JJ -- When did Merlin get numbered?

And should we feel bad that it's 101 and not 3606 or some variant?

 

101 is Merlins Hyper Blue Owners Club number. He is also sporting a new set of personalized plates, "MERLIN2". MERLIN was taken so I opted for Merlin also.
Were getting ready to motor down to the Grand Canyon for Christmas. Abuzavi, I hear that Christmas in Germany is really something, even for military-binary-geeks. What say you?

 

No worries there.. I promise you that... Moe is very well treated and he gets the second smile of my day nearly every day *first is reserved for my pups cause they are life itself!*

 

Tonight we photographed the Colorado National Guards St. Barbers Ball. Had to take a load of equipment from Denver to Boulder. In the past I had a Minivan to haul all that stuff. Now I have a MINI and, it all fit just fine.
I would also like to take this time to wish all of our Military personell, where ever they may be serving, a very Happy Holiday Season. Yes, this does include all those binary-geek-soldiers cruzing the Autobahn in MINI Coopers (now that's a smart soldier).

Motor On

 

Oh, my goodness. You have no idea. Thanks to your tax dollars (you do pay your taxes, right?) I've had the honor / opportunity to spend Christmas in a few different places (along with a lot of other holidays), and without a doubt, Xmas in Germany still reigns supreme.


Take this weekend, for example. We opted to go to the Christmas market in the nearby semi-big-compared-to-my-village city, and it could just as easily have been scaled larger or smaller, and juxtaposed to any German city / village. It was a blast. Cold, with a light on-and-off drizzle but no snow. Lots of people, all dressed for the cold. Kids galore. Mixed smells, of fine cookies and other sweets intermixed with the aroma of the holiday spiced wine (some of it coming from this elaborate stand). Just awesome. We've been to markets these past two weeks, and we will be going to another one in another city next weekend, when we go to visit friends.


And since we're talking about consumables, who knows what kind of oil our kids drink? I read the manual, and it says "take it to the dealer." I'm not driving 500 miles to the Netherlands and back this week, without some extra oil under a seat -- old dog, old trick. And besides, when it comes time for services, I'll want to bring my own oil ($) to the dealer for them to use.

 

Castrol Syntech 5W30. Thats BMWs recommendation.

 

Awesome, thanks.

 

Folks, have we talked about this?




I love it. Matches me very well. I still need to go back into the dash and wire up the light for it, but I love, love, love it.

And know what else I love? This:



That's right -- I've got a brand spankin' new Euro Parcel Shelf, thanks to the amazing parts system of BMW-Deutschland. And that's right, those are two sweet '57 Chevy Nomads, the finest cars every built. Period. Don't argue with me on this one. Stop arguing. Stop!

I think the shelf cost me about 60 Euros for the parts.

Here's the offer, fellow W3606's -- I will facilitate a group buy for these. I will order five sets of the pieces and parts, and give them to five people.

That's right. Give. I am going to give these to five people who will promise to send twice the value of their pieces, parts and shipping costs, to the Wounded Warrior Program at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center here in Germany.

With the parts and the shipping costs, I think this will run me about $500. If this works out as I hope, this will drive $1000+ towards helping out the soldiers who are holed up at Landstuhl before returning to the war or be stablized enough to move back to the States for further medical care.

And who ends up at Landstuhl? The folks that get really, really hurt. Folks that got shot. Hit by mortar fire. IED attacks. Bad enough that they can't be treated by the Army hospitals in country.

When wounded in a place like Iraq or Afghanistan, and wounded enough to be evacuated to Landstuhl, really, there's no time or chance to pack. You go as is. And you get there with dirty shorts, a good stink, and a bloody uniform that you never want to see again anyway. So, guys and gals there are often wanting for the most basic of things: a shirt, some clean socks, jeans or a sweater. You can write a check, you can send goods; I hope you'll do both, because this is that important to me.

PM me. I'll try to update this as I get responses, but know that I am on the road (yes, with Tess Turbo, and yes, with her new winter tires and her Nav DVD) for the rest of this business week. You'll need to tell me where to send the parcel tray stuff, and I'll need to tell you where to send money or goods for the Wounded Warrior Program.

