Day 8 - Home at last!

Day 8 starts with an early morning rise in Show Low (AZ). It rained alot yesterday, but since it's in the mid 50's, it feels nice and crisp/clean!

Today's drive will be through very familiar territory - taking US 60 through Globe / Miami / Superior and on into Phoenix. The temperature will gradually rise till it's in the mid 90's in Phoenix.

The first area I go through is Cibecue - the location of a big forest fire several years ago. The mountains are beginning to "green up" again, but it will be many years (if ever) for the ponderosa pine to grow again.

I've purposely taken this route in order to go through the Salt River Canyon. Incredible views, tight turns and plenty of pull-offs to stop and take pictures. Be sure to check them out at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wearlaz/sets/72157607075174831/

Seneca (AZ) is VERY small town on the way to Globe... if you blink, you'll miss it TWICE! :)

The cities of Globe, Claypool, Miami and Superior are largely mining towns. Only recently with the price of copper rising - the towns have started to get new life again. Several years ago, they were looking like they'd slip into "ghost town" status...

On the outskirts of Apache Junction, I pass by the Superstition Mountains. This is a beautiful area that I hike a couple of times a year. The Peralta Trail is a great hike with fantastic views of Weavers Needle, the thousand foot tall rock plug of a long gone volcano. You can rarely see Weaver's Needle from the road - only brief glimpses of the peak. If you ever get the chance to hike into the Superstitions, it's a trip worth the effort.

As I approach Apache Junction (AZ), US 60 turns into a multi-lane, divided highway - a sign that we're nearing home!

With the cruise control set, we motor through Mesa (AZ) and into Phoenix (AZ). At the junction of US 60 and I-10, I take a left and get off on Baseline. In about 15 minutes, we're turning into the drive way of HOME!

I pull Edgar into the garage and marvel at the size difference between him and my Land Cruiser. After a couple hours rest (and it's cooled down) - Edgar gets his first REAL bath in the driveway... Waxing will wait until the Invisi-Bra has been installed this week. The windows will be tinted this week as well.

I'm planning on one more post to close out this trip - the BEST of the BEST. I'll also include the stats for the trip as well as my MINI sightings totals.

Towns/Places travelled through: Show Low (AZ), Cibecue (AZ), Salt River Canyon, Seneca (AZ), Globe (AZ), Claypool (AZ), Miami (AZ), Superior (AZ), Apache Junction (AZ), Mesa (AZ), Phoenix (AZ)

Weirdness of the Day: NONE!!! We're in Arizona!

Day 7 - Almost home

Day 7 starts out with me going outside and finding out just how many bugs we ran into last night! There were several times it felt like we were being shot at with paint balls! I mean BIG bugs! I'd hate to have been riding a motorcycle! I check out of the hotel and take Edgar down to the only DIY car wash in Tucumcari. Don't worry, no bushes were used, just a soaking spray followed by a power wash. Still not as clean as I'd like, but I can see through the windshield.

Just before getting on I-40 again, it's time to fuel up. I search via my GPS to find a Shell or Texaco, but there are none. I do find a Phillips 66. Whats interesting is that 90 octane is the highest that ANY service station sells in Tucumcari!

While on I-40 heading towards Arizona, I spot a Lightning Blue MINI Coupe on a car carrier heading west... There's a few pics in my Flickr account, if it's your MINI, drop me a line!


Instead of staying on the interstate the whole way, I had decided to turn left off I-40 and go through Ramah (NM) and the Zuni Nation Reservation. Along the way, I pass a place called Ice Cave (NM). I'd like to find out more about this place and maybe visit in the future.

There were also a couple of National Monuments / Parks that I'd like to stop by and spend some time again in the future: El Malpais National Park and the El Morro National Monument. I have pictures of the rock formations (from the road) in my Flickr account. Very nice scenery!

While in New Mexico, I crossed the Continental Divide. I faintly remember this from school.. Here's a link - http://www.answers.com/topic/basin-new-png-1. Seems like it's described as the "Backbone of our Continent"?

Just before entering Zuni-Land, Edgar finally got his wish and got muddy! See weirdness below for a description.

While on the Zuni Reservation, they were having a County Fair. I didn't have time to stop but I would have liked to. They were racing horses when I drove by. Kind of like drag racing, but with horses and BAREBACK! The "drag strip" was total mud. I'm sure it would have been interesting to watch.

