We're getting packed up for our Christmas MINI trek to the Grand Canyon. So we would like to take this time to wish all MINI folks and in particular the W3606ers a very Happy Holidays. May your fruitcake be filled with rum, your heart filled with the gift of giving and your MINI gas tank topped off with no less than 91 octane fuel. Remember the less fortunate, wave at a Honda, flash your lights at a Focus, smile at a VW and give a Hummer the thumbs up.

Peace on Earth, Goodwill to all
JJ Blue (That's John & June but not Cash & Carter), Merlin, Sammy and El Niño.

 

The sister-in-law scored me a new Mini baseball cap (the red underside is very nice), and the wife gave me an IOU for the DICE iPod adapter (something about them not shipping to APO addresses -- bad, bad vendors!)

Wife liked that I had hidden her present in the Mini in the days before Xmas - given that it was luggage, she was even more impressed!

Working on the turkey preps, and trying to control the chaos that is two kids. Happy holidays, everyone.

 

Since our kids are grown now (22 and out on his own; 18 and sleeping in) Christmas morning is kinda "off" this year.. I need grandkids!!!
Ah but soon it all starts, I should rejoice in the fact that I no longer have to rouse myself out of bed at 5am on a holiday!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Can't wait to hear back about the MINI gifts!! I was just informed that I should order those new leather downtube covers from redlinegoods....so I'm off to do just that.. Merry Christmas to me!

 

I've scored a NAM calendar and Outmotoring GC so far - expecting more GC's later this week - Got the Detailer's Paradise PC combo for my birthday earlier in December...

 

Hey, and for what it's worth, I've gone very public with my Euro Parcel Shelf plan. It's here, if you're curious. Lots of good responses and PM's on this -- it warms my heart.

 

Was on the road today, heading south from Frankfurt. Big clumps of dense traffic, with patches of open, lovely road in between.

Snuck in behind an M5. Traffic, traffic, traffic, and then ZIP he was off and running, with me right on his heals. Four or five times we did this. Then an Alpina Roadster joined us. Same thing: Traffic, traffic, traffic, and then ZIP!

We must have looked like the Thunderbirds or the Blue Angels.

Driving bliss. Pure and simple.

Either one of them could have really put their foot down and just walked away from me, but they didn't. I had a ball.

 

YLB.

Glad you're getting you money's worth outta Tess. Addictive, eh?

 

Oh, yeah. But man, am I taking it in the shorts on gas mileage! 2000 miles on the car, and it's averaged 23 mpg! It's probably also averaged 70 mph -- I drive it like it's stolen, for sure -- but still, not the nice pretty numbers they showed me when I was shopping for a Mini!

 

Yeah, I'm getting similar mileage and am also driving like it was stolen - albeit at lower average speed but keeping the revs up... But it's still WAY better mileage than I was getting in my POS Chrysler...

 

FWIW, I'm averaging 23 around town too. I have nearly 4,000 on Minx already. Had another rock hit yesterday, this time just above the front windshield in the center. Chipped a neat dot right out of the paint. I think I'll ask for some touch up paint, then look into having a bra put across that area. It is just as vulnerable as the rest of the front!

Hey JJ — from what I'm reading, it looks like you are up for another big snow storm. Keep El Niño at the ready...

Michael's off fishing for the day and I'm getting my house ready for a "SPIFFY" party here tomorrow night. All week 36ers are invited who can make it. :-) I'll attach the invitation (I've ommitted our address and phone number in the interest of internet privacy... however, you all know how to PM me.) We've never had one like this before, it was a spur of the moment idea. RSVPs indicate there will be a very full house!:impatient

I must make time to clean up Minx a bit. This will be her debut for many people we haven't seen in ages and she is agitated about how dirty she is after all these rainy/windy days. Perhaps I'll start with her and then move on to the house. I mean, let's keep our priorities straight!

 

KissMyS, I tell ya, I'd love to be able to stop by and say hello, but the even if I left right now, the drive there would take too damn long.

Yesterday, the son and I went down to the local store and stocked up on beer and fireworks. Yep -- German rocks that much. And not just fireworks -- rockets. Big rockets. I'll try not to be so smashed that I forget to tape some of our adventures.

