I've been into Morrissey since I was in jr. high school in the mid 80's, and was happy to hear that he'd be doing a US tour this year. I saw him last year at the Aragon here in Chicago, and also saw him at the Auditorium Theater here in Chicago last Tuesday 5.15. I liked the show so much that I decided I'd motor down to St. Louis to see the show at the Pageant this past Tuesday 5.22 and the show in KC Wed. 5.23 - then right after the KC show was over I motored back to Chicago.

I filled up the MINI with fuel and off I went. I drove down to STL to see the show with a few pals of mine, then to KC on Wednesday to see the show there with a few more pals. It was great to spend some time on the road with the cabrio, something I rarely get to do living in the city. On the drive down to STL it was a bit warm, so I kept the top up. I'm amazed at how tight and quiet this top is at speed - there were moments when I forgot I was in a convertible.

On the way to KC Wed. I stopped in Columbia, Mo to see my former mechanic who used to work on my old Saab - I popped the hood to show him some of my mods, and I noticed a nice puddle of oil right below the front engine mount. I'd been noticing a lot of lash in the drivetrain, and I figured I'd have it checked out when I got to KC. I rolled into Baron MINI (what a dealership - free fountain sodas, a great waiting room with WIFI - very cool place) about 4pm and they had me out the door with a new engine mount installed by 5. With the new mount in place the drivetrain was much smoother, and there was no vibration at idle which is something I was starting to experience.

The trip also gave me plenty of time to evaluate my latest mod, the M7 strut tower brace. The brace makes a very noticeable difference in the cabrio, and it makes the car much more stable in turns. Turn in is tighter, and there is a much more solid feel to the car as a whole, especially going over bumps or high speed dips in the road. I used to get a fair number of rattles over bumps, and the bar has eliminated them. I'll probably go with the M7 USS system next, for a bit of extra stiffness.

After the Wed. show was over, I said goodbye to my friends from KC and drove up to Chicago through Iowa with the top down. It was a perfect night, with visible stars and an open convertible playing Morrissey from the ipod. I was a little tired, probably due to all the Arthur Bryan's bbq sitting comfortably in my stomach, but it was easy to stay awake with the top down.

I came away from the trip feeling that the cabrio is indeed a great road car - I hadn't had it on too many long distance trips up to this point, and I was very surprised at the cars ability to keep me comfortable over a 1000 mile trip. I've had the MINI about a year and a half now, and I already have that "old friend" bond going. It was a great few days - seeing Morrissey three times within a week was amazing, and so was the MINI.

I'd post a pic of the MINI, but it's rather embarrassing as I seem to have killed quite a few colonies of bugs. I lucked out and missed the Cicada event, as that would have been like driving through an asteroid field. I need to wash the car now.

Here's a camera phone image of Moz in STL though -

 

Road trip and Morrissey...so jealous

 

The roadtrip sounds like tons of fun!

And +1 for the M7 Strut Tower Brace and USS. I have both and I can't imagine being happy, particularly in a cabrio, without them.

 

It was an amazing trip indeed - instead of driving back to Chicago Wed. night, I actually considered going down to Dallas for tonight's show, then Austin Saturday night. I would have probably come away from that scenario divorced though - My wife is pretty is a pretty cool and understanding person, just not that understanding.

 

Very cool and thanks for sharing

I agree that the cabrio is good for road trips. Especially if you don't pack too much stuff. MOTD and NL2NB road trips 2 years in a row and few shorter trips in between for me. the pics look great.

 

Yep - I find myself putting together long business trips that previously I would have flown for.... it is a surprisingly good long distance machine.