HRMINI

Fall Colors Run '09
October 23-25, 2009

This will serve as the official sign up and notification thread of the run. Check in on this thread for your planning information and all the new updates. This year we'll be doing things a little differently than previous years. Call it an experiment if you will. This years event will be headquartered  at the historic Highland Inn, in beautiful Monterey, VA. Located 52 miles northwest of Staunton, it's a 100 year old inn, listed on the National list of Historic Places. It truly harkens back to a simpler time, but still provides today's travelers with a great level of service, including a restaurant in house. Rooms will run between 79 and 129 bucks.

HIGHLAND INN (http://highland-inn.com)


So raise your hand and tell us if you're coming, how many in your party and if you're bringing your pet.

We're planning on gathering at the Inn Friday evening. We'll sit on the porch and enjoy some adult beverages and start the weekend off with some good ol' motoring tales. Then, we'll leave early Saturday morning, we'll stop often for pictures and sightseeing, and we'll pack on some really great miles, we'll stop for lunch, we'll drive more... we'll be good and tired at the end of the night when we have dinner. We're even planning a darkness run through some of the twisties. If you missed the night time runs at the Dragon, here's your chance. (Well, maybe a bit more tame.) Sunday will be quite optional for you... take the highway home, or we'll find a route that brings us on the backroads of Virginia all the way into town.  No one has been disappointed in the past.  No matter what, judging from past events, it will be a fantastic weekend of motoring, laughing, smiles and thrills which we'll talk about with fondness for quite some time afterwards.

So who's coming with me?   (Updates will be made in this first post as we go)

Here's the schedule as of now:
Arrive Friday October 23, 2009
  Social gathering on the porch
Saturday 9 AM
  Meet on the porch and prepare for the days drive.
  2 part drive, short 2+hour run and a continuation for another 3+hours for the more adventurous
  Back at the Inn for dinner at 6 PM (ish)
  Inaugural Color of Darkness run leaves 9 PM (ish)
Sunday 10 AM
  Prepare for departure
    straight home or
    Southern run back to the HR.

Call the Inn and make your own reservations. 1-888-466-4682 and tell them you're with the MINI group. The rates run between 79 - 129 per night with an extra 10 bucks per night for your well behaved 4 legged friend. We have less than 15 rooms blocked,so make your reservations FAST! We may be able to get the other rooms (only 4 more) if there is room, so time is of the essence! There is another hotel 23 miles away, but it just ain't the Inn!

Atendees


1.  Kathy (Apollo) & Dave (SKARGO) + maggie the wonder dog
2.  Dale +2 (Maacodale)
3.  Scott Miller +1 (bloodvayne)
4.  Steve & Elaine (Baby BMW)
5.  Donia & Bill (MINI S PILOT)
6.  Jeff  (WARPED)
7.  David Cooke +1 (MirthScout)
8.  Stanley  (Mistertripps from DCMM)
9.  Mike+1  (General Wee)
10. Chris (Maxi Cooper from DCMM)
11. Brian (Brian 0758 from DCMM)
12. Craig (KOOPER)
13. Marty Bongers (mbongers)
14. Adam (Jumping Jack Flash)
15. Mollie Williams


Maybe

1.  Don (MNI LIMO)
2.  Kurt (Sparke1975)
3.  Forrest  (Forrest)
4.  Terry  (Da Coup from DCMM)
PRETTY FIRM SCHEDULE

FRIDAY OCTOBER 23, 2009
Arrive at the Highland Inn and check in
Dinner on your own
7:30ish Fall Colors Run '09 Inaugural Darkness Run
9PM on Test Rockers on porch of Highland Inn. Adult beverages on your own.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 24, 2009
Breakfast on own
9 AM Fall Colors Run '09 kick off
   Lunch at Cass Railroad approx 12:30
1-2PM back at Highland Inn
Afternoon open for sight seeing/ touristy stuff/separate local scenic runs from brochure.
7 PMish Dinner at Highland Inn. Make sure to place your order before the AM run!
After dinner, maybe another Darkness Run v2.0
More rocker testing on porch.

SUNDAY OCTOBER , 2009
Breakfast on own
9AM Leave for Seneca Rocks Run/Depart for home


 Other local attractions not to miss!
Greenbank Radio Observatory-pretty darn neat. Tours too!!! (http://www.gb.nrao.edu/)
Sugar tree country store in McDowell. On Rte 250 on the way to Monterey. Must stop!!! (http://www.sugartreecountrystore.com/SugarTree/Welcome.html)
Driving tour brochures. Available at the Highland (http://www.highlandcounty.org/PDF/drivetour-bro09.pdf)
Southern Most Maple Products (http://www.southernmostmaple.com/)
Highland Inn's local shopping guide. Must see! (http://www.highland-inn.com/shopping.htm)

Don't Forget, We're supporting Highland County SPCA
Bring something they can use. Cat/Dog food, litter, etc. More info to follow.

 

 

A few pics of the area and the Inn itself.
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/FCR114.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/FCR111.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/FCR113.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/FCR112.jpg)

Here's an addition to the line up for the Fall Colors Run:
Friday night we'll have a "Darkness in the Highlands Run". I'm thinking about a 20 or so mile run once the sun goes down and darkness overtakes the mountains. Then we can head back to the Inn and grab a chair on the porch and rest up for Saturday's run!

