The perfect ride ...

After a lazy day of "honey-do's" I decided to take my Cooper S out for a little ride.
It was the close of a warm summer day, a hint of pink in the evening sky. The MINI was dirty and less than a half tank of gas I was only going to motor on down the highway and back. Just a little, end of day "relaxer".
With a quick "good-bye" and "see you in a few minutes" to my wife and family, I was off.
Sunroof open, windows down and Dave Mathews on the CD I started motoring down our little two-lane highway. Keeping it easy, enjoying all the looks the car gets.
After 10 minutes I came upon a turn off. There was an advertisement for a natural hot spring resort that a friend had told us about. It didn't give mileage but I didn't think it could be too far away. So I dropped it down a couple of gears, rounded through a left hand turn and started pushing the RPM's. Traveling quickly through rolling countryside with grapes growing lush and green on either side of the road, I thought, "this is what this car was meant for".
Now I'm going up and over the coastal mountain range. Swift, quick turns, switchbacks so tight you meet your rear bumper going the other way. And I think, "now THIS is what this car was made for".
Up and over the last hill. The road opens before me. I can see for miles. A slow serpentine 2-lane road stretching through a pristine valley.
With a sherbet pink sky behind me, as the sun disappears into the West, I descend.
I've driven my car hard before, trying to see how fast it would go, but that was only for short distances, constantly looking around for black-and-whites.
Now I can take my time ... drawing out the fun, running the engine up to 5500, 6000 RPM's before shifting up to the next gear and doing the same again until I'm in 5th and flying. Flowing through the curves at 80 MPH and putting pressure on the throttle, blasting down the straight-aways. Ninety, Ninety-five, looking out for the wayward cow, catching a glimpse, in the rearview mirror, of the cloud of dirt I've raised. Approaching the odd ranch house and slowing just to GO again when I reach the other side.
NOW THIS IS WHAT THE MINI COOPER S WAS MADE FOR!
After two hours of unabashed, unbridled, unrestrained fun I pull into my driveway. The car is covered with suicide bugs, the gas gauge is floating just above the empty mark and I can't stop smiling.
My wife, although worried, seems to understand.
Damn! I love this car.
I doubt if I'll ever be able to recreate this experience again. I know the next time I take the same route there will be traffic or a wandering cow to get in my way but that's OK ... I've had my perfect ride.

 

Thanks Dave. Your words took me along with you and that will have to do until mid-November when I will go in search of my "perfect ride". No grapes in the desert, but some amazing sunsets.

Happy motoring,

Jason


Liquid Yellow S, Lapis and every thing, but the nav and heated seats. No need for heat in the desert and without the nav I have an excuse to get lost.

 

WOW... That was a truly exhilarating piece of literary art. It really made me bite my nails in envy. I'll get mine in 1 1/2 months. The way you describe the highway and roads really reminds me of where I live in Germany. I would love to see pictures of the sceenery. Where do you live, Back East? I'm from Arizona and you just don't hear stories like that. My parents hail from the Upstate NY and Connecticut, they tell stories simmilar to yours. They would be on a Harley or Indian instead of a MINI though.

Cheers

_________________
Frank L Shaskan

 

That was FANTASTIC! I AM ORDERING MINE TODAY, FOR SURE!

can't wait for my 'perfect drive'...

 

Frank, I live in a small town south of Silicon Valley, in California. A nice area but I'm putting 90 miles on my MINI a day! Oh well! It was meant to be driven.

 

wow...reminds me of my last drive..........the lonesome road ahead barren of any machinery, clouds staring to form above, the distant 2 lane road ahead starting to wind in sharper curves with slight dips along the way as I gradually press the pedal hearing the supercharger starting to whine before I hear the sharp snap sound, my back being flung back not from the sheer accelleration of the 163 horses, but from the seat breaking as I'm all the way back in my seat, but I adjust myself to continue the drive, pull the wheel down so I can still see the tach as I plan on running this baby up past 6Krpms, rounding the corners with hardly a lean with my 30% stiffer than bimmer frame when all to my surprise I see out of the corner of my eye the dreaded sign, the runflat sensor just coming on making my heart skip a beat as I gradually slow I can feel myself tense and starting to sweat, but then realize it's not me, it's only the air compressor just blowing and sending hot air into my mini ...but ahh, what the hell, lowering the windows, relaxed in my all the way back broken seat and slowly and slowly rounding the winding corners, listening to the softing wine of the supercharger while watching the tire sensor....slower and slower, under 5K rpm's, then 4k, then down to 3k...as I reach for my phone, searching for the mini service speed dial...asking for Larry, asking about his wife and kids and what the record for driving distance on a blown runflat.....the road so lonesome, no beer joint anywhere in sight as I turn to my wife and hearing once again her mantra "never a buy a new car in it's first model year"....I can't respond, but console myself with my inner dreams of getting the loaner
bimmer again for another couple weeks, but this time it will have a stick shift :smile:

Couldn't resist with a little humour....one of these days after all the fixes I will have a 2003 mini even though I bought a 2002 :smile: