Thanks very much!

Jack

 

We will have PLENTY of patches. Trust me. You haven't missed a thing.

 

Patch update:

MINIBee - $30 (paid)
1QuickMini - $20 (paid)
MidnightDave - $20 (paid)
Xiek - $20 (paid)
BlimeyCabrio - $20 (paid)
gaminis - $40 (paid)
Cine - $20
quemas - $20 (paid)
thatatvguy - $20 (paid)
LowCountry S - $20 (paid)
Drillslinger - $20 (paid)
Grassroots Garage - $20 (paid)

Total - $270

I will be placing the order next week. Thanks!

 

I think the pooling our money together and going to get supplies is a great idea. If everyone agrees, that's what we'll plan to do. Just bring an extra $10 for the cookout. Great idea guys, that's what I like about this event. It's very organic!

 

Yep. Very good idea. We can call ahead to the Fontana General Store and see if they'll be stocking everything we'll need (which is possible) - otherwise we'll make a run to Robbinsville. Or, if we can get a reasonably accurate tally before that Friday, we can stop on the way and pickup provisions...

 

There was a post earlier.. i saw.. that someone needed 20 upfront for admin needs or something.. curious who needed it, where to send it... and what is it for???!?!?!? lemmeknow!
and now... pooling what money for the bbq..AND another 10? not putting a wet blanket on this.. but i thought this was an informal fun run.. and i know someone said something at the beginning about this being about THE CAR...now its about how much extra money?
I know the motd.. we pay our registration, and thats it.. i didnt pay extra up front.. nor behind.. fill me in will ya?

 

be carefull, tailofthedragon.com is reporting the Tenn. Highway Patrol are craking down on everyone driving the Tail and watch for radar on all 4 lanes in western North Carolina

 

Reservations made today!

We'll be leaving Virginia Beach, VA (thank God) Thursday morning. We hope to get a little site seeing in on Friday around the area. We've never been to this part of NC or TN. Anyone have any suggestions?

I hope to meet a new crowd of Mini owners over the weekend and have some fun. My 13 year old son is coming with us. I won't make him a problem for anyone who's not kid friendly. He sort of does his own thing and stays out of the way. He's been mentioning that when he rides in the Mini he's been getting a little of a sick feeling. I figured it might be him hinting to ride in the front seat for part of the trip, but he says it happens in the front also. Has anyone else's kids mentioned this? I guess I should invest in some motion sickness meds before hitting the road.

 

You don't have to pay anything or participate in anything that costs money if you don't want to. It's all voluntary except the room and gas.

The $20 was for custom patches that are being made and sold for charity. Totally optional. They will be for sale at the event but the $20 was part of the upfront cost to have them made.

The other talk is about possibly having a cookout or something. Also fully optional.

 

There actually was/is a requested donation of $20 to cover Jason's expenses organizing this, with ALL extra $$ going to charity (see the first post in the thread for details). But again, it's a free country. If anyone wants to just show up and be there, no one is going to MAKE them donate to a good cause. But given that Jason has spent a TON of hours organizing this, reserving blocks of rooms at Fontana, having art designed for T-shirts, putting together an agenda/program, scheduling activities, figuring out foodservice options, etc. it seems reasonable to me to ensure that any out-of-pocket expenses he incurs (whatever they might be) outta get reimbursed, and his favorite charity is welcome to a few of my dollars..... but to each his/her own.

As Jenn B said, the cookout money-pooling thing is OPTIONAL - we thought folks might like to have a nice low stress way to eat up there on Friday night... and not have to fend for themselves... but it's OPTIONAL. As is disc golf, and tshirts, and patches - all things that have been organized by volunteers to make this hopefully a nice weekend for everyone. And no, we're not even attempting to make this anywhere near the scale of MOTD in scope, complexity, events, commercialism, etc.

Yep, it's about the cars. And friends, new and old. And raising a little money for charity seems like a good thing... nobody is making a profit on this endeavor (except maybe Fontana...)

But, yes, anybody that wants can go to Fontana that weekend for the cost of gas and lodging and whatever you eat - if that's what floats your boat.

 

YES! Dramamine 2 or better. I have to do this for my copilot... if you have ANY tendency toward motion sickness, those roads are BRUTAL.

 

Thanks - we've discussed this A BUNCH on this thread already.

I think it's unlikely we'll see a ton of enforcement out there the first weekend of November - that's past motorcycle season in those parts... hard to believe the LEOs would spend the money when there's nobody to harass/ticket...

But, even if we do, there are LOTS of GREAT roads on the NC side of the border that will NOT have heavy enforcement operations. And we'll have a great time waving at the TN cops as we drive by at 30mph in a calm and orderly manner.

And, living in NC, I can attest that you should ALWAYS be on the lookout for NCHP on ANY four lane or wider road in this state. That's what they do.

 

Got my reservations in at the campground yesterday, anyone else braving the elements at the campground too? Just a note Fontana resort's website shows that the campground closes Oct 31 but they said that they will be open for us.

 

I'll be making my donation to Jason's Charity, getting some shirts ordered, and letting someone know I want a patch or two.

Jason, thank you for all the time and money put forth into this event. I had no trouble what-so-ever making my reservation yesterday with Fontana. I only mentioned that we'd be there the same first weekend in November trying to meet up with the Mini group.

Thank you to many others who have also taken your time and money I'm sure to make this a fun weekend event.

I'm going to read the thread over throughly later to be sure I didn't miss anything. We've never played disc golf so we don't have any special disc like I know many of the players locally have many $$$ tried up into.

I see that there's a cookout forming with a $10 donation. Sounds like an excellent way to get to know some more Mini people.

The Hubby's checking out area tourist traps to visit upon our arrival. I think this will be a very fun and exciting filled weekend. I'm crossing my fingers and toes for some excellent weather conditions to be set in our path. I must make a mental note to pick up some motion sickness meds!!! :impatient I think I may need them as well as the back seat passenger. I don't even do roller coasters anymore.

Off for the moment to cook the family some late breakfast.

 

Take it from someone who, at one time or another, has gotten sick on all forms of transportation that exist: Get your doctor to call in a perscription for "Transderm-SC 1.5 MG". Their cheap little patches that go behind the ear and absolutley knocks out all symptoms of travel sickness (with no other effects)!! I'll most certainly have one on while motoring the dragon!!! Good luck to your son.

 

Here comes the Mouth of the South...

The PoPo will always be around, and we need to drive prudently to have a safe time while having an enjoyable time, going over the yellow line can have a LOT bigger consequences than a ticket--you know being dead and all that.

I bought a Disc Golf starter set for just over $50, and some are less, you can do that, or just borrow mine or somebody else's discs, I have one extra driver that came in the set, we can share the putter, etc. Again this is supposed to be about kicking back and having fun!

Like I said in my post, MY approach is to throw money at stuff, and that's because I'm fortunate enough to have some right now, haven't always, may not always, do now.

So...let's just say we'll have plenty of food and supplies for the cook out and everybody is welcome to participate in everything and only Jason, (providing he can remember) need know who kicked in what.

This is NOT about breaking the bank and it IS about participation, so I'm thinking everybody do anything you want and a few of us will make sure Jason doesn't go broke over this when it's over.

On a different topic, the window tint went on this week, and thanks to Paul/Blimey for hosting a mod party and some guys who are more adept than me, I now have the full aero grill and viper stripes, too!

Can wait to commune ...Let's MOTAH!

 

Count my wife and I in on the picnic. We're also counting on purchasing two tee shirts (MED & XL) and a patch as soon as we get there. Since we live on diet cokes, I'll bring three or four 2 liter bottles to the picnic, along with some 'after burger' snacks. If we can bring anything else, let me know. How 'bout cups, paper plates, napkin kind of things?