Rough draft of the Shirts. Craig has done an awesome job on the initial design, so much so I don't think we need to change much if anything. So to keep this thread strictly info for the FCR, PM me directly if you have any input on the shirts design. So without further fan fare:
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/FR0902.jpg)
 

UPDATEThis is still the front design. It has been changed to be over the left breast area. We have a new, updated back logo posted on the 2nd page of this thread along with prices.

I haven't been around much this summer but I'm going to try to make it out for this one. Hopefully work will have slowed down by then.

My only input...... I WANT ONE, ARGGH !!!  Make that two  :wink: One large and one XL for my fat ass :045:

And once again Craig knocks one over the fence!!!!!

Beautiful shirt  :023:

Put me down for yes & the wife. I will reserve a room next week. Love the shirts too. Reserve 2 for the Miller family.

Forrest, good hearing from ya. We were thinking about ya the other day. Hope ya can make it.

Scott, got ya on the list!

Not sure if I'll be able to make this or not. I won't get back in town until about 5:00 Friday and not sure if I want to make a three or four hour drive straight from the airport.

Don

We were asked this evening during the August dinning gathering if we were making this.  After checking out this thread and seeing all Dales wonderful  :044: plans, not to mention the excellent designed event shirt, I'm thinking we really need to make this one.  :045: Hubby has a VIR trip the week before with his toy so I'm demanding  :079: /  :065: my toy get the attention for this date. :045: 

I'll make the reservations tomorrow. 

I'll surely be ordering 1 Large / 2 X-Large shirts.  Any chance of getting some hoodies with that design?

Hoodies would be awesome!

After seeing the quality of Craig's work and his patience with working out designs, I'm sure hoddies would be possible, I'll ask him and see.

Damned fine idea Donia!  Hoodies and regular ol' sweat shirts too.  I'd buy t-shirts and sweats.

I am so looking forward to this event  :038:   

Okay, here's the deal so far:
If you're planning on going, call the INN and get reservations ASAP. Remember, they're only holding 13 rooms for us. There are other INNs/B&B's in Monterey and the Highland has a sister inn 23 miles away. But we want all HR MINIs at the Highland. I figured I'd do a mass cross posting campaign to the other MINI clubs and see if there is any other interest, but since it's our event, I want all of us in one spot. However, the sprawling metropolis of Monterey doesn't look much bigger than a local apartment complex. So even if we get separated, we ain't that far away.

I also plan on making a trek up that way next weekend. I'll lay out the routes and find some interesting stops along the way. I'll be checking out the Inn and nightlife of Monterey, if I can find any!

I think sweatshirts/hoodies would be great!  I'm interested.  As far as the run, probably won't be able to stay over, but will try to drive up early Sat. morning and join in.  Still figurin out my duty schedule on the ship.

I just wanted to make sure our dog co-pilot people are aware.  Dogs are welcome at this hotel!   :icon_mrgreen:

We have reserved a room.  Are we going to meet and drive up as a group?

Driving up as a group would be fun.  It is not yet close enough to determine if I will take off from work early yet or not. 

At this point, I 'm thinking about taking the whole day off Friday and head up that morning. If nothing else just to get situated. But a good plan B would be to caravan up as a group!

I made our reservations early Saturday morning. :023:  It was indicated that all the king beds were taken, :icon_frown:  only 1 queen left, :112: and the rest were doubles.  :icon_confused:  I'd suggest  :045: anyone who really wants to do this jump :026: on it and make your reservations, ASAP. 

Just reserved our room online.

I am planning to have that Friday off, but must wait to see what my better half (2FUN4 ME)  will be able to do in regards to having time off from work. I'd like to run up on the Friday, check in early and scope out some local haunts and roads. We'll see. Our room reservations are already made no matter what, so Kathy and I will be there, and we will be bringing Maggie the "Mini Dog" along with us on this trip   :026:  Hoping we can get a group together for a run up to the hotel on the Friday, but we are open to suggestions for a group run on Saturday if that will work out better for a majority of our members that are planning to make this trip.

We'll be leaving Friday morning sometime also.  I'd like to have a enjoyable :044: drive on the way there.  Those of you that know me will understand this...  I will be mapping stops at any bead stores on the way.  Remember, I'm the Mini that sports the personalized license tag that reads N2BEADZ.  There may be one of two if I'm lucky, real lucky.   :023:  

I'm in Dale.  If there is a group drive, I'll take part in that as well.  If not, I'll spend the day meandering.  I won't be bringing Newbie for this.

Here is the new layout for the back of the shirts. Craig made a slight change and it look seven better. Where does he get his ideas from? He's great!

(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/AAAback.jpg)
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/maacodale/misc%20stuff/AAAlayout.jpg)

Now for prices, I think they're pretty darn good! Craig is certainly looking out for us!

T Shirts: Men's or Ladies cut:
S-XL  $11.00                                         
XXL   $13.00
XXXL $14.00

Long Sleeve T's
S-XL   $13.00
XXL    $15.00
XXXL  $16.00

Long Sleeve Sweat Shirts (9.5 oz.)
S-XL   $18.00
XXL    $20.00
XXXL  $21.00

HOODIES!!!!!
S-XL    $27.00
XXL     $29.00
XXXL   $30.00

Prices reflect sales tax and you can come by the shop or call me 757-723-0765 and pay with credit card, Of course cash and checks work well too. I'd like to collect as much of the money as possible before I order to minimize out of pocket expense. Bookkeepers seem to have a problem justifying this kinda stuff :102:

E mail me directly at maacodale@aol.com with your order. You can call me too, but then I have to hope I don't screw it up. E mail is preferred. That way I can reply and confirm your order. I"d like to have them ordered buy September 20!!!!!