I cross into Arizona and the first town I enter is Witch Well, AZ. There's SO MANY small towns with unusual names in Arizona. This is one I didn't even know about!.

As I head for Show Low (AZ), there's some incredible cloud formations on the horizon. I take several pictures and briefly think about pulling over and waiting for the sunset. Problem is, sunset is over 3 hours away so I head on into Show Low.

When I get into Show Low, the temperature is 60 degrees - nice and cool especially with it having just rained. I check into the Sleep Inn, mosey (Southern for "walk") over to a Mexican steak house and have a nice ribeye.

Tomorrow, I have a 3 hour drive down US60 through Superior / Miami into Arizona - all familiar territory.

Towns/Cities travelled through: Tucumcari (NM), Santa Rosa (NM), Milagro (NM), Clines Corners (NM), Moriarty (NM), Edgewood (NM), Albuquerque (NM), El Rito (NM), Mesita (NM), Acoma (NM), San Rafel (NM), Ramah (NM), Zuni Nation / Reservation, Witch Well (AZ) - even I didn't know this place existed!, St Johns (AZ), Concho (AZ), Show Low (AZ)



Cool Things:


Throughout New Mexico, there's signs everywhere on the road "Report a Drunk Driver - dial #DUI" I think this is a great idea. I wonder how long it takes for a trouper to respond?




Weirdness of the Day:


Dirt Road Detour! - I was about 30 miles into my way-point to the Zuni Reservation when the road was was "closed/under construction" - they had a gravel/mud route to take... Edgar FINALLY got his shoes muddy (he's been wanting to run through mud puddles since we left NY and finally got his wish!) I took it slow and was SO GLAD I didn't have the bra on the front end.


Moriarty/Estancia (NM) - hosts an annual "Punkin' Chunkin' Festival" I grew up with a guy nicknamed Punkin - wonder if he'd be offended? :)

Day 6 - Interstate, Interstate and more Interstate

I didn't sleep much last night - the light from the hotel parking lot keep me thinking it was morning - even when it was 3am...

I was up around 7am, headed to Waffle House (yea, I know - again!) I sat at the counter, ordered and listened to the people seated around me.

Now, before I go any further, let me tell all of you that don't know me that I'm born/raised in North Carolina. My Southern accent is sometimes still noticeable. That said, I realized while sitting in the Waffle House just how different some of the Southern accent extremes can be!

For example - have you ever heard a person say the word "cat" and it's two syllables! "Cay-att" Some other words I recognized but thought that some of my friends might need interpreted:

orta =should - "I orta stop by the post office"
reckon = think - "I reckon I should leave now."
aftrwile = later - "John, I'll see ya aftrwile"
ficken = getting ready to - said by the waitress at a diner she obviously knew that didn't leave a tip, "I'm ficken to hit you ifn you don't come back heer" (Bonus words ifn, heer)
mitenigh = almost / close - He threw a rock and it mighnigh hit me!

I could go own, but I didn't dare write any of this down while in the Waffle House. That's all I can remember at the moment.

I fill Edgar up and head on our way. Today's interstate route will take us through Arkansas, Oklahoma, Texas and finally New Mexico.

Besides MILES and MILES of interstate - there were a few moments worth mentioning:

About 20 miles before we got to Oklahoma City, I saw a Red/White MINI coupe ahead of me - travelling fast, I might add. It took me a while, but I caught up to her - pulled up beside and gave a "wave." The driver gave me a BIG smile and wave back. We travelled into OK City together. If you think one MINI attracts attention on the highway - you should see the responses when two are close together. The kids love it. I can just imagine how people react when a club goes on a trip and there's 20-30 in a row...

Just before you get to Clinton, OK - they have some HUGE wind generators like those that are used in Palm Springs. Was really cool seeing them - there should be MORE!

It rained ALOT today - several times and almost continuously through Texas. Once, I almost pulled over to the side of the road, it was raining so hard.

Oh, and the most INTERESTING site today - just past Sayre (OK) - I saw a ramp car carrier with 4 RedBull MINIs on it! RedBull has taken the MINI and modified it where the back of the car has a RedBull can on it. Here's a pic of what they look like: http://www.murmini.com/files/redbull.jpg I tried to get my camera ready and take a picture, but they were travelling in the opposite direction on I-40.

Almost time to go to bed now. Tomorrow, I drive to Albuquerque and then to Show Low (AZ) via the reservation.