First come, first served.

1. KissMyS
2.
3.
4.
5.

Call it a holiday effort, to surprise your car with that hard-to-get gift from a friend who lives overseas and who can make the score for you. And call it my way of saying thanks to all the guys out there putting their lives on theline, while I spend the holidays with my family. Boxes would likely be in the mail right before Xmas, so they'd arrive after the big holiday.

Did you catch that? We're talking delivery after Christmas.

 

Told you you'd love the shelf.

If I didn't have one, I'd get one via your incredibly generous offer. Five people should JUMP all over this...

 

We have fallen back to the second page. This is not good. We are the W3606ers, the Mystic MINIs. Let's here how those mods are coming. I will try to get some more photos of Merlin up soon.

 

I've recently added double Oznium white LED strips to my boot shelf - an awesome improvement in the usability of the cabrio's boot.

I'm LOVING my multivex mirrors - I started with a multivex right and an autobahn mirror on the driver's side - but switched out to twin multivexes and they are fantastic - really make easy to constantly monitor what's going on all around you - even with the cabrio's infamous blind spots.

I'm enjoying my wind deflector - though it's not as huge a difference as I had expected based on other reviews - but it does make a difference and does reduce noise and the wind-blown feeling when top-down.

Since I can't put a JCW steering wheel on with the auto paddles, I installed a wheelskin. Actually I installed two - I started with a smooth charcoal one - fit was great, but color didn't work with my blue interior. So now I have a perforated dark blue one which is much better. This makes the wheel just a little thicker and cushier - maybe 70% as good as the JCW wheel for $50 and an hour to lace it on.

I'm loving my clearbra - it has already saved me from a certain monster chip (the impact was big enough that it tore a small crater in the clearbra, but left the paint intact). The clearbra makes it SOOOO easy to wipe bugs and stuff off using Slick and a Monster Fluffy with no fear of paint scratches/swirling in that high-wipe-frequency area... I hadn't even thought about that upside when I bought it, I was just getting it for chip protection.

I'm waiting on my 5000 mile rotation to put on HPS pads and paint the calipers.

Man, the rear window gets dusty - whether the top is up or down...

And my windshield is a rock magnet - already two big chips/bullseyes in 3000 miles...

OK JJ, hows that for a stream of conciousness conversation starter?

 

I'm first! I really appreciate all that you are doing over there and am happy to have $100 of my check to you go to the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center. I await your details so we can finalize what haps next...

Thanks for the efforts on your part.

PS: I love the flaming ****! Suweeet!

 

I ditto your last two observations Blimey! I got a rock pit in my window during Minx's first week out, then another bigger one in the upper corner on the passenger's side. Neither look like they'd lead to cracking, but one never knows... so think I'll have a pro fill 'em with that magical window fixxer. And talk about dirty hind ends! Now I know why that artist took to drawing in his MINI's rear window in the dust. I originally assumed it took at least a long week on dusty roads to get like that. It takes me driving my daughter to a ranch for her hunter/jumper lessons only ONE time and Minx comes back sporting a dust jacket. On the good side, I've discovered that Royal Grey camouflages dirt very well.

I broke a personal record (I know JJ probably already holds the real record), in that I haven't so much as cleaned the front windshield, let alone detailed a single smidgen of chrome trim for the last two weeks. The weather has been so bad with tons of rain off and on (I know, I'm lucky it isn't snow blizzards), it hasn't been possible for me to be my new MINI owner **** self. She is filthy from bonnet to boot! But I am itching to work on her today (first clear window of time before tonight's new storm) and bring her back to her sexy, shiney self! Hubby's out playing the steelehead in the Trinity River, so I have lots of garage space for the final detailing, etc.

CG — I am still going in the right direction of recovery with my shoulder. Finally I can feel the improvement from the PT and exercises. Maybe by spring I'll be kayaking again! Howz by you?

Minx is sporting her peace symbol on her badge for the holidays. I pray that someday we can all walk the talk.

