Gauging interest to see who might want to cruise up for a Mini fun run in the Ozarks. We usually headquarter in Eureka springs for its central location and reasonable cost for lodging and plenty of restaurants, but we are not bound to it if someone would like to start from somewhere different.
Tentative dates are the second half of May at this point, open to other dates if there are conflicts.
We've done a few of these and always have a great time, the roads in northwestern Arkansas are perfect for Minis, tons of hills and twisties, not much traffic or Leos (not that we speed or anything!) and the weather will be mild and usually sunny.
Let me know if you might be up for this trip and I'll start mapping out runs and potential lodging.
For those who haven't been on one, there are low key, fairly unorganized and designed to just be fun ways to spend time driving our Minis on great roads. Not much else..... :great:
Committed (or should be!)
MiniDave
Dan
Don Ipock
Michael Playle
Scargo
WillieB
DeanP
Al Frost
Tentative:
Seth Weaver
I'm interested.
:13:
Just let me know the dates and I'll bid those days off.
I was just remembering we did get pulled once, or rather got a talking to for all of us rolling through a stop sign.
OK, I choose May 14-18.....lets get some more Resto Mini Members on board!
Marked on my calendar. Looking forward to the lodging/location details for making appropriate reservations and travel plans.
I think this year we'll headquarter in Harrison, instead of Eureka Springs. There are some very twisty looking roads to the south of there that look like they could be fun!
There are several hotels on the main drag, a Wyndam Super 8, Days Inn, Quality Inn and Hampton, so plenty to choose from. I'll get some prices and pick one. There is also the historic Hotel Seville in downtown Harrison if we want to try something different. I'll check it for rates too.
Looks like they are either $60 a night or $100, so give me a preference and I'll go from there.
I'm thinking arrive Sunday, do runs on Mon and Tues, then Wed a travel day home again or stay and do some more roads and Thursday is the run home - let me know what you all think. Is 2 days of runs enough or would you like to do 3?
The "budget minded" side wants to vote the less costly for a "host hotel", but I can go either way.
I would also tend to vote for 3 days of drives.
Any clues as to interest from additional folks that are not usually on the forum?
Seth is planning to come, and I'm talking to a couple others.....we'll see. We lost John Styers last fall and I don't think his son (who now has the Mini) can get off work, but I'll contact him. Susan has moved to Florida and gotten married. I've mentioned it to a couple of local guys too....
Of our forum members, Bruce is unable to come, WillieB has a trip both before and after the event dates, so he doesn't know if he can squeeze it in or not.....others haven't chimed in yet.
Any more details or follow up?
We're 45 days out, remember, this is just a low key run, so I don't do a lot of pre-planning. I'll have some routes mapped out and a hotel, the rest we'll just do on the fly.
Hi Dave,
At this point I am just looking to verify "its gonna happen" and "what hotel" for making a reservation. No other pre-planning beyond that.
(I guess a little OCD and FOMO trying to kick in on me.) :rolleyes:
:grin: :grin: :grin:
I mentioned it to Clancy and he's checking his schedule......he doesn't like to go over about 50 in the Moke tho......no seatbelts or roll cage and the like although the engine seems capable....
So lets choose a hotel then - we can do the historic Seville Hotel or one of the mc'hotels along the main drag.....give me an indication and I'll pick one out of a hat.
The Seville has a bar and restaurant inside, for what that's worth....it's priced right at the top of the others at $120ish. Hotels range from $60ish to $100ish, I know Clancy prefers the Holiday Inn Express, the Hampton is right next door - those are both $105ish.
AFAK it will happen, it may be only 3 or 4 of us, but me and Don are going for sure, Dan if he gets the time off and you - that's as much of a commitment as I've gotten so far. Oh, I think Seth is going and possibly Don Ruder if he can dig one of his Minis out of storage. He bought a Miata and has been enjoying being able to drive without anything breaking! Imagine that?
The other KC members all are unavailable or have broken/mid-resto cars and can't go.
