Tag: MTTS

Planning & Packing for MINI Takes the States

Posted on July 1, 2024 by Bruce

As we close in on the start of MINIUSA’s “TransAmerican Motortastic Road Trip to End All Road Trips Rally” How does one prepare for this? In the immortal words of Douglas Adams “Don’t Panic.” I’ve watched Social Media since the dates and route were announced and there are a lot of people who either are anxious, or have never actually driven their car outside of their town, county, or state before. I suffer from travel anxiety, but I guess I’ve pushed beyond my fear enough times that some things I’ve gotten a “This too shall pass” kind of attitude. Do I like it when my car has issues on the road? duh. no. I panic just as much as any normal person would. I just understand things happen. While this is my process, your mileage may vary.

How Do I Prepare?

First things first, I do my best to keep Alfie (aka Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All) in good operating condition. I rotate the tires regularly, change the oil, bring it in for scheduled maintenance to the dealership. I tried another local garage once and found that they were just as expensive and didn’t have the experience or resources that the dealership had. Interesting experiment. So now about two weeks out, my car is at the dealership getting a once over and oil change. Having an olderish MINI I want to give them time if parts needed to be ordered. I also have the dealership do a full detail inside and out. It’s pricey but I only do it once every two years, and it makes Alfie look nice in the sea of other nice looking MINIs.

So Alfie has a clean bill of health before heading out. What else do I do? I pack some extra oil and a bottle or two of fuel additive since we will be dealing with gasoline from a wide variety of locales and high altitude. I may not need either, but I’m an old Boy Scout so I’ll be prepared. Outside of that I have my usual quick cleaning kit some microfiber towels, window cleaner, and spray cleaner (Griot’s Speed Shine). So I feel good Alfie is ready to go.

What About The Humans?

Sue is responsible for her stuff, and I deal with mine. They have stores if we forgot anything. I have a small cooler that we will put water and soft drinks (pop, soda, coke, or whatever your region calls it) and a bag that will contain snacks. We usually go with a Chex Mix, and trail mix, maybe beef jerky or gummy bears. I’ll be driving through Texas so I know I’ll pass a Buc-ee’s at some point if I need to restock. The LEGO bag is the stuff I have for the car that usually is in the glovebox and a few other items. Since My MINI is currently in for service, this stuff is at home.

Since I am old I have various medications I need to take on a daily basis. This is a long trip so I contacted my insurance company to make sure I was allowed by the rules of the policy to actually get enough to last the entire trip. Anytime I put in a refill early it gets dinged, so I wanted to make sure. I figured out that by the time I return I will have been out of everything for a couple a weeks. I also waxed nostalgically about when you could just go to a pharmacist and say “I need extras” and the reply would be “Sure, hope you have a nice trip!”

I don’t know how people who drive a MINI convertible do it, the roadster has a ginormous boot (trunk for non-MINI folks) so we can live out of it without a problem. We had issues when we rented a MINI convertible in May. I’ll need to pack at least one MINI shirt for each day of the event. I already know I’ll wear the 2006 MTTS shirt, the MINI United Shirt, and the “Most expensive MINI shirt ever” besides that I need to pick 4 more- hopefully not all black although all old school MINI shirts are black.

So I might have a few MINI shirts I’ve gathered over the years… I also know I’ll be picking up a few along the road.

About halfway through we have a couple of days on our own so we could do laundry. In the past if you were part of the ‘Going All the Way” group MINI provided a small laundry service midway through… not anymore. I’ll pack jeans and shorts, with the full knowledge that I will most likely wear them more than once. I’ll also pack a couple pairs of shoes. One pair that is more comfortable for driving, and another pair for hiking and walking around. I might also throw in a pair for the evening events, although black tie is optional at these events. 🤪 I know heat will be an issue, but I will pack a light jacket or some rain protection (be prepared). I’ll also pack a couple of hats- my Tilley and a baseball cap. Some people will pack for each day in a different bag… whatever works for you. I’m planning on bringing a separate bag for dirty laundry that way my clean clothes don’t mix with my… other stuff. Don’t forget electronics and chargers. While I will be using my phone as a GPS I will also pack all the various chargers and a FRS Radio (set to channel 7 sub 21). Most electronics will be plugged into the car charger throughout the trip, but better safe than sorry.

