My wife and I motored to Monterey, VA, on Saturday, in a monsoon, for the Fall Color Run. 17 Minis including us were there. Most were from the VA Tidewater area, although I think there was one from NC and I know at least one from the DC area. We were the only ones from WV. This was the first one of these things I have done and I was extremely impressed with the way it was organized. Hats off to Dale! The rain had stopped by the time we got on the road. The route was great, with a lot of twisties. Most of the route was in WV, including Cheat Mountain, Snowshoe and lunch at Cass Scenic RR, then back to Monterey via Frost. It turned into a beautiful day. Amazingly, there was still a lot of color left on the trees in some areas. The Sunday run was to Seneca Rocks, but we didn't participate.

My wife and I knew absolutely no one on this trip, so we didn't know what to expect. We were pleasantly surprised. We were welcomed as if we were friends. What a great bunch, these Mini owners!

I only wish some of you could have made it. Maybe some other time.

 

Glad to hear you had a good time. I almost decided to make it up there, but just couldn't work it out. In the 20 months I've had my MINI, I've had a great time meeting up with members from our club for events as well as other clubs (including Dale and other folks from HR MINI). The fellowship with other MINI owners is a wonderful benefit to MINI ownership. Hope our paths cross sometime!

 

We were glad to have you join up with us! We had a pretty darn good time on the roads of Western VA and WV. Once the rain let up and things cleared out it was absolutely awesome. The Saturday loop was great. Lots of good MINI's and their owners, beautiful scenery and great roads. One of the comments over the FRS radios pointed out the fact that these were some very Dragon-esque roads. Sunday was great but a bit chilly for the ride up to Seneca Rocks and some great photo ops. The host hotel, the Highland Inn was full of charm and character you don't find in the fast paced lodgings of today. As for the town of Monterey, it's simple and unpretentious. Quiet and quaint. It's most definitely a place I could retire!

It couldn't have been much better. A little drier, but not much better! We did cancel the Friday night Darkness run. Dark wet roads aren't always as friendly as we'd like. We decided to hang out at the Highland for the evening instead. Here are some of the pics we took over the weekend.









Don't worry. If you missed this event, I have a REAL GOOD feeling HR MINI mightjust be back in wild wonderful WV in the spring! In fact, I'd count on it!

 

Better views of the first photo stop




And a couple of more of the wonderful historic Highland Inn