Maybe you can get Brit in Tx fired up to go, or some of the other local Mini drivers? If we wanted to increase the numbers I have several MINI owners who would like to come but so far I'm going Guido and "Classics Only"
Bruce gets back from Florida sometime today. We are supposed to try doing the local C&C next Saturday. I will get with him and we can try to see if we can get any interest from other local Mini folks - they all tend to be on Facebook and I am not, so Bruce usually serves as go-between.
No clue as to whether we'll get any interest as we sometimes has difficulty getting any turnout for even a weekend morning local drive.
I may pull the mini with the bus and go to one of the campsites. Should have the bus on the road this week.
I think there are two camping areas, a KOA north of town and one just outside of town, south of the main drag.
This is the one I'm eyeballing.
https://www.riverdreamcamps.com/
Quote from: 94touring on April 02, 2023, 09:05:50 AMThis is the one I'm eyeballing.
https://www.riverdreamcamps.com/
Dan,
That would probably be fine if Dave were basing the drive out of Eureka Springs, but the initial indications are basing out of Harrison?
We can base out of Eureka, there are plenty of good roads all around there - I only picked Harrison just for something different. Plenty of hotels and such in Eureka, no problem.
If you were going to camp out of Harrison, I'd recommend the KOA on the north end of town, and there are several motels right near there for those of us who are non-campers.
In Eureka, I usually stay at the Best Western, Eureka Springs.
Either way for me. If it's Harrison I'll find a closer one.
Unfortunately I won't be able to make it for two reasons - first of all it is Mother's Day on May 14th (And I am not even asking for a pass for that weekend!) and second - I do not have the vacation days.
Count me in.
From all the good I've heard in the past about Eureka Springs, that location would get my vote, but I'll go with the consensus of the group. Also, while we may be unofficially voting on stuff, I'm with Dave by keeping it to Classics only. Again tho, I'm happy to go with the majority rules rule.
Cool! :13: it will be great to see you again! Which car are you bringing?
Harrison is only a few miles away from Eureka Springs, same general area, just a different place to gather.....
Since I have not been to that area before, I am fine with either place as a base location.
Edit:
As a side consideration: I will likely be towing my Mini up on my tow-dolly, so a "host hotel" with appropriate parking would be nice.
I will probably bring the Mk2 Mini.
Also, three days of driving would be fine with me if the others would like that.
Sun the 14th is a travel and arrive day for most of us.... Mini drive days are Mon, Tues, Wed..... Thurs is the go home day.
Glad you can join us, if there's someone else in your area that might come along, feel free to invite them.
I have more time between trips so I am planning to come. But I will come up on Monday so not leaving on Mothers Day.
Yay! Are you bringing the Moke or the orange car?
I've been trying to talk Ruder into bringing his Moke, but his health isn't so great lately.
Has a host hotel been chosen yet?
The vehicle selection will wait till a few days before to see what the weather will be like. Wet mokin' is not fun.
Any update on the location and hotel selection?
I've asked for opinions on which hotel to choose.....spendy or cheap. Cheap is Super 8 by Wyndham at around $60/night plus fees, Spendy is Hampton or HIE at about $120/night plus fees. If I can get a consensus I'll set something up. I know Dan is Glamping in his bus, Don voted for Hampton, Michael prefers the Super 8, just need a tie -breaker (besides me)
How close are $ and $$ hotels? Would it be close enough to have people in both?
I personally prefer the HIE or equivalent in that price range over the Super 8 level.
Yes, all the hotels are within a few blocks of each other.
I'm for going with the better end hotels too. They also provide a decent brekky in the am.
The HIE and Hampton are right next door to each other, the cheaper ones are just a couple blocks north of those two,
I am fine with going with a better hotel. Does the HIE or Hampton have parking room for a Mini on a tow-dolly?
Edit:
Just checked the satellite view in googleMaps for the Harrison HIE and Hampton and both look to satisfy the parking needs.
I like Holiday Inn Express when we travel. But willing to stay wherever it works out to be.
OK, looks like we have a concensus - HIE it is!
I'll see about getting some reservations started tomorrow.
Ok so Harrison is the starting point.
