"What I Did On My Summer Vacation - - - as told by a MINI Cooper"
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11-16-2007, 09:14 PM
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Memphis Tennessee
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"What I Did On My Summer Vacation - - - as told by a MINI Cooper"
"What I Did On My Summer Vacation
as told by a MINI Cooper"
We were on our way home from our 2749 mile road trip in July 2006 when my parents started making plans for our July 2007 road trip. By the way, my name is Bianco Habenero. I am a 2006 Pepper White MINI Cooper convertible. The 3 of us had such a blast motoring up to Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware to visit friends and family that we decided we had to do another road trip. And yes, we had my top down almost the entire time!
The skies were overcast as we pulled out of the driveway on Friday July 13 for the start of our 2007 road trip. I had overheard my dad saying this has been one of the driest summers in recent years up until the last couple of weeks. The last week or so before our planned departure, it had rained here in Memphis part of the day everyday. In spite of the dark clouds, Dad loaded the luggage and 2 small ice coolers and he and Mom said a little prayer for dry weather as we backed out of the driveway at 3:30 pm with the top down.
We got onto the I-240 loop around Memphis and headed for the Grand Canyon. As we approached the Mississippi River bridge Mom spotted an orange MINI convertible going in the opposite direction. Once we crossed the Mississippi River and entered Arkansas, it finally felt like our vacation had begun, except I was doing all the hard work while Mom and Dad just sat there and enjoyed the ride. It was still cloudy and in the low 80's while motoring towards Little Rock. Mom and Dad were looking for a quick bite to eat at someplace like McDonalds or Burger King as we passed through Little Rock but we never saw any. It was as if former President Bill Clinton's new healthy eating crusade had taken hold on his former hometown. The sun finally broke through the clouds west of Little Rock and they stopped to grab something to eat in Conway Arkansas and I was able to get a short rest. We got back onto I-40 with beautiful views of the gently rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains and Ozark National Forest. Because Mom and Dad did go to work earlier that day at 7:00 am and left early so we could start our road trip, we motored just 321 miles this first day as far as Fort Smith Arkansas before stopping for the night. Dad found a place near our hotel and he took me for a bath as he likes to bathe me every night when we are out on the road.
The next morning we put the top down and started out on I-40 towards Oklahoma under threatening skies at 8:30 am. Dad popped Carrie Underwood into my CD player as we crossed the border into Oklahoma. The timing was off slightly as the CD was over just a few miles east of Carrie's hometown of Checotah. The cloud cover broke around 10 am and we had sunny blue skies as we crossed over the farmlands of Oklahoma. Mom was about to put the Arlo Guthrie CD in but Dad opted for The Moody Blues. Just moments later we passed a sign for Okemah Oklahoma that paid tribute to Woody Guthrie. Once again the musical timing was not quite right. As we zipped past mile marker 200 a red MINI went past in the opposite direction. We stopped just east of Oklahoma City for lunch and I got another short rest. Once we got on the west side of Oklahoma City we got stuck in a slow down of traffic on I-40 due to construction. It took 30 minutes to go 5 miles and at that snails pace, Mom and Dad wished for some cloud cover but they persevered and kept my top down.
Somewhere near the Oklahoma/Texas border, a big fat Mercedes SUV passed us only to slow down and pull back into the lane in front of us. As he did so, he activated his rear window washer and wiper which spritzed us with blue water. Dad started using some of those words I only hear him use when he gets really mad and then he zoomed up alongside the Mercedes and waved to him. I am still wondering why Dad waved to that guy, or maybe Dad wasn't actually waving, if you know what I mean!
As we crossed the Texas panhandle the terrain changed somewhat and we made a short rest stop in Amarillo at the Texas welcome center. Dad called some of our Texas friends and told them we "were up the road a piece" and asked if they wanted to meet us for dinner. They were excited about the possibility of meeting us for dinner until Dad laughed and told our friends in Houston that we were "600 miles up the road!" For obvious reasons, they opted not to meet us for dinner. We then hit the road again and crossed into New Mexico where we later shot off I-40 onto U.S. Highway 84 headed for Santa Fe. Highway 84 is a nice 2 lane highway with a few nice twisties and mountain views on both sides. After motoring 787 miles on this second day, we arrived in Santa Fe and Dad took me for another bath as Mom relaxed in the hotel room.
as told by a MINI Cooper"
We were on our way home from our 2749 mile road trip in July 2006 when my parents started making plans for our July 2007 road trip. By the way, my name is Bianco Habenero. I am a 2006 Pepper White MINI Cooper convertible. The 3 of us had such a blast motoring up to Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Delaware to visit friends and family that we decided we had to do another road trip. And yes, we had my top down almost the entire time!
The skies were overcast as we pulled out of the driveway on Friday July 13 for the start of our 2007 road trip. I had overheard my dad saying this has been one of the driest summers in recent years up until the last couple of weeks. The last week or so before our planned departure, it had rained here in Memphis part of the day everyday. In spite of the dark clouds, Dad loaded the luggage and 2 small ice coolers and he and Mom said a little prayer for dry weather as we backed out of the driveway at 3:30 pm with the top down.
We got onto the I-240 loop around Memphis and headed for the Grand Canyon. As we approached the Mississippi River bridge Mom spotted an orange MINI convertible going in the opposite direction. Once we crossed the Mississippi River and entered Arkansas, it finally felt like our vacation had begun, except I was doing all the hard work while Mom and Dad just sat there and enjoyed the ride. It was still cloudy and in the low 80's while motoring towards Little Rock. Mom and Dad were looking for a quick bite to eat at someplace like McDonalds or Burger King as we passed through Little Rock but we never saw any. It was as if former President Bill Clinton's new healthy eating crusade had taken hold on his former hometown. The sun finally broke through the clouds west of Little Rock and they stopped to grab something to eat in Conway Arkansas and I was able to get a short rest. We got back onto I-40 with beautiful views of the gently rolling hills of the Ozark Mountains and Ozark National Forest. Because Mom and Dad did go to work earlier that day at 7:00 am and left early so we could start our road trip, we motored just 321 miles this first day as far as Fort Smith Arkansas before stopping for the night. Dad found a place near our hotel and he took me for a bath as he likes to bathe me every night when we are out on the road.
The next morning we put the top down and started out on I-40 towards Oklahoma under threatening skies at 8:30 am. Dad popped Carrie Underwood into my CD player as we crossed the border into Oklahoma. The timing was off slightly as the CD was over just a few miles east of Carrie's hometown of Checotah. The cloud cover broke around 10 am and we had sunny blue skies as we crossed over the farmlands of Oklahoma. Mom was about to put the Arlo Guthrie CD in but Dad opted for The Moody Blues. Just moments later we passed a sign for Okemah Oklahoma that paid tribute to Woody Guthrie. Once again the musical timing was not quite right. As we zipped past mile marker 200 a red MINI went past in the opposite direction. We stopped just east of Oklahoma City for lunch and I got another short rest. Once we got on the west side of Oklahoma City we got stuck in a slow down of traffic on I-40 due to construction. It took 30 minutes to go 5 miles and at that snails pace, Mom and Dad wished for some cloud cover but they persevered and kept my top down.
Somewhere near the Oklahoma/Texas border, a big fat Mercedes SUV passed us only to slow down and pull back into the lane in front of us. As he did so, he activated his rear window washer and wiper which spritzed us with blue water. Dad started using some of those words I only hear him use when he gets really mad and then he zoomed up alongside the Mercedes and waved to him. I am still wondering why Dad waved to that guy, or maybe Dad wasn't actually waving, if you know what I mean!
