Day 11

Day 11 - July 29, 2014 - Wendover, UT. to Grand Junction, NM.

Sara and I woke up a bit late this morning. I know I for sure did not want to get up after having been up yet again till after 1am. So I felt like crap, and most certainly looked like crap. We quickly got ready and headed out of our pimp room through the casino. Took the obligatory selfie and then went across the street for the morning meetup.

Once at the meetup we realized how truly ugly the weather was looking this morning. The storms from yesterday appeared to have found us again. After grabbing our breakfast burritos we learned that the run across the Bonneville Salt Flats that we all had been looking so forward to doing was cancelled. We could still try and go get some pictures but they didn't recommend it because the flats turn to mud very quickly. We decided to leave the meetup early and try to at least get one photo. We ended up getting a bit turned around not knowing which exit was correct. So the closest we got to the flats was a rest area right off the highway. By that time, it was pouring down rain.

 closest to the flats that we got

 We continued across the flats ahead of most of the other MINIs until we arrived at the Great Salt Lake. Around this time some of the MINI USA vehicles were catching up to us. Watch out for cones!!!

Sara and I found a great spot to take a picture of the Great Salt Lake before heading out to Salt Lake City.

We went and found the Mormon Temple in Salt Lake city, took some pictures of Tycoon and ourselves and the temple. Got a Starbucks and got back on the road. Now we were somewhat concerned at finding a Starbucks in the Mormon Capital of the world. But hey, we aren't complaining that they are breaking the rules. This then prompted an in depth wiki search in to exactly what Mormons and the LDS church believe. Then of course the side conversation in to the HBO show Big Love and where exactly we left off and what we need to catch up on with that.

At this point we started to get out of desert looking terrain and in to more Colorado looking hills. Wind farms through the passes, rocky hills, and of course selfies galore.

We even found the largest coal miner in Utah!

At this point, the no sleep thing was really starting to catch up to me so I asked Sara to drive while I took a power nap.

Next thing I knew we were outside of Moab, in a much different terrain all together,  at Papa Joes pit stop. We stopped along with tons of other MINIs and were surprised with an awesome coosie for our free Rt66 root beers. We got back on the road after taking some pictures of Arches National Park in the distance.

The terrain and the fact that there was nothing as far as the eye can see lent itself to a discussion on alien life forms and how they probably are all over this place out here. It is probably crawling with aliens all the time. This then evolved in to a discussion on the fact that aliens are really probably just us come back from the future, or a branch of us that escaped in the past and is now revisiting. Of course, then me being the nerd I am had to bring up Battlestar Galactica. I didn't want to give away the entire premise of the series to Sara who had never seen it, so I just laid it out in basic form and said she needed to have a marathon at some point.

By this point in time we happened upon the Colorado border and stopped for our obligatory selfies.

The weather was starting to look bad again so I decided we needed to go to home depot and get a tarp for the tent. Looking at the weather, it did not look promising for us tonight. On our way in to town I saw a huge sign for Cabelas and decided to go there. I grabbed a tarp and some extra stakes to try and completely waterproof us for the night. Somehow I managed to have the regional directors of Cabelas helping me out. The poor kid who worked that section of the store looked like he was about to throw up he was so upset they beat him to me to help. Sorry buddy. Once stocked with waterproofing materials all for under $20 Sara and I made our way to Junction West RV park where Joanne from Stuck on MINIs was kind enough to let us camp next to her RV. We arrived to find a lush spot of grass for us to pop our tent on as well as to find Sara's cousin Erika and her husband Carl there to greet us! After setting up camp and ensuring that the tent was about as watertight and secure as I could possibly rig we decided it was time for some food. Sara, Erika, Carl, their golden retriever puppy Aspen and I set out for the Rock Bottom Brewery in downtown Grand Junction. Ericka and Carl live in Boulder but knew Sara was visiting for a short bit so they drove the 4 hours just to see her! We had a blast visiting together over some hearty salads and apps. Aspen sat like a wonderful little lady right next to the table with her chewy. Sara and I proceeded to tell Erika and Carl all bout the MINI culture and exactly what MINI Takes the States is. I think Carl was intrigued, I see a MINI in someones future. All around a great time. So much so Erika and Carl said they would join us to see what this MINI evening event is all about.

