Well, I picked up Dawn on Wednesday in southern California... Now there's the small matter of the 2,000 miles between there and central Ohio (oi vey).

As I write this, I'm in a Budget Inn (or something) just east of Oklahoma City. I wasn't able to get online last night (having slept in a hotel room shaped like a teepee - I kid you not), but I have been taking a few photos:

On the plane... I hope I like brownish rock and canyons, because I suspect I'll be seeing a lot of them...



I met Larry at Bob Hope airport in Burbank and we retired to a fast food place to do the paperwork. L.A. was mist-shrouded and surprisingly cold when I got there.Larry's Dad snapped a pic of the hand-off. Larry is a great guy, and the transaction went as smooth as silk. I'm really glad that I went out to personally meet him, even though it's costing me three days to get back....



I drove all day Wednesday, making it as far as Holbrook, AZ. From there, I diverted south a ways to see something special... Here's a road shot - yep... lots and lots of brown dirt, scrub and canyons...



Lil' Maul RIDES AGAIN!!



I took these in a place called "Pie Town" (I sh*t you not) just shy of the Arizona/New Mexico border on Rt. 60. I wish I'd been there about an hour earlier, but I woefully underestimated the travel time and distance between Holbrook and my destination (damn, this country is ludicrously big).





Aaaaaaaaaaaaand... here we go. The Very Large Array in New Mexico. Watching the sun rise over the plains and seeing the dishes swim out of the fog (I could see the array spread out across the flat bowl of the valley from 12 miles out, even in the mist) was eerie, and was more than worth the extra 200 miles I had to clock to get down here:







That's it for now. So far, the car's handling like a dream - no issues whatsoever. I think she's happy to be out running under the cloudless blue sky.

Tomorrow is for the rest of Oklahoma, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and, finally, Ohio. I'll try to shoot pictures as I go, but the landscape, quite frankly, is getting more and more boring with every mile I go... If nothing else, maybe I'll shoot a picture of the positively astounding number of bugs splattered across the bumper (ick).

 

Awesome pics!!
Car looks great and it really looks like going out there personaly to pick up the car is going to turn into a memorable trip.

PS Can't wait to see what you do with that beautiful car. I'm sure you're already planning the first steps as you drive back.

 

Hey those are great pics and what a way to get familiar with your new best friend! I am sure you and your new MINI are having a blast on your trip back to Ohio. Don't blink in some of those Oklahoma towns though....I work in Oklahoma a lot and there isn't much in some area! Happy Motoring!

 

[ positively astounding number of bugs splattered across the bumper (ick).[/quote]

Does it look something like this?

 

Fantastic shots - have a safe journey

 

Awesome. Just awesome. Love the dish pics. Can't snap those everyday...

 

Great Pics! I love the one with aray behind

At least with all the 'flat' roads out there, I'm sure you can open up the throttle a 'little' bit

I'll be sure to check for a passing MCSC if I make my way central!

Happy Motoring!

 

Completely awesome trip...I was planning to do a similar road trip, that is, until my search for the perfect Mini scored one 5 miles away.

Needless, my journey home was nowhere near as exciting, but it didn't require a plane ride and multiple hotel stays.

Keep the pics coming

 

Good job Matt,

I had it the other way around but from St. Louis to LA about the same mileage as your trip?

LA - St Louis (plane)
St Louis - LA (Mini!!)

I still like the idea of buying it out of state and driving Mini back home
good time to get to know each other.

Have a safe trip

 

Great shots! I wish I would've thought to visit the antenna array while I was driving through New Mexico. They make a great background!

 

Great pics and an awesome looking MINI. That looks like a fun way to get acquainted with your new MINI.

Wish I could get some time off work and meet you as you travel through Missouri on I44, but that is too far to sneak away from work.

Happy Motoring!

 

Cool photos! Glad to hear you and the MINI are having a fun, safe trip.

That's what I did.

 

What a very beautiful car! Love the pics. Purple is Great!

 

Well, I made it... Just a whisker shy of 2,300 miles, with my side-trip down to the VLA... Totally worth it.

Left this morning to find pea-soup fog just shy of Tulsa - I actually drove some side roads to find a place that was LESS thick, so I could see the trees:







The car functioned perfectly, but Friday wasn't without excitement, I'm afraid...

After returning to the highway, I went 5 minutes and was struck by a rock, which cracked the windshield (GAAAAH!). G'dammit! What d they make the things out of? Spun frickin' sugar? I replaced my orange one's windscreen TWICE.

Then, about 10 minutes later, a truck about a tenth of a mile in front of me blew a tire, sending a strip of steel reinforced tread into the air in a cloud of sizzling rubber. I swerved and heard it ping off the antenna as it sailed overhead, narrowly missing the car. The truck began to rock and sway, trying to find its equilibrium, so I pulled around it and accelerated past on the left...

...just in time to scream past a Oklahoma State Trooper at the bottom of the hill. Of course he pulled me over, and of course the paperwork was a mess, since I had my Ohio license on me, California tags on the car and a title with Larry's name on it. More oi vey. Luckily, the cop let me off with just a warning, but I was sort of freaked for the rest of the trip home.

But, all is well now. Must sleep. Maybe more tomorrow. If it's nice, Dawn has a date with a bucket-full of Prima car shampoo and my POrter Cable.

 

GREAT fog photos. Great adventure you'll always remember. Yikes - flying retread - you WILL dream about that tonight. Glad you're home safe and sound. Yeah, MINI windshields SUCK. Oi vey. It's all part of the experience...

Congrats again. Can't wait to see Dawn in person. With some improvements.

 

Glad you made it! This amazing journey of finding, purchasing, and bringing her home is only just the begining of a whole new motoring chapter for you! Love the pics you took in the fog. That purple sure looks sharp in the mysterious fog.

 

I'm glad you flew on Skybus.

 

Ummm... what?

 

Glad you're home safe. Love the pictures! Hope the windshield crack isn't too bad...

 

She looks great!! Now you need to change some stuff around in you sig

 

LOVE the VLA pictures!!!

 

Great pics and commentary. That's the kind of stuff you never forget.
Congrats on the new addition!

 

Cool pics and great road trip photos. Sorry about your windscreen - it could've been worse right? Glad you're home safe and sound.

 

Please keep us all posted on your Dawn, her mods, and her activities. The whole story of how you came by her and what she means to you and her original owners is both heart-wrenching and inspirational.

I have the feeling that Dawn will end up being one of the most reknowned MINIs ever to grace the pages of NAM.

Thanks for the update. Glad you made it home okay. Wonderful pics.

 

Thanks for sharing part of your trip with us, Matt ! Makes me wish I had done a better job of photo-documenting our trip from Missouri when we picked up Dr Evil a few months ago.

Glad you made that looooooooong journey home safely and soundly, even though you had a rocky moment (sorry, bad pun). And yes, you are right... we don't fully comprehend just how large the US is until we drive across a large part of it.

Dawn is beautiful... you found yourself a keeper there !