As we crossed the Texas panhandle the terrain changed somewhat and we made a short rest stop in Amarillo at the Texas welcome center. Dad called some of our Texas friends and told them we "were up the road a piece" and asked if they wanted to meet us for dinner. They were excited about the possibility of meeting us for dinner until Dad laughed and told our friends in Houston that we were "600 miles up the road!" For obvious reasons, they opted not to meet us for dinner. We then hit the road again and crossed into New Mexico where we later shot off I-40 onto U.S. Highway 84 headed for Santa Fe. Highway 84 is a nice 2 lane highway with a few nice twisties and mountain views on both sides. After motoring 787 miles on this second day, we arrived in Santa Fe and Dad took me for another bath as Mom relaxed in the hotel room.
Sunday morning we headed into "Old Town Santa Fe" for a day of shopping in the plaza area and visiting the museums of Native American culture and the Georgia O'Keeffe art museum. Mom looked at one ring in a jewelry store and suddenly felt like she was on a Caribbean cruise. The 18kt gold ring with turquoise stones had a price tag of $2600 but was finally offered to her at $720 along with an owl Dad had admired that was carved from a chunk of turquoise. To Dad's delight Mom opted for a more modestly priced turquoise bracelet and Dad bought a turtle he spotted that was hand made by one of the artisans that sell their wares in front of The Palace of the Governors. The Palace of the Governors is an adobe structure that was built in 1619 as the seat of Spain's government and today houses a museum that chronicles the history of Santa Fe and the southwest area. We had 2 MINI sightings while we were in Santa Fe. One sighting was a black MINI parked a few spaces away from me on Marcy Street. Dad "tagged" the MINI with one of his Mid-South MINIacs cards and I am sure the driver of that MINI is wondering why someone would put a Mid-South MINIacs card on his car, Dad was just saying hello! After spending most of the day in the plaza area of Santa Fe, Mom and Dad had dinner at a restaurant in suburban Santa Fe featuring real southwest cuisine. I think Dad's mouth is still steaming from the taste of the hot southwest peppers.
It was sunny and 68 degrees when we all left Santa Fe at 8:00 am the next morning with the top down. As we motored through Albuquerque on I-25 headed towards I-40 to take us to the Grand Canyon, Mom spotted the unique architectural design of Sandia MINI. They have an alcove jutting out the front of the building hanging over the front entrance with a Mellow Yellow MINI encased from all sides and the bottom in glass which gives the appearance of it being suspended in air. Needless to say, Mom and Dad stopped by to say hello. I am certain that drivers of just mere regular cars don't stop by out-of-town dealerships just to say hello! Dad felt much more at ease after speaking to the service advisor about the octane levels of gasoline he had been forced to feed me. Back home in Memphis, Dad only feeds me 93 octane gas which was not available since Oklahoma. All he could find for me was 90 or 91 octane. The service advisor explained to Dad that due to the higher altitudes a diet of 90 or 91 was all I needed. After a short visit, we headed back on the road and spotted a Checkmate MINI as we entered Arizona.
Motoring across the Painted Desert of Arizona the temperatures reached a high of 101 degrees but Mom and Dad were comfortable with the breeze blowing over them as they continued to motor with my top down. Crossing the high desert plains with scenic views of rocky plateaus in the distance was breathtaking. As we approached Flagstaff we could see a storm out in the horizon and Dad knew it would soon bring an end to their adventure with the top down. Finally, about 15 miles east of Flagstaff the top came up as it rained heavily through Flagstaff and along the remaining 80 miles leading to the entrance of The Grand Canyon National Park. Dad was actually glad to see it rain as he knew there would be no place to bathe me inside the park area. Within a 2 hour time span, the temperature dropped from 101 in the desert area to 61 degrees during the rain storm as we motored along State Route 64 through forests of Ponderosa Pines. Just as we reached the main building of Bright Angel Lodge the rain subsided and Mom and Dad got checked into their rustic cabin that sat a mere 100 feet from the canyon rim. After a 497 mile drive from Santa Fe, Dad parked me next to the cabin where I got to rest for the remainder of the day and all of the next day while they explored the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Mom and Dad hiked along the canyon rim trail from Mather's Point back to Bright Angel Lodge and were in awe of the beauty and the varying views of the canyon along the 3 1/2 mile walk. After resting a while back at the cabin and having lunch at the lodge, Mom and Dad went out for more views of the canyon as far down as Hermit's Rest. Mom commented that if anyone is planning a visit to the Grand Canyon, you must plan at least 1 overnight stay inside the park at one of the various lodges rather than staying in nearby Tusayan.