 

Merlin got a bath and detail this morning. The wife is taking a Grand daughter to the Colorado Ballet to see the Nutcracker tonight. They go dress circle so I wanted them to have a clean MINI to show up in.
Like I posted before, I'm not going to do the CIA or pulley. The MINI S gives me all I want or need but I am getting Merlin a new stubby antennae.

 

I'm with you JJ — Minx gives me all I want or need. But I am still considering the Koni FSDs. As long as it doesn't alter her keen cornering, I wouldn't mind a bit smoother on the rutty ranch roads.

It got down to 22º in Napa last night. So much frost this morning it almost felt like it had snowed... that reminds me, today I've got to get out all the gifts that need to make it to Montana in time for Christmas. How can it be only a week away already???!!! Are you buried in snow now? How are the other 36ers doing this frantic season?

 

Don't you hate writing a long message, and navigating away from it when you're almost done? Yeah, me too.

KissMyS, gotcha. Not sure if I will order the stuff this week or next. I had counted on work being slow after my trip and, well, it's not. Sometimes it sucks to be an Army of One. Or Army Strong. Or whatever buzz phrase we're using today.

1000 miles later, Tess and I are off the road and resting. The drive up to the Netherlands went pretty well -- after the hour of traffic. Most of the drive is on A61, which is mostly set to a 130 km/h (75 mp/h) speed limit. Yes, that's a bad thing. Stop laughing -- 130 km/h is slow! Very slow! It was torture!

I did dig the navigation. Right before the trip, Tess was in the shop for parcel shelf (now called "the Gummi shelf" by the kids -- hmm, I wonder why), new rims and winter run flat tires, and a navigation DVD. I don't know which cost more -- the rims with tires, or that DVD.

Love the navigation. Love, love, love. Don't laugh -- to get gas, I have to find an Esso brand gas station. I carry an esso map of Germany, and it has them marked and lists their street addresses in the back. Find it, look it up, plug it in, and gas costs $2 a gallon instead of $4 or $5.

But I do think the navigation data set on the DVD was assembled by Microsoft -- it doesn't have roads that, now in 2006, exists on this new, cutting edge 2007 DVD. Nothing like "driving through a field" on the screen.

And this whole "shortest route no matter what" is too mechanical. Shortest routes through European towns and cities often mean tiny, tiny little alleys when nice, decent, usable roads are only a little bit longer.

Anyway, when I got there here's what the computer told me:



23.5 mpg isn't too bad for 300 miles, and the 69 mp/h is pretty good, given the traffic and low speed limits.

I was worried about the drive up there, though. Very early on, I ran into this yahoo:



On the way home from the Netherlands, Tess passed her 1250 mile marker. In traffic. In a 75 mp/h zone.

But, being a good Mini owner, and conscious of the significance of this milestone, we took a little detour -- to go here:



Yep, we hit Nürburgring. Ok, well, we went to the parking lot -- it was a Friday morning in the winter, after all. But we'll be back. Yes, I logged the address in the GPS for later. Simply put, we're going to have to drive the Nürburgring Nordschleife!

After that trip, I unpacked and then packed out the family for another trip -- to Nürnberg to see some friends. And to go to what is probably the best Christmas market in Germany. Huge, diverse, and just awesome.




That's me in black, and my daughter in matching and flaming orange mittens and hat.

When we were driving back last night, at one point, I asked the wife, "Does it seem like we're doing 105 mp/h?" "No, this feels more like 90" she said. I took that as a good sign.

I've also got some video from the drive -- I'll try and splice them together and / or get them onto YouTube. My winter tires are speed rated to 210 km/h -- and I can show you what that looks like!

 

Kissmys
Yeah we are about to experience another winter bout here in the Colorado Rockies. Fun, fun, fun. This is sizing up to be one of the best winters we have had here in decades. We all know it's just because I bought a MINI. My neighbor thinks it's because he bought an Outback but, we all know better .

abuzavi
75 mph is slow??? I can't wait till you get back home. Military guys stationed in Europe, you gotta love em. By the way your parcel shelf deal is a great project but the wife says enough spent on Merlin already. Could I send a small donation instead?

