot of the way. We took one wrong turn which was mostly my fault. Then we righted ourselves and got back to Denver. We arrived at the MTTS Festival which was on a rugby field at Infinity Park. We met up with Stormy, one of Julie's friends from a previous job. And he asked if I was the co-pilot who had shamefully never seen The Matrix. It was one of the funniest moments when I had to admit after riding all that way with Trinity and Neo that I'd never actually seen the movie. Julie posted it on Facebook, and then I was known as "the girl who'd never seen The Matrix."

The festival was cool. It was pretty similar to the one in Pasadena at MTTS 2008. Vendors and displays, food and music. There was a MINICross on the road out in front of the center. I got to try out a silver convertible on the slalom course. They had 3 MINI "e"s and I had to wait in another separate line to drive one of those. After a long wait, including an unspecified delay on the track, I finally got in to the electric MINI. The MINIUSA rep who rode with me gave me tips on how to drive this unique Mini. The accelerator was used for both accelerating and slowing down. The brake was only for stopping. It took getting used to. I went through the slalom again, doing a bit better than the first time. The MINI "e" was just as spunky as any other mini, and navigated the turns like a champ. The who rode with me introduced himself as Vinny, and I realized that this could be my guy. I told him about my MINI and that Gert had suggested I speak to him. He said he'd try to help and that I should find him inside the festival later.

I told everyone I could find to keep an eye out for him. Db, who knew him well, said he'd let him know I was looking for him. I finally found him on a picnic blanket getting ready to watch Blues Traveller with other MINIUSA folks. He took my information, and said he'd see what he could do.

Having achieved one of the main things I'd hoped to do on this trip, I felt some relief. I had done all I could to get some help with MINIfir's problem. Now I just had to wait.

Blues Traveller were great as usual. And it was nice just to end the whole trip relaxing and watching a great band. When it was over, Julie dropped me back at my hotel. She had booked a special hotel for this second night because her boyfriend had planned to meet her there. It turned out he couldn't make it due to work, but she spent the night in the hotel anyway. A nice treat for her after the Winter Park experience. I was in the same hotel two nights in a row, which was a welcome change for me after a different stop every night.

The next morning we packed up for the long drive back to Las Vegas. I had told Julie early on in the trip that if she got tired, I could drive while she got some rest. But it turned out on that last day, when she did kind of hope to have me drive a bit, I got incredibly sleepy and didn't manage to help out. Another boo for me as a co-pilot. One good thing that came out of the trip was that I got to know Julie much better. We decided to have a movie night some future weekend, so I could finally see The Matrix.

Twelve hours later, we arrived back at Palace Station so I could pick up the car I'd been lent by John and Pedro. Sunday night it was back home in my own bed, tired but happy I'd been able to join in the fun. It was bittersweet without my MINIfir. But I got home hopeful that I could get her back on the road soon.

Keep the Car Running

Just two weeks ago, my beloved MINIfir was laid low with a bad transmission. We were just pulling out of the garage, and then slowly started up our street to set out for Utah and Zion National Park. But something was wrong. She was jerking and revving really high, and stopping and creeping. It was definitely trouble. We turned around and came home and I cancelled my trip to Utah.

The rest of the weekend was spent in worry and frustration. I had just taken her to the DMV for registration renewal the day before. And it was only 4 days before her 7th birthday. That Monday I stayed home from work and had her towed in to Kensington. Marc had a look at her and pinpointed the problem right away. He wanted to try an adaptation of the transmission to see if clearing out some of the programming glitches would fix the problem. They had to keep her overnight. Then Trish called with the news I most feared. The adaptation didn't help and MINIfir would need a new transmission. The cost would be somewhere in the neighborhood of $7000.

Then, the network of the MINI community went into action. My friend Larry called to say that there might be hope that MINI would replace the transmission for me at the dealer. Turns out the transmission (CVT) in the early model year MINIs was made by Nissan, the problem was known and Nissan extended the warranty on the CVTs in their own cars. MINI had yet to prescribe the extension for its owners, but there was a chance that perhaps they could be convinced. Larry said that Xiek from Canada said there was a dealer in California that had honored Nissan's extension and replaced some CVTs. He also gave me the number of a customer relations rep at MINIUSA. Trish called back and said she'd do some research into it, checking for service bulletins, etc.