Places travelled through: Mayflower (AR), Conway (AR), Morrilton (AR), Russellville (AR), Alma (AR), Dyer (AR), Sallisaw (OK), Checotah (OK), Lake Eufaula (OK), Okemah (OK), Oklahoma City (OK), Clinton (OK), Altus (OK), Sayre (OK), Gray County (TX), Groom (TX), Amarillo (TX), Tucumcari (NM)

Weirdness of the Day:
Just past Conway (AR) - saw a sign for "Toad Suck Park". This was an OFFICIAL state sign mind you.

Arkansas Vanity License Plate: "MIZZOUI"

Nondescript city before Morrilton (AR): Sign on the side of the road "Hosale Melons, This Exit" Someone HAD written WHOsale, but crossed the "W" out!

ARKANSAS I-40: is the UNDISPUTED RoadKill Capital of the UNIVERSE! I don't know what the critters are that are splattered almost every 100 yards but the road is littered with them! I did see a few armadillos "legs up" here and there. Poor fellas

Welcoming Sign for Alma, AR: "Spinach Capital of the World!"

Motorcycle rider with loose shirt: I'm guessing he'll have an unusual sunburn tomorrow? Picture is uploaded for those of you that are curious

Bumper Sticker outside of Okemah, OK: "On my way to work, please kill me!" hmmmmm

Day 5 - A Day late, that is...

Day 5 - WOW...

I get up early at the Fontana Resort and head out... Mosquitoes were up early for breakfast too! My legs look like I have the chicken pox right now!

A few miles north of the resort is Deal's Gap, NC. The start of the Tail of the Dragon (which is officially in Tennessee). Tail of the Dragon is 319 curves in 11 miles. There's a sign at the entrance showing "curves ahead 11 miles"...

I THOUGHT I was ready for this, but NOPE - nothing can prepare you for the dragon. The turns are so tight and banked (causes to have confidence you really shouldn't have I might add...)

Also, there is a LARGE motorcycle meeting this coming weekend and some of the more "proficient" riders showed up early to take the Dragon on.

By proficient, I mean they're travelling in excess of 50-60 miles per hour, laying their bikes down so that their knee almost touches - THAT kind of proficient!

I thought Edgar and I were doing well until I saw these guys. UNREAL!

Along the path of the Dragon, I saw several photographers taking pictures - I'm looking forward to seeing if they captured me!

Once I was finished at the Dragon, we found our way to US 40. Now that Edgar had 1200 miles under his belt, it was time to use the Interstate and Cruise Control! It took me a while to figure out how to use the cruise control (didn't read that part of the manual yet LOL) but I got the hang of it.

Just before I got to Nashville, I was following a large truck with what appeared to be older windows in the back. Must have been a couple hundred of them in the back. I was following a safe distance behind him (have to be careful of Edgar's paint) when the truck hit a bump and the wind got under a couple of windows. They fell to the road right in FRONT OF ME!

A quick look to my left mirror and I made an evasive maneuver to that lane. It's funny how the training I received back when I was in Rescue came back to me. In short, we cleared the wood and glass shards but the cars behind me weren't so lucky.

For the most part, the travel on Interstate 40 was uneventful - rather boring I'd say. After spending so much time on the back roads, it was a stark contrast. If I didn't have reservations already made, I would have continued to take the back roads.

We arrived in North Little Rock to find that the wireless in the hotel wasn't working - that's why I'm uploading this late.

Places visited: Deal's Gap (NC), Vonore (TN), Humbolt (TN), Centerville (TN), Memphis (TN), Carlisle (AR), North Little Rock (AR)

Weirdness of the Day:

McDonald's in Vanore, TN. Seems like the manager there is a former cheerleader. I was there just before lunch and the staff were really hyped up... She'd chant, "A-P-O" and other staff members would give a hollar (Southern for "yell")... Was amusing.

Bumper sticker outside of Nashville: "Out of my mind, be back in 5 minutes"

Tennessee Vanity License Plate: "IMA YNKE"

Day 4 - a Time Machine

Got up early this morning and headed with my parents to Bojangles (Chicken / Biscuits place that's really good). After finishing, Mom/Dad lead in their car towards Kings Mountain. After saying good-bye, I headed into the Kings Mountain State Park. I spent alot of time in this area when we lived in Grover, NC. Grover Rescue and Grover Fire Department provided services for both the state and National park while I was a member.

