Day 7: Austin TX to Dallas TX

Hello y'all (my last Texas greeting I promise!)

Today saw us arrive at the rise and shine event which was being held outside the State Capitol building, with the street closed off for the MINIs. There were four lanes of minis each a quarter of a mile long making it a mile of MINIs, probably more as there were more parked in a side street and alongside the 4 lines too. We'd found out the night before that there are 500 coast to coasters doing the trip, so that's 500 every morning plus any additional cars joining each morning going part of the way.  Austin was due to be the biggest rise and shine so far.

After picking up the route sheet Ali went out to find his ride and met with Erin, who would deliver him to Dallas in her Cooper S Countryman 'Typhoon'. She was in the US Marines, and was stationed at the same base as Tryon, my ride for the whole trip.

After a police escort, we bad farewell to the awesome city of Austin. I hope to come back, maybe if I'm lucky to see some F1. 

Today's surprise and delight was to be Franklin Drive Thru Safari, but by the time we got there the queue was probably over an hour long, so we opted for an early arrival into Dallas and pressed on. Ali and Erin however were the 3rd car to arrive and went straight in. 

Pressing on to Dallas we skipped the planned route and arrived at our hotel by 1400, and discovered another surprise. Christine, always great and finding hotel deals had managed to book us into the Presidential Suite!

The evening event this time would be at Gilleys, a music hall which tonight would provide live country music and a bull riding contest. Food was beans, corn, potatoes and some peach cobbler, and reports were it was good! It was a great party, and I'm really enjoying these evening events, chances to catch up with fellow drivers which sometimes seems missing in the UK scene when we disperse to explore the events we are attending.

The next journey is a long one. Interstate all the way to Memphis and no 'Surprise & Delight' on the way.

Until then,

Phil

Day 6: Lubbock, TX to Austin, TX

Greetings again y'all (yep we're still in Texas).

There's not a lot to talk about today, as the roads have been pretty flat and boring. But we are in the city of Austin which is amazing. The Texan hospitality has been great too.

Our route today, whilst not exciting did take us through some interesting towns. We stopped in Balinger to post a package and Brady for lunch, where you'll find the heart of Texas

But the highlight of the day was the evening party in Austin. All outdoors, food from various vendors (all free) and a bar with the Austin cityscape in the background.  Live music was also provided and a good opportunity to mingle with fellow drivers.  Also had a long chat with the Product Manager for MINI USA and had to agree that MINI takes the states kicks ass over what MINI UK do! Oh, there were also chances to meet Texas longhorns and armadillos!

Next up is Dallas, and a possible after party but well have to take a raincheck on that.

Until next time, Phil.

Day 5, Albuquerque, NM to Lubbock, TX

Greetings y'all!

We've made it in to the Lone Star State that is Texas. It's been another long drive that saw us cross another time zone. Before setting off, we'd already covered over 1500 miles, and today would see us edging ever closer to the 2,000 mike mark.

Breakfast was again held at the Sandia MINI dealership in Albuquerque, where yet again a fine spread was load on with no less than 6 different types of Breakfast burrito to choose from.

Today's drive would be more of a marathon, as we would head to Roswell for lunch but the twisty roads of Colorado were well behind us. The stop in Roswell would see us visit the museum, and see many shops proclaiming Aliens Welcome, they sure know where their bread is buttered! MINI also provided us with foil head shades to protect us from abduction, but Morris didn't get it and chose to use it as a paraglider!

The drive to Lubbock was long, with one stretch of 130 miles being almost dead straight! As such there isn't much to report. However there was a MINI welcoming committee on the state line waving everyone into Texas, no mean feat as we all run at our own pace!

With no event in Lubbock, it was up to us to do our own thing so we went out for steak. I opted for a Porterhouse which was juicy and tender, a perfect end to the day!

Two more days await us in Texas, next stop Austin!

Day 4: Grand Junction, CO to Albuquerque, NM

After the last two rain affected days, a sunny morning greeted us for the rise and shine event back at Allen's Unique Autos.

Tryon and I had received a recommendation on somewhere to stop near Santa Fe, so had hoped our route today would pass near by. It didn't, and on investigation we worked  out we had to leave straight away in order to get there. So that we did. Chris and Amy followed the MTTS route which included a summit of 11,000 feet and Ali got a ride in a plasti dipped R56 S in a starsky and hutch style. It was stripped out with a roll cage and recaros, with 225hp at the crank.

So off we went, and soon fantastic views of the Colorado Rockies were soon found. After whisking through some small towns, it was time to whisk through the mountains on some amazing twisty roads which we felt rewarded us for the detour. The only issue was dodging the number of chipmunks and rabbits that kept jumping out on us!     