Seriously, the sky over my small village lights up more than Baghdad did when I was there. It's a serious wall of things shooting up into the air. And, well, we didn't get drunk in Baghdad. It's pretty cool.

(Oh, and hey, I made third gear)

 

Had to cut my MINI vacation to the Grand Canyon way short to beat the storm approaching Denver. Got coaught in the storm at the Esienhower Tunnel but, Merlin handled it like a champ and we were not delayed at all on the highway. Visibility was down to about 100 feet and still some fools were actualy trying to do 70 MPH in that blizzard. One of them wiped out, had a hard time feeling sorry for the idiot, he was beeping his horn and flashing his lights at me and flipped me off just moments before he crashed and burned.
Here are a few pics of Merlin in Sedona, Arizona. What a beautiful place.



Got back to town and El Niño was a rarin to go.

 

And J, for the record, that was *not* me doing 70 in the snow.

I may drive it like it's stolen, but I'm not a freakin' idiot. "Hell on wheels, when the conditions permit."

 

Happy New Year, W3606'ers. Had a good evening, with the family. Our village go nuts with fireworks -- they're legal here, and a big part of the culture. Reminds me of Baghdad. I took the kids and the neighbors down the street earlier, around 9, and lit off some fireworks there. Kids had a ball.

 

abuzavi

It seems as if our W3606ers have spread to the four corners of the Earth. It's just you and me dude. I guess that means we can do a guy thing now and kick off our shoes, throw the socks on the table, leave the pizza box out for days on end and slam back some German brews while sharing MINI war stories with one another.

 

Hey, I resemble that remark....

What am I, chopped liver?

Hello <tap> <tap> <tap> is this thing on???

Lessee, before THIS post, I had posted THREE times since Christmas... JJ our intrepid leader has posted TWICE since Christmas...

But count me in on the German bier drinking guy party...

 

BlimeyCabrio

I was in Arizona trying to get back home. I woulda posted more. OK, OK. You're your in charge of the remote. Abuzavi is in charge of the bier and I am the pizzamiester. Anybody for Buffalo Wings?? That hairy green stuff on the crust of the pizza is the same stuff some French cheese makers work years to get.
It's a MINI guys party!! Right on!
You hit 100 MPH yet BlimeyCabrio?

 

Excuuuse me, but I make dynamite buffalo wings and have been following pro football since I was 16 (which, of course was only about, hmmmm, a few decades ago.) And I always like hanging out with the guys best! I will not throw socks on the table, but I'll put my bare feet with red painted nails up on it.

I want you to know JJ, that I rooted for the Broncos when they played the 9ers last. The Broncos needed it, we didn't, and I've always been a big Denver fan (can't a girl be loyal to two?) And I think of you everyday they report the snow storm problems. Those poor livestock.

I read the posts everyday, but haven't had time to focus long enough to post myself. I guess I should drop in the unfocused thoughts anyway.

Had a great New Year's Eve. Went at the last minute to a party in Kenwood held at an old rickety Community Center. Big fajita bar set up with scads of other food to serve yourself, oodles of red wine bottles from all over the county (serve yourself too!) and an awesome live rock and blues band. Ate, drank, danced for a couple of hours and then headed home to be there in time to ring in the NY with youngest. As we were leaving, who did I spy outside with my slightly glazed eye?... Tommy Smothers. Being my usual forward self, I went up to him, gave him a big hug hello/good-bye and wished him a Happy New Year. I think he thought he should know me, and it turned into a bit more than I'd planned. As he held me his comment was "boy, uh, you're a real snakey string bean... how come you feel so, uh, snakey... let's go have a cigarette..." Very Tommy like. My husband just grinned. I don't smoke... cigarettes. I declined and we sped home in Minx just in time (very snakey back roads through wine country...)

The distractions aren't over yet. My sister, her daughter, son-in-law and their 1 year old baby girl are arriving tonight from Montana (my formative years stompin' grounds.) Staying until next Tuesday. Crab feeds, trip to SF, wine country touring, all that stuff. It's a tough job, but somebody's got to do it...

