Tag: Whimventure®

MINI Takes The States 2024 – The Recap

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Bruce

On July 10th I headed out west to be a part of “The MINI TransAmerican Motortastic Road Trip to End All Road Trips Rally” ver. 9.0 You’ve heard me trying to help people prior to the start. Once I got on the road all I can say is it was a lot of driving… roundtrip somewhere around 6,700 miles. This was my ninth time going on this drive put on by MINIUSA every two years (Postponed once due to a pandemic). I’ve also gone to the European version- MINI United which is basically a long weekend party. In 2009 it was at Silverstone Raceway in the United Kingdom. They stopped doing MINI United in 2012. Basically this one was Albuquerque to Seattle with two days in the middle where you were on your own.

The diversity of this country comes into full view as you drive the roads throughout each state. You learn so much about how big and beautiful our country is when you see it from the road. I do recommend this type of travel to everyone, MINI Takes the States makes it a bit easier.

The route is planned for you, all you need to do is show up in the morning for breakfast at the appointed time and get a route sheet. Do you have to follow it? No, you can do whatever you want, but… With MTTS MINI provides Roadside Assistance to those on the route… not on the route? They’ll still help, but it might take more time and there are “vultures, vultures everywhere!” 🤪

The trip from Indy to Albuquerque wasn’t bad at all, I listened to two books Slaying the Dragon by Ben Riggs on the history of TSR and NPCs by Drew Hayes, a fantasy involving what happens when a bunch of Non Player characters decide to go on a adventure. I liked them both. When I arrived in Albuquerque I went to the airport and picked up Sue.

The next day we visited the Very Large Array and then headed north to check into MTTS at Sandia MINI. There we met up with some friends, passed out buttons and stickers, and picked up our lanyards, water bottles, and goodie bag. The cost for one person to go “All the Way” is $200. You get some swag, but the most important pieces are probably your lanyard with your badge and your wristband. This year they went with #CampMINI as a theme and we were divided into troops. Each troop was named after a MINI color and an animal. Sue and I were part of the Volcanic Orange Scorpions. There were competitions each morning pitting each troop against each other for fame and prizes. At registration they also handed us a bingo card to go meet new people. When completed we could turn this in for a merit badge. We stuck around discovering that many of our friends from past MTTS events were having some trouble and their MINIs were being serviced, before leaving tomorrow. We heard about a group getting together in Old Town for dinner and decided to join them. After many spilled drinks (mostly water) we ate and then headed back to the hotel to prepare for the first Rise & Shine.

Online terror strikes with people concerned about pretty much everything. We weren’t overly concerned since we had done this before and we actually do travel a bit. Having a trunk also helps because most of your things are out of sight. Each night we would bring in our cooler, our small suitcases, our snack bag and daypacks. We had planned for being on the road for over two weeks so we knew we would be recycling some clothes. we also knew space was tight.

First photo for MTTS as I entered Albuquerque I saw the supply trucks from the Interstate.

The Rise & Shine

We started off at the Balloon Fiesta Park with excitement levels high. There is a row of tents each dealing with something and over the course of the trip you get into a groove as to where to go.

  • Registration Tent- If you missed registration yesterday or are joining now, this is your first stop. You get you water bottle, folding daypack, lanyard, wristband and other SWAG.
  • Check-In Tent- If you’ve already registered, here is where you pick up today’s button. You are given a button at each location. You may also get other SWAG that they may give out for that day. Exclusive super cool stuff… or not, matters the day.
  • MINI Financial Services – in 2022 they gave out magnets for each state, this time around they went with window clings which are harder to steal. If you had a MINI credit card you could also get something special if you showed your card. MINI Financial Services has embraced being eco friendly so they had just announced a new card made from the plastics floating around the ocean.
  • Merch Tent – Yes, you can get a grill badge, t-shirt, sweatshirt…
  • Plant Oxford – Our guests from across the pond. They were giving away chances to take classes in Thermal, CA and you can sign the bonnet of their MINI Countrymen which will be hung in Thermal for all to see. They also had a couple of different buttons.
  • MINI Connected – Learn about all the cool tech in the latest model of MINI. They gave out pins highlighting one of the many features provided by MINI Connected.
  • American Camp Association – MTTS is a way for MINI owners to do good. This year we were motoring for Keep America Beautiful and The American Camp Association. Here You could donate and receive limited edition MINI SWAG or you could buy raffle tickets for the daily MINI Lifestyle package.
  • Breakfast – Ranged from Pancakes to other breakfast fare… sadly, no breakfast burritos. 😢
  • Urban X – showing off their cool 3D Printers and making license plate frames.
  • MINI Services – raffling off a cooler and a chance for free oil changes for 3 years. They also started scanning keys and printing out a picture of your MINI it’s mileage and how many services were due.
  • There would be other tents sometimes local dealerships selling shirts, or local groups telling you about the area.