YES, I've already mapped out some good roads starting from just south of town. Lots of twisties around there....If we want to on one day we can go north and take the Peel ferry across the lake too - might be fun and a great picture with all 6 minis on the boat (it's free)
The lake crossing on a ferry would be very cool.
If you're going to create a room block, let us know the name under which it gets set up, and when we're good to call in our reservations.
Otherwise, I'll plan to make a reservation on my own this coming week.
Quote from: Scargo on April 16, 2023, 08:06:10 AMThe lake crossing on a ferry would be very cool.
If you're going to create a room block, let us know the name under which it gets set up, and when we're good to call in our reservations.
Otherwise, I'll plan to make a reservation on my own this coming week.
What he said.
:victory: :steeringwheel:
There are plenty of rooms available, just go ahead and call the HIE at 870-741-3636 - that's the hotel's direct number. I booked a King on the top floor (you don't have people walking or stomping over your head all night!) and cost was $104 plus taxes.
Done.
Done as well.
Would you like me to provide you with a few names to add to your "tentative" list?
You bet! the more the merrier!
Remember this is not a heavily organized run, we just find some good roads and hoon around, I have some roads I've found, so we're good to go for the first day or two.
The plan is to arrive Sunday afternoon, fiddle with cars as needed, go have dinner then hit the road right after breakfast in the am. I don't try and hit the road at 7:30, I'd rather wait till 8:30-9 so whatever traffic there might be can clear.
Reservation made arriving monday, unless she lets me leave on sunday. Now to pull the engine on the moke to replace the cooling fan. Not going back with a plastic one for sure.
Add Dean Priep as an attendee and Al Frost as a tentative.
Cool, I know Dean and Al both.....look forward to seeing them!
Right now the weather is looking fab for our trip to Harrison, Ar.......rain on Friday and Sat, clear and warmer on Sunday and all thru the week at this point, temps in the mid to high 70's!
Looking forward to it.
Looking forward to it as well. My current plan is to get fully prepared Saturday and leave at the "crack of dead" Sunday morning to arrive late afternoon/early evening.
We'll be getting a later start as Don is working that weekend and will be on deadline Sunday morning, but we're planning to be on the road by 12 and in Harrison by 4:30-5
See you fella's around dinner time Sunday evening.
I booked the campsite today. I'm going to check out the 17th, haul the mini over to wherever the meetup spot is that day, drive the mini, then hook up and head home in the evening.
Which campsite did you book?
https://camptheoaks.com/
Lot #6 is me. Water, electric, and showers on site. $35 bucks a night too.
Weather forecasts on weatherbug.com and weather.com (weather channel site) both are currently indicating likely rain. I am still looking forward to the adventure - "rain or shine".
:steeringwheel:
Accuweather says rain Sunday night and a possible shower early Monday, but that's it for the rest of the week.....
Of course one thing you can count on for this part of the country is changes in the weather!
But so far it looks pretty good, mid 70's (might be a bit humid) every day.
Everyone make sure your tires are good and aired up correctly, fresh oil filled to the marks and coolant topped up - should be good to go. I'm not bringing a ton of spare parts but I'll have a couple of "just in case" things, cause that way nothing will break!
Oh - and air up your spare tire!!!
A slight change in plans going through my head: I may just drive the Mini there and back instead of towing it. (I know - daring ... brave ... insane?)
Less hassle with potentially having to load/unload it in rain and have it sit out on the tow dolly Saturday night in my apartment parking lot taking up several spaces as parking seems to have gotten full lately.
Be sure you have earplugs if you do this!
I was considering doing that too, but decided against it.....
I will have both earplugs and earbuds (for when I want to try some music).
Things to bring:
Dash cam?
Spare tire (don't forget to check the air!) Don carries a small electric air pump with him
Jack and tire tools, lug nuts if different (yes, I had a flat and did not have a spare, a jack or a lug wrench. I have learned my lesson!)
Walkie talkie radios? I have a pair as does Don
Sunglasses, ear plugs
Cooler for drinks? (I have a few cupholders left to sell)
Spare Parts and tools (such as fan belt, wheel bearings etc)
Spare quart of oil, coolant
Cash? (you never know)
Anything else?