 

Regarding disc golf - I discovered recently that REI has a decent selection of golf discs (at least the store here does) for reasonable prices ($17 each, or $30 for a starter set of driver, midrange and putter). And, in my experience, you CAN play with a plain old Frisbee, though you won't have as much fun. And you CAN start with just one "mid range" golf disc and use it to drive, approach and putt. Heck, you're not gonna beat the guys that do this all the time, anyway... so no reason to invest in more than one disc until you decide if you're gonna play more often (warning: disc golf IS addictive).

 

Thanks for the info. I'll surely put a call into the doctor's office this week. Sounds like this will be a better fix considering I've heard that most of the other meds put you to sleep.

Thanks for the disc info and offer to share.

Thanks for the warning about this Disc Golf being addictive. Just what I need right now, another addictive hobby! Between us all the Hubby's changed from Jeep into a Shelby Cobra GT500, me into the Mini, the son into all the latest video games, and as a family we have quads and jet skis that we enjoy together. These are big ticket items I've mention, so I should be able to spring for a starter Disc Golf set up right? Problem is, will it fit in the Mini? This trip will be an excellent test for us. We are use to traveling in an F150 truck with a camper shell. No laughing at us upon on arrival!!! We'll be the Mini packed to the max.

We do have a Disc Golf course about 25 minutes away. There's only one in our area that I know of. Maybe we'll search out a set and get a little practice in before this trip.

Oh, we've an appointment Wednesday for tinting. I'm still trying to decide on an all around percentage or have the front a little lighter than the back. The sunroof is going as dark as possible to help keep the heat out and save the interior from sun damage over the years to come. I'm leaning toward the all around same look.

OK, thanks again to everyone who offered some advice. I'll be popping in often to check on the thread status and get to know a few of you before actually have to spend the weekend with you.

Off the winterize and cover the mini Chesapeake Bay in the backyard. It's just a really little 33 foot round above ground pool. Anyone want to help? The wind is picking up. This huge cover gets caught in the wind and I may be sailing around neighborhood. Don't let them send out the Langley Field Navy planes after me if I get reported as a UFO.

 