Everyone got into a rhythm as to where to go first what to save for last. Throughout the morning our mistress of ceremonies, Dez, would go over things you should know, but many people didn’t listen to. This was when games would be played, the raffles would occur and execs would come up and say a few words. Raffle rules: your name is called three times and then the ticket goes into “THE POCKET OF DOOM.”💀

Once the morning is over we are sent to our cars, and we head off through a gauntlet of MINI people waving flags and cheering us on. Somedays this was 7-9am others 7-10am

Highlights from the Road Leg 1: Albuquerque to Salt Lake City

Each day brought about different scenery each unique. Day one for us ended with us in peril… OK not too much peril, but still. We had stopped for gas and a short break about an hour outside of Durango. When we restarted Alfie there was a red warning indicator which looked like the car was in the garage on a lift. If it were amber, I’d probably drive on… a little anxious, but still get into town and have it checked out in the morning. The car did start. However it was red… red usually means bad things. I called Roadside Assistance explained what was going on and was told a service vehicle should be there within an hour. I then got a call from the service vehicle and explained it was probably nothing, but I wanted to checked out. They arrived. and everything started with some laughing and a belief by everyone that it was “nothing.” Then came an “oh.” and next thing we know it, Mike Peyton, VP of MINIUSA is there and two other corporate MINIs. I kept repeating that I just had the car in days before I left… It seemed the FRM Module (which runs things that don’t make the car drive, things like the lights) had gone out. It was a known issue in that these things have an expiration date (kinda) they run so many actions and then – they die. There is no way to predict it… it just happens. So we are stranded…

As the story goes Jim McDowell the first VP of MINIUSA was at Disney and noticed that a kid had dropped their ice cream within a few minutes, the ice cream had been cleaned up by a cast member, and the kid had a new one. They say he felt that MINI Takes the States should have the same kind of service. If something goes wrong, the MINI owner should be taken care of. We were. One of those Countrymen were emptied out and we were handed the keys. Alfie would be towed to Salt Lake City and we could pick him up there. We had a 2025 MINI Countryman for about three days. I’ve already written up my feelings about the Biggest MINI ever so I won’t go into it. My only regret was Mike Peyton did offer to go over the new controls with me, and I turned him down… I still don’t know about many of the Easter Eggs hidden in the large round screen. We christened our new MINI “Joel Incognito” “Joel” because that’s who we took him from- the MINI kept say “Hello Joel” and “Incognito” because no one knew us since we weren’t driving the Roadster.

It was a great drive and each Rise and Shine brought about the same vibe. I spent a lot of time running around handing out pins and stickers something I will do less of in the future (you don’t get to spend that much time caching up with friends). I will note that while driving “Joel Incognito” I noticed that we did blend in with other cars on the road. MINI says the new Countryman is the “Biggest MINI ever” as if that should be a point of pride… ummm… We were driving through some small town in Colorado in a mixed line of cars when I saw this woman on the side of the road waving like a crazy person at all the MINIs going by. When the “regular” cars came by she stopped waving. We were sandwiched between a couple of non-MINIs and I watched her stop waving. She then looked around for other MINIs. We started waving at her and she ignored us. Still looking for MINIs to wave at. The new model doesn’t have the same characteristics as what people consider a “MINI” it’s just another car. While Members of the MINI community may politely embrace this change, the general public is looking for what they think of as a MINI.

We arrived in Salt Lake City and headed over to MINI of Murray to pick up Alfie. He was repaired and we happily drove off leaving some surprises for whoever ended up with Joel Incognito next. (stickers buttons, a drawing and note of “thanks.” That night was an evening event celebrating the end of the first leg. With lots of posts about parking, food, and confusion from the people who don’t listen to Dez when she makes announcements.

The group photo of those who had attended all nine MINI Takes The States and could make the photo… so many were missing. (See Seattle for the other photo)

Choose Your Own Adventure

Between Salt Lake City and Bozeman we had two days on our own. We were told MINI Takes The States staff would be off the clock, that regular Roadside Assistance would work, but the special set up for MTTS would not. Go have fun and explore. Which we did.

We started with a quick trip into Herriman, UT to see the “Up House.” Then to Promontory to the Golden Spike. From there we went into Idaho and the Museum of Clean. The next day took us to Jackson Wyoming and our first Troll of the trip. From Jackson we headed into the national parks. Ending up in Boseman for the night.

Highlights from the Road Leg 2: Bozeman to Seattle

The Return of Jim McDowell – The prime Chief Motorer returned from retirement to join us on the second leg. For those of us who had done MTTS since the beginning this was like the second coming- with a squirt gun. He was just one of us on this trip, but it was great to see him and his wife having a great time reconnecting with MINI owners. Yes, he tried to kidnap Cecil on multiple occasions, but that was part of the fun of having Jim around.

I’ve spoken about the diversity of our country, and sometimes we have stereotypes. one that persists is how the Pacific Northwest is pretty much mountains and pine trees… nope. A lot of Washington state is fields, 75% of all hops used in beer production in the US comes from this area. It is also pretty hot until you cross through the mountains.

MINI Roadside Assistance to the rescue (again) – When we left for the last Rise & Shine a low tire indicator when off. We pulled into the Roadside Side Assistance Tent, and the quickly discovered a very small, slow leak in one of my tires… They said keep an eye on it, and get it patched in Seattle. Which I did.