UPDATE-UPDATE-UPDATE-UPDATE!!!!!!!

Spent today driving up to Monterey, VA to check out the place. It's amazing! It's like stepping back in time. It reminds me of growing up in sleepy little Poquoson, back in the 70's. Really a laid back little town. We stopped by the Highland Inn as soon as we got there. Easy to do, it's the biggest building around. It must have dwarfed the town in 1904 when it was built. We stepped inside and it's pretty cool. It reminded me of my friends Grand Mother's house when I was a kid. It's definitely from a different time! There are antiques all over the place. We met Lisa, who is also the Chef. She was preparing Sunday brunch and boy did it smell good! She was anxious to see all the MINI's, I'm more interested in her food! Now this ain't no Ritz Carlton. It's a 100+ year old Inn that was as nice as any in it's day. It's showing a little age, but looks cleaner than some of today's motels I've been in.

I ran one of the loops today. It's planned as the morning run on Saturday, but I have a problem. That being, there's too much stuff to see and do on this run! I was hoping to be done with this loop by lunch. The mid way part would allow folks to head back to the Inn via Rte 250 or continue on with the Northern loop for the afternoon. The morning run is about 100 miles and should run us about 2 1/2 miles. However, there are a few things I didn't plan on. Here are two of them:

Green Bank Observatory
http://www.gb.nrao.edu/GBT/
I spent about an hour there and could have easily stayed longer. Pretty cool place.

CASS scenic railroad
http://www.cassrailroad.com/
I know I have Adam's attention now. Another cool place. A little touristy, but HEY, we're tourists. They have a restaurant and some shops as well. A nice little leg stretching stop. Here's another issue. At 5 ish they have a Halloween Train ride. That sounds like fun, but they say it sells out FAST and at 30 bucks a person, I'm not too sure how interest people would be. After the train ride, they have a lantern tour of the town. It sounds interesting, but will take up our afternoon.

Anyone else interested in either of those?

Then we have the northern loop. I'll do that over the next few weekends.

Yet another option, for those not super interested in "spirited" driving or those wanting a shorter drive, the Inn has a brochure with many shorter local drives that also looked noteworthy.

More to come as it develops!

RESERVATION NOTICE!!!!!!

If you're going on the Fall Colors Run please make your reservations as soon as possible. Remember, we only have 15 rooms at the Inn. With over a third of them taken already, don't miss out by dragging your feet. Granted, there are other options, but nothing as cool as the Highland Inn. In fact the next closest is about 20 miles away.

I want to send out a notice to the other groups (Tar Heel, DC Metro MINI's, SW VA MINIacs and a WV group) and I want to mask sure our people have reservations! So don't delay/call today!
 

And don't forget to tell them you're with the MINI Club.

I'm surely locked in now.  :023:

I just emailed Dale a big ol shirt, sweat shirt, and hoodie order.  By the way, thanks  :023: for including the hoodies as requested in my earlier post.  The sweat shirts were a nice extra also. :045: The designs are excellent.  :038: Geez, I'm kind of liking that the red car made the shirt in a big way.  THANKS!!!  :023: I don't think I have many club shirts with my choice in car colors. 

Off to check out that post listing some driving options.  :023:

Here's a link for the driving brochure. These are some pretty good loops. Just a bit short. However, with shorter loops, you have the option of doing more of them.

Check the brochure out:
http://www.highlandcounty.org/contact_ti.htm

Order our maps to day.

If you don't mind some Tar Heel MINI people joining you Beth and I will try to make it for Saturday. We'll drive over from Roanoke for the day run and maybe dinner.

Oh heck Bill, you know y'all are welcome! Come on up, I think we'r egonna have a good time. If nothing else, Monterey is a neat little town to hang out in. I'm looking forward to rocking in one of their rockers on the porch for a while and hanging out with some of my MINI buddies! Might have to stop by Cooper Vineyard and grab a bottle of Rhapsody or two!

Have ordered some maps myself today, and our room at the Inn  is locked in. . As I have said, I am REALLY looking forward to this event and if some Tar Heel Mini  people can join us for this event, that would be terrifiic ! :026:  Can't wait to get going for this club run !  Thanks to  Dale for all that he has done to get this event orginized  !!!  

Wow, this is a great idea.  I need to login more often.
My wife and I are in.  I just reserved a room at the Inn.

I've got to check with my wife to see about shirts if it isn't too late.

Steph wants to order some tee shirts. Still not sure if we can make it or not. We want one XLand one XXXL Tall. Thanks !!!

Don

Got ya down for a couple of shirts. But it sure would be great to see y'all up there if ya can fit it in your schedule.

Plenty of time for shirts. Just email me directly at maacodale@aol.com and I'll get ya added to the list!

Good to see ya in!

Hoping that you and Steph can make it !  Kath and I really enjoy spending time with you both, and I love the challenge of trying to keep up with you on the twisty's  :038:

More Mini's and Mini lovers on a Mini run ?  What could be better  :038: :038:  Invite all your friends at Tar Heel Mini as well  :026:  Just be sure to tell them to be quick as I'm betting the place is close to being fully booked up by now.