The next morning we all woke up early and headed out for Laughlin Nevada which was a short 225 mile drive. We left the Grand Canyon at 7:30am with the top down and sunny skies at 74 degrees. Dad cut away from I-40 near Seligman Arizona and motored along old Route 66 for a while. After getting his kicks on Route 66 Dad got on State Route 68 which cuts through the scenic Black Mountains leading into Laughlin. The temperature rose to 112 as we descended the mountains into the Colorado River valley. After checking into the "free comp" room at Harrah's in Laughlin, Mom and Dad then "paid" for the room by way of money they fed into the slots while I rested in the shade of the covered parking garage. My rest was interrupted by a short 25 miles drive to the California border. Mom and Dad can now say----wait----I can now say that I, Bianco Habenero, have motored from New York to California! Big deal if it was in 2 separate road trips both 1 year apart.
The following morning Mom, Dad and I started our journey home to Memphis with a short stopover in Sedona Arizona. Along the way from Laughlin to Sedona we spotted 3 MINI's, again all going in the opposite direction. On the way to Sedona we motored along State Route 89A that cuts through Kaibob National Forest leading you into Dry Creek Canyon and Sedona. For those of you "Dragon slayers" I assure you that SR 89A is a must. This road has twisties that hug the sides of the mountains as you dig deeper into the canyon and it certainly gave my tires a workout as well as giving Mom white knuckles. Mom and Dad overnighted in a bed & breakfast with gorgeous views of the red rock mountains and of course Dad found a place to bathe me before heading out on a road up in the mountains to view the sunset.
The next day Dad may as well have just put me into reverse gear as we headed back home towards Memphis. We spotted 5 MINI's as we motored 692 miles from Sedona to Amarillo and then only 1 the next day as we motored 782 miles the rest of the way back home to Memphis. After motoring 3643 miles, all with the top down except for about 100 miles and spotting 15 MINI's along the way, Dad realized why all of the MINI's we spotted were going in the opposite direction. MINI's and MINI motorists enjoy motoring and motor so fast it is impossible to ever catch up to another one and pass one of your own breed!
After arriving home and unloading everything from my boot and backseat, Mom sat down and relaxed as Dad took me to his favorite car wash to give me a good bath. Dad got back home and he and Mom then sat down with the road atlas to begin planning the 2008 road trip. Boston and the New England area is one choice, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park is another.
It was sunny and 68 degrees when we all left Santa Fe at 8:00 am the next morning with the top down. As we motored through Albuquerque on I-25 headed towards I-40 to take us to the Grand Canyon, Mom spotted the unique architectural design of Sandia MINI. They have an alcove jutting out the front of the building hanging over the front entrance with a Mellow Yellow MINI encased from all sides and the bottom in glass which gives the appearance of it being suspended in air. Needless to say, Mom and Dad stopped by to say hello. I am certain that drivers of just mere regular cars don't stop by out-of-town dealerships just to say hello! Dad felt much more at ease after speaking to the service advisor about the octane levels of gasoline he had been forced to feed me. Back home in Memphis, Dad only feeds me 93 octane gas which was not available since Oklahoma. All he could find for me was 90 or 91 octane. The service advisor explained to Dad that due to the higher altitudes a diet of 90 or 91 was all I needed. After a short visit, we headed back on the road and spotted a Checkmate MINI as we entered Arizona.