The last Rise and Rally was interesting, here is where MINIUSA auctions off all the stuff from the trip so they don’t have to carry it back, and it brings in a nice sum to the charity. over the years we have picked up a few items at these auctions and plan ahead since they are cash only. This time I had my eye on the Volcanic Orange Scorpions Troop flag and Sue wanted to continue our collection of event banners. The hardest part about this and anything else is the limited space in a MINI. We’ve been living for two weeks out of our little car and over the stops picked up stuff. Usually t-shirts or other small things, but still we had little or no room. With that in mind we did not go for the Large “Welcome to…” signs or the “Jelly Beans” used to direct people to the event. We dis get what we wanted, so we were happy.

The Museum of Flight

The final event was held at the Museum of Flight in Seattle, there were the typical questions about parking and food. There was a mob to get into the Museum where we earned our “wings” which was awesome. One thing they also had (which drew the largest crowd) was the extras- buttons, pins, stickers that were left over from the trip. Sadly, for those of us who had “Gone all the Way” this meant that some of the exclusive items weren’t that exclusive anymore. While it is a bit of gambling- pay for the last day and get all the swag you missed. Of course Sue and I live by what we call the “Harley-Davidson Rule” – Buy the bike, then buy the shirt. So we won’t buy or wear stuff from things we haven’t done. As with all rules it can be bent, I wore a MINI cap years before I bought a MINI. (Still wear the cap) I just recall once wearing a Brooklyn Dodgers jacket my parents had bought me and getting quizzed by a sports geek about the team. I wore it because I grandfather was a fan and almost failed out of high school because he would skip class to go to games. After that I stopped wearing the jacket. Those who know me well, know I know nothing about sports.

…and so it ends at the Museum of Flight as it began…
A portion of the group that has participated in every MTTS since 2006. Kind of the “Perfect Attendance Club” There are around 14 of us crazy folks.

Oh, for the record it was catered and parking was available.

Pictures or It Didn’t Happen

So what did I learn from my 9th running of MINI Takes The States?

  • Be flexible, things happen, go with the flow.
  • Don’t Panic, it’s silly when you panic over stuff like “Where do I park?” or “Will they provide food?” you will find a place to park, and if no food is provided you can get something somewhere else.
  • Buy early… if you want SWAG, make sure to get it your first day.
  • Don’t obsess over buttons, stickers, koozies, ducks, or other signature items. You’ll be spending your time trying to hand things out instead of meeting people.
  • Fill up when you reach half a tank.
  • Leave yourself some room. Don’t overpack. We brought a cooler for drinks and ended up leaving in it Washington because it took up too much space.
  • While I loved having two days in the middle – it made it like it was two different trips. So many new people jumped in that it was like starting all over again, with people not understanding what was going on.
  • I missed the Surprise and Delights… With only one gathering each day there was limited time to get to chat with other Motorers. Therefore it was harder to find a group to drive with if that’s what you wanted. The only Surprise and Delight was on the first leg, a drive through photo op, which didn’t lend itself to getting together unless you were waiting in line at the port-o-let.
  • I need to keep in contact with my tribe better. While I’m an introvert and tend to like being by myself. I missed sharing meals with my MINI peeps. We were fortunate enough to meet up a couple of times on the road, but still.
  • Let the crazies be crazy. There are a number of people who think they are a “Professional driver on a closed course” and will drive dangerously. Enjoy your drive, stay safe and avoid those idiots like the plague. Give them all the room they need so you won’t get hurt.
  • I’m looking forward to MTTS 2026 (if it happens- nothing official has been announced) Do I care where or when? not in the least.
  • Need to plan/remember to get Adventure Labs in the places we visit or along the way… I made a list an promptly ignored it.
  • In this day and age we have learned something- there are too many places to get bad information. MTTS has a bunch of groups- MINI Takes The States 2024 (now 2026), MINI Takes the States- First Time Newbies, MINI Takes The States – Going All The Way, and a bunch of repeat groups (some set up by scammers). All giving out similar but in many cases slightly different information. I hope that by the next one, either there will be a central location to get information, or MINIUSA works with one of the Social Media groups to get official information out in a quick reliable way. Having an event App only helped a bit and sometimes led to more confusion.

By The Numbers

  • Days Motored: 19
  • States Motored in: 15 (We have now traveled through all 50 states in some way or another)
  • Miles Motored : 6,392 not counting a tow to Salt Lake City and driving “Joel Incognito”
  • Approx. Hotel Cost for the Actual Days of MTTS: $2700
  • Approx. Fuel for the actual Dates of MTTS: $850
  • Registration All the Way for two: $200
  • Official SWAG: $140
  • Donations: All in Cash so a bunch- One Event Banner, One Troop Flag, numerous raffle tickets, One Oxford Plant polo shirt (aka the most expensive MINI shirt ever)
  • Food: Umm… I never try to figure this out since we have to eat no matter where we are.
  • Geocaches & Adventure Lab stages: 125 We only have Alaska to go then we will have found a geocache in every U.S. State.
  • Signature SWAG handed out/lost: 41 MINIons Take the States Buttons, 33 MINIons Take The States Stickers, 90 MINIon 4238 buttons, 32 Extinct MINI Cooper Motoring Society Window Clings (v.1), 13 LEGO ducks, 20 MTTS 2024 classic stickers.
  • Buttons, Signature SWAG, Ducks collected: Does it really matter?
  • Photos taken: 1,056
  • Trolls (Thomas Dambo Sculptures) visited: 12, 15 if you count the portals.

