First saw one in '68 on the Golden Gate Bridge. An itch I couldn't scratch for the next 37 years. Then, an internet ad posted by Motorwerks in Bloomington, MN - '02 MINI, black w/checkerboard roof, white wheels & mirrors, roof rack with bike carrier, white bonnet stripes, heated seats, 5 sp, black leatherette interior, driving lights, etc. The incentives were enough to pay my way to the dealership. I strike a deal and a week later I'm boarding the AMTRAK running through Idaho's panhandle (I love train trips), a day and a half after that I'm catching a cab from St. Paul to Bloomington, and a few hours later (After way too many latte's - Do all BMW/MINI dealers have expresso machines?) I'm in my dream car leaving the lot to drive the 1,400 miles back to north Idaho (I love road trips even more).

Needless to say I treasure my MINI, and my wife also thinks it's wonderful, but mostly it's because she says, after three plus decades, she no longer has to listen to me going on and on about how much I want one.

 

Interesting story and itinerary. I hope you brought along a camera. How about posting some photos? You can start a thread in NAM's travel forum. The train trip must have been fun. And 1400 miles in one go is a bunch (actually more miles than I have on my MINI). Congratulations and welcome.

 

Just completed road trip - 2,600 miles (Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho). Of particular interest to MINI owners would be US 6 from I-15 to I-70 in Utah; Hwy 50 from Montrose, CO to Gunnison, CO and on over Monarch Pass; Berthoud Pass in Colorado; Leadville, CO to I-70; Trailridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park; HWY 34 from Estes Park, CO to Loveland, CO; and the passes between Missoula, MT and Coeur D'Alene, ID. It seems there's few automobiles that can safely travel tight, twisty roads as quickly as a MINI. Saw four other MINI's along the way and we waved at each other!

 

Latest completed road trip - 2,600 miles (Idaho, Montana, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho). Sections of roads of interest to MINI drivers would be - US 6 from I-15 to I-70; US 50 from Montrose, CO to the east side of Monarch Pass; Leadville, CO to I-70; Berthoud Pass; Trailridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park; Hwy 34 from Estes Park, CO to Loveland, CO; and the passes on I-90 between Missoula, MT and Coeur D'Alene, ID. It seems there are few automobiles that can safely travel tight, twisty roads as quickly as a MINI.

Along the way we saw four other MINI's and we waved at each other!

 

Great story, frenchloaf! Welcome to NAM! Enjoy the site and send me a Private Message if I can help you with anything on the site! Cheers!


Clover

 

Omigod! I did some of these same roads this summer driving a 15 passenger van pulling a trailer, I saw several Mini's, maybe one of them was you. I am sure you had more fun driving than I did. Me and another adult took 6 teenagers to the NORBA mountainbike nationals in Sandpoint, Idaho and Snowmass, Colorado and in between.

 

mtbscott,

It's a small world. I live in Sandpoint & run a small high-end custom bike shop here in town (Ellsworth, Titus, Chumba Wumba, Foes, Guru, Torelli, Time, Kelly, King, Mavic, Fox, American Classic, etc). So we probably bumped into each other at the Schweitzer NORBA race. The purpose of the road trip was to find a place to relocate to in Colorado, and, in fact, we're moving to Loveland next month.

The coolest of sights is my MINI with my custom painted Ellsworth Truth riding on the factory roof rack (Or my Ellsworth ID, or my 'cross bike, or my ti road bike, or my track bike, or...)!

 

frenchloaf...welcome aboard!!! Now your wife can finally have some peace!!

It's amazing how may people kept the flame alive all these years only to have it reignite in the reborn MINI. Sometimes I'm driving down the road, surrounded by various other makes and models and the thought just hits me, "My God, man, you're actually driving a MINI!!!! Seems weird perhaps, but it's one of those things you never thought could happen....but it did!!!

 

Frenchloaf, I wish we'd made the time to look for the local bike shop while we were there. We arrived Wednesday night at 3:00 am after driving from Pueblo, Colorado, total time from Texas 39 hours! Five of our kids raced Junior X cross country, and one of them Sport 16 and under. My fellow adult raced 45-49 Expert, I'm coming back from a broken leg last November, riding again, but not back up to race speed. I've been on a bike buying binge this year with a new Scott Scale Limited hardtail and a Merlin Proteus roadbike. I've got a Titus Racer-X on order, probably keep my Salsa cross bike another season or so (the running and jumping part is still kind of up in the air.) I really enjoyed your part of the country, I'd never been north of Colorado and the Sandpoint area was stunning. I really loved the XC course on the mountain. We rode for a couple of days in Fruita on the way to Snowmass, the race course was brutal, but the other trails in the area were beautiful. I hope to have my Mini mid-October, already thinking to next summer's trek. I would guess we're near the same age, I've been interested in Mini's since I saw some autocrossing back in the 70's. Let me know when/where you set up shop in CO.