 

I gotta rethink this guy party thing. Sounds like kissmys knows how to party.
Yeah it's snowing and blowing in Denver again. My wife comes from South East Colorado and says this is the worst she has ever seen in that part of the country. You gotta feel for the ranchers down there.
I was at the Bronco/49ers game (club seats). In a way I'm glad Denver lost. It's time to rebuild the team and that is going to be very difficult with the traggic murder of Darient Williams. I hope this horrible event shines a bright light on the out of controll Gangtas not only in Denver but nation wide. We have had innocent children murdered here in the last couple of years by these scum of the Earth leeches. Our Police even sit in fear of these bums. That is just not right.

 

And regarding 100mph - I'll never tell....

 

Egads. Sounds like..... Baghdad.

So, what am I doing on this fine Friday evening? Wrapping boxes. The parts came in for the Euro Parcel Shelf thing (project?) and I've been raping the basement for boxes the right size (and listening to The Clash). To be honest, I don't think I ever would have expected that I'd be doing something like this. It's a neat project -- warms my heart.

Of course, the freshly made Italian style pizza and cool, cool German bier might have helped that some.

When I was heading off to go get the parts today, I was zipping along the autobahn at about 90, maybe 95, and I once again caught myself trying to shift into 7th gear. I swear, I do that about half the time. And yes, it would be awesome to have an actual 7th gear. And 8th.

And, while doing about 130 mph, I actually took a mental break, to think about just how fast I was going. It was a strange sensation. But then there was traffic, and I had to slow to 80, and with my inside voice, I complained.

Man, I have it good. Yeah, Paul -- I know. YLB.

Oh, and no snow. Strange winter all the way around. Ridgeline got dusted a weekend or two ago, but only up high and only lightly. I blame Osama for that. I blame him for everything, if that helps.

And the kids have asked for rides this weekend in the Mini. I rewired the radio, so now the navigation voice works (hadn't, up until this week) and she speaks Bristish English. And that, the kids think, sounds neat.

Ah, to be a kid again.

 

I'm still here too I just tend to camp out in the Detailing forum.

But I still love you guys best. Clara's about ready to turn over 6000 miles here pretty soon (sometime this weeked, I would guess) and we're doing great

 

Abuzavi - yeah, YLB - but I'm happy for you, cause you're a good guy.

Just got my Dinan intake with Alta blue silicone hose installed minutes ago. It's raining now so I won't be able to road test until morning. I actually installed just the hose before dinner tonight and drove about an hour round trip with the hose and the stock airbox. The butt dyno didn't detect the 5+HP Alta says the hose delivers (yeah, right) - though it is a wonderfully sweet piece of slick silicone compared to the bafffled ribbed POS that is stock. And it may actually make a difference when the intake isn't the bottleneck.

Anyway, I was AMAZED at how much extra SC sound I got with JUST the Alta hose and stock airbox - certainly didn't sound like an Alta intake - but the fact that it was noticeable was kinda cool. I think that baffled rubber stock hose really does kill a lot of SC sound...

By the way - both were relatively easy installs - though both fit really "tight" and at times you wonder if it really is all going to fit together - in the end it all "just works". Even the little bit of cowl cutting you have to do for the Dinan is straightforward, pretty easy if you have the right drill and aviation snips, and with the supplied seals it looks "stock" when done.

More feedback when I get the road test tomorrow...

 

Did I mention possibly going to Le Mans this summer?

Any chance we can all have a big W3606 get together in France in June? Racing, camping, Mini's, good bier, maybe some autobahn time.... it'd be awesome.

 

That would, indeed, be awesome.

Unfortunately I'll be in Alaska.
Without my MINI.

Well, the Dinan intake + Alta hose combo ROX. Exactly what I was looking for - a stock-looking airbox, a cool colored hose, some more SC whine (though not as much as an ALTA), and more air - butt dyno says it *may* have a little more throttle response now. But I expect really noticeable gains when I add the pulley... the sound of the Dinan + Alta hose is GREAT. Relatively quiet below 3500, then you can really hear the SC sound - probably 4-5x as much SC sound as the stock config. Makes the car sound "alive"... but no ugly homemade-looking sheetmetal or exposed filter when you open the hood. A neat thing about the Dinan that I hadn't heard elsewhere - you can look through the cowl opening and inspect the filter condition without taking the lid off.

And contrary to some posts, the Dinan DOES have what appears to be a "serviceable" filter - should be able to use an AFE blue oil kit to clean and recharge...