Motoring across the Painted Desert of Arizona the temperatures reached a high of 101 degrees but Mom and Dad were comfortable with the breeze blowing over them as they continued to motor with my top down. Crossing the high desert plains with scenic views of rocky plateaus in the distance was breathtaking. As we approached Flagstaff we could see a storm out in the horizon and Dad knew it would soon bring an end to their adventure with the top down. Finally, about 15 miles east of Flagstaff the top came up as it rained heavily through Flagstaff and along the remaining 80 miles leading to the entrance of The Grand Canyon National Park. Dad was actually glad to see it rain as he knew there would be no place to bathe me inside the park area. Within a 2 hour time span, the temperature dropped from 101 in the desert area to 61 degrees during the rain storm as we motored along State Route 64 through forests of Ponderosa Pines. Just as we reached the main building of Bright Angel Lodge the rain subsided and Mom and Dad got checked into their rustic cabin that sat a mere 100 feet from the canyon rim. After a 497 mile drive from Santa Fe, Dad parked me next to the cabin where I got to rest for the remainder of the day and all of the next day while they explored the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Mom and Dad hiked along the canyon rim trail from Mather's Point back to Bright Angel Lodge and were in awe of the beauty and the varying views of the canyon along the 3 1/2 mile walk. After resting a while back at the cabin and having lunch at the lodge, Mom and Dad went out for more views of the canyon as far down as Hermit's Rest. Mom commented that if anyone is planning a visit to the Grand Canyon, you must plan at least 1 overnight stay inside the park at one of the various lodges rather than staying in nearby Tusayan.
The next morning we all woke up early and headed out for Laughlin Nevada which was a short 225 mile drive. We left the Grand Canyon at 7:30am with the top down and sunny skies at 74 degrees. Dad cut away from I-40 near Seligman Arizona and motored along old Route 66 for a while. After getting his kicks on Route 66 Dad got on State Route 68 which cuts through the scenic Black Mountains leading into Laughlin. The temperature rose to 112 as we descended the mountains into the Colorado River valley. After checking into the "free comp" room at Harrah's in Laughlin, Mom and Dad then "paid" for the room by way of money they fed into the slots while I rested in the shade of the covered parking garage. My rest was interrupted by a short 25 miles drive to the California border. Mom and Dad can now say----wait----I can now say that I, Bianco Habenero, have motored from New York to California! Big deal if it was in 2 separate road trips both 1 year apart.
The following morning Mom, Dad and I started our journey home to Memphis with a short stopover in Sedona Arizona. Along the way from Laughlin to Sedona we spotted 3 MINI's, again all going in the opposite direction. On the way to Sedona we motored along State Route 89A that cuts through Kaibob National Forest leading you into Dry Creek Canyon and Sedona. For those of you "Dragon slayers" I assure you that SR 89A is a must. This road has twisties that hug the sides of the mountains as you dig deeper into the canyon and it certainly gave my tires a workout as well as giving Mom white knuckles. Mom and Dad overnighted in a bed & breakfast with gorgeous views of the red rock mountains and of course Dad found a place to bathe me before heading out on a road up in the mountains to view the sunset.
The next day Dad may as well have just put me into reverse gear as we headed back home towards Memphis. We spotted 5 MINI's as we motored 692 miles from Sedona to Amarillo and then only 1 the next day as we motored 782 miles the rest of the way back home to Memphis. After motoring 3643 miles, all with the top down except for about 100 miles and spotting 15 MINI's along the way, Dad realized why all of the MINI's we spotted were going in the opposite direction. MINI's and MINI motorists enjoy motoring and motor so fast it is impossible to ever catch up to another one and pass one of your own breed!
After arriving home and unloading everything from my boot and backseat, Mom sat down and relaxed as Dad took me to his favorite car wash to give me a good bath. Dad got back home and he and Mom then sat down with the road atlas to begin planning the 2008 road trip. Boston and the New England area is one choice, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park is another.
Come join us next year, let's all put maxi miles on our MINI's and have some fun!
Last edited by MidSouth MINIac; 11-17-2007 at 01:43 PM.
Awesome story, great read! Motor On & Happy Holidays! 
#4
01-16-2008, 09:40 AM
Dad got back home and he and Mom then sat down with the road atlas to begin planning the 2008 road trip. Boston and the New England area is one choice, Yellowstone and Glacier National Park is another.
Come join us next year, let's all put maxi miles on our MINI's and have some fun!
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