The drive through the parks was nice and relaxing, but the curves just "called" to accelerate! Trouble is, I know from the past that the Kings Mountain National Park always has Park Rangers around - so, I behave.

When I get to Grover, it's not much different than when I last saw it. There's new fire trucks and new ambulance equipment. I've heard they now have some paid paramedics as well. Good for them! I drive by our old house by the lake as well and take a few pictures.

It's now time to head toward Ashville. I drive through Earl (NC) and when I get just shy of entering Shelby, I near an intersection that "feels familiar". Once I get my bearings, I think I'm near the place where my Mom/Dad first moved after I was born. The road was dirt when we lived there (remind me sometime to tell you of the time that I ran away from home...) but is now paved. There's trailers, errr excuse me, mobile homes all around but there's still 3 small white houses... Feels familiar at a cellular level - I was 3-4 when we moved from here. I take some pictures so I can ask Mom/Dad later if one of these 3 houses are where we lived.

I start heading toward Ashville again, only yet again to "feel" a familiar turn/intersection. Keep in mind, all of the roads now have different names. What was once 100% farms and undisturbed land/forests is now 80% houses and commercial area... I take the turn and a few miles down the road, I almost instinctively turn left. After driving a mile or so, I wind up in front of the house that my Mom/Dad built and I spent the longest part of my life in! My Grandfather McIntyre made all of the cabinets in this house out of oak. There was a really nice antique mantle inside as well. I remember my white cat "Puff" (ask me sometime about the time I tried to cut a fur-ball from his stomach....)

So, I "found" my way back to the first home I can remember specifics about.... I want to take some pictures but there's PEOPLE standing outside and I don't want to frighten them - lest they might call the police! I drive by a couple of times and they are now paying attention to me/Edgar. I get up the nerve to drive down the 1/2 circle driveway and get out. I ask a young lady if I can take a picture of their house - she's understandably cautious. She asks why I'm interested and I begin to tell her that my parents built this house and I grew up in it. I'm not sure she's convinced I'm telling the truth, so I start to recollect the names of the neighbors - I'm shocked to find out that they ALL still live in the same houses!

In short, this family (a Grandmother, mom and daughters) bought our house after we moved to Waxhaw, NC and have been living there ever since! We talk further and I find that I went to Crest High School with their Mom as well! Such a small world!

The house right next to ours/theirs belonged to Dan and Glenda O'Shields. I remember Dan and Glenda almost like my 2nd parents. I got my first job working for Dan in his jewelry store. While I was discussing these facts with my new friends, one of them says, "There's Dan in his back yard now!"

I walked over, asking Dan if he recognized me - after over 30 years, I'm not surprised he didn't. But he certainly remembered when I told him my name. He said Glenda was inside - we went in and she DID recognize me (no hair, scruffy face and all!)

We chatted for a long while and I realized that I'd left Edgar parked in the driveway of the house next door! I got Dan/Glenda's email (will be sending them info on this blog) and headed on my way. After saying my goodbyes, it's time for the road again.

Whew... I just realized how late it is now... I'm sitting on a couch in the lobby of the Fontana Village Resort in Fontana Dam, NC... I'm sure you all are tired as well from this post already! :)

Here's some quick information about Deal's Gap, NC and the "Tail of the Dragon" - http://www.tailofthedragon.com/) This is where MINIs from all over the US meet once a year for "MINIs on the Dragon" http://www.minisonthedragon.info/ Since MOTD 2008 was held in May, I figured I might not get Edgar back this way soon, so why not take a drive thru it...

I'll cut this short and will come back and edit more tomorrow... but for now, here are the cities I passed through today - all in North Carolina:

Shelby, Forest City, Spindale, Earl, Boiling Springs, Ruth, Rutherford, Lake Lure (started to RAIN here and needed to take the bra off Edgar and this is where he reached 1000 miles!), Bat Cave (yes...), Chimney Rock Village, Fairview, Ashville, Alexandar, Canton, Sylva, Stecoah and am now in Fontana Dam, NC.