Alright, let me catch up.....Was out of town this weekend for a family function north of Atlanta. So, here we go, as best I remember. lilruffcat, good questions, sorry it took me a couple of days to get to them. (And hope you guys had fun in Orlando!) It is about the cars, and it's about the community. The few things we have planned are about building a stronger community. With that being said, MOTD is sponsored and supported by alot of external funding and sponsorships, plus there's the mandatory registrations, plus you had to pay for the meals, and I believe I bought one meal at The Grille Saturday night that was like $11 for a piece of dried-up lemon pepper fish. This event lacking all the external funding, is being footed by all of us, sort of a we'll pitch in what we can, and for those that can't, we got them covered. There's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes, and while I am CERTAINLY not complaining, (I in fact am loving it), it still takes resources, and we have all put things together like this and ended up having to pay out alot out of your own pocket. Not that I wouldn't be willing to do that, I just couldn't. With that being said, everything about this event is voluntary. For those that can't pay anything, we'll foot the bill. For those that have and can, great. We are all doing this for the same cause, and at the end of the weekend, if we can all say we had a blast, and it was well worth whatever it cost us, that's all that matters to me. All the extra money, and the money from the Disc Golf Tournament are all going to a charity I am highly involved with. I have a friend in a band called Jars of Clay that started it, and they do a really cool thing in Africa. People also know that I am in coffee, and the majority of the coffee we get comes from the same countries that Blood:Water Mission is building clean water wells in, so it has a special place in my heart on many levels.
With that being said, like Midnight Dave said, I was logging who gave what as far as donations goes, so I could honor them in some kinda way, but I just think that's silly now. We are all giving what we can, and I don't want anyone to feel bad cause they couldn't give at all. I know I ain't gonna care if you did or not, and I know everyone else probably feels the same way. So, no more logging them in. Cause it certainly ain't about that, it's about the stinking fun we are going to have that weekend I can't wait for!
Now to the cookout. I think contributing what you can to a pot and us getting supplies is a great idea. And if you can't afford to give, it will be covered. We will run into Robbinsville and get what we need.
We still need a cabin that we can host the Brew Swap and maybe Cigar Saloon at. If someone has a place, shoot me a message. Mine's too small, or I would certainly do it.
The Charity Disc Golf Tournament. Here's the deal. Go to your nearest Sports Authority or sports store, and buy one disc, an "Innova Shark." You can drive with it, and putt with it, all of it. Cost, around $10. All you need is that one disc to start playing, and I swear you'll be hooked and play for the rest of your life. I have been playing for 9 years. I love it. And random doubles means it's totally fair. And if anyone wants to go out and play in Charlotte anytime before, I'll certainly go! (ALSO, I WILL HAVE EXTRA DISCS ON HAND IF SOMEONE NEEDS TO BORROW, AND I KNOW OTHERS WILL, TOO, SO DON"T FEEL YOU HAVE TO BUY ONE IF YOU DON'T WANT TO!)
Mini S Pilot, glad you will be able to join us, and glad the reservations went good!
yumyumdriver, glad you can make it, too. Added you to the list.
Midnight Dave, as always, thanks for the kind words, and great advice.
Blimey, thanks, as well. You have been a great help!
MINI_Bee, thanks for putting the awesome patches together! They look great!
Also, gaminis had a great idea. Everyone log your miles for the trip, and whoever drives the longest, probably the Canucks, will win some kinda prize I will come up with. This should be fun!
Definitely bring Dramamine. You may very well need it. I have not experienced the need myself, but know two passengers who did. Maybe it's a passenger thing!
Other than that, print out that Program, and read up on the right way to drive the Dragon. Read BLUCOOPR's post about it in here, it's good advice. The most important thing I heard or read is just don't cross the yellow line, and anticipate someone coming around that corner. At night, it's a little easier in some ways, cause you can see people coming, but scarier in others, cause you can't see real good what curve lies ahead. I turned off the radio, put the windows down, and focused, focused, focused. It will be the ride of your life. You will never forget it!
Anything else I missed, shoot me a PM, and I will take care of it!

 

I can't remember if we've discussed this yet or not...

But, if you have'em, bring your FRS/GMRS radios. These come in VERY handy for communicating around camp, as well as talking car-to-car during the group drives. They give the lead cars a mechanism to warn following cars of oncoming traffic, trucks, LEOs, animals, debris, etc. We'll pick a shared frequency for general use.

If you don't have a set, and are considering getting some, you REALLY want GMRS units, and you want some that advertise as being 15ish mile or longer range - the more, the better. If you're not familiar with these - GMRS provides MUCH higher transmit power than older FRS radios. The advertised range is best case in clear, flat terrain where you pretty much have line-of-sight, which is NEVER the case in the NC mountains. If you're lucky, "15 mile" radios might be good for a couple of miles in the mountains. A reasonable pair can be had for $50-$90 or less (sometimes much less) at your electronics or warehouse store of choice. I have these and they work pretty well, come with batteries and chargers, etc.

Federal regulations require you to pay a fee and fill out a form for a "license" in order to use the GMRS spectrum... Some people do this. Most don't. Follow your conscience.

 

anyone have cooperations email? their msg folder on here is FULL.. I can't send him a message, please have them PM me.

 

I will get it for you...

 

I sent him an email to let him know you're trying to get in touch.

 

1QukMini

Don't let one post get under your skin . Look at all the great feedback that's happened from this. This brings eveyone together who ordinarily wouldn't be able to interact. Everyone that will be there is there because of you initiating this. Thanks to you and others, this will be a great time.

Just bought a 3 set of discs at a sports store here for $29. Individually they are $8.99 a piece. Never have played before, but we have a course 2 miles from the house I didn't even know about. I certainly can't play golf, so this might be my saving grace. Thanks again for taking your time to put this together.