Be aware - small towns in Arkansas and Missouri do not have smoking bans in restaurants and bars - you may have to just deal with it......or eat outside in our cars.
I'm all set.
You can now move Al Frost from the tentative category to the "committed" category...(in more ways than one).
I'm basically as set as I am going to be.
Can we include "aprehension" on the list?
Cool that Al is coming - nice group - 8 is a good number!
Quote from: MPlayle on May 12, 2023, 06:28:59 PMI'm basically as set as I am going to be.
Can we include "aprehension" on the list?
Will you have room for your bicycle without the tow car?
I think you'd be smart to tow it in case something happens - plus too and also if you tow it nothing will happen!
The Mini being a Panel Van, it will have plenty of room for the bike.
That said, you've convinced me to tow it. Now to hurry out and get it loaded up.
Safe travels tomorrow.
I think you'll be glad to have A/C and cruise control for the drive up and home.
I've got fresh oil in the Racing Green, I got the front bar installed, lights in the back window, rear brakes adjusted, tires pressures set (including the spare) and I'm trying some different seats just for fun. I think I need different seat brackets tho to get them back far enough to stretch my legs out. I think these may wind up in the hot rod, but I also may go back to some Miata seats. Way early to be worrying about that though.....
I also have extra cup holders to sell if anyone wants one - bargain price of only $10 ea. Steveston sells them for $40 plus shipping!!! I have grey, black and red.....
Car is loaded!
I must be getting better through repetition as it only took an hour to do all the car juggling and loading:
- first car out of its garage,
- tow dolly juggled out of that garage and onto the Jeep,
- first car back in its garage,
- Mini out of its garage and loaded onto the dolly,
- all straps and safety chains attached and tightened,
- parked as out of the way as possible and not be blocked in or blocking anyone else.
I intend to hit the road relatively early so I can beat the mild heat. I'm guessing I'll be there a little before noon.
Hooked up and ready to roll. Not sure what time I will hit the road this afternoon but will not make in all the way today.
I arrived at the HIE at noon.
Brad ... Don't forget to release the handbrake :-)
(sorry, you asked for it)
I'm here standing by.
Pic from today
I'll need another lesson.
Quote from: Scargo on May 15, 2023, 06:47:21 PMImg 7944 (http://img%207944)
Lol almost but try again. Looks like you're trying to link a photo.
Preview, attachments, add files, upload, and once green upload completed, post.
Small video clip
As Dan's video shows, we had a great time yesterday.....we started off on a route I had "planned", but along the way Dean pointed out the overlook over the grand canyon - when we got there all we could see were clouds, but the lady at the gift shop gave us a map and told us about the road down thru the canyon, so we took that - and what a great road it was! Beautiful scenery, no traffic, smooth roads and nothing but twists and turns and hills - fantastic!
Once we hit the main road again Dan was leading and took us up a different road that also turned out to be terrific and led us back to our hotel/headquarters about noon - just as WillieB was unloading his car - perfect timing!
After lunch we headed out for our afternoon run where I promptly led up onto the wrong road and 20 miles out of the way- no matter, Dan found us an alternative and it was terrific - smooth, winding thru the hills - we wound up at the Peel ferry. While waiting for it to come back across the lake Don unleashed his drone and got some great shots - Dean's Pups took exception to the drone and barked and jumped at it!
We took the ferry across the lake (Bull Shoals) and had intended to hit a bar on the other side but it was closed, on the way back to the ferry Scargo's shifter came apart, but between us all we figured out it had just come loose and Don had enough tools with him to put it back together and get us all home - coming up off the ferry a truck kicked up a rock and broke Deans windshield, so that was the Mini carnage for the day.
On the way home it started to rain, we got in about 6:30 so that was the end of the day for me - I was sunburned, hot, sweaty and needed a shower, so I crashed for the evening.
Today I'm not sure which roads we're going to take, but I doubt it will matter as they're all terrific around here!
More as it happens
Video
...
I didn't take a lot of pics today, but this one shows that the weather cleared up a bit today.
