MTTS 2008: The Drive North

Our week started in Miami after the end of the MTTS event at Homestead Raceway as we headed north. We drove a lot, tried not to eat too much junk food and got to have a great MINI experience!

A lot happened between Florida and Boston. Long days starting at 6:00am, driving all day, then not getting into our rooms until midnight and later. There was so much going on, you’ll have to check the photos and video. There were, however, a few standouts.

Starting with our stop in Charleston where MINI of Charleston hosted a great meet-up, beach party style! Great food, boiled peanuts and Tony the peanut man! In the background, the sky was interrupted by an aircraft carrier, which made a fantastic backdrop.

From there, we continued our journey north, including making a stop in Savannah, GA for lunch and to see our friend Murray. We all had a great lunch, and even the Mayor dropped in. Very very cool. While the rest of the group headed toward the next stop, we hung around for a while and had a fantastic cup of coffee, got to see some of the cooler sites of Savannah and were treated to an extra special surprise by Murray. But that will have to be another story for another day as I was sworn to secrecy.

Nobody bothered to mention how absolutely boring I95 was going north bound. Of course, we started seeing billboards for South of the Border, and not knowing any better, we had to stop. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

We finally ended up in Virginia Beach. Our hotel was right on the beach and we both had balconies on the third floor. I took advantage of that and slept with my window open, which was exactly like sleeping on the beach. It was awesome! If you ever get to VA Beach and need a place to eat, might I recommend The Raven? And, if you do go, ask for Jessica. Tell her the WRR boys sent you.

The next day we spent most of our time on the road traveling at 40mph and dodging traffic cones, barrels, tractors and workers in brightly colored vests. It took a while, but we finally got into Philadelphia!

Once there, we were graciously hosted by the Philly MINI Club who provided entertainment, swag bags and a little something to eat. A quick shout-out to Joe and Stella who brought it altogether, including arranging a run on the ‘Rocky Steps’ the following morning! If you ever get to Philly or close to it, this is the club to hang out with!

The following night we ended in Mahwah, New Jersey at Prestige MINI. They put on a great spread for us and close to 300 MINIs at the dealership! After 1 more fantastic story by Rauno, we headed up into the mountains to a drive-in where we were treated to the new Indiana Jones movie, popcorn and a coke! Check out the video and photos to see how awesome 300 MINIs at a drive in really is!

The following morning it was breakfast, again hosted by Prestige MINI before heading to Boston. We went north to Merritt Parkway, which was just a stunning run through the mountains of Connecticut (and helped us miss quite a bit of traffic), with a stop for chowder along the way.

Of course I brought the video camera along.

Next stop, Boston!