I work w/ a guy whose parents that live in Grand Junction are wanting to attend.

They wonder if they were to meet the group in Fairplay, what time would they need to be there?

 

Our route, according to Google maps will approx 1-1/2 to 2 hrs to Fairplay. I think the post says we will depart 9:30 am sharp, so ETA Fairplay will be 11-11:30ish. Are they going to eat and lodge with us? If so, I need to know how many, and they need to get accommodations.

David & Nancy.

PS, Mr Mike, hope the campgrounds are open, Durango got 12" of snow a week ago, and there is a Winter Storm Watch/Warning for tonight and tomorrow for 6-12" of the flakey stuff!!!

David

 

Bring on the snow... bring on the ice...
I think I need to have a plan B just in the case...
Thanks for the info...
-Michael-

 

For those who have no doggie sitter and are planning on going, we think we're going to stay here, seems REALLY reasonable. http://www.ourayriversideinn.com/index.html 1 Queen bed at $75 and "cabins" at $50 (michaelsuoo, might be the Plan B) Pet Friendly, but most of the trip is not, so we might not be able to hang with you all at a brew pub or even go to mesa verde (no pets there either). We have a side trip to HotchKiss planned to visit a friend. See you on the first ride, then hope to catch up with you guys sometime in the weekend...

 

Thanks for the info. We will definitely keep that in mind. I just did a 10 day forecast on Ouray and the weather will be beautiful on those three days based on weather.com; but I never trust the forecast, so my motto will be "expect the best and prepare for the worst". so blankets, gloves, tons of fire woods..

 

I am so ready!

Come on Friday!!!!

 

Me too Mike, me too. It's going to be a long week in four days, but it'll be worth it.

Come on Friday!!!

 

woo hoo....packing my bags and we are so ready. The weather looks great so we should have a great trip. Don't forget your swimsuit if you plan on going to the hot springs pool! That will be after dinner on Friday night. Nancy

 

Darn it!! My swim sit has a hole in the right ankle so I won't be going in the pool....

 

No worry, some of those hot springs are clothing optional...Just let me know which one you go, I will try to avoid that one.

 

I hope to have my car back in time for this ride!

On the way home last night (after a beer with a few other MINI5280 meeting attendees), just about a mile from home, the Check Engine Soon light (blinking) and EML (engine electronics) light turned on, plus a new noise I've never heard and a loss of power. On the slight downhill, being so close to home I coasted and only applied a little bit of power to get home and into the garage. I thought it might be the belt, but it looks ok (kind of hard to see). The sound, to me, is like when a spark plug has been removed. Maybe I'll look closely there, before the tow truck gets here. Still under warranty (only a few months left), so Roadside Assistance to the rescue. So, I hope the dealer can fix it before Friday.
--Rick

 

Sorry to hear about your car. I am heading to Ralph Schomp today as well so I may check the status of your car or even push the SA a bit to get it fixed before Friday. Keep my fingers crossed....

 

Oh my gosh Rick. I hope it can be fixed asap. The ride would not be the same without Purple Haze. Maybe the dealer will loan you a Clubman for the trip.....good luck. Nancy

 

Hi Rick,
I was at Schomp till 1:45 PM today and didn't see your car at all. I did tell Shelly about your car and she will keep an eye out for you. Once again, sorry about the car and hope it will get fixed by Friday.

 

Sorry for the delay in an update. I had to work today (damn). Here's the poop.

Right after I called MINI Roadside Assistance this morning at 6:15 (knowing that Schomp Service opens at 7), I checked the car once again. This time with better light. The 2nd from the left spark plug had come loose and out. More likely it was pushed off. The plug wire was off to the side and the plug resting between the valve cover and the back of the intercooler. The plug threads were undamaged, so I’ll assume all is ok. The plug hole looked ok. So, it was just like I described the noise. I guess some of that old memory still works.

Needless to say, after discovering that it was only a plug problem, I cancelled Roadside Asst. mainly because I had a set of (non-OEM) Denso plugs installed a couple of years ago, along with Nology plug wires. Even though it's still under warranty, I didn't expect the dealer to replace non-OEM plugs and pay for the towing. It's a simple fix. I bought a set of NGK G-Power Platinum plugs for now. All I need to find out now is the torque setting for the plugs.

Thanks for your concern. I'll be in the garage after dinner!

 

Sorry for the ups and downs. Finally, after dinner, I was attempting to install new spark plugs when I discovered that the threads are stripped on the block. The offending spark plug (2nd from the left) probably blew out because the threads under it were bad. The spark plug itself is in decent shape, but I was going to replace them all. I don't feel confident enough to use a "helicoil" kit to fix the threads, so I'm going to call the dealer in the morning to see what I'm faced with, before taking it in. That pretty much means that Wendy and I will not be able to take this trip.
Rick

 

While I'm waiting for 7 AM to call the dealer and probably a tow truck, Wendy and I have both decided that we don't want to miss this trip. We will be going to Ouray, whether it's in the MINI or Wendy's car, a Toyota Camry. After all, to us it's more about having fun with other people and visiting our beautiful state. There isn't enough time to get some bonnet stripes installed on the Camry, though.
Rick

 

LOL, now you're talking! Maybe you could take point and radio back to us if you see any cops.

Glad to have you along, no matter which car it is.

 

Rick,
So glad to hear that you decided to come along either way. The trip wouldn't be the same without you.

See you tomorrow morning.

Christine

 

I am so jealous of everyone leaving for the trip tomorrow morning. We will be leaving here mid afternoon and hook up with everyone on Saturday AM.

 

Ask Michael how much it costs to rought it!!!!!!

 

Rick and Wendy....we are so glad you will be joining us. It would not be the same without you guys.

We have three MINI's from the Grand Jct area who will be meeting us along the way. Dan and Hap from the MINI club in GJ will join us for Friday night and we have another Dan who will join us for the entire trip. This will be his first ride with the club so make sure you make him feel right at home Also, meeting us in Fairplay are Reo and Neady. They are MINI ride virgins too.

If you have not signed up for this ride, you need to do so ASAP. I need a head count for the group dinners and to make sure we don't leave you behind in the morning. That would be a sad, sad thing

See most of you in the morning! Cenk, drive carefully and we will see you guys Saturday morning or you may find some of us in the hottub when you arrive Friday night. Nancy

 

Ok, we're booked with the rest of you guys. Found a late doggie sitter... See you tomorrow!

 

I have a co-driver seat available if anyone needs/wants a ride!

As I expected, my wife decided to stay home & play Grandma to the new Grandbaby. Our daughter, a 1st time Mommy, really wants the Grandmother/Mother support right now.

My back-up co-driver was Dan H. friom St. Louis club but also had surgery recently & decided to cancel out since he will be here for MITM3.

So, I went from possibly having 1 too many passengers to being all alone....

PM me or call 719-338-5901 if interested.

Mike

 

We're back! Had an awesome run. Hung out mainly with Jacob, Christine, Michael and Jen on Saturday. We did the WHOLE run, including Mesa Verde. Thanks to Dave and Nancy for putting this together. Ouray was gorgeous and the runs were spectaular. Pictures up soon! Sorry we couldn't drive home with you guys at the end...