I hate bugs.

I had a nice drive yesterday out into New Almaden (which, if I didn't know better, I would swear is like a little cult town or something, it's so odd). Lots of nice curves and gorgeous views. Once I find my d@mn digital camera cable I will post some pics.

 

Would love to see some pics, ML.

For those of you who didn't make it to MOTD - you gotta find a way to get there next year (even if it involves transatlantic transit). It was SO awesome. Next year will be even better. I have some pics on my blog. Like living in a cool mountain village where almost everyone is cool and where almost everyone drives cool MINIs (or Minis).

Yeah abuzavi, Helen, Georgia is surreal. You can read the story here. It's hokey, but it's still very, very pretty - especially the day we were there with the fog over the mountains. They must have the greatest number of german restaurants per-capita in North America...

I'm lovin my pulley and one-ball - vrooom vrooom. What a great car.

 

ML -- they still have twisties in Santa Cruz, right? Or do you get out to San Antonio Valley Road?

 

And I finally got around to blackening out the beltline today....

She looks much better now. Still needs new rims, but that will have to wait until these tires crap out on me....

Oh, and I took the fuel all the way down to the point where the OBC told me I was good for a range of 19 miles. Less than a gallon in the tank. Yikes!

 

looking sweet.

don't try this at home... but on my trip out to Vegas for AMVIV, there was one point where I thought I had plenty of gas... or enough to get to the next stop (and no signs warning that the next stop was some ways off) and I ended up going through a pass in Arizona...

as I realized there weren't going to be any gas stations around, the range started to get precariously low... and when the tank is below 1/4 in my MINI, it starts dropping off quickly.

I turned off the A/C and everything else I could think of... and I made it to a gas station just on the other side of the pass as the Range flipped to 0!

I was freaking out to say the least... but I made it.

I'm sure running out of gas would not be good for the MINI and I plan on never getting that close again, but for better or worse, the Range on the OBC tends to give a little room for error... thank god.

 

I'm not proud of this, and I hope I'm learning - but I've been at least 5 miles past "0" - TWICE.

So, FWIW, at least in my car, 0#0.

 

Oh yeah - dreams - I'm curious -
as a recent vet of both AMVIV and MOTD, I'd love to get your comparison of the two events - including your thoughts on AMVIV highlights, etc.

I'm crazily considering making the road trip next year....

 

Yes. I haven't been out to San Antonio Valley Road though. I live at the base of Morgan Hill, and can take some pretty gnarly twisties all the way out to Henry Coe Park, which is what I WANTED to do the day I drove to New Almaden but didn't have time. So I went over the hill to McKean Rd out by Uvas Lake and then went back into New Almaden.

Still can't find my camera cable. I'm going to lose my mind. I had it like 3 days ago!

I've done this a couple of times myself. Once was driving to AMVIV and I got out in the middle of nowhere, about 15 miles from Baker. At the base of a hill, the sign said it was like 15 miles to Baker, and my range said I had 16 miles left. By the time I got to the top of the hill, it was 12 miles to Baker and the range said 5 miles!

I had to stop at some hole-in-the-wall and paid $4.19/gallon. I was so annoyed!

 

i would recommend it if you have the time and the inclination (and own some stock in an oil company! )

first I'll say that I was a vendor at both events, so didn't get to participate fully since I was usually selling t-shirts during the days. I didn't do any of the drives in Vegas but after driving out from Memphis, I didn't really need to do a lot more driving for a few days. it was cool just to meet lots of people and find out where they were from. although I would have liked to go on a few of the runs. For instance, I've been to Valley of Fire in the past, but it looked like going with a bunch of MINIs would have been fun. (I use one of the pics as my laptop background.) The Death Valley run sounded cool, too.

As for AMVIV and MOTD... AMVIV obviously feels very different than MOTD... it's in Vegas, so it was warm and sunny (we had great weather the whole time this year - it was moved to late March for better weather, i think) and most people stay at the Palace Station hotel, which makes it feel like everyone is together. the Palace Station is pretty nice, too. it's not right on the strip, which has it's pluses and minuses, but all of the hotels offer free parking (I wonder why!), so it makes it easy to drive over to the strip, park and walk around.

everyone that stays at the palace station parks on the top and 2nd to top floors of the parking garage, so there are lots of MINIs. it makes it feel a bit more like an "event" (although I see from reading on here that MOTD felt that way when people were parking where the vendors were this year). everything pretty much takes off from the Palace Station, as well.

also, AMVIV is extremely well organized and there seems to be a bit more space than there is at MOTD... but that's just a matter of MOTD growing in a space that can't really support it, i guess. AMVIV is growing every year, too.

except for the great twisties at MOTD, I might say that I like AMVIV a little bit more, but then again, I'm more of a desert/dry weather person and like being in a city more than the country, so I think i'm biased. plus I know vegas a bit, so that probably counts. i'd feel more comfortable at MOTD next year, since I was new this year. oh, and i'm not really a gambler, but going to Vegas every once in a while is always kind of fun.

then there's all the things around Vegas, too. if you have the time you can detour to see the Grand Canyon and then you cross over the Hoover Dam on the way to Vegas up from I40.

i would definitely think/plan to do it. I know Vegas has tried to position itself as "family" friendly, and I guess they have in some ways, but this event might actually be pretty cool for your family since it is "off" the strip and away from all of the craziness, but close enough to check it out if you want.

again, some other people would be better able to tell you about some of the drives, etc.

let me know if you have any other questions.