Goodness for the Day:
I ate lunch at a Mexican Restaurant in Lake Lure today called El Sureno. Now, understanding that I've lived in Phoenix for over 22 years, I know my way around good Mexican food. Well, El Sureno not only has FANTASTIC freshly made chips (hot to the touch) and salsa, their carnitas were VERY good as well. To top it all off, the have honest to goodness sweet tea to drink! Talk about cultural fusion! I almost laughed when I saw they also offer a "pork chop dinner" on the menu as well. In Phoenix, they just serve the "Gringo burger"

Wave from Ford 150 - Was driving on the Blue Ridge Parkway for a short distance. Two gentlemen were riding on my left for a while. When they came next to me, I got a "thumbs up" and a wave...

Edgar made a friend at Ingles - I parked at Ingles grocery to go inside to use the facilities. When I returned, there was a 2006 Red/White MINI with Texas plates parked next to him! I wonder if they could understand each other with their accents! :) There's pics of this on the Flickr link.

Weirdness for the Day:

Bat Cave (NC) - when leaving the town, there's a sign "Leaving Bat Cave, NC - Come BAT Soon!"

Lower Flatt Creek Rd - Was CLOSED for some reason (lots of heavy equipment at the entrance so I'm not sure if there was a rock slide or ???) Had to take a BIG detour to get to Fontana Dam.

Just outside of Ashville - I saw a big sign outside of a restaurant, "Under the Same Management" I had to read it 3 times to make sure it said what I thought!

Time for bed - have a LONG trip tomorrow to Little Rock, AR!

Day 3

Well, today was a semi-relaxed day at my parent's in Fort Mill, SC. Was up early to eat eggs, grits, home made biscuits and gravy! When my Dad and I went outside to run a few errands, we saw there was SO MUCH rain last night that debris was washed down from the pine forest area across the road. There was over 3" of rain fell during the night!

The errands for the day were to stop by Costco to pick up some items that I couldn't find in NY (for some reason, folks in NY don't feel a need for fix-a-flat, tire pumps or jumper cables.. Turns out, they don't need them in Charlotte either!) I guess I'll stop by an auto parts or Wall Mart tomorrow on my way out.

Once we left Costco, Edgar had a noon appointment at Hendrick MINI in Charlotte to get his first oil change. Even at only 800 miles, I wanted to get a sample of the oil to send off for analysis just to see how this engine with the turbo treats the synthetic oil. There have been reports of the oil breaking down much earlier than MINI expects. The cost of analysis ($20) is a small price to pay to see exactly how the car is doing.

After leaving Hendrick MINI, we stopped by to see Jeff at Cocomats (www.cocomats.com) to pick up Edgar's floor mats. What I found when we got there escapes my description. I have added some pics of the floor mats online, but they don't do them justice either. In short, they are a FANTASTIC product, VERY well made and the fit couldn't be any better. "LIKE A GLOVE" I spoke, at length, with the owner about maybe becoming a distributor for his product in the Phoenix / LA area - one of my goals when I get back...

After getting back to the house, I was SOAKED in sweat from all the humidity. With all the rain, of course the sun came out and was like walking around in a sauna! I took a shower and got ready for my brother and his family to stop by for dinner. It was nice to see them again and to see Julian, my nephew for the first time!

I took them all for a drive, (Yes, Virginia, I got 5 PEOPLE, 3 adults and 2 children inside Edgar at one time!) and they all loved it. Julian said "it rides like a go-cart" and he's 4!

So, tonight, I'm posting this blog, will upload some pics and get to be early for tomorrow. I'm leaving towards TAIL OF THE DRAGON in Deal's Gap NC. It's not a long drive - only 350 miles or so. But I will be driving through the parts of NC that I grew up in, served in rescue and fire departments in - so I'll likely spend a bit driving through these areas to take some pictures.

Tomorrow, I spend the night in Deal's Gap , but that's AFTER I introduce Edgar to the true meaning of "twisties"!

Day 2 - Change of Plans!

Day 2 starts out at 4:30am and BOY am I tired! It seems that I didn't get hardly any sleep at all on the plane. It doesn't help that I stayed up till 11pm trying to decide if I'm going to stick to my planned Day 2 destinations or cut it short.

Here's my predicament - Day 1 wound up being about 58 miles more than I anticipated but was substantially longer time wise. Day 2 in comparison is twice as many miles and is planned (per Google) to be right at 15 hours. I can only imagine it taking MUCH more than that like Day did.
As much as I was looking forward to Skyline Dr in the Shenandoah Mountains, I decided to skip that part of the trip and take a much more direct route to my parents house in Fort Mill, SC.
Also, since I'll be going thru/around Baltimore, MD and Washington, DC during rush hour - I'll take the interstate route to cut further time down.