The Journey Home

On the way home we stopped off to see family and then more trolls which, by now, might be like family, but aren’t. We made it safely back to rest for a few days before the next Whimventure®

Planning a Whimventure®- MINI Takes The States 2024

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Bruce

I know I’ve posted about this before, heck I spent a year drawing monkeys based on MTTS badges. So this is a pretty big thing for me, but it’s also just another Whimventure.
In 2006 MINIUSA, back when they did some amazingly innovative things, decided to put together a cross country roadtrip to celebrate the MINI JCW GP the end of their first iteration of the new MINI. It ran from Monterrey, CA to Limerock CT. They had no clue what they started. Over the years it’s changed into the current version. Every two years MINI owners get together and rally. With the exception of COVID this has been the case. So how do I plan for this? Like any other Whimventure, with a few subtle changes.

There might be an app, we’ll know closer to the start. People have been on the various groups in Social Media asking questions, trying to sell things to help offset the cost of the trip. Some people get sponsors. Some people take it way too seriously. Think of it this way, it’s like going on a cruise where you know where all the ports are, but you are captain of your ship and decide how to get from port to port. Online, be nice, but right now, I’m doing a lot of ignoring, there are “experts” out there, I’m not one of them. Your mileage may vary. I’ve been doing MTTS since 2006. I’ve been on all or part of every single one. My favorite, was probably 2012 (I know it was my wife’s favorite). I’ve seen the event evolve into what it currently is. Do I miss somethings from the past? Sure, but I also understand things change. I’ve learned a lot over the years, and forgotten even more than I’ve learned. As I get ready to head out next month, here’s what I’m doing. It’s your Whimventure® you do you.

MotoringFile does have a nice report on MTTS although it is is filled with ads (somebody’s got to pay for it) You can also go to the MINI Takes the States website for the official word along with so many groups in social media, many being set up as I type this to grab your information and sell you shirts, stickers, magnets, hand knit socks and other stuff. Caveat Emptor.

The Route

This year the route starts in Albuquerque and ends in Seattle. So there’s the first part- getting to the starting place. Some people ship their MINI, I prefer to drive. It will be a drive in which I’m playing some of it by ear, not knowing where I will stop for the night. I do know I am planning on arriving a day early to just take a breath.


In the past only the stopping locations were known. It looks like they have announced a basic route along with host cities. The thing is now, the morning event is pretty much the only mandatory thing each day. So once you get into the city you have time to explore before getting up the next morning and starting all over again.

In the past there were morning events and then an evening event. People really had no time to see where they landed for the night. Making sure you got into town on time added a level of stress to everyone, although some of those evening events are the most memorable parts of the experience. One of my favorites was Washington D.C. in 2012 and watching fireworks over the Mall from the Newseum.
How do so plan for the route? I don’t. I will check Atlas Obscura and Roadside America for quirky place between point A and point B. I also will see what cool places are at the destination. Sue will check things like geocaches with massive favorite points, and stuff like that. We will use the Geocaching and Adventure Lab Apps for ideas as to where to make that left turn instead of right. Now we are on the look out for Thomas Dambo’s Trolls. We will deviate from the route when needed or just on a whim.

Hotels

It’s one night, so it isn’t that big of a deal. Early on MINIUSA had set host hotels with room blocks. Usually these were boutique hotels and a bit pricey, now it’s every MINI owner for themself. Some grab hotels the second the host cities are announced, others wait until the morning venue is announced. I waited until I had time, there is no rush. You could do it on the road if you really wanted, but some cities the number of hotel rooms may be scarce. Should you be close to the morning event? How about downtown? It’s up to you. There will most likely be a line to get into wherever the morning event is happening so just how far do you want your drive & what do you want to spend? We’re kinda all over the place. I just didn’t want to be in a hotel that would smell of antiseptic or so loud that I can’t sleep. It’s only one night. I just finished booking my hotels, and it’s a mixed bag of types and locations. Some cities were really expensive, others, not so much. I’m from Indiana so my idea of expensive, might not match yours.

Packing

They have stores throughout America (it’s called “capitalism”) and while corporate greed has been driving up prices if I really need something I can stop by a store along the route. I understand that there are Dollar General Stores every 200 yards in some communities. So while I do pack, I also don’t worry too much if I forget something.

The First MTTS Grill Badge from 2006
One of the tubs of other MINI SWAG from various events over the years. I consider myself conservative and very selective on what I actually keep.

This is the opportunity to wear all your MINI t-shirts! If you’ve been doing this as long as I have, you have a bunch to choose from. One thing I will guarantee is that you will come back with more shirts than you had when you left. I used to bounce between not wanting to be like everyone and wanting to fit in. Which means wearing a MINI shirt everyday and not wearing one. This time around, I’ll pull out some of my classic shirts (mostly black, because… classic MINI shirts were ALWAYS BLACK) I figure I don’t have a chance to wear these much, so why not?

