I just got back from a 1600 mile (round-trip)... to the Dragon.

In a word ..WOW!!!!!
The Dragon and the surrounding roads are... incredible!!!!

My best guestamate is 150+ MINI's plus more MINIacs in one location than I've ever personally seen :smile:
It was a pleasure to meet all the people here from NAM that I've been typing @... for almost 2 years now.... It was TERRIFIC!!!!
U know who u are :smile: ...lol
I'll probably write a more detailed .... accounting.... of this wonderful trip soon...but I just wanted to share a sampling...ofsome of the pic's I took... b4 ..I go to sleep and crash for a bit :smile:
http://members.roadfly.org/lminiero/index2.html

Peace,
D

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PM d-mini-ero

 

Great Pix - Thanks!

 

What did you think of the cabrio?? I heard that MINIUSA was going to bring that as a "surprise". I was at the dragon last year but, was unableto go this year (very bummed). Anyway- glad you enjoyed it and I'll be there next year!! Also- how did you like the LED tail lights??

 

Hey, D...Great pics. What's that up on your dash?

 

Thanks D for the update with pix. I glad to hear you all had a great time!

 

D,

Thanks for the early photos!
Wonderful. I liked this one with MINIs as far and the road can turn...

 

I knew I should have gone!! What great pics,now relax and dream :smile:

 

Hey D,

I like your Garmin 2600 (I think that's it, right?). Do you find the factory (adhesive) mount secure enough? I guess the Dragon gave it a thorough test, eh what?

I've got a StreetPilot in the 328i and I'm thinking of moving it to the MCS.

Thanks for the pix,

Theo

 

i also enjoyed meeting you and many more from NAM. had a great time as well, now to go wash the car and put in new brake fluid.

 

Ahhhh. Dennis I'm so excited for you and for your decision to say the heck with the forecast and just Motor. I thought you had made the correct decision when I didn't see you around the boards for a few days. Good for you.

Next up http://www.MINISonTop.com

 

Yeah, we had a blast as well. I'll get my pictures up tomorrow, after I sort through them.

My wife has decided that she REALLY wants a convertible. I guess we'd better start shopping the Jeep Liberty!!

 

>>What did you think of the cabrio?? I heard that MINIUSA was going to bring that as a "surprise". I was at the dragon last year but, was unableto go this year (very bummed). Anyway- glad you enjoyed it and I'll be there next year!! Also- how did you like the LED tail lights?? :smile: I originally met him at the car show in NYC where MINI unveiled the convertible.

Peace,
D

 

>>Hey, D...Great pics. What's that up on your dash?

garmin 2620... best new toy I've purchased in years.
big thumbs up for this new GPS :smile:
Peace,
D

 

>>Hey D,
>>
>>I like your Garmin 2600 (I think that's it, right?). Do you find the factory (adhesive) mount secure enough? I guess the Dragon gave it a thorough test, eh what?
>>
>>I've got a StreetPilot in the 328i and I'm thinking of moving it to the MCS.
>>
>>Thanks for the pix,
>>
>>Theo


model 2620.
and yes it survived the dragon.
it even made it thru the "parade run"..... which was the most "spirited" parade I was ever ... part of. rofl


Peace,
D

 

Well Jeff would read that and consider his mission accomplished...marketing.

Glad that all had a good time and welcome back.

 

It was truly a great time. I just got home a little while ago
and am totally exhausted.

 

while checking out of Fontana Village this morning I noticed someone placed an ACTUAL SIZE sticker on the back of my car.... don't know when they did it, or who they were, but THANKS! I love it!

Not sure just how long the DRAGON SLAYER window think will last, seems a little out of place here at home....

 

Here are a couple of my pics from the Madness Run:
Madness Run, 2004

 

:smile: :smile: Brings back a lot of memories from last year - wish we could have been there again this year.......maybe next year...

 

great pics Dennis - nice to finally meet you in person!

Dragon

 

Dennis, hope you and your Son had a safe ride back to NY. It was good talking to you again. Nice pictures by the way!