Maybe for me, I am scheduled for shoulder srgery early Oct 7 and not sure when they will let me MOTOR again.... :icon_frown:

Hmm, there are definitely some major twisties up thata way. Shoulder surgery might make that a bit uncomfortable for sure. I've got some shoulder issues myself, and after a day of major motoring I can sure feel it. But there are plenty of things to do in the area that are far less strenuous that might be worth a look.

I am new here and this sounds like a fun event. I am a member of DC Metro Minis and it would be great to meetup with others from different clubs. I guess I better make up my mine this weekend  :icon_biggrin:

Welcome to the group. Its good to meet other MINI owners.

I've got a few eamils from DC members as well as Tar Heel members. We really need to set up some mutual meets with surrounding clubs. Also, don't forget we have the SW VA MINIacs out west of us. They're an offshoot of Tar Heel. They just had 11 MINI's and 18 people at their weeknight dinner. So they're for real too. We have some serious MINI owners in the area!

Well, I was gonna try to make part of it, but as it turns out the Navy is just not gonna cooperate.  LOL.  Hope you all have a great time and hope to see lots of good pics

Hello, I'm also new here. I'm from Central MD and will be joining you all on the days.

We are very excited and looking forward to have fun and meet everyone.  :026:

It's great to see some of our norethern neighbors chiming in and making an appearance. It'll be great to see all the new faces on the Fall Color's Run too!

On a related note, I've been down to the Tar Heel clubs events and had a blast. The DC guys as well as the Central Maryland MINI's have a lot of events up their way. We REALLY need to get together and make some of their runs as well. Check out their sites and their pics. They look lik ethay have a blast too!

And we really need to enlist their help with getting some action down in Richmond! Can you imagine 50-75 MINI's showing up in Richmond (hopefully at Crown MINI...) to generate interest?

Now back to our regularly scheduled thread. (Is it possible to hijack one's own thread?)

Their facebook does have some good vids and pics. Seem to always have a decent turn out at their events too.  :023: Look forward to meeting them for the run!  :044:

Hello this is Brian from DCMM and I will decide tomorrow if I will attend your Fall Colors Run. Sounds like it should be a blast! Tomorrow is our annual Cumberland Valley run thru the Catocotin Mtns in Maryland and it looks like we have over 40 Mini's attending. It is suppose to be a very nice day for a spirited run in the hills. Hope to meet some if you in October  :039:

Ok all,
Finally got to meet a few of you guys at the steak dinner,It was very good. I know it's probably last minute,but I will be attending the Fall Colors Run plus one. I also was still able to get a room at the inn. Still one more left,so I 've been told as of 9:30pm tonight. Hope to see you all on the front porch soon,Mike

Oh, Almost forgot..My shirt order is in. They look great. Had to get a small hoodie for the lil tyke too. :045:

No Mike, far from last minute. Great to hear you'll be joining us. Even better to hear there's only one room left. Or maybe BAD, depending on the fact that some of our HR MINI members might be dragging their feet! There are other accommodations  in Monterey, but they ain't the Highland Inn. Hope you're bringing Jay, he's a cute little fella.

I'm really looking forward to this one.  I'm taking Stanley out tomorrow to the Cumberland Valley for a warm up with DCMM.  Should be ready for some fun in Monterey -- both on the roads and on the porch!

Have just noticed that the deadline for shirt was yesterday.  :icon_frown:

If it is too late to add 2 short sleeves T in 1 x Large and 1 x X-Large. Thank you.  :039:

Hey i am kinda dragging my feet on making a reservation and it looks like the rooms might be all booked at the Inn. I was checking other locations and there is the Montvalle Motel just across the street. Has anyone stay there before? I will call later today and check on rooms. Thanks Brian

Don't sweat the deadline!!!

Due to overwhelming demand, I've extended the deadline to the end of this week. I'll make a separate thread about the extension. Don't delay, order today!!!!!

OKAY I just booked my room at the Inn and the lady said there were 3-4 rooms still available. Looking forward to meeting some fellow Mini enthusiasts from Hampton  :026:

See ya in Oct, Brian N, DC Metro Minis

PS I better order me a shirt  :wink:

Just for everyones info. I called the Inn this evening just to confirm our reservations. I was told that they still has 2 or 3 rooms available. Anyone still thinking about coming along better jump on this quick if they want to stay at the Inn. No idea what type of rooms are still available so I suggest calling them directly.

I would agree on making up your mind. While I'm down at the MINIpalooza I plan on handing out about 100+ flyers. That'll get some more attendees I'm sure. SO book that room now.

Dale, Hoping you have a great time at the MINIpalozza  :023: Wish we could attend, but have other commitments  :022: Have a safe trip and take plenty of pictures ! Spread those fliers around about the Fall Colors Run. The more the merrier !

Just had another DC Metro member sign up. Heck, at this rate they'll out number us!!!!!

FYI, there is another place in Monterey  to stay besides the "Inn",  The Montvalle Motel. http://www.montvalleemotel.com/
Anyone that wants to come along on our mountain adventure but has yet to reserve a room, or find that the Inn is booked up, I suggest you try this place. The more Mini's the better  :038: I am betting that the residents of this small Va. town will be talking about this Mini invasion for years to come  :icon_biggrin: 
 

That's what I'm hoping for! :023:

Dale, you might want to add a note, and or a link to this Motel, to any fliers that you may hand out at the MINIpalozza this weekend.  It's a small place, with a limited number of rooms,  but I believe it is run by the same people that run the Inn and looks to be only a short walk away. I'd suggest anyone calling this motel mention that they are with the Mini group. Couldn't hurt

I have to call the Highland Inn tomorrow. I had a contingency plan if the Highland's rooms booked up. They have a total of 19 rooms of which we blocked 15. So there may be some in reserve. If not, I was "assuming" they'd refer others over to the Montvalee. It's basically one block up across the street. Very much in walking distance. But yea, I need to check on that.

I had my undercover MINI spy run through Monterey. As of last Sunday there was only about 10-15% color up in the mountains and in town and the valley everything was still GREEN! Now that sounds good for us, hopefully we'll hit the area very near peak color. Let's hope the temps stay warm up there for the next few weeks and keeps the color at bay until we get there.!

 :023:

Soooooooooooooo excited.  :icon_smile:

We would love to go on the run, but we will in Las Vegas that week. I did order two t-shirts so will just pretend that we went!

Enjoy

Steve

Posted this on Mini Owners network. See if it would get more attention...

Another little tease for y'all. Highland county has a nice little brochure selection. One is the touring brochure. It lists several local tours in varying lengths from 20 minutes to over 2 hours. This can be done on your own in the afternoon following our morning loop. I'm sure several of us will group up and do more than one of them.

Here's the brochure order page
http://www.highlandcounty.org/contact_ti.htm

Front Page (http://www.highlandcounty.org/shop-drive_bro09/drivetour_pg1.htm)
Back Page (http://www.highlandcounty.org/shop-drive_bro09/drivetour_pg2.htm)

Wife ain't gonna make it.... she will for Miniween run. But she works fall colors run weekend.  :076: So now...gotta update my hotel room and see if it makes it cheaper for my lonesome self.....lol. Hope they have adult movies.  :053: Doh....



Edit: Modify'd my reservation. So a Traditional Suite might be open now for somebody else. And I took the cheapest Full size bed reservation.

OK... I have been putting this one off for a couple of reasons.  One is I have been really busy and worn out this past month working on a new computer hardware platform at work.  Many nights and weekends have been spent burning midnight oil.  The second is I have to replace my front axles, as my outer CV joints have been "clicking" for a few months.  That has kind-of kept me from doing any extensive traveling.

Now for the good news... I made my reservation today at the Highland Inn.  My friend will be installing new axles in my MCS this weekend.  Please add me to the roster.  I missed it last year, and I really want to go.  Thankfully, it's panning out for me.

Only one thing... somehow I missed (it's a blonde thing, you know) the shirt request.  Dale... would you have happened to ordered any extras?  If so, a large would be really nice.  Thank you.

Why yes I did. I'll make darn sure we save one for you! Can't have the pilot of one of my favorite MINI's  driving around without a Fall Colors Run shirt! :023:

Thanks, Dale!  You made my day.   :icon_cool:

Okay, update time:

We need to be a good neighbor to Monterey while we're there. I'd like to do some sort of benefit/donation for the Monterey area. I've spoken with a nice lady in the Highland County Chamber of Commerce. Here's a list of groups that rely on donations:

Highland County Volunteer Fire Department
Highland County Rescue Squad
Highland County Public Library
Highland County S.P.C.A. (operates The Attic, a secondhand shop in Main Street, Monterey)
The Highland Center (an incubator business center)
Hiighland Craft Shop (A craft cooperative, located on Main Street, Monterey)

Not sure what we could do. Of course taking up a collection would work, but I'd like to do something more creative. Any ideas?

Additional updates:

Shirts are on order, should be in the week of the 12th, I'll be sure to let everyone know.

I've contacted MC2 magazine about doing a short story about the run.

I'll be running back up to Monterey within the next week and make final arrangements.

More info as it develops.

Hey Dale, I am really looking forward to this Run to Monterey. I was thinking about taking a run down on Sunday but my parents need some work down around their house. If next weekend is nice I might just head down for a nice little cruise in the Mini. Seeya soon, Brian  :003:

That's a tough one on the donations.  You could always try to find out which one has fared poorest?   :102:

Hey, Dale.  I'm owed alot of comp time, and I'm planning on taking off Friday the 23rd.  I'd like to head up with you to Monterey.  Can give us some extra time to tour/drive.   :023:

That could work Adam, I'm sure there'll be loose ends to tie up once I get there. seems like that's always the case with anything. No matter how much planning you do, there will always be something to throw you a curveball. An extra person could really come in handy.

Perhaps a gift in kind to the local S.P.C.A. ?  What if people in attendance for the weekend that wanted to, were to bring something as simple as a bag of kitty litter, or some dog or cat food ?  It's a good cause and I'm sure it's a big expense for any S.P.C.A. operation and any such donation should be very much appreciated. Food for thought........

I'm all for dogs and cats...

This is what I also thought would be a good place to donate  :045: It seems like the rural S.P.C.A.'s always have a lot of dogs but their budgets are low and any contributions are greatly appreciated  :038:

Okay then, if there's no dissenting opinions, I'll contact Carolyn at Highland County C of C and get the SPCA's contact info. Being a multi species pet owner, I'm good with that!