As for anything else, I pack some jeans maybe a pair of khakis, socks, underwear, my meds (since I am old), a toothbrush, and some toothpaste. I may have time to do a load of laundry since there is a break between Salt Lake City and Bozeman, but who knows what I might want to do instead. It is only 9 days on the road with MINI so I should be able to fit most of my stuff in a carry-on. You may need to plan more if you own a MINI Convertible and are traveling with someone. I know my Roadster is more than capable to take on the task of lugging Sue’s and my stuff around. I also pack at least two pairs of shoes. I learned that wearing the same shoes every day for more than week can get uncomfortable. Also, some shoes are better for driving while others are better for walking.

Buttons and Stickers and Ducks… Oh My!

Here’s where it gets interesting. Originally MINIUSA would provide participants with lanyards and then each day you would get a button in the morning. It was a way to prove you had actually been to wherever they had stopped. Jim McDowell (then VP of MINIUSA) had his Bulldog button, which was coveted and only given out by Jim. You had to do something besides just ask for it. I recall the first ones were given out to those people willing to lift their leg like a dog near a fire hydrant… Cecil decided to make his own button the next MTTS (maybe some others, but I only remember Cecil’s). The next MTTS the floodgates opened and more and more people had buttons to exchange. There isn’t enough room on a lanyard for all the buttons! Then people started giving out other items, stickers, business cards, koozies, you name it. MINI still gave out things, but I think after The Great Thermal Umbrella Stampede it hopefully has settled down. What is the big item everyone wants? Who knows what will happen this year. In 2022 it was MINI Financial Services magnets from each destination. With people stealing them off of cars which is very unMINI like.

Why? Are these are ways to prove your existence? Like having 1,000,000 Facebook “friends” or followers or whatever. It gives people a sense of belonging, of importance. It’s nice that someone is tracking you down so they can have a complete set of buttons. At some point the question becomes, what will I do with all this stuff? My “collection” is in a tub, in the basement. I may do something with it sometime.

Do I have SWAG to give away? Yes, I’m a lemming. My problem is I get so many ideas and it is so easy to have things made now days. I have a button for MINIon 4238 (that would be me) I have a button for MINIons Take the States along with a sticker. I have a classic MINI Takes the States sticker. I have a “Start in the Wrong Place” button and sticker. I even have Whimventure® Stickers. My plan is to not have anything specifically MTTS related left before I get to Seattle. So I didn’t buy that much of any item – maybe 50. (It also makes my stuff a lot more “collectible.”)

What the duck?!? Yes, while the Jeep World (that has a much better PR department) has been overwhelmed by “ducking,” the urban legend is that it all started with MINI. I’ve seen news reporting both. Some people will place ducks on your MINI. I have avoided this, probably because I just haven’t found a duck I like, plus, I like things that are unique. Will I be putting ducks on people’s MINIs? You’ll know when the time comes. If I had a 3D Printer… things would get ugly.

What should you do? Whatever you want. If you want to pass out ducks, or buttons, or stickers, or hand knit socks… do whatever you want and what you can afford. Owning a MINI isn’t cheap, going to #CampMINI isn’t cheap. Don’t feel the pressure to do anything you don’t want to. Some MINI Owners will do everything, others will do nothing. Don’t be surprised if you have some left over.

Past Experience – A Typical Day

Get up, get out of bed, drag a comb across your head. Once you check out of your hotel, head to the Rise and Shine. Wait in line and be directed where to park by the friendly and helpful parking staff. You’ll get to know these folks and everyone else working the event over the course the Rally. There will be people with ginormous flags marking their location because… I really don’t know, but it makes them happy.

If it’s your first time, have your paperwork in order. Be that printed, or on your phone, or tattooed to your ankle. When you are checked in you will get a lanyard and a badge for whatever you paid for. In this case, I’m guessing one day, will get a wristband, “Going All the Way” will get one kind of badge, if you are only doing half (Ending in Salt Lake City or starting in Bozeman) you’ll get another.

Check in every day this might be getting your badge scanned, it might be something else entirely, but check in. You should also be able to pick up a paper map for today’s route. They’ve tried a bunch of different technological solutions, but a paper map makes a lot of people more comfortable. There will be breakfast there (maybe even yummy breakfast burritos).

There should be a row of tables, and tents. One of the tables is where you check in. There will be a bunch of people looking lost (these will be the people just joining). Each table will offer something different. There will be SWAG, MINI Financial Services, MINI Service, a local charity, I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but basically like a comic book convention walk the tables, enter in the raffles they are having, pick up the SWAG. Throughout the morning there will be announcements, and entertainment, and the “Pocket of Doom.” Meet people, look at and admire everyone’s MINI and the You-ification they have done to make their MINI “Not Normal.” After the final raffle drawings and announcements (maybe even an auction of rare MINI related stuff) everyone will be asked to get ready to leave. This means, everyone will rush to the bathrooms. Once everyone is back to their cars, the lines will be sent off to much fanfare. After you leave the location, it is up to you as to what you do next.

Somewhere on the route, there might be a “Surprise and Delight” what is it? I don’t know, it’s a surprise. It usually is a roadside location or someplace cool. Sometimes there is SWAG there to pick up. This makes those folks who need it all (See the Great Thermal Umbrella Stampede) rushing to get there first so they don’t miss out! Other times along the route you might see a group of MINIs stopped for a photo op. Stop and see what’s so exciting. Maybe they just stopped on a whim, maybe for ice cream.