By Saturday, I had procured a rental car and went up to Mark and Kathy's house for the club's post-scavenger hunt gathering. As soon as I walked in the door, Ross was there to tell me all about how when he had his overheating problems on the way to MINI Takes the States (MTTS) in '06, he was able to talk to Jim McDowell and some other big wigs at MINIUSA and they made sure his car was taken care of. Perhaps they'd do the same for me. I spent most of the party recounting the details of MINI's and my woes.

Back to work on Monday, having to face more questions from the nosy guy at the busstop, and my colleagues, it was starting to really sink in. It might be months before I had my MINI back, if at all. We wouldn't be going on MTTS. Talking to the rep at MINIUSA didn't help. He wasn't optimistic that MINI would be extending the warranty like Nissan did. At least not in the immediate future. I told Larry the news and he was disappointed. His Rocket had the same problem, but he'd been smart enough to get an extended warranty which would pay for the replacement. He said I could ride with him to MTTS. It's very kind of him, but small consolation.

I worked overtime this weekend in an effort to start earning/saving up some more money. I wasn't able to visit MINI at Kensington as I had last Friday. I'm tired and sad and basically mourning. I made the decision though to bring her home and keep her safe until we can get the work done. It's akin to waiting for an organ transplant. And she's my baby; it pains me not to be able to help her right now.

After MTTS, I should be able to borrow a car from a friend for a while. Then things are uncertain. Will I end up getting a new car? Another MINI perhaps, or something else I wouldn't be as emotionally attached to? I don't know. But I haven't given up on my girl yet.

Drive My Car

AMVIV 7 has come and gone, and as usually there were some memorable moments. There were a lot of differences this year. A new location, Aliante Station. And I didn't go on any of the runs. I've been on most of them already. And I worked at the event so much it kept me at the Sin City club's tables. And then there was the Dent Guy working on my car. Although everytime I said it people kept thinking I said dead guy. But, no. The Dent King in fact was working on MINIfir's boot over two days. So she had to stay put anyway.

I went to In-n-Out Motor-In with Larry Thursday night, and Friday night after the mixer I was really too tired to go anywhere. Saturday though MINIfir and I manned a poker ru
n stop, Desert MINI. When I was done I met up with Jeff and Annette at their poker run stop, the 7-11. They'd let Mark's brother Chris drive little Monty and he let them take a ride in his GP. This swapping of cars turned out to be fortuitous. We went back to Aliante to turn in our tally sheets and then Annette asked me if I wanted to come see a classic Mini Chris was thinking of buying. Plus, she said, he's got a water buffalo. This is how it happened: Chris had had such a great time in Monty. And a guy at 7-11 spotted them and said his son had a little red mini just like theirs in his garage. Would he be interested in selling it? Probably. He doesn't live far from here. So we all hopped in cars. Jeff and Chris T.'s Dad in the GP, Chris F. and his wife in Monty and Annette drove me and Chris T. in her VW (a non-mini, but mine was still being worked on). We all followed the leader to this house just a few miles from Aliante. It was in an older North Las Vegas neighborhood. There were just a couple of houses on the street. We pulled up at one and the owner greeted us along with his friendly Corgi, Lucy. He let us through the fence to come look at the car.

Sitting in his garage was a dust covered mini that turned out to be an amazing find. It was a 1964 Austin Mini Cooper S. The guys looked her over and began to assess the work she would need. But Chris was ready to buy. He took out his wad of cash and said, Let's make this deal. While they took care of it, we were invited to have a tour of the yard.

This is not a usual AMVIV weekend occurance, but there he was. Fred, the water buffalo.

He was relaxing in his pen, next to a few horses, a sheep, some goats, a pig, chickens and lots of dogs. Certainly something you don't see everyday. By the time we'd seen the entire zoo, the little mini had been rolled out onto the driveway. It was not running. It would need to be towed. And Chris had already called for a tow truck. It arrived and the driver began loading up the little mini. We all stood and watched and the owner who was selling it understandably seemed sad to see her go. Jeff said that he wished he and Annette had found such a fine mini so close to home. They'd gone up to Washington state to get Monty. Chris had scored a great classic for only $6000 cash. He had it taken to Aliante, washed and detailed. A true beauty.