Then There’s SWAG

I often roll my eyes and joke over the people who bring all these things to give away… I’m just as bad as all of them. I have been keeping a notebook for this trip and figured out all the different things I’m bringing to make other people happy. I have buttons, stickers, and a top secret very unique and limited edition duck. My hope is that everything I have I will not be bringing back with me. With the passing of a friend (MINIon 0666) I also have some items for those who knew him to honor and remember him. I will be passing most of those off to another friend (MINIon 0001) for distribution.

A couple days ago I finally went through my bags from MTTS 2022. I hadn’t opened them since we had returned home. I’m glad there wasn’t anything edible, or alive in there. I won’t say I was shocked by the amount of stuff I had, more like I was shocked by how little I had. I think of MTTS like some of my first Cons that I went to as an adult. I would take pictures of everything, because “WOW!” and now I know what I like, I know what I want and I know I don’t need another button or duck or whatever. My Lanyard from MTTS 2022 had only two personal buttons on it, the rest were ones given out by MINI. I had another lanyard that had the destination buttons on it. I’ll actually be taking off those personal buttons and pins to wear them this time around.

Your Tribe, or not…

My first MTTS (2006) I took it as a Rally and we drove straight to Indianapolis from St. Louis. We were helping the local club with the lap around the Motor Speedway, so I had a commitment. I wish I had taken more time to enjoy the road, and the people. 2008 was weird being four different events. We did Chicago (Road America) and then flew to L.A. We pretty much did it on our own, hanging out with friends from our local club and in L.A. I invited my family to join us. At MINI United in 2009 we met people from around the world and expanded our group. In 2010 we drove with some of them along the route and created the MINIons group. From 2012 – 2016 that group was our motoring crew. In 2018 Sue and I decided we wanted to go “rogue” adjust explore. Driving with a group can become stressful. Where is everyone? Who needs to use the bathroom? Do we stop at this attraction? What about lunch? Dinner? While it was fun, we embraced being by ourselves and catching up with everyone in the evening, or at breakfast. In 2022 Sue and I decided to go even more rogue, with Sue driving her MINI and me driving mine. It was a logical issue in which I had things to do beforehand and had to get home. While Sue had work and then went to visit family. This time around, I’m driving and Sue will meet me in Albuquerque we will then head off on our Whimventure. Will we drive with the MINIons? Maybe, but I know we have other things on the list.

Worried about finding your tribe? Don’t be, it is something that happens naturally. Those extroverts out there will march up and start creating a group (if they haven’t already). The introverts will sit back and meet people at breakfast, at the surprise and delight, or just on the road. Your driving group might change every day. The important thing is to have fun on your terms. If driving around with a bunch of people is your thing- great! I’m sure it will happen. If you just don’t know, it’s OK to drive with a group and then cut out later in the day. Be polite, say “Thanks” and you look forward to seeing them tomorrow at breakfast. You won’t hurt anyone’s feelings. As I said, sometimes (especially for whimventuring® introverts) it can be stressful driving with a large group.

Who are the MINIons? For the most part these are a mysterious group of people I have met along the road or people who were invited by other MINIons. We’ve basically grown up in the MINI community together and we are all over the place. We laugh together at the antics of those “serious” MINI owners. “My LXM number is lower than yours” kind of people.🙄 We try to help out when possible, but basically we take everything in stride. We live by the Book of Motoring and the idea of “Not Normal.” The group has traveled together, but also many go rogue and have their own Whimventures®. Of which Cecil (my stuffed monkey bent on World Domination and usual co-pilot) approves of these actions.

Plans & Schemes

List? What list? Now as we close in on leaving I’ve been going through Geocaching.com, the Adventure Lab App, Atlas Obscura, Roadside America, and other sources to see what might be on the route or nearby to see. We don’t know what the route will actually be, or the Surprise and Delights along the way. For us, our major goal won’t happen until we start heading home, after a short visit to check on my brother and how he’s handling retirement. We need to find caches in two more states to have found a geocache in every state in the lower 48. This leaves only Alaska and we will have completed the entire U.S. Outside of that we have Trolls to find and a visit to Groundspeak’s Headquarters in Seattle. I’ve created a list in Atlas Obscura, of things that look interesting. Along with a list on Geocaching.com, both will be constantly updated, and no, we won’t see everything on the list. Most of the geocaches are virtual ones, We’ll use the app to catch actual hides nearby as we stop for things.