Great idea indeed !!!  :023:

I'm all for donating to the SPCA.  As most of you know, I got my little Newbie/Houdini from the Beach SPCA.  I'm proud to say that he hasn't figured out the Caterpillar padlock...  yet.  :icon_rolleyes:

I'm in agreement with the SPCA. :038: We have two pound puppys. :023:

It sounds like a donation in kind to the local SPCA is a good idea and is agreeable to most all of our members that may be attending our Fall Colors Run. GREAT !

Well I'm sad we're going to miss this.  I just LOVE the Fall Runs.
We will get to see some leaves to I hope because we'll be a JMU for a Band Competition. HUmmmm
It looks to be only 1h 30mins away from ya'll....maybe if Terry doesn't feel like driving home Saturday night......Hummmm

Hummm 2 weeks until the Fall Colors Run and I need to decide on what "beverages" I should bring. I am thinking maybe some good German Wheat beer and some English Pimms. I gotta bring something to enjoy while lounging on the porch after a long day of twisties  :026:  :110:  :026:

Personally, I'm planning on stopping by Cooper Vineyard and picking up a bottle of Rhapsody and maybe Sweet Louisa. Both are nice sweet whites.

Hello,
Katie and I have made our reservations at Cherry Hill Bed and Breakfast. We will be headed up Friday afternoon. Were looking forward to a real fall MINI time :039:

WOO HOO !  Harry & Katie will be along for the trip !  Wonderful  :026:  Kathy and I are looking forward to seeing you there  :023:  We are going to have a large time on this trip !

This is great we're going to have a big turn out. MINI's will take over the town. :039:

That's my goal Steve! I want to put together a nice good sized event with visions on a few BIGGER events next year. I'm hopeful the economy won't pick up too much next year. Wait, before anyone calls me stupid (this time :087:). Hopefully everyone will be doing well enough to participate in MINI events, but I'd like to see the tourism economy not pick back up greatly. Why, you ask? It's like this, if the economy lags a bit in the tourism department, we can get some really good pricing on lodgings and perks from local tourism departments and chambers of commerce/convention bureaus. That sounds mean, but I really don't mean it to be. Just looking out for us.

I personally think it's cool we took an event that was well liked by HR MINI members and took it out to other clubs. We have folks from Tar Heel, DC Metro MINI, Central Maryland MINI and Mondo MINIs coming. All it takes is some posting to let others know what's out there. I think that's too cool! We have people coming from 5 states.

The Fall Colors Run is approaching quicking and I really need to get away for a few days of great company / twisties  :026:

Looking forward to meeting everyone and enjoying a few tasty adult beverages on the porch.  :109:

Good News and (possible) Bad News

First the possible bad, and it ain't THAT bad. I was up in Monterey over the weekend. (That's not the bad news) What is, however, is the fact that about 25% or so of the trees have color in them. It wasn't super vivid, but there is already a fair amount of color already. I really think next week would be great, but we won't be there until the week after that! Not really sure how much color there will be, but after talking to some of the folks up there, they are fairly sure we'll still have decent color. Worse case, we'll just be a bbunch of MINI owners buzzing around the country side for the fun of it. Colors be damned!

Now the good news. We're gonna have a friggin' blast! I ran the loop and added a neat little diversion to my planned route. I added a couple of photo ops and set up lunch plans. Then I made a run north and set up our Sunday AM excursion. My arms literally got tired turning the steering wheel. My sides hurt from leaning into the corners and there is great scenery everywhere!

I'll update the front page with a semi solid schedule.

I also tagged a couple of MINI's in the area with FCR flyers, so maybe we'll get a few more. I also found out this morning, one of the attendees has a contact with a local radio person and they expressed some interest. So that could be cool!

Stay tuned, more info as it develops!

DANGIT!!!!!   Are we there yet????!!!!    :118:   :shock:

 :068:   :100:

 :088: :079:

 :101: :063:

 :091: :074:

I did a simple impromptu survey for dinner at the Highland Inn. Here's their offerings for us (I think they're pretty darn good sounding!)

Char-grilled Rib eye ($21.95)
Pecan crusted chicken ($17.95)
Trout Amandine ($17.95)
Pasta Primavera Alfredo ($14.95)
(All come with house salad, rice or potato, vegetable and rolls)

But don't eat too much, there just might be another night run!

First post updated with semi official schedule, SPCA reminder for donations.

The navy is giving me that Friday off for being a good sailor and not having any DUI's lol....

So what time and where can I meet you and Adam to head on over to Monterey?  :044:

Which would be a better donation, Dale?  Food/litter or cash?  Sometimes charities like that can make a dollar go way further than the average man on the street can.

Hey Dale the schedule looks great  :038: The only downside is that I will have to wait for my Friday adult beverages  :icon_rolleyes:

 :115:   Or maybe I will have 1 or 2 and then go on the evening run as a co-pilot  :003:

Good dinner lineup!  I'm hungry already.   :112:

I will probably meet Dale at his business on Pembroke Avenue in Hampton.  Unless you want to meet for breakfast at Cracker Barrel on Mercury Boulevard????   :016:

Well unfortunately I wont be there till the afternoon now... I am being sent for Temp duty for a year to the Security force onboard The Enterprise now. So next week is school. So no more day off for me....sux... So as soon as friday's class is over with. I am racing the Mini home to pick up my dog and then heading on out on the road.