I've posted this already in another thread but here are some of my pics from the Thursday - Saturday.

 

GREAT PICS! It was a blast...and the weather pretty much co-operated.

 

Dennis -

It was a blast motorin' with you at high velocity down the dragon and US-28. Seems that you and I are just about equal in driving skill, which made it even more fun, as we weren't really tripping over each other.

Tell your son I said hi, hope to see you guys there next year! I'll be there for the entire event next time... no more bloody exams!

 

Finnaly had the time to write this up :smile:
Well here goes……

A day and a half to get there…. on the way down got my 1st speeding ticket in 31 years… 79 in a 65 zone in Virginia. No radar the officer just shadowed me and wrote down…"nascar"… on my ticket…go figure. Found out since that that was "vascar" a tracking method to calculate distance/ speed...again...go figure :smile:
When you visit the Dragon driving down from the north you start in… Tenn (TN 115)… and end up in NC ( US 129 The Dragon). All…the approaching roads are spectacular as well….all rural, picturesque and twisties galore . The dragon actually starts @ Deals Gaps in NC and goes north to Tenn. (... is what I was told as The small store at Deals Gap )
1st impressions of the Dragon….
It looks like it was built yesterday….the surface road quality is EXCELLENT…. It looks brand new !!!. There are all types of curves from sweeping turns…. to s curves…. to hair pin turns (horns of the dragon) to the infamous “gravity cavity”… which gives you feeling that you are on roller coaster.. These MINI's were built for this road… and can certainly show their stuff !!!!!. My MCS performed excellently and definitely handled the challenge of the Dragon !!!
After a run …you are…. TIRED!!!…. and both you & your MINI fell like you had a good workout.….
You spend most of your time driving in 2nd & 3rd gear …. with your rpms… up above 6K. The car screams down the road…. sticking on the corners… typically between 45 -65 mph…. and on the rare straight section up to 4th gear at 70mph. The posted speed limit is 30 ..I believe
There are blind turns galore and …again…. it’s a workout to get thru this nonstop 11 mile run. You must be extremely conscious of the double yellow lines…there are motor cycles & other vehiles running in the opposite direction at …speed. I was lucky that I experience no real congestion/trafiic… during any of my 10+ runs.
The 1st nite was a terrific meet n greet @ Topoco Lodge. It was great to meet all the people I've spent so much time typing to online.On the 1st day we took pics at Fontana Dam and then..had a parade of all the MINI’s down the Dragon. Over 170 cars ( current count I hear ; ))… I was in the beginning of the pack #11 goin down ( Koolmini was car #1l)… This was the fastest parade in the history of the world…rofl…
I actually saw someone get sick at the end of the run. All the cars huddled at the end of the run and all you could notice was the beautiful aroma of burning rubber and brake pads & rotors . Life is good 
The surrounding roads are terrific as well… Rts. 28 , 143, 17 are all twisties and beautiful roads that run along rivers and streams…. in a beautiful mountainous setting. This time of the year everything is certainly “green”. It is a beautiful part of the country!!!!!
There were many events to participate in… as mentioned….meet-n-greet at Topoco lodge, the dam pictures, dragon parade, TSD in the Smokey Mtns, exhaust shoot out, chili cook off, mountain madness (ride thru 3 states ) and midnite @ the Dragon… and just drivin…drivin ..drivin 
The appearance of the MINI Convertible by Jeff at the request of Mark F. of NAM… was a great perk..
There were MINI’s from various parts of the country …I noticed the the biggest representation were from… Georgia, Ohio, Michigan and Florida

I intend to make this a regular yearly event.

To all in the tri-state area..... and the Northeast :smile:
We need to fully represent :smile: …next year !!!.
There are beautiful cabins to rent at Fontana Inn nestled in the mountains and at reasonable rates.
I would like to organize a group to go down… and.... enjoy this great MINI event.

What ya think

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It was great to meet you and your son and we’ll be looking for you about this time next year. :smile: