Completed: 23. Attend a MINI Cooper Gathering
Every since I was 20, I’ve wanted a MINI. Last year when we closed our driving school business, we traded in our Nissan Cube and put it toward a convertible MINI. It was finally happening! “Mini Smalls” was ours.
Now that I was part of the “club,” I wanted to connect with fellow MINI owners. Every other year, MINI puts on an event called MINI Takes the States. During the trip, thousands of MINI owners take part in a cross-country trip together.
This year, the event started in Atlanta and finished in Palm Springs, California. It consisted of roughly two weeks of traveling for participants going track to track. I wanted to participate, but only for a few stops, so I joined the group from Richmond to Baltimore (and a little beyond Baltimore, but not to Pittsburgh, the next stop).
When I arrived at the morning gathering in Richmond, I was completely overwhelmed. It was so awesome. Over a thousand MINIs lined up, ready to roll. Everyone was so kind and excited to travel. Essentially what happens at the stops — all owners meet, then travel to the next stop together. Along the way to the final destination cities, there are additional stops in between, attractions that showcase a given area.
It was really cool to be around people with such passion for their cars. I thought it was so much fun and loved it even more because I was inspired to add some accessories to my car. There are so many different styles of MINIs. And I loved driving in a pack. We rolled deep!
The ONLY negative criticism I could say about this trip is that some MINI drivers drive waaaay too fast. I love the movie “The Italian Job” as well, but we’ve got rules on our roads. It was crazy at times.
I really hope to do it again in 2018.
-Kris