4:30am arrives and I get ready, pack and head on my way. I stop at a local Waffle House to find I'm the ONLY customer in the restaurant! I've eaten at Waffle House THOUSANDS of time but NEVER have I ever been the only customer at any hour. Both employees were very nice and curious about Edgar. Shortly after I head out, I fill up for the first time - was GREAT to fill up and only pump 10 gallons (The MINI has a 14.3 gallon tank and it wasn't empty)

Once one the road, I took the freeway to Baltimore. Traffic was bad like I anticipated, so lots of stop and go traffic. I used the Baltimore Tunnel to cut down some time also. In a short time, I'm heading around the East side of the Beltway around DC. once I'm on the South side of DC, I change my GPS to avoid highways and in short time, I'm surrounded by rural VA. Most of my encounters along the way are recapped in "Day 2 Weirdness" but here's a few of the towns/cities/spots in the road I went through (in no particular order):

Mineral (VA), Goochland (VA), Farmville (VA), Gretna (VA), Denton (NC), Concord (NC), Mint Hill (NC), Matthews (NC), Fort Mill (SC)

Oh, tropical storm "Fay" made her appearance in North Carolina. I had to remove the bra from Edgar as it's not good for the paint to have the protective bra on while wet and possibly holding dirt. It rained almost 100% of the time since I entered NC.

I'm at my parent's house right now, just finished eating and will be going to bed soon. Tomorrow I have an appointment at the MINI dealer in Charlotte to change Edgar's oil and pick up the Cocomats (floormats). I'll see Taylor and Julian (my niece and nephew) tomorrow evening and am looking forward to it. At this moment, the National Weather service has issued a Tornado WARNING for the area I'm in until 2am! I just hope nothing falls on Edgar outside!

I apologize for not having more pictures posted. I'm going to spend some time tomorrow getting them all uploaded to a web site and will post links.

Here's a link to a Flickr account I created a few minutes ago... a few more pics.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29942269@N02

Day 2 weirdness - Well, I can't decide ONLY on one... LOL

In Virgina - Big signs when you enter the state, "Radar Detectors are illegal. Speed measured by aircraft" Does anyone else see anything wrong with this? If they're measuring via the air, what good is a detector anyway?

All through back roads MD, VA, NC and SC... I've forgotten about the fine art of "sitting on the front porch, watchin and waivin at cars" I make a point of waiving at each person and 100% of the time, they readily wave back!

Goochland, VA - I used my GPS to find a place to eat in this small town. Dot's Diner was my first choice, but it's now a gas station. Next is "Critter Keepers" - NO, I'm NOT kidding. I call to see if they're open and what kind of food it is. The phone rings and rings - a young woman finally answers, I ask "Are you open?" She replies, "Yes, of course." I then ask, "What kind of food do you server? What's your specialty?" There's a LONG silence at the end of the phone. I repeat the question, "I was thinking of stopping by for lunch, what do you serve?" She replies, "That's not funny and I don't appreciate it!" and then hangs up!!! I call back to see what the problem is - but no answer. Hmmm... perhaps this was NOT a restaurant and they're accustomed to crank calls? My luck, it's probably a taxidermy outfit!

Unknown farm in VA/NC border - I see a big pasture, complete with cows PLUS a series of exercise equipment! About 10 pieces: Treadmill, exercise bike, rower, weight set, etc... At first, I thought it was a yard sale, but as I went past - either someones trying to encourage their bovine or making an artful statement?

Tight Squeeze, VA - Yea, you read right... a small town named "Tight Squeeze" Nuff said.

Gretna, VA - welcoming sign at the city (LOL) limits states, "Welcome to Gretna, Virginia! Ain't no big thing, but it's growing!"

Phenix, VA I stopped to see if they pronounce it differently - "Nope" I guess they're happy they didn't spell it "Fenix"

Saw a street sign "Mud Dusty Rd" - guess you could say the people that named the road weren't optimistic?

Day 1

WHAT A DAY!!! Whew!


The day started 8/24/08 when I was picked up by SuperShuttle at my house at 7pm. I got to the airport in plenty of time only to find that the flight was overbooked by 14 people! If I had only had flexible travel times, I could have been compensated 2 ROUND TRIP TICKETS! But I turned it down. Too many reservations and I've already waited over a week to pick up my car...