 Just as we were getting ready to head over to Allen's Unique Autos for the evening owners event the storm to end all storms rolled in. As we were driving back towards the event, in the same direction as the RV park the sky turned black and opened up. All I could think about was if my rigging was going to hold through this blowing wind and rain. We made it in to the event, all be it a bit damp, and were greeted by a collection of classic cars to rival all collections. Every one of them fully registered and plated because the owner, a woman, still drives them all on the roads. All of them in pristine condition, fully waxed and completely shining. Massive security also greeted us. But of course the center of attention was a 2nd Generation stretch limo that just happened to be a MINI. And a pink Barbie edition with a hot tub for a boot at that! I thought this was pretty cool. But my most favorite thing tonight was...HERBIE!!! Oh my God, I think I teared up a bit. I used to watch this movie all the time when I was a kid. I about died with happiness when I saw this. Even though I loved the cars and would have loved to take more pictures, I was getting worried about the tent and if it was surviving the monsoon.

 We departed Allen's and made our way the few miles back to the RV park. Much to my surprise and excitement, the tent and tarp contraction had help up extremely well. There was just a little water by the entrance of the tent but over all, completely dry. Am I good, or am I good? We visited with Joanne and her husband Bill and their dog Thatcher for a few, tried to get Thatcher to like us. He is a rescue and very suspicious of new comers. But he is the cutest little dog.

 As for tonight, we will have to see how the tent holds up this evening. There is more rain in the forecast. Really? I thought we were supposed to be in the West, where there is a drought!?!

Goodnight!

Day 10

Day 10 - July 28, 2014 - Reno, Nv. to Wendover, Ut.


I am exhausted, but it doesn't matter because I'm still so excited. Sara and I were up bright and early to go to the morning meet up at the Atlantis Hotel Parking lot in Reno. I'm running on about 4 hours of sleep. I was up super late trying to update the blog, then talking to my sister who needed a hug (I wish I could have been there to give her one), and then being woken up by Momma Kirk at 530 who keeps forgetting about the time difference I think. This is most certainly one of the hardest parts about the trip, life goes on back home but without me. When you want to be there to help and comfort and just give a hug when someone needs it, you aren't. You are being a bit selfish and doing your thing by driving across the country. Who does that? My regretful thought for the day.

The morning meet happened very fast and we were about to get back in our cars when I saw Brian still trying to figure out the problem with Brooklyn from yesterday. Mike, from Philly MINI and Helix Motorsports was trying to run some diagnostics, but in the end the big guns needed to come out. MINI mechanics with MINI Roadside assistance to the rescue. An intercooler hose had popped off and that was the root of Brooklyn's problems. Oddly enough this wouldn't be the first MINI Countryman to go down today. On our trip today we passed Fred and his Brilliant Copper Countryman on a pull off. To us it looked like he was camping for lunch, we beeped and kept going. Unfortunately, we found out later that he was broken down and waiting tow or Roadside Assistance. About 10 hours later they came and figured out he had the exact same problem as Brooklyn. Today was not a good day for Countrymen. Eight out of twenty in the MINI Countryman Owners Lounge on Facebook broke down. Of course MINI USA tried to save everyone, but at that rate, there just aren't enough mechanics to chase us all over the state. So a few, even now at 1205 in the morning are trying to catch up to us in Wendover. Don't take this as MINIs not being reliable cars, on the contrary, you have to remember how hard we are all pushing them at the moment. The cars that broke down were all East Coast cars that had driven hard cross country to get to the start.