Well, looks like I'll be leaving a bit later than planned. Chisty has a test she can't miss (dang school :018:) so we'll head west probably around lunch-ish time. A quick trip to Cooper Vineyard might be tough to make now (anybody know who carries their wines in Hampton Roads?)

Should put us in Monterey around 4 PM. That would be the height of rush hour there. That would mean 10 cars per hour at the main intersection rather than the normal 8! I'm telling, ya'll, this place is laid back.

BTW, T shirts have been shipped!!!!!!!

Hey, Dale.  That works for me as well.  I might sneak over to DTP on Friday before we jet out.   :080:

*sigh* I wanted to leave early so bad too.  :091:

Well ya'll might see me flying into Highland inn much like my screeching turn into Mr.Whippy's not to long ago. This time much louder and a puppy stuck to the windshield...

Nah....but I am gonna make use of the dog harness system I bought that hooks onto the child seat anchors..  :044:

Just gotta make sure I lay some blankets down for doggy projectile vomit hehehehehe...  :078:

Hey Dale you might have enough time to order online. Here is Cooper Vineyards addy.  http://www.coopervineyards.com/ (http://www.coopervineyards.com/)

Dale, Kath has to work part of the day on that Friday, and may not get home from Va. Beach until around 12:30pm.
I have the day off and will be packing the cars and getting everything ready to go. We may be ready to head out by 1:00pm. Give us a heads up, and maybe we can convoy up together.  :045:

Not quite sure when I'll get off work, but let me know when everyone will meet up and I'll see if I can join the convoy.  Looks like I should be able to actually make it.  yay!

 :026: :026: :026:

It looks like Craig and I should be convoying down by 12 or so. Will probably take the most direct route but still try and avoid Route 81 which I have alway disliked with all the big rigs. Should arrive at between 4 & 5 in time to have a casual dinner with whomever is there. Weather is looking a little better and hopefully will improve over the next couple of days.

See Friday   :038: , Brian from DCMM

Okay, getting down to zero hour. At the moment, looks like I'm planning on heading out around noon. If y'all wanna meet up somewhere along the way, we can certainly do that. Pick a spot. Maybe Newport News park or maybe Super K Mart in York County of Victory blvd. Might be good there and grab a bite to eat before we head out. There is a Chik Fil A and a Burger King there.

I figured maybe a gas stop before we get out of Staunton. There are two gas stations in Monterey. We'll definitely need a fill up before Sunday's adventures.

Also, don't forget the local SPCA. I'm waiting to hear back from them as to what they prefer, products (cat/dog food, litter, newspaper, etc.) or good ol' cash. I'll let y'all know as soon as I know something. But don't forget them! :023:

Dale, Got a look at the Fall Colors Run shirts when I got home from work this evening. NICELY DONE  :038: At the moment I am planning to stop off at BJ'S in the next couple of days and picking up a 5 gal. bucket of kitty litter and some dry dog food for our donation to the local SPCA in the area. If you get any feed back from them about a wish list, please post the info asap. Probably too late to start saving newspapers now. Wondering..... are they aware that we are coming with donations, and will they be available to accept same over the weekend ?  We are REALLY looking forward to this event, and am sure it will be a blast  :026: :026:

I so wish we were making this run, especially with the chosen charity... sadly work/reality has gotten in the way.

Just an FYI, all shelters can always use old blankets, towels, sheets... and don't forget laundry supplies.  They do their own laundry and soap & bleach are in high demand.

During our evenings we may get a small view of the Orionid meteor showers.  :038:  Sounds like it peaks towards the early morning hours but there were many reports throughout the night time hours.  We'll be catching the tail end of it but we may catch a little show being away from the big city lights. :045:

http://www.examiner.com/x-16713-LA-Higher-Consciousness-Examiner~y2009m10d18-Orionid-meteor-showers-October-2009

Agendas, directions and stuff are getting printed up today. Getting excited. The weather looks a little iffy Friday and Saturday at the moment, but Sunday has cleared up. Hopefully the weather will break a little for us on the rest of the days. If it's raining, we might wanna re think the darkness run.......

It looks like Friday night might have heavy rain so we might want to skip that night run. Saturday is looking better and better as we approach the weekend. As we all know the best weather predictor is when we wake up and look outside :wink:

I noticed that there is a Seneca Rocks run on Sunday. Is that the Seneca Rocks that is North of Monterey? Just curious.

See ya, Brian

 


That's the one.

Are we going to try and have a carvan up to the colors. 
What do we need to bring for the SPCA? I like what Dave said.

Don't forget the radios too.

Ah yes, RADIOS. BRING RADIOS!!!!!

As for the SPCA, if I don't hear from them by mid morning Thursday, I'll call them. The secretary I emailed was very impressed we wanted to help them out. That alone was pretty cool.

Yeh so uhm seeing how things are currently going at SRF school. I might not get out till late. So I am gonna say I will be there by 9pm at the latest. So I will have to call them Friday morning so they don't cancel my room...  :076: :093: :076: :093: :076: :066: :076: :093: :076: :093: :068: Navy

I'll pass it along too Scott.

I posted this by accident in the wrong thread yesterday.  Dee, de dee!   :116:

---

ROUTE ALTERNATIVE?

