Slideshow!
Judy put together this HUGE (Almost 200 images!) slide show of the event.
As always, we're eager to get input and feedback for captions, IDs of people, etc..
Email us here.
Thanks go out to George Marsh for organizing the run and coordinating things - there were lots of logistics to deal with, and most of the weekend was problem-free! Thanks to everyone else that helped out - we had a GREAT time.
On Friday morning, Judy and I met up with about 15 other MINIs at the Ontario Mills Mall. Holiday traffic was light, so we got there from San Pedro about 45 minutes earlier than we anticipated. We stocked up on coffee and donuts, and rolled out as a group toward Barstow at around 10AM.
At Barstow, our group connected with a bunch of other MINIs near the outlet stores. Some of us stopped for a quick lunch (Apologies to those who were waiting for the diners, wondering what was up!), while others headed out to take the scenic route.
Judy and I ended up breaking away with spikedmike Donahey and Jack "Tahly-Ho" Belcher to try to catch up with the scenic Route gang, but the initial stretch of 66 was unbelievably nasty: basically, the entire surface layer of the asphalt pavement had been eaten away, leaving sharp, hard, incredibly rough gravel. We figured the noise, vibration, and associated fatigue, not to mention tire wear, was reason enough to get back onto I40 at the earliest opportunity!
Our mini MINI convoy made good time, just catching up with the main I40 group as they entered the final rest stop of the trip. I'll just comment that traffic, visibility, and roadway conditions were extremely favorable for a tight pack of MINIs on a mission.
After stretching our legs, we headed out toward Laughlin, Nevada. I think most folks took state hwy 95, but per advice from Ken and Debe, we went via River Road, which provided some very fun motoring, or should I say roller-coastering. We rolled into the parking lot at Don Laughlin's Riverside Resort Hotel at around 2:30 PM, to find a large, attractive sign welcoming us to the parking corral.
We checked in, dropped off our stuff in our room, and made our way to the SCMM hospitality Suite, which was easy to find, due to the prominent Italian Job movie poster in the hallway, and the loud noises emanating from the open door. Inside we were greeted by Kyra Marsh and Denise G., who provided us with goodie bags full of cool swag! (Thanks also to Christopher Krotine and Meguiar's!) We also found a bathtub filled with ice and beverages, and a general party atmosphere. The suite's balcony was enormous and afforded a scenic view of the river, and spectacular sunset lighting on the far horizon. WOW!
Goerge welcomed everyone officially, and started the raffle. The big winner was MINI-Knievel Steve, who won not only the three-night stay at Don Lughlin's Riverside, but also won the cash prize!
Friday night, folks separated into smaller groups. We tried to have dinner at one of the nicer restaurants, but they wouldn't seat us until 9:30PM and we were hungry at 6, so we ended up at the buffet. Afterward, Judy and I were pretty beat, so we headed back to the room, and watched about half of The Wizard of OZ on the hotel TV. We konked out right after Dorothy met the Tin Woodsman. "Oil can what?"
Saturday morning, we were up bright and early to get to the Driver's meeting for the day's run at 9am. We headed out in a nice big conga line of about 30 cars, across the river, around Bullhead City, and onto Boundary Cone Road, which was the first of the day's delightful driving experiences. We turned onto historic Route 66, traveled a pretty nice section, and made our way into Oatman, AZ, which exists pretty much for the tourism trade. We spent about an hour petting and feeding the wild burros that roam about, interacting with the local performers, and marvelling at what can keep a town in business. They actually stop traffic in this town for the gunfight shows and stagecoach ambushes, so a few of us got in our MINIs and started heading for the town line before the next performance. I hope we didn't make anyone feel rushed - we just felt a little claustrophobic.
Back along Route 66 for a bit, then down toward Lake Havasu, with Don leading at an outrageous pace, that compelled me to enjoy the drive more than I thought I should, and eventually Black Flag lost her battle with her patience, and passed us to also dissappear into the dusty horizon. We ended up leading by default for a while, right into Lake Havasu City, but since we didn't know exactly where we were going or what the group's plan was, we got ourselves turned around once or twice at the end, and managed to drag a few other MINIs into chaos along with us. Sorry 'bout that! We ended up crossing London Bridge, and stopping at the adjacent Mexican restaurant for a great sit-down lunch. Thanks to Ken and Debe for arranging that!
After lunch, we all went our own ways, some convoying back to Laughlin directly, others wandering around the London Bridge area. Judy and I headed out along London Bridge Road, which was a little interesting, but we probably would have enjoyed being in the convoy back to Laughlin more. When we did get back, we rested a bit, then everyone got together again at the buffet. We had a room off to the side pretty much to ourselves. After dinner, a few of us visited the classic auto display at the hotel, then took the water taxi down the river to the Colorado Belle's microbrewery, the Boiler Room. We walked back to the Riverside - Jack fed the Koi under the bridge - and we paused for some slots and drinks before turning in.
To avoid holiday traffic on Sunday, Judy and I had intended to stay an extra day, and come home Monday, so we said most of our goodbyes Saturday night. On Sunday morning, we had a change of attitude and managed to check out and meet up with a few folks heading out by way of Route 66 down to 29 Palms. Our little 6-pack of MINIs (Craftnurd Janet, AuthiMini Andrew Russel, Black Flag Lee Ann, Naganalf Kev, Tahly-Ho Jack, and Judy and I,) convoyed along at a brisk pace set by Janet, and we made good time back to LA. Amboy crater was indeed a sight to behold, as was the salt-crusted lake bed. This section of Route 66 was so much better than that first stretch we hit on our way out to Laughlin! (Except for a few loose pieces of pea gravel that cracked and pitted our windshield, it was a total blast! Thanks guys, for a great run!