4 guys 1 MINI at the morning meet up

Back to the morning. I bailed out of line early to meet up with the BuzzFeed crew, get gas and get on the road. The guys were looking to stop and do an interview somewhere near the middle of the state, around the flats in the middle of the desert along Highway 50. We motored out of Reno following them in their volcanic orange F56, they set a pretty good pace at around 90mph. Outside of town around Sparks, NV I noticed a huge uptake in the amount of notifications for police near an overpass. I warned them they may want to slow down. Thank goodness, because as we rounded the bend we saw a State Trooper on the overpass gunning and as we went under 5 others just waiting in line on the ramp picking off MINIs left and right. It was a total and utter MASSACRE. In total I can't even count how many MINIs received Motoring Awards today courtesy of the Nevada State Troopers. The running joke of the day is that we need to carry donuts tomorrow on the run. Even the CEO of MINI USA got caught. OOPS. However, it's not as bad as two people who ended up getting arrested out in the middle of the desert on Highway 50 who were caught going over 100mph. That is an automatic arrest and possible confiscation of the vehicle. Yeah, their day did not end well. So perhaps everyone has learned their lesson for the day, yeah, I don't think so.

Once out on Highway 50 we found a great spot for pictures and to set up for the interview. Sara and I took a selfie with Tycoon of the mini salt flats we found before setting up for the BuzzFeed interview. They guys interviewed me for about an hour, asking all kinds of questions. About Tycoon, about why a MINI, why the MINI family great, what we like about MINI etc. By the end I think I was dripping it was so hot out there, and maybe, just maybe I was a bit nervous. I got back in the car to grab a drink of water and without realizing it, dumped it all over my lap. Whelp, that skirt is done for the day, hence the costume change in pictures. The guys motored with us shooting video of us driving and let me tell you, they are willing to go all out to get the shot! Hanging out of windows, standing in sunroofs. They do it all!

We broke away from Buzzfeed around lunch time and continued on Highway 50 until we got to Austin, Nevada. A really quaint little town that looks like something out of a western movie. Right about this time we hit torrential rain storms which continued for about 2 hours or more. This is where Tycoon saves the day. I had slowed down due to the heavy rain, but didn't realize that there was a groove worn in to the road that was accumulating water. I hit it, All4 to the rescue. I think that if my All4 had not kicked in I probably would have been off the side of the road or at least pulled a good 180 or 360. Gotta love Tycoon. She popped that power to the back wheels and evened us right out in seconds. I ended up driving down the center of the road to avoid the massive river running down my side of the road.

Along the way, Sara broke out the pop rocks she had bought earlier in the day. If you want to hear two grown women laugh like idiots, give one of them pop rocks. We sounded like a bunch of eight year olds cackling.

We also saw lots of animals, cows, horses, prairie ponies, a coyote (or fox, we couldn't quite tell), lots of furry roadkill. I do believe Sara yelled at one point, "Oh my GOD, those horses are about to DO IT".

We finally made it back to the main highway at about 430 where we came in to the gas station on basically fumes and found Kyle and Kowalski sitting there. We filled up and off we went again. This time Sara drove so I could try and work on some pictures for the blog since I was so far behind. We hit massive storms all over again almost the rest of the way to Wendover. But as we arrived the golden evening sun came out to greet us at the Wendover cowboy. We met up with some of the MINI USA photographers and grabbed a quick photo before heading to the Wendover airport for the evening event. It was held in an abandoned hanger. This is the same airport where they filmed Con Air, the movie with Nicolas Cage. We chowed on some great sliders, salad, and yummy mac and cheese. Oh and the carrot cake for dinner. Did I mention cake? Being exhausted we decided to just take a few quick pictures at the airport and head to bed.

Tonight we stayed in the Rainbow Casino Hotel because, again, it was cheaper than paying for a campsite. When we got to our room Sara and I about died laughing. It is so overly retro it's almost intentional. The two queen beds have a united head board of black velvet running the length of the room. The walls are dupioni silk made to look like wood paneling. The opposite wall to the beds have floor to ceiling mirrors, we most certainly won't be lacking for room to put makeup on tomorrow. All the furniture is uber lacquered teak with black trim. It is a pimp paradise! I think I'm ready to get back to my tent...

And yet again, still not asleep before 1am. I really hope someone is reading this thing!

Goodnight!

Oh and P.S. I told Melina that I wouldn't let this slide... out in the middle of no where pit stop for her. :D