 

Hey, don't hate the racer, hate the racetrack! It's not my fault America is the land of..... well, unnecessarily driving slow! I am just trying to do my best to not the be "ugly American" and to try and help us all get along, especially with our European friends.

Yep. Easy to do, too. Checks can be made payable to IMA-E CTOF-WW, which roughly translates to Installation Management Office, Europe, Chaplain's Office, Wounded Warrior Fund. Money is good -- it's an Army program, so there is no overhead. All of the funds go to the program, since the Army is running it anyway. Money is often used to buy the high demand, specialty things -- like warm jackets in the winter, since many who are supported by this are healed enough to live in the Kleber Barracks adjacent to the hospital, but shuffle back and forth for their medical treatments (not in-patient, but not really out-patient).

If you want to send stuff, that's cool, too. 3 packs of underwear, sweat tops and pants (damaged arms and legs like baggy clothes, I've noticed), athletic shoes, toiletries, entertainment like DVD's -- send it (checks, too) to:

Landstuhl Regional Medical Center
ATTN: MCEUL-CH/Chaplains Office
CMR 402
APO AE 09180

Their phone number is 011-49-6371-86-7419. Being an official Army program, it provides support regardless of race, religion, national origin, branch of the service, etc. And it's regulated in accordance with Army regulation 165-1. All so very official.

I'll leave politics out of it, but I think you can't go wrong supporting your trigger pullers, especially the wounded ones. You may not like that we went into Iraq (and Afghanistan, and all kinds of other places), but we have, and the truth of it is, as I see it, we're going to have a whole new generation of walking wounded that are going to be shaping the future of our country, if not the world community. If it's their hour of need, and they need some warm socks, well, so be it.

Oh, and I forgot -- someone has a registered non-profit up and running, too. I have no idea what their overhead it, but their website is here. Tax deductible and all that.

 

Two things happened have happened:

1. Already broken 5K on our MINI, Motor

2. I'm in the UK for xmas, and I'm now gawking at the 2007 MINI. Motor might have to get a sibling at some point:

 

I've been watching the Denver snow storm news a lot lately and thinking about you and Merlin's first deep snow season together. Are you holed up with plenty of food/water/batteries and scotch? What's happening in your neck of the woods?

 

Snow. And plenty of good old fashioned sourmash whiskey (WL Wellers Special Reserve No. 107). Pretty much got myself, Merlin, Sammy and six of my neighbors dug out. That's the beauty of a 5 HP snowblower named El Niño.
I was driving Merlin Wednesday morning when the storm intensified. He handled real well with the DSC turned off and reasonable driving. Didn't get stuck once. Of course Sammy was the work horse today when we went out to get more gas for El Niño.
We are driving down to the Grand Canyon on Christmas Morning for a MINI vacation. Hope the highways are clear by then.

 

Hey everyone!

I have been workin working working.... ok, well, I did do a 4 day trip to mammoth and we did have friends come for a visit right after we got home. Now I am sick. Get this, I am allergic to the christmas tree. I had to move it outside. How crazy is that? I feel better, but, I am not sure if I am going to work tomorrow. I think I have bronchitis now. I already called in today.

Sounds like everyone is doing well. I haven't had time to get my bumper repaired. Every time I look at it, I get irritated. Sassy over all is doing ok. I still have so many mod's to do. Just no time.

Koni FSD's. Love them. I think that several people that autocross locally here have Koni's. I don't think you lose any cornering capabilities.

Shoulder wise. Sometimes, I have phantom pains. I just try to remain active and stretch.

Hey JJ, that is an insane amount of snow. Wish we would get that in Mammoth.

 

I slapped together the video from my trip to the Netherlands last week.

Hate the race, not the racer.

 

OK - for that THIRD time:

"You Lucky Bastard!"

Although, truth be told, I'd rather drive my local twisties at twisty speed than drive in a straight line at 130 (legally) - of course, if I could do BOTH, that would be grand...

Hey, some of that soundtrack sounds familiar...

 

Oh, Paul - I have twisties, too -- with no speed limits on them!

I do need to strap down the camera so I can film them, too. Little zippy two lane roads, out in the country side and through the mountains -- makes being a Mini owner grand every damn day.