The adventure continues...

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Greetings from Blair, Neb. The SAMOA Corps of Discovery has bedded down for the evening, and I think I've figured out how to post reasonable-sized photos from the road. Let's give this a try.


I really wanted to get these photos from Manitou Springs (Colorado) and Pike's Peak posted, because Friday's experience will probably be the high point (in more than one way) of our trip. I shot the above image from the balcony of my room at our hotel in Manitou Springs. Those are excited SAMOAns in the parking lot in the foreground. In the background -- wa-a-aay in the background at the upper left with the slight cap of clouds -- is Pike's Peak. The first time I saw it, I couldn't believe we'd be climbing it. It looked like a monster -- an incredibly huge, dark, snow-capped monster.

The morning was clear and cold, and four SAMOA minis set out to battle the beast.


No suspense here. The four LBCs made it to the top. I didn't take any shots of the ascent because I had both hands welded to the steering wheel. I think I created a few more finger-ridges in my Mountney on the way to the top. It was mountain-goat steep and guardrail-free, but the Minis were up to the task. We'd prepped the cars well, and all our agonizing over carb settings (remember, this trip tops out at 14,100 feet) and brakes paid off handsomely.


Here are Ryno and Chuck on the descent. The drive down the mountain wasn't a whole lot easier than the climb. The road is mostly gravel and the slopes are amazing. You can see the depth of the snow here.


This is a shot of Jerry coming down the peak behind me. Did I mention the part about the gravel slopes and all the altitude and my white knuckles?

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This is another shot of Ryno and Chuck on the way down. It's a little dark, but it hints at the spectacular views from thirteen or fourteen thousand feet.


After a little while I was relaxed enough to play around with the camera. That's Ryno on the road ahead about to dart out of sight and Jerry coming on in the rear-view mirror.


Still above the tree line, but we stopped to snap a few photos.


We stopped about six miles from the summit to congratulate ourselves before dropping the rest of the way to the peak entrance.

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This was the rest of Friday. Eastern Colorado and Kansas. Every mile looked a lot like this.



This morning we made a brief stop in Lebanon, Kansas, to visit the rooster that patrols the lawn around the geographic center of the 48 states.





We've come 2,920 miles so far and the cars are holding up well. My new throttle cable was sticking badly today, so after we got to the motel, I pulled it out of the car and Chuck drove me into town to find a couple of specialized throttle-cable-fitting-honing tools (a small round file and a tiny drill bit). I opened up the hole in the firewall end of the cable and reinstalled it. Should be OK for the duration.

Tomorrow we cross the Missouri River into Iowa. We're on schedule to pull into Winona on Monday morning. More later.

Dan

[pigpen]

Wow!! What a fantastic journey. Yes, I'm still jealous...
Tom

[skip]

Looks like Fun!
Dan, If the aforementioned fix didn't work all the way, find a bike shop and get a can of Bo-Lube or any other good bike chain lube.
Next make a small funnel at either end with duct tape. Fill the funnel with a squirt of the Bo-Lube. Tape to a hanger. Hang it up in the closet for a few hours with a plastic bag on the bottom end to catch the run off.
This trick works a treat on motorcycle and mountain bike cables. Should work on a Mini Cable too.

[Cheleker]

The cable issue is an irritant and not fixable with lube. The issue is the cable rubbing on the ferrule (firewall end) and needed to be opened up.
We've had a few niggles (like the cable and a turn signal bulb), but the three bigger ones were: starter solenoid (brand new - failed with under 600 miles on it - replaced with a spare we carried), leaking fuel tank sending unit (brand new -- failed with less than 2000 miles on it -- patched well enough to finish the trip), and a plugged fuel filter -- replaced with spare carried along. All of the above and a few more could have been avoided if we'd had a couple more weeks to prepare for the trip.

Total miles to date: 3,337.5. That's about 60% of the total trip miles planned.

Tomorrow we follow the Mississippi River north from Dubuque to the Meet's base in Winona, Mini-sota.

[Cheleker]

Arrived in Winona at 1:00 pm. Total miles = 3515.
Dave and James showed up a little later. Jeff is here, too. I believe the count, including the editor of MC2 magazine, would make it eight SAMOA members.
Tomorrow is the "show and shine" and the panoramic photo.

[Cheleker]

Show and shine happened under cloudy skies and cool weather. Not the most pleasant. The SAMOA cars looked good.
Didn't get a car count, but probably less than 100 Minis. Didn't bother to look at the MINIs.

A TV crew as filming some of the cars and did a couple of interviews. The S.A. Estate was filmed, but yours truly was bypassed!

There was a club presidents meeting early in the evening discussing the next few Mini Meets (East and West and combined). Dayton for East next year and east of Vancouver for West.

Autocross tomorrow and cruise to a drive-in for dinner.

I expect that Dan will have lots of photos to post soon.

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Lots of photos, but hosting and posting is a tedious and time-consuming process over a wireless connection, so here's a brief look at the latest.


The Minisota showed up last night. I couldn't help but linger over it.


Here's James' car on the Show and Shine field.





Dan

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Here's the TV team that covered the event. Nice red truck in the background (I doubt it appeared in the shot).


Jerry's car stood out in the Mark III and Later group.


As did Chuck's car in the Pickup, Van and Tinny bunch.

Dan

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I'm not sure what he was writing. I may have to ask.


The beautiful Unipower and a great Hayabusa-powered (I think) Marcos.





Dan

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Coupla tourists.


Dave's woody looked great all cut and buffed.


Setup for the panoramic photo was mercifully quick.

I'll try to get some autocross shots tomorrow. Maybe even some video. Don't expect anything from the funkhana, however. I'm planning to change my oil then. Stay tuned.

Dan

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Autocross today. Time to put on your dancin' shoes.


And that's what Chuck did today for the cone-clipping contest.


Diehards were there early for the best seats (and tech inspection and track-walkin').


The action begins. Mr Smooth gets with the program.


Crazy Mike was there too.

Dan

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And Crazy Jeff.


And Crazy James (after executing a delicate pirouette on the skid pad section).


Of course, Crazy Jeremy showed up to demonstrate his shifter kart. What a blast (and about 10 seconds faster than anything else on the course).


Once more with feeling.

Dan

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Tonight's event was "Mini Cooper Night" at the nearby Lakeview Drive-in. The local hangout hosts regular Wednesday-night gatherings for car enthusiasts of every stripe.

Winonans came out to graciously welcome the LBC drivers and wonder at the tiny cars. Before long, Dave Baughman was hard at work on a buffalo burger AND an elk burger. The homemade root beer was terrific, by the way.


The place filled up early, and the 200 cars in the lot and spilling out into the street set a record, said the voice on the P.A. system.





Dan