I do recommend using either Geocaching or Adventure Labs as a way to explore new places. Download the apps create an account and go have some fun. Geocaching is using a GPS (or your Phone) to find something hidden by another player. Think of it as a treasure hunt. Sign the log, put it back where you found it, log it online and take a look around. Most Geocaches take you places people don’t usually go to. Think of it as a local showing you around. A Virtual Cache takes you to a place and you either need to send in the answers to some questions, or take a photo of yourself at the place. Adventure Labs use geo tracking and as you get close to a location a question pops up that you need to answer. These tend to be tours of local art, or historically significant places. A nice way to learn about where you are visiting. I like them because, unlike geocaches, I don’t need to dig through plants to search for them, I just need to find the answer on a plaque.

MTTS 2006 St. Louis from the Arch
MTTS 2006 St. Louis from the Arch

I happen to be going through some of my MINI memorabilia, you know stuff from various adventures over the years and thought that maybe, just maybe I should get my thoughts on the web since (remember kids) the Internet never forgets.  With MINI Takes the States happening this year, and people panicked over this and that maybe this could help, Because each MINI Takes The States (MTTS) has been different.  Before I try out Cecil’s Wayback Machine let me just define MINI Takes The States for you- MTTS is a biannual event put on by MINIUSA.  It’s kinda like the big event your car company puts on for you every two years… What do you mean?  Wait, wait, wait, your car company doesn’t do that?  Oh, I’m sorry.   It started in 2006.  I bought my MINI in 2005- timing is everything.

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MTTS 2006- Indianapolis Motor Speedway

MTTS 2006-  This was a coast to coast rally starting in California and ending in Connecticut.  A lot of miles in between with something going on is each city that they stopped in.  For this one, I could only do one leg.  I had to work.  So after “Back to School Night” we hopped into Penfold (our DS/W R53) and deadheaded it to St. Louis.  Once we arrived we crashed until the wee hours of the morning. Think kid on Christmas Day waiting to storm the tree. When we checked out the front desk told us to just pay the hourly fee for parking, what they were going to charge us for the night was a lot more- tells you what time we got in.  SO we heading to the St. Louis Arch for a group photo.  I had no idea what to expect, but being a teacher, tardiness is not acceptable.  We were not the first ones there, but after parking we did have enough time to go up the arch and snap a few photos.  The plane flew by, we all waved and then we got into our MINIs and headed to Indianapolis.  It wasn’t a nice long line (that’s what I had envisioned) we were in little clumps.  I was radioless, or clueless as to what channel to be on.  I just had fun, passing this MINI and that.  I don’t think we’re in any footage because we passed the film crew early on.  The arrival at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway fine, I pulled in to help my local club, MINICCI, with their portion of the event.  We were taking donations for “Racing fir Kids.”   As part of the group helping out we were the last ones on the track for our “parade lap.”  Look We were just trying to catch up with everyone else- we weren’t speeding officer.  After the lap most people gathered in the parking lot across from the Motor Speedway to talk.  MINIUSA had requested that this be an evening off so people could catch up on sleep.  A lot of people weren’t expecting that, I guess. That day was cool for a lot of reasons, driving at the Brickyard was only one part.  You see there was an accident that day outside the track.  A MINI convertible had been hit, everyone was fine, but their door was toast. So what did we all do?  We gathered around and signed the door.  That couple and “Gromit” their MINI are still friends.  The next day while everyone was driving off to their next destination I was back in my classroom taking attendance.

SWAG:  Lots of stuff for sale (shirts, CD of music, black t-shirt, grill badge) but what showed that you were part of the group was a red rubber wrist band.

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Blues Traveler at Road America- MTTS 2008

MTTS 2008- In 2008 MINIUSA decided to try something different.  All those days on the road were nice, but maybe what they do in Europe might work out better.  In Europe they had MINI United.  It was a massive party held at a racecourse. The entire weekend everyone in one place, with bands, and all sorts of merriments.  So they picked: Miami, Boston, Chicago, and Los Angeles.   They had a rally from Miami to Boston along the east coast, I think, I wasn’t there.  I was able to go to the Chicago event, This was when became one of THOSE OWNERS, the kind that think they know better, I’ve learned since then.  The event was great, had a chance to try out various MINIs on an autocross.  We did a lap at Road America (did I mention Illinois had annexed part of Wisconsin for the weekend?  (see, one of THOSE OWNERS)  At both events we tended to hang around people we knew.  We’d done a number of event so we were alone, but I’m sure a number of my close friends were probably there, and at Indy in 2006, I just didn’t know them yet, that was about to change.  I used “visiting my parents” as an excuse to go to MTTS in Los Angeles.  It was held at the Rose Bowl and was very similar to Chicago except L.A. was a parking lot, and Road America, was grass.  I tried to take my dad on a ride on the autocross, but asked not to be too rough since the transmissions were almost shot – They used the same cars at all of the events so to “that guy” who boasted about learning how to drive stick in a JCW on the autocross in Chicago- yes, I’m talking to you. Enough.