All that was left to do was wait for the dent guy to finish with MINIfir's boot (it came out pretty nice) and then go off to the White Roof Radio party. The show was fun, then we went to the Mexican place in the hotel for dinner. It was the latest night out I had. And we were still in bed by midnight.

The next morning, I worked the breakfast and then we wrapped it all up. Another AMVIV had come to an end. It was hectic and exhausting but still well worth it. The attendees seemed to like the new hotel and to enjoy the activities. And we didn't stay out til all hours, but we still had a good time hosting it. And now we've got to start thinking about next year.

Counting Blue Cars...

Another AMVIV has come and gone. A MINI Vacation in Vegas is a yearly gathering of MINI and mini owners and enthusiasts. It’s hosted by the Sin City Mini Club and held at the Palace Station Hotel and Casino. More specifically, on the roof of the parking garage at Palace Station. Mini owners, their cars, and lots of vendors assemble there to enjoy a shared love of a vehicle. True, car clubs are not new. Classic car meets and exhibitions have been going on almost since the invention of the automobile. The mini itself celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. The event here in Las Vegas is in its 6th year. This is my 3rd as a member of the Sin City Mini Club and my 4th overall.

This year I was more active in the planning/hosting of AMVIV. I did some prep work and quite a bit of volunteer work during the event. I worked at the registration table so I know that we had around 361 cars register for the event. More cars always show up even if they aren’t registered. Vendors are not required to register their cars, and usually a few mini owners notice the large groups of minis around town and follow them to see what’s going on. All are welcome.

The numbers were smaller than last year when we had in the neighborhood of 500 cars all totaled. The economy was probably a big part of that. But AMVIV is still the largest yearly organized Mini event in the U.S. MINI USA puts on an event called MINI Takes the States which occurs every other year. I’ve attended both events so far in 2006 and 2008. Those events had more total participation but being cross-country and large regional events it makes sense more people can come out for at least a part of them.

Anyway, this year was the first time I stayed on site at the hotel for most of the weekend. I bunked with my friend and fellow club member Annette for the first two nights. Then I stayed in the hospitality suite with Mr. and Ms. Cone, our event/club mascots for the last night. In previous years, I just drove back and forth from my home in Henderson, a twenty-minute ride from Palace. I’m glad I let Annette convince me to stay over this time though. I got to experience the extra-added entertainment of late nights at the Irish pub downstairs. Watching some of my usually tame club mates getting silly on 50 oz. glasses of Guinness was quite an eye opener. Even though I am not a drinker and I don’t participate in the silliness, it is a bonding experience. Spending almost 3 whole days with folks I usually only see for a few hours once or twice a month did bring us closer together I think.

The event is best documented in photos or video probably. But I just wanted to mention some of the highlights. I only went on two “runs” during the event. The Strip Cruise and the Valley of Fire run on Sunday. Most of the rest of the time I was at Palace Station manning one of the registration tables, browsing the vendor booths, or just basically hanging out. On Saturday I manned the 5th stop on the Poker Run at Hot Rod Grille in Henderson. I got to hand out playing cards to each mini that stopped by to complete their poker hand. The winner was car 007, obviously a lucky number! From there it was on to SAFE HOUSE for the Show and Shine car show. Since I had to stay at my Poker Run post until 2:30, I missed most of the activity at the show, the judging had been completed, and they were just announcing the winners when I got there. Checks were presented as the SCMC and Desert MINI each made a $2000 donation to SAFE HOUSE to aid in their mission to help victims of domestic violence. More money was raised by the show participants; making a total of about $5000 raised. Fox 5 News covered the event and there was some footage on TV that night but I haven’t seen it yet. I’m sure we will see it at one of our next club meetings.

I enjoyed all my volunteering time; it was always busy, windy or chaotic, and I ended up with major “raccoon eyes” from the sun. But it was a blast. MINIs and Minis were everywhere, just walking around looking at them, seeing every color and variation, mods, graphics and just the strong personalities of the cars and their owners is something that just never gets old.

(S)he Thought of Cars

Growing up in New York, I'd never really been a car person. In fact when I was old enough to get my learner's permit, I put it off because my dad had just been in a bad car accident and the sight of his smashed up truck in the driveway scared me off. I tore up the driver's manual and that was that.