I get an aisle seat (thanks to pre-booking and check-in) and sure enough, every last seat is taken. I sit next to a nice couple from South Africa that don't talk very much (grin). During the 4 hour flight, I probably get 30-45 min of sleep. Normally, I don't have a problem sleeping on a plane - guess I'm just too excited.


The plane arrives at JFK 30 min early (5:45am) so I call the Hampton Jitney (bus line I need to take to Southampton) and see if I can get on a bus earlier than my booked 9:20am bus. I get on the 7:20am bus that should arrive in Southampton by 9:20. Problem is, the dealership opens at 10am but I'd rather wait at the bus terminal in Southampton than JFK. I take a cab to the Cineplex Odeon in Queens (where the bus stop is). The bus is on time and by 9:25am, I'm walking in the Hampton Jitney bus depot. I know the dealer isn't in yet, but I call and leave them a message letting them know I'm early.


While I'm waiting, I look through some of the local newspapers and real estate listings. JEEZE!! Houses are expensive in the Hamptons!!! To get a roof and 2X4 walls, it's like $750,000 (well, not THAT bad but the average price that I saw was over $1.5million. The most expensive was $19million. Back to earth, William


While waiting, I see a nice white MINI pull up outside. It circles a few times and shortly, a gentleman walks up and asks, "Are you William?" It's Jerry Halloran - my MA.


We ride back to the dealership - when we turn into the lot, I'm looking all around for my Clubman, but I don't see it anywhere! We stop, go inside and start going over some paperwork.. .the wait is KILLING ME!


A worker comes up and hands Jerry a "key" and he just keeps looking through some paperwork and we continue to chat. I'm JUST about to ask him, "can I see my Clubman now?" when he stands up and asks me to follow him. We walk out the same door we just came in and THERE IT IS! I love the color more than I thought I would. The driver's door is open, inviting me to get inside. A LEGITIMATE "New Car" Smell!


After what seems like 15 seconds (but was more like 30 min), Jerry wants to go back inside so we can finish the "deal". I sign all the paperwork. He gives me an extra "key" (so nice of him as they are expensive) and I'm off to open the packages I had shipped directly to the dealer:


- detailing supplies (to add extra protection to the paint under the bra I'm going to install)
- a front hood / bumper bra
- headlight protectors
- Sun shades for the windshield and sun roofs (yes, there are two of them!)
- Sticky Pod (more on this later)


I take my time and thanks to Mark (AZMiniMan) demonstration before I left - I knew the installation of the bra was going to be TIGHT, but I got it put on. I take a picture of Edgar with the bra on and Jerry standing next to it.


When I leave the dealership, my first stop is Costco (to pick up some trip supplies). I park the car and by the time I get out, there are 5 people standing next to it! "What it is?" "Do you like it?" "What's the gas mileage" - etc. It's 20 min before I can get inside Costco!


After the shopping is finished, I'm on my way! First stop, Elizabeth NJ. I take this route so to avoid the route that Google chose through downtown Manhattan. Along the way, I see 4 other MINIS (no Clubbies though) and 3 of the 4 give "the wave"! One lady in a Saab pulled up beside me as we were driving and gave me the most enthusiastic wave I've seen. Either she really likes MINIs or probably has one or more at home.


Once in Elizabeth, NJ - I set my Garmin to avoid highways and dial in my first hotel location in North East, MD.


Now, here's where it gets really interesting (in several ways...)


First, Google Maps shows that I'd be driving 229 miles (all non-highway) in order to get to the Hotel. When I parked Edgar outside the hotel, he has 287 miles on him and right at a half a tank of gas left! The on board computer is reporting 41mpg!


So, I'm not sure why my Garmin chose such REMOTE routes, it was the BEST! While on Ridge Rd during a 27 mile stretch, I got my first "fix" of rolling curves in a rural setting. To top it all, the speed limit was 50! It was fantastic. Edgar drives like his wheels are Velcro with glue added for extra measure. While I'm keeping the RPMs under 4,000 and the speed below 70mph - it's VERY clear this car has plenty of power....


I'm going to attach a few of the picts now and will put up a complete album shortly... Please pardon the lack of organization - I'm tired and have to wake up at 5am to get started tomorrow.


Oh yea, the Weirdness of today - Seen at McDonalds at JFK... "Mickey D Sweet Tea" Being a born and breed Southerner, is nothing sacred? LOL