Is that clutch I smell? The autocross MTTS Los Angeles 2008
Is that clutch I smell? The autocross MTTS Los Angeles 2008

SWAG: Beisdes the black t-shirt, and grill badge, the coolest thing for sale were limited edition Ridemakerz R/C MINIs.  These had the graphic and were numbered.  I picked mine up in Los Angeles and was amazed that I could get #37 (out of 50).  37 being a mystical number in the MINI community.  Each location had their own color of rubber wristbands.

MTTS 2010-  This was also different, it seemed that MINIUSA was trying out different formats to see which worked best.  So in 2010 they had a central location (Denver, CO) like MINI United, but had four different routes to get there.  The eastern side of the Mississippi met in Indianapolis (Crossroads of America”) and then headed to Denver.  Each route had something special- the Brickyard for the East, and the Bonneville Salt Flats for the West.   By this time (sixth year of MINI Ownership) we started to put together a group.  We also learned that most people were sick and tired of eating barbecue.  This group followed us for pizza at our local haunt.  We called ahead an reserved the back room, and had a great time catching up.   Most of these folks I hadn’t seen since MINI United in 2009, so it was great to get the band back together.  The next morning we were late… ugh.  We caught up to everyone and the group had

Yes, there are a lot of MINIs at MTTS. MTTS 2010
Yes, there are a lot of MINIs at MTTS. MTTS 2010

gotten a little bigger (this will be a reoccurring theme), we had FRS radios so we could communicate, and every day was an adventure, and we learned that there are going to be bumps in the road.  Some of those are from the host dealership thinking that only 5 people were doing MTTS, other cause your hood scoop to fly off.  We all made it to Denver in one piece with tales to tell about squirt guns in Dodge City.  Dodge City was a stop that some people skipped, for me it was one of the most memorable in any MTTS.

SWAG: Black t-shirt and Grill badges for sale.  This was the first MTTS to hand out buttons at each stop and some special buttons for the charities involved and the VIPs who were there.  The coolest thing though were the bags that your stuff was given to you in.  They were made from old MINI billboards.

This was the MTTS that I drew a daily comic for, it was fun, and I don’t recommend it if you want to really enjoy yourself.  I would drive all day, go to the event (always looking for something to comment on), get back to my hotel room and draw, scan, color, and post, before going to bed.  It was an honor to be a part of MTTS 2010, but I wasn’t too beaten up about not doing it again.

Yes, those are temporary plates MTTS 2012
Yes, those are temporary plates MTTS 2012

MTTS 2012- So, if you noticed, I have yet to do an entire MTTS (2008 doesn’t really count) that changed in 2012.  The MINIUSA Gods were smiling at me and picked a time that was actually during my Summer Break.  I was ready to go Coast to Coast in my 2005 R53.  This would be Penfold’s last big trip, I was thinking about the new GP.  Neither of these happened.  A few days before I was planning on leaving (my wife would jump in when we were close to Indy) Something drastic happened to Penfold.  Basically a bunch of different things went “Sproing!” and I had to decide what to do.  So, the Friday before MTTS I picked up my 2012 Roadster and did the entire MTTS on temporary plates.  Thanks to Social Media, our group had been planning and scheming since before the announcement had been made.  We gathered in New Jersey and were set to go.  Did we all stay at the same hotel? No.  Did we all end up driving every minute together? No.  Sometimes someone would get lost, or in our case (Sue ended up doing the entire thing after all) we took a quick detour home to drop off some stuff, and pick up other things.  We still made to to Autobahn with time to spare. “Going All the Way” was fantastic.  We had gotten to know many of the crew for MTTS over the years, and they have become good friends  (that we see every two years).  Because of The comic in 2010 our group had taken on the label, MINIons.  You see one of the characters in the comic was Cecil, a monkey bent on world domination, who has a infinite number of minions (who are not yellow, and do not wear goggles).  I created a badge for our small group.  I then tried to get more halfway through the trip (epic fail – thank you USPS), since the group continued to grow.  In some cases it was just talking at the event, sometimes it was bumping into someone on the road.