By the time I was 19, I was in the Army, stationed at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs. My 1SG wanted me to be his driver when we went to the field. I had to admit that I had never learned to drive. He suggested I go to a driving school in the area, and there I took lessons in a Ford Bronco II. My instructor got me through the tests and I received my first license in the state of Colorado. I completed the qualification for my military license, and soon after the driver's side of the 1SG had vinyl letters stuck along the base of the windshield reading PFC Nieves. So in a way my first car was a HMMWV or Hummer. It was the 2 seater with the soft-covered rear cargo area, like this one:











My first few experiences as a driver were not especially promising. Shortly after assuming the position of 1SG's driver, I accidentally rolled my parked vehicle into a the civilian vehicle of a newly arrived S3 Captain. The parking brake was a bit loose it turned out, so it was not entirely my fault. But I did have to apologize to the Captain and take remedial drivers' training.

While still at Fort Carson, I considered buying a civilian car for myself. In fact I went with a couple of my platoon mates to the local Toyota dealer where I test drove a gray Corolla. It was a fine economical car. I had a steady income being in the military. But in the end I decided not to embark upon years of car payments after I had just learned to drive.

A PCS to Darmstadt, Germany brought additional driver training. Especially since my unit convoys occasionally traveled via the Autobahns amidst the civilian drivers who enjoyed travel without speed limits. Our convoys were required to travel at the speed of 55 mph with a full vehicle distance between each vehicle. The German civilians took advantage of our slow and steady movements by changing lanes, zipping in and out and passing our vehicles two and three at a time. It definitely made me nervous. After all driving for the 1SG at Fort Carson mostly just required driving downrange on the base, with little traffic and few obstacles.

With the fantastic public transportation available in Europe, I never even considered buying a car while overseas, so another few years went by before I took the plunge. After leaving the military, I finally found the need to get a car when I moved to Santa Barbara for college. California, and the west coast in general is very much a car culture. Getting anywhere usually required a freeway of some sort. While Santa Barbara did have a mostly convenient bus system and network of bike paths, sometimes you just needed to have a car. I also had a dog, and though she wasn't large, she was big enough that I couldn't sneak her on the bus, or put her in my backpack as I rode my bike.

My actual first car was a light blue 1995 Geo Prism, very basic, it had manual window cranks, and in fact I don't even think it had air conditioning. I leased it new, mostly because my dad was worried that if I had a used car that ended up needing repair, he wouldn't be able to fly out from New York on a moment's notice to help me with it. I had originally planned on going with the smaller Geo Metro, or the Toyota Tercel. I favoured smaller cars, but my parents expressed concern about my safety. I had the Prism for about a year. Leasing just turned out to be too expensive for me as I had to pay a premium on insurance with my limited driving experience and the full coverage required on a lease. I turned the car in early which messed up my credit. I wouldn't have another car for at least a year, and I made due with the bus and my bike. I'd ask a friend to drive me and my dog to the vet or to take me along on larger grocery shopping excursions.

Finally I saved up about $900 in cash and bought a 1983 Ford Mustang. It was brown. With a beige stripe along each side of the body. It was pretty pitiful really, held together by electrical tape, velcro, and staples, but it got me around town and school. I had that car until I graduated and then eventually moved with it to graduate school in Provo, Utah. The car didn't last long in Provo however. Soon I lost the reverse gear, causing me to scramble around and park so I could pull out forwards as much as possible. In the winter snow, I often ended up pushing the car backwards, either alone or with help, to get it out of the only available space in the grad student parking lot. Soon after, the transmission quit altogether.

After another short and really inconvenient carless period - I was living on a mountain, a long uphill walk from school even in the best weather -I cobbled together about $3000 to buy a 1989 Toyota Camry. It was light blue, just like the Prism I'd had a few years earlier and very similar to the '89 Camry my mom had owned back in, well 1989. It ran pretty well for a 12 year old car. I put a new stereo in it, and it served me for almost 3 years until its transmission died, just like the Mustang.