You’ll see a MINI on the road- don’t forget to WAVE. If you have a radio you might call out to them. Channel 7 sub 21 is typical for MINI, but some groups set their own so that they can avoid unnecessary chatter. When you get to your destination, check into your hotel. Explore the city if you have a chance. Eat dinner, got to sleep and do it all again the next day.

I have always said when you buy a MINI you get a new family… usually with an overwhelming number of weird uncles and aunts who your parents have told you to not follow their example. MINI Takes The States is a great way to get to know other people who love their MINIs as much as you do. If you didn’t why would you spend the money to register, and be a part of this adventure? Over the years I have sat with many of my friends who I would never have gotten to know if it weren’t for this crazy little car. I look forward to meeting new people and just having fun once I arrive in Albuquerque.

Something Will Go Wrong

Yes, as they say “The best laid plans of mice.” It could be something new they are trying like a map app, or breakfast, or they run out of whatever SWAG is in demand this year, or your hotel, or whatever. Be patient, be kind. Yelling and complaining will get you nowhere and it is the most unMINI thing I can think of. MINIUSA and the people working MTTS will do everything in their power to make sure you have a great time (kinda like staying at a Disney Resort) but they can only do so much and be so nice. If something goes wrong, DON’T PANIC, “It’s all part of the show.” To prepare ahead of time, I’m taking my 2012 Roadster in for a check up (Tire rotation, fluid top off, alignement check) and at least an oil change. Alfie (aka Stormageddon, Dark Lord of All) has been on every MTTS since 2012 when he went cross country on temporary plates, he’s not missing this one if he can help it. If something goes wrong, I know MINI will have people there to help and will schedule time at the nearest dealership if needed. It won’t be free, but it is a bit of piece of mind. Getting to Albuquerque and back home, I’m on my own (unless I win Roadside Assistance for a year in a morning raffle). but that’s all part of the adventure.

Troll Hunting Whimventure®

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Bruce

How does a Whimventure® start? What does it take to do something “On a whim?” Well to start off… not much. On Friday, Sue was finishing up a stressful week at work and we had discussed options for the weekend. Of course one of those options was to stay home and get things done around the house (the responsible ADULT thing to do). We knew that Thomas Dambo has just moved his traveling Troll Exhibit from Philadelphia to Nashville so we decided to head south and do some troll hunting. How long did it take? About 5 minutes. We knew the boys would be fine overnight, and all we needed was a change of clothes and (being adults) things like medications and a toothbrush. With a quick pack of our go bags we were on the road.

They say there is a season in the midwest called “Road Construction” and they aren’t kidding. In Indianapolis, currently one of the projects shuts down I-465 going south on the east side of town. Hmmm… guess where we needed to go? We did finally get on I-65 south and headed towards Nashville. We had thought about doing this in May, but Nashville hotel prices for that weekend were crazy expensive. This weekend, at least where we were looking were reasonable.

Always Complications & Maybe Some Beer.

“There are only four rules you need to remember: make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan.” – Leonard Snart. We pulled into Yazoo Brewing for dinner and enjoyed a beautiful view and nice food along with some pretty good IPAs. Unfortunately, when we got back to the car, we had a low tire warning light go off. Did I mention Road Construction is a season? The tire looked and acted fine and it was too late to do anything about it, so we headed back to the hotel. Fortunately? Sue had tire trouble in Nashville when she was at a convention and knew where to get it fixed. So we headed to Discount Tire in the morning.

Me, being anxious, had tire repair as my number one priority. They removed the nail, plugged the tire and we drove off to breakfast, getting a call that the tire place still had the cap for the wheel 🙄. Drove back and then headed off to the hotel, where I had left my wallet in the room 🙄🙄. You see how this day is going? Breakfast was nice, Sue wanted to stop at a franchise she deals with for work and play secret shopper. As we were there I tried to figure out how to reset the blasted tire sensor that still showed I had a low tire. Which I finally did reset on the way home. Today the low tire light came on again… 😱 I know what I’m doing tomorrow.

Finally, we get to Cheekwood Estates & Garden, current home of Thomas Dambo’s “Save the Humans” exhibit. We paid for entry and started to walk around the beautiful landscaped gardens, hunting for trolls. Where are all the trolls in the world? Check out Thomas’ Troll Map. We’ve now pretty much seen all the Trolls close by, but look forward to future trips and the trolls we will see along the way.

Ronja Red Eye
Ibbi Pip
Sofus Lotus
Basse Buller
Rosa Sunfinger

Having now become seasoned troll hunters we enjoyed not only the trolls but the other art and landscaping throughout Cheekwood.

Kamma Can

We picked up the Trash Trolls and Treasure Hunts book, but unfortunately, they were out of t-shirts in any “normal old adult” sizes- no troll shirts for me. On our way out of town we stopped into Antique Archaeology home of the TV Show American Pickers… While nice it seemed to be mostly branded merch for the show and not as many actual antiques as I recall from my visit last fall. We left empty handed and headed home.