SWAG: Black shirt, grill badge for sale, buttons at every stop. If you went “All the way” you received a shirt at the beginning (I’m going all the way) and another at the end (I went all the way).

MTTS 2014- After 2012 “Going all the way” had become a badge of honor.  Yes, everyone had a great time no matter how much or how little of MTTS they could participate in, but the orange lanyards. they stood out.  Someone was asked why they didn’t put the buttons on their lanyard- the reply was something like “I have an orange lanyard, people know already where I’ve been.”  This time I went “All the way- to Lubbock”  So I missed a lot of really cool events.  2014 also demonstrated how flexible we all need to be.  There was an app, but it was having troubles, so they went back to printing out route sheets.  The group kept getting bigger so some venues had to be changed to accommodate.  St. Louis and Chicago are the two I recall (and I wasn’t even there).  We discovered (although we already knew) how wonderful the MINIUSA & TPG folks are.  My thermostat went out in Nevada, I figured I would call the nearest dealership and get it taken care of.  Nope.  When the crew heard, they called Salt Lake City, and got everything arranged.  We were a little late  getting into Wendover, but It was taken care of.  My MINI was still under warranty, so my cost was nothing but my time.  There are other stories, cracked windshields and calls ahead to the next dealership, everything was handled.  So I left at Lubbock.  Lubbock was a down day.  Some people had arranged a few events for that night, but nothing official.  A bunch of us went to the Drive-In.  After that I wished everyone safe

MINI Takes The States 2012- the somewhat damp salt flats.
MTTS 2014- The somewhat damp salt flats.

travels and let them drive off to the next stop.  I hung around to say my goodbyes to everyone else.  I was amazed at how quickly everything was packed up and they were off.  So if you’re thinking you can drop by a little late- no one will be there.

After years of going back and forth on graphics I finally stopped off on the way to California and got stripes put on Alfie.  I still get the “cool car” reaction not only because it is a cool car, but I think the strips do add something.  This was the first year we made special badges for the group we drive with (it keeps getting bigger & I don’t know everyone) Each one was drawn by me, so no two are alike.  This led me to drawing a monkey a day for an entire year.  The bus was MINIon 1701… I’m not sure they knew that or not.

SWAG: Grill badges, black t-shirts.  I was depressed enough about having to head home, that I’ve kinda blotted out the rest.  I tried to keep my mind on school, and my students, but it was pretty hard (thank you social media).

MTTS 2016-  Aren’t the newbies cute?  All those things we worried about when it was our first MTTS are now their worries.  Things we tried and failed at are now new wonderful ideas!  So here’s my suggestion for those who this is their first time- in the words of Douglas Adams- “Don’t Panic.”  If you are figuring out what to pack- bring only half of it. If you need something, this is America, they have stores here.  If you want to make shirts- go ahead, but MINIUSA has the official one, the that’s the one that matters the most on the collectors market, same for grill badges.  Hotels? For some of the smaller towns (St. Ignace for example) you might want to book, but the larger cities wait until the dust settles.  If you wanted to stay in a host hotel, you’re probably too late anyway.  If you have to get up early to make it to breakfast… oh well, you have to get up early to make it to breakfast. Make this adventure a learning experience, plan to attend everything, so you can better decide the next time (if there is a next time) what you really want to do.  For your first time- experience everything “official” that you can. Trust the MINIUSA and TPG people, they don’t want this to be horrible.  If you are on social media- don’t be negative, sorry, but you don’t know everything… even the people who think they know everything, don’t (including me).  Can you do this alone? You aren’t alone. Can you bring your pets? Sure! but don’t expect everything to be open to them.  Can you bring your kids?  Sure, it’s a great way for them to see the country, but understand that some places may not be right for them (not saying any aren’t, but be prepared).

This is just like a family vacation except you aren’t in charge of the itinerary, sit back and enjoy the ride.  Know that breakfast will be provided, if you don’t like what’s for breakfast pick something up on the road.  Evening events usually involve food- but it might not be vegan, gluten free, soy free, or whatever your dietary restrictions are- plan for it.  Those free nights?  Relax, it’s a time to explore or just sit in your hotel room and sleep.  While you get used to having every minute planned, you are an adult (I’m assuming) so act like one (says the guy who carries around a stuffed monkey) a little spontaneity never hurt anyone.  If you have any complaints about what is happening, where we are going, or when information is being made public, remember this: MINI doesn’t have to do this… So don’t ruin it for everyone with whining.

Hope to see you on the road- You should be able to spot me I’ll be the one driving the MINI.