Something happened though between the time I got the Camry and when it died. I spent the summer of 2002 in Belgium, teaching at a language school in the tiny town of Thiaumont, near the border of Luxembourg. The school was located in the very southeast of Belgium, a short jaunt from not just Luxembourg but also Germany and France. The opportunity to travel in my off time from teaching was great, but the public transport in that tiny corner of Belgium was not. I ended up leasing a little car from a company that did holiday leases. Basically I rented it for the summer, but paid a lot less than if I rented by the week. It was a Peugeot 206, a compact little hatchback perfect in size for city traffic and in fuel efficiency for long trips and high European fuel prices. We actually used to nip over the border into Luxembourg for fuel since the taxes were much less than in Belgium. While zipping around Thiaumont and the nearest proper town, Arlon, I got my first glimpse of the newly relaunched MINI Cooper. It was love at first sight.

I'd long been an Anglophile, a lover of all things British - music, literature, pop culture and of course this included the now iconic classic Mini Coopers owned by everyone from the Beatles to the Queen. I'd never considered owning one though, considering their well known reputation for being unreliable. I was no mechanic, and fixing up and driving a classic car like that would require large and frequent infusions of cash. Not to mention the safety concerns. Oh yeah, and they hadn't sold the Mini in the United States since 1967.

Fast forward to 2002. There I am in Belgium looking at this amazing new incarnation of the classic car, and owning one suddenly seems an actual possibility. I started to do research on the internet to see if they would be selling the car in the United States. And yes, they had just barely become available. Upon my return to Provo in early October of that year, I continued researching and wishing and longing to get my own MINI. I finished and defended my Masters' Thesis in December and was all set to graduate from BYU in the spring of 2003. As a recent graduate, with a semester to semester adjunct teaching position at the local state college, my finances weren't in the best shape. My credit was still damaged from breaking the lease on my first car. So I wasn't going to be able to get financing for a new car, any new car, without help. And the MINI, well it may have been a sub-compact, fuel efficient marvel of design, but it also had the brand ownership and engineering prowess of BMW behind it. The new MINI wasn't cheap. It was packed with standard features that would be extras on most economy cars. And it was to be a limited production vehicle. Its small supply meant that discounts were scarce and premiums and waiting lists were the norm.

Somehow I managed it. With the help of my dad as co-signor, and a bit of money left me by my grandma, I ordered my 2003 Indi Blue MINI Cooper on 24 May 2003. Modestly equipped, and built just for me, in other words - perfect. Online, I was able to track her progress from when her VIN was assigned to her movement through the paint shop and final assembly in the Oxford factory. I followed her status as she was loaded on a train to Southampton, and then aboard a ship to cross the ocean. I was able to learn the ship's name and call sign (Don Quijote SFQP), its daily position coordinates, its progress through the Panama Canal, and arrival in Port Hueneme, California. After being unloaded from the ship and inspected, she was loaded onto a car carrier and transported to MINI of Murray, near Salt Lake City, Utah. She arrived and was prepped for delivery. And on 21 July 2003, I had to take the bus up to the dealership (the Camry had died by then) where she was waiting to meet me. She had a name, MINIfir. I'd already ordered her a personalized replica British plate. Keys in hand, I met my new baby.

Less than a week later, MINIfir and I joined the Utah MINI Motoring Club on our first club run or rally.

Fast Forward to 2009. In her 6th year, MINIfir has 68,000 miles on her odometer. She's been with me through a move to Las Vegas, MINI Takes the States I and II, and many runs with the Sin City MINI Club including AMVIVs. She's carried me safely all those miles, and my friends and family members for a few of them too. She's witnessed some awkward relationship moments, and a few quick changes of clothes, but always kept me safely within in rain and snow and windy dustiness. She's taken a few turns on the racetrack, and never met a twisty road she didn't like. Even when I don't quite trust my driving ability, I know I can trust her.

Everyday I get to drive her to work or on errands or anywhere at all, I feel lucky. I still smile big when I see her. I take care of her as best I can (though she's endured her share of nicks and scratches, rock chips and parking lot rudeness), and one day soon, I'll even be able to pay off her loan in full.

I thought about all this yesterday while we were on the road, the SCMC run went to Scotty's Castle in Death Valley, and how though my history with cars hasn't been entirely auspicious, I met my match in MINIfir. She is the car who made me a car person, because she herself is so much more than just a car.