One of the nice things about being in Indianapolis is it is close to many places so going on a Whimventure® isn’t too hard. I’ve joked about driving to Chicago or Columbus, Ohio for a sandwich. As for my carbon footprint- I’d consider an electric car brother ways to get places if the infrastructure in the U.S. would better support it.

inner ring 400 miles
middle ring 500 miles
outer ring 600 miles
While I don’t like driving really long distances in one day, on the way home isn’t that bad if I get an early start.

GeoWoodstock XX – A GeoWhimventure®

Posted on May 29, 2024 by Bruce

So last week we (Sue, Cecil and I) headed west to attend GeoWoodstock.  This event marked the first anniversary of my retirement and made me come face to face with a few things.

GeoWoodstock is an amazing event when done right.  I’ve attended a few and even took part helping with GWX.  Each event is different since it is organized by a local group that submits a proposal.  Each year they learn from the past.  The whole idea is to get geocachers together.  GWXX in Flagstaff had some great parts to give people things to do besides just finding geocaches.  The actual event is only one day, but there were amazing events leading up to Saturday and events once everything was officially over. With Route 66 and the proximity to the Grand Canyon there were things for everyone to do.  

The pre-events gave people multiple chances to pick up their badges, and reasons to meet other cachers from around the world.  Our first event was “WTF” Welcome To Flagstaff and was held in the middle of downtown.  Registration is free, but at various levels you get different SWAG and stuff. We went for the Gold level +1 which gave us lunch, VIP parking, shirts, and a bunch of geocoins. We got our packet and saw the other pieces that the event organizers put together as icebreakers for the around 3,000 people descending on the area.  There was the typical bingo game where you go and get people to fill in a bingo board filled with caching accomplishments.  Due to taking a hiatus from caching for a couple of years, I was pretty limited to the boxes “design a geocoin or pathtag” and “appeared in FTF Geocacher magazine.”  There was also a selfie contest, a decoding map icebreaker, pathtag trading (anyone have yellow?) and rules for a poker run.  Each badge had a sticker on it that had a variety of attributes for you to match.  None of these were necessarily new, but putting them all together at Woodstock was and made it possible to meet even more people, and a nice way for cachers of all experience levels to get out and meet some new people.  Did I Mention that JoGPS (the founder of this event) put it together in the very early days of Geocaching so people could meet face to face and talk instead of just seeing names on a log? Besides caches and events the organizers also put together a bunch of Adventure Labs throughout the area.  Which lead to one thing no one had really anticipated- Cellular Network overload.  When a town the size of Flagstaff suddenly has 3,000 people all trying to access the internet at the same time things slowdown to a crawl.  I look at it like going to a conference and complaining about the temperature in the meeting rooms.  There isn’t a darn thing the organizers can do about it, it’s out of their hands. Cachers are used to adapting to the situation, so that’s what we did.

The next day took us out of Flagstaff and over to Williams, AZ as cachers hopped on board the train heading to the Grand Canyon.  Sue, Cecil, and I have control issues so we decided to drive, that way we had more control over our schedule.  It was an amazing day.  We had not been to the Grand Canyon in years and then it was more of a drive by. We stopped at a scenic overlook and went on our way.  Thursday we took the entire day to explore the southern rim.  Afterwards we headed back to Flagstaff to attend the evening event at a bowling alley it was crowded so after saying “Hi!” to some friends, and signing the log, we called it a day.

If you couldn’t tell, this is the Grand Canyon.

Friday we decided to “Take it Easy” after overdoing it on Wednesday (yes, we’re old). We ended up at the Lowell Observatory (Where the State Planet for Arizona – Pluto was discovered) in the afternoon. Then heading to the GPS Adventure Maze and a quick run to the evening event that I volunteered at (anyone have a yellow pathtag?). As it got dark we headed back to the observatory for stargazing (which was AWESOME). 

Moonrise from the Lowell Observatory looking out over Flagstaff. Scorpius is in view on the right side.

Saturday brought everything to a head.  The BIG EVENT.  Now having done these before, the actual event is just a big celebration and a chance for cachers to talk to each other.  A lot of time you can’t put a name you’ve seen over and over again on logs with a face.  For the first few years of caching I only knew people by their caching name- and asking where “Foomanjoo” was seems OK at a geo event, but when someone says you need to talk to “Josh” you might get a little lost. GeoWoodstock gives cachers of all abilities and experience the chance to just talk and share adventures..  I spent part of the morning with FTFGuy (Keith) at the FTF Geocacher table drawing monkeys for people and handing out Cecil-EGCM buttons.  When I ran out of buttons & paper I wandered the event grounds and the vendor tables.  It was nice to talk to friends that due to circumstances I don’t see that often like Sonny & Sandy (Team Podcacher) who produce a great podcast and actually introduced me to Geocaching back in 2006. 