Hey, Dale.  This is just a thought.  Would you like to take a more scenic route?  I'm thinking maybe take Va. Route 10 on the Southside to Richmond, get on I-95 north, then make our way to U.S. 250 in Richmond or around Short Pump, which parallels I-64 all the way to Staunton.  Or maybe U.S. 250 to at least Charlottesville before getting back on I-64.

I'm actually gonna haul on out there to get things finalized. Just a few loose ends at the moment. I figured I might do a scenic route home, but getting out there is top priority at the moment.

OK.  That was the impression I received.  As for meeting on the peninsula tomorrow, the only thing I could come up with was at your business.  However, your suggestion of the Super-K parking lot off the Victory Boulevard (Exit 256B on I-64) is good as well.  I would recommend the small parking lot adjacent to the BP gas station.

That's a great place to meet. :039:

Hey,
I'll be leaving hampton roads around 12pm to head up. If you guys were planing on it, we could meet up. Mike

Just checked weather.com. Looks like you should bring a rain jacket. Friday and Saturday are looking wet :icon_cry:. On the brighter side, Sunday looks to be great :045:!

Got a bag of dog food. Hope that works for the shelter.

I look forward to meeting you guys.

J.P.

                               UPDATE

SPCA DONATIONS
Well, I never heard back from the SPCA.I figured we'd all just get something and bring it to the SPCA. They'll get what we bring. I"m sure what ever it is, they'll be able to use it.

WEATHER SITUATION
It looks like we're gonna have rain. Friday and Saturday at this point. Sunday, however, does look good. If it's raining I'll let y'all decide on the Darkness Runs. Also, the Saturday run to Cass won't likely be as exciting. Safety first, no matter what!

Sunday Run to Seneca Rocks
Neat sights, awesome rocks. I wouldn't think of climbing the thing, but it's neat to see. Down side: it's over an 1 1/2 hours back to the interstate. There are great scenery and some nice twisties. If ya'll wanna think about just doing some of the local tours around Monterey and fore go Seneca, I'm open to that. But the Rocks are pretty cool.

Meet up for the Peninsula

I plan on being at the Super K on Victory Blvd, I 64 @ exit 256B. Turn in at the first stop light. We'll be lined up right behind the BP station.

Wheels up at 12 noon if that works for everybody
If ya'll need a few extra minutes I'm a little flexible, but I need to get to Monterey fairly early.

Feedback please.

Yeh wheels up for me at 3...so I should be there by 7 now depending on traffic.

Noon works for me. I'll be at the super K  BP at 12pm. Mike

We'll be about an hour behind you Dale.

Looks like Kath And I won't be able to head out from Hampton until about 1:00pm tomorrow. It depends on what time she can get away from work and when she can get home from Va. Beach. We will have radio's on, and tuned to channel 7, sub. 21, so if anyone else is on the way about that same time, give us a shout out on the radio. Maybe we can hook up for the ride up tomorrow. We will have supplies for a donation to the local SPCA with us and hope to try to convoy up with at least a couple of other HRMINI members. We'll see. PM me early tomorrow morning about your own  schedule and we'll see if we can hook up for a small convoy. Regardless, we will be there tomorrow evening and look forward to some time on the porch at the inn telling lies and consuming some adult beverages.  :038:

We are looking forward to meeting you too !!!!!!!!

Dale I'm going to try to get to the Super K at noon to convoy up with you and the others.  I'll PM you my cell number.  Please call me if anything changes.  Thanks!

Went ahead and took the whole day off.  :026: :026: Need to get a few things packed, ice the frosty adult beverages and then put a good coat of RainX on the windshield.  :045: No need to wash the Mini since it will be getting dirty on the wet twisties to Monterey.

Should be leaving around noon and meetup with Craig for the ride to the Highland Inn  :003:

See ya all this afternoon, Brian

I've got a few errands to take care of this morning, but I am packed and ready to head out to Monterey from DC.  Can't wait to meet everyone there!

Leaving out  :044: in about an hour or so. :038:  I caught a traffic report that there's a truck turned over at the Williamsburg business exit that has things backed up.  :icon_frown:  We plan on just taking our time heading out and stopping whenever something catches our eye.  Everyone have a spirited and safe ride out.

Dale, thank you :023: again for putting so much time into planning out this weekend.  :038: Rain or shine I think we will all have a fun filled weekend :044: with good friends.  :023:  

Hey everyone, doesn't look like I'll make the noon meet up, but as Dave said I'll have my radio on and might actually be on the road by 1pm.  hopefully... got my fingers crossed.

Just drive carefully. On the way up, if you have a spare minute or two to spare, stop by the Sugar Tree general store in McDowell. It's probably 10 miles or so west of Staunton in the little town of McDowell. It' sup on the right, kinda hidden by some trees. It looks very interesting on the web and I think we might stop in or maybe make a run down that way during the weekend.

Dale, you said "spare" twice.   :068:   :003:

We went to the Sugar Tree a short while ago.  Owner was nice enough to stay open past 5 p.m., and he's not open on Sundays.  Lots of goodies.  I picked up some sweet orange pickle chips, maple BBQ sauce, blackberry preserves, and black rasberry preserves. 

BTW, the store, as best guess by the owner, was built in the 1840s.  Has that great, old-fashioned country store feel.  There was also one of those really old cash registers to make it complete.

They have one of those cash registers at the Highland Inn as well.  And they still use it!    :103:  It could have come with the place, since it was built in 1904.