News soon came through that the MTTS route had closed due to a serious accident, with traffic being diverted via a golf course. For most participants there were fears they wouldn't make the evening event in time.

However we continued about 100 miles further east, with clear open roads ahead and were soon driving across the prairie. A quick bite for lunch and then on towards New Mexico,which saw temperatures rise as high as 36 degrees. However they also dropped as low as 15 as we drove through a brief storm, I can't get used to these temperature changes!

We arrived at Lemy to find the saloon we had deviated to visit closed. Doh! However the diversion meant we did avoid the delays on the MTTS route. And soon we were in Albuquerque and headed to the party with a live band, bull riding lassoing and a decent food spread, although not great for vegetarians.

Tomorrow sees us set off for our first of 3 stops in Texas, Lubbock.

Day 3, Wendover, UT to Grand Junction, CO

So day 3 started with the news of more rain, which meant that Bonneville was closed and only available for photos. However it was irrelevant as we missed the junction and with the next one over 20 miles away, turning back wasn't an option.

So Tryon and I opted to stop at the Great Salt Lake near Salt Lake City instead, which was surprisingly warm! Today proved to be a battle dodging rain, by a few surprises lay ahead! As we carved our way through the mountains, we stopped in the small own of Helper, which was hostintg a car event itself. In attendance was some very exotic machinery, including a Lexus LFA and a Ferrari Enzo. 

We hit our stop after some frustration driving on US Rte 6, where a trail of over 20 cars were being held up by someone at 20mph below the posted limit and no way of passing. But the stop was worth it, as all participants were given a free drink which Morris enjoyed in the diner.

Arrival into Colorado and Grand Junction was uneventful, with Car and Driver magazine sponsoring a car wash to clear off bugs and salt. The evening event was held at an Automobile collection, with some spectacular cars. And more great food and drink provided. We got  approached by MINI who wanted to get our details so they can get our story, and Christine found some guys from MINI UK too.  However sad times as we had to say farewell to new friends from San Francisco as this was their last leg.

Tomorrow sees us head to Albuquerque, where we will visit a proper Western Saloon on the way.

Day 2: Reno, NV to Wendover, UT

And day 2 is over, and I got to drive a fair whack today too.

Rise and shine saw us gather at the foot of the Atlantis Casino and plentiful amounts of sausage or veggie burritos were ready for us all.

What we learned was that today's route was on the loneliest road in the world, as featured in Top Gear. I didn't believe it, but after passing through Fallon it became clear. There is NOTHING on US 50 for miles around, and the road is straight for miles, and I mean 10s of miles without your corner! That said you are never lonely in a MINI and there was always one in sight.

However it was probably around 200 miles of driving through mountains and desert with nothing else, a very eerie experience. The other oddity was the temperature changes. One minute it's 35 degrees out, next its down to 15! Then after that we've been driving through heights of up to 7400 feet too!

The evening event here in Wendover took place at the historic airfield, as seen in films such as Con Air. It was another opportunity to talk to others on the run, get some food and tonight was a dog pageant to raise money for the MTTS charity partner.

 Tomorrow sees us pass the Bonneville Salt Flats then on to Colorado.

Until then,

Phil

Day 1 San Francisco, CA to Reno, NV

And the first days driving is done, with reaching Harrahs hotel and casino.

And what a lot of fun it was! Getting to the morning meeting, called Rise and Shine, where we got to meet loads of people. Asking all about us, why we're mad enough to venture out and take part. But the friendliness of those same people is the reason we didn't hesitate to make the decision to come.

And on to the driving. Well the roads sure were impressive, with California providing an amazing backdrop. However a couple of wrong turns meant we had to back track a couple of times and we ended up at the Sacramento dealer just as they were closing up, and got the last 4 food boxes. Meanwhile Ali was riding up front in an F56 with a manager from MINI USA.  However on the first part we were joined by one of the MINI PR cars, who filmed us as we led a trail of MINIs through Napa.

Despite dashing down the I-80 instead of the scenic route past Lake Tahoe, in order to get to Reno in time for the wedding, time was not on our time. Although not the scenic route, we still climbed to over 7000 feet through the Rockies, and there was still some spectacular views through the Donner Pass.

With jet lag still taking a toll (waking up at 2am each morning so far) we decided to miss the evening event in order to take it easy. Ali still went though, and met many more folks with stories to tell.

So tomorrow takes us to Wendover, Utah which will see me driving for the first time of the trip.

Until then, Phil.