There are educational sessions throughout the day (This was my job with GWX) these are nice little presentations or panels on various subjects.  I missed the morning ones, but was able to hear a talk about the Adventure Labs along Route 66 with props given the folks who did it on the Lincoln Highway.  Then there was the Reviewer Panel which is always a fun part of GeoWoodstock.  These are the volunteers and Lackeys from Groundspeak getting hit with questions from the audience.  The only rule is not to ask about a specific cache.  Like any hobby there are questions that always get brought up or people who try to monopolize the discussion.  In the land of LEGO the question of “Will they ever bring back the monorail?” is the one that tends to always get asked.  In Geocaching it has to do with Virtual Caches and taking over a cache when the owner vanishes from the face of the Earth- I’m not saying it was aliens, but it was aliens. 👽

The Five Geocachers who were there at the start, and haven’t missed a GeoWoodstock.

The day concludes with thanks to the organizers, honoring of the five people who haven’t missed any GeoWoodstocks, and the unveiling of next year’s location.  So GeoWoodstock XXI will be in Morgantown, WV over Memorial Day weekend. Hope to see you there.

That evening the local theatre was taken over for the geocoin/pathtag trading event (Midnight Madness) and the showing of a rough cut of a documentary about the history of GeoWoodstock.  <SPOILER> GWX was really hot. 🥵

Do we all then say goodbye and head off?  No, there are Sunday Events – a CITO and then an event around lunch. There’s breakfast Monday and even another event about a week after GWXX!

If you want the official word about the event and geocaching here’s the article from the local paper that explains things much better than I ever could. Cache Mountain: GeoWoodstock attracts 3,000 to Flagstaff | Local News | azdailysun.com

The Adventure Labs I completed (there are still a bunch I didn’t 🙄)

Historic Route 66: Seligman to Peach Springs, AZ (4 out of 7)

What I Learned (more about myself than the event):

  1. Communication is key- know what the objective for the day is, but be flexible.  Friday we figured we’d get all the Adventure Lab stages but due to connectivity issues and being old and tired we decided a nap was a better option. The event folks were great about posting updates as needed.
  2. Creating a cache list only works if everyone involved is on the same page. For me, not caching that much makes it more difficult- using different caching apps doesn’t make it any easier. Interestingly enough, there were two events called almost the exact same things happening on the same day at different locations at different times… We went to the wrong location at the wrong time. I had it correct in my list and on the calendar (which we never used), but got confused and decided that “logically” the one location made sense, without checking the cache page until was too late. FYI: The original corner to stand on is in Flagstaff, not Winslow. 🙄 We at least got a good breakfast out of the deal. 😁
  3. Some places don’t have good cellphone coverage (no matter what your provider’s map shows). So read the directions on an Adventure Lab before leaving an area with decent coverage… Some of old Route 66 were difficult/impossible to log the Adventure Lab stages if you hadn’t downloaded the lab, BEFORE arriving in the area- which was what the starting page stated very clearly.
  4. “They’re more like guidelines than actual rules.” Everyone plays the game (Geocaching) differently. When I am doing an Adventure Lab I like to actually walk to the place (whenever possible), other people are fine with driving by and activating the stage then either doing Internet research to find the answer or just guessing until they get the question right. I’m not about numbers, I’m about the experience… That and trying not to hit something (or someone) is a lot easier when you aren’t trying to activate a stage while whizzing by it.
  5. Remember Leonard Snart’s philosophy on planning: “There are only four rules you need to remember: make the plan, execute the plan, expect the plan to go off the rails, throw away the plan…”
  6. We rented a MINI convertible for this trip and were really excited to not have to adjust to a completely different car.  If you own a MINI Roadster (R59) a newer MINI Convertible (F57) is not the same car. 🤬  To those who love the convertible MINI… I’m happy for you, I just don’t get it.  Having to put the backseat down to be able to fit two carry-on suitcases and two daypacks?!? I know if it were my car, I’d have to get used to a lot of things, but not being able to put the top down when the boot is full? 😳 Sue has an electric top on her Roadster and she was still trying to figure out why it would throw an error code saying the top wasn’t locked!  Having a speed warning pop up every time you try to keep up with interstate traffic?!? I know, some of these things I can fix in the car settings, but for a week, it wasn’t worth it. Someone commented that the early Mini was designed to be simple and all the tech they’ve added just complicated it.  As an R59 owner I kind of have to agree.
  7. I’m getting too old for red eye flights.  Or I need a first class overseas seat to fly at night since I really can’t sleep sitting up. After being in airports or on airplanes for about 18 hours I crashed once I got home.
  8. I really do miss my cats when I’m away.

Whimventure® Awaits!

Posted on May 21, 2024 by Bruce

Time to head off into the great unknown. Probably won’t be able to post anything here while we’re away so plan on following Cecil’s Facebook presence, or maybe my Instagram (if I can remember to post there- I know you’ll at least get a hotel hallway photo or two). Now the tough question- How many shirts does Cecil really need for this trip?

This Week’s Comics:

Ummm… First it’s only Tuesday (so DC might be available, but that would just confuse people), and secondly, I won’t be able to get to Comic Carnival so I won’t be able to do my “highly intellectual, evidence based, spoiler free summaries and commentary” until I return. I don’t even know what I will be getting this week, so look forward to a “double-sized” post sometime next week along with a little bit on this week’s Whimventure®!

Enjoy your week and stay safe in this crazy world. For those of you ending your school year- Congratulations! Enjoy the “off season” I will miss my cats, but they are being well cared for.