 

And the random thought of the day:

Has Claire Bear grown up / matured enough that she'd no longer drive, say, a new Bug, but would be better served by, say, a BRG MCSa convertible?

 

Dude, from one dirty old man to another, you really shouldn't be reading wiki articles on fictional underage cheerleaders played by real underage actresses. Or at least not post about doing it...

The episode from a couple weeks back when they aged her five years created a serious moral dilemma for at least 30 million American men...

Hmmm.... she's playing a 21 year old... so it's OK to notice that a 21 year old is HOT, isn't it??? But, uh, the actress is only 17... which is better than if she were 16, but if I'm over 40 that's not a good thing for me to be thinking about... and next week she'll be playing a 16 year old again... and then I have to pretend that she's just somebody's little girl... geesh.

 

I so hesitate to admit it, as apparently so far, Minx and I are the only 3606ers to already get a speeding ticket (totally bogus, unfair, etc.), but it sounds like I'm also the only one who has really run out of gas. When it says "0" don't even think there's much of a secret stash left. Fortunately, I was just leaving the ranch where my youngest trains rescued race horses, heading down a one way dirt road on the way to the gas station (really!) Minx just simply quit. So I ran back to the barn to beg for enough gas to get me to a station. They found a seldom used gas can they use for their old four wheel ATV, that had maybe 1/2 gal that we squeaked out. NEVER again will I let her get to 0. My Avalon always had another good 20 miles or so once the warning light went on.

On the happy motoring side, we've been taking advantage of all this nice weather to pick up futures at some our our favorite Dry Creek wineries and attend new release parties. Thought I'd share a few Minx in the vineyard shots. We are so fortunate to live in such beautiful country; myriads of winding, winey roads calling to you every time you leave just for groceries. Oh, I think I'm running low on Half 'n Half. Be right back dear...

 

Hmm, they sell Half-n-Half on the Dragon, right?

Sounds like someone else we know....

And Paul -- you dirty old man -- my wife thinks that CB (can we call her that?) is now a MCSa convertible-worthy person. Up from what was probably a new-Bug person. So there.

 

Hmmm. And I OWN a MCSa convertible. Wonder if she'd like a ride in mine?

No. Never mind. I didn't say that.

Jailbait jailbait jailbait jailbait...

 

Actually, I just inferred that you're a teenage girl. And seriously questioned your manhood.

And seriously -- she is way cuter than you. And those pants make your *** look huge.

 

Question my manhood all you want. My wife took it from me and locked it away 17 years ago. If I'm good I get to visit with it a couple of times a year.

I told my donkey to go on a diet, but the fat *** just eats hay like there's no tomorrow.

And, as for Claire - is she cute? Really? I haven't noticed...

 

I photograph 17 year old girls for a living (senior portraits). Only a foolish old man (over age 18) would get envolved with a 17 year old GIRL. The mind trip alone would kill you.
No ticket in the MINI and never ran out of gas or even come close and that includes a late night run from the Grand Canyon to Denver. My wife did hit a dead deer on that GC run at 70 MPH though, it only bent the license plate thank goodness. It must be some of that Druid magik Merlin has.

 

I don't think anybody suggested "getting involved" (or envolved either, for that matter). The debate was on acknowledging "hotness"... and whether the fact that it's a 17 year old portraying a 21 year old character, or a 21 year old portraying a 17 year old character, in any way absolves one of dirty-old-manness... All hypothetical, of course. As you would know, by being around 17 year old girls all the time.

Tru Dat.

 

I thought we were talking about the cultrual norms in our storytelling, our identification of gneral character prescriptions, and how we see ourselves within our own society. Well, and how the assessed image of the Mini, as an icon and established norm, fit into that.

But if it's actually about "hotness", well, I apologize. Who was I to take the high road?

 

Ahhhh. I guess that's what officer school does to ya'.

NCOs are a lot more fun. Less eloquent. But more fun. They understand "hotness" last time I took a poll.

 

The simple fact of all this is that Claire definitely would be "Hotter" in a MINI Cabrio than a VW convertible but, that is universally true of anyone except maybe Brittany Spears.

 

... or me... I'm equally hot in either.

 

oh, me too... and JJ — don't rub in the "no speeding tickets or running out of gas". Minx is very sensitive. And Hot. A wild and crazy MINI. ;-)

 

All y'all are killin' me....

 

Have I mentioned lately how much I enjoy my MCS?

We went up to Luxembourg on Friday, to spend the weekend there. Me, the wife, and the kids (both sub-10). Clothes for all 4 of us, running gear (my first marathon), toys, and some food. I opted for a soft sided bag, but made no effort to be effective or efficient in packing. threw the bag in the back, and had room to spare.

I loved that.

On the drive home, sore and stiff and tired, I still found myself smiling a lot. Holding 100 or 110 on open stretches of the autobahn, where conditions permitted. It drives like a dream.

I love my car. I truly do. Could not imagine having something else.