Al and Dean decided to head home today, so they drove back to Harrison from our noon stop in Dover and we went on, only to run into them at a Shell station well east of Harrison in Marshall a few hours later on their way out of town! Pure happenstance!
We had a long day on the road today, I think WillieB said 225 or 250 miles! Tons of cool roads and only a couple of traffic incidences - one where we got behind 6 cars who were behind a very slow moving Toyota Tacoma - as is 25 in a 55 - who absolutely would not pull over. Finally after about 15 miles of this he took a fork in the road and we went on. The other was when traffic stopped as they were cleaning up after a truck that had lost part of its load of lumber. That one was mercifully short - only about 15 min or less.
Tomorrow were going to the grand canyon, that run will take us till the noon hour, then Dan and WillieB are going to load up and hit the road for home, leaving me, Don and Michael. We'll all hit the roads on Thursday morning to end our trip.
This has been a terrific fun trip, I hope we can do it again and bring even more of our Restoration Mini brothers (and sisters) along with us!
Thanks to all who made this memorable trip happen!
Thanks Dave, for putting it all together. I have been very much enjoying our entire time out here, both time behind the wheel as well as the out of car activities and socializing. It was a pleasure meeting Dan and Michael for the first time.
Looks like an absolute blast, and those roads look fantastic! I need to get my ass in gear and get my car in better running shape for the next one.
It hasbeen fun. Great smooth roads and little traffic. Meeting Al and Dean. All good company.
One casualty for the week. My bonnet blew off.
Oh man, that stinks!
Were you driving it or towing at the time?
He was driving it! It happened as we were starting out for the morning drive today.
Ouch !!
Quote from: Scargo on May 17, 2023, 04:46:15 PMOh man, that stinks!
Were you driving it or towing at the time?
Yeah forgot to latch it down after detaching from the bus when I brought it over. Hit 40mph and it began to lift, hit brakes and it launched it forward onto the road. Almost ran over it. Kind of hit it with the front right as I swerved to avoid it. Surprisingly no major damage to it other than deep scratches.
Luckily you know a good body and paint guy.
Quote from: Scargo on May 17, 2023, 06:21:46 PMLuckily you know a good body and paint guy.
And he still has leftover paint as luck would have it. I went ahead and ordered 2 new blue push buttons off flebay since these got scraped up pretty bad. One of the latches broke, although the clip part was found and I could repair. Since I also lost a wiper arm later in the day in the rain, I just tossed in some new latches with new arms and blades.
Hopefully everyone's departure and drives home go without issues.
Dang that sucks, but at least you can fix it easily enough.
Detachable bonnets seems to be a thing for you LOL. :grin:
Quote from: cstudep on May 18, 2023, 09:23:24 AMDang that sucks, but at least you can fix it easily enough.
Detachable bonnets seems to be a thing for you LOL. :grin:
Ah yeah. Like when yours went flying on I-75 lol
Well, I hope everyone made it home safe and sound.....I dropped my RG off at Dan's then headed home and just got in. Had a couple of major detours to get thru, but other than that and some crazy Okla"homie" trying to kill me with his Honda, my trip was relatively crash free.
Dan will be up tomorrow with the hot rod and we'll go over to Brant's to load his shell for paint before Dan treks back south again.
This was a super fun week, I really enjoyed seeing everyone and I think the whole event went off well. Roads were great, traffic was light, weather was mostly OK other than a little light rain - nice!
Thanks to everyone who came and ran with us, a couple of guys did some major miles to attend this thing, so thanks again to everyone!
Next up for me, I'm going to beg, borrow or build a rotisserie so I can start ripping the hot rod apart.
Made it home safely. I got in about 7:30 p.m. Texas time - traffic from north Austin south to Kyle was a total mess and took 1 hour 45 minutes to get through. Then it was heavy, but moving along nicely the rest of the way into San Antonio.
Got the Mini and tow dolly all put away and am catching up on emails and such before crashing for the night.
Looks like I may need to replace an outer CV as well.
Gents,
Keep an eye on the charges on your credit cards. Our hotel had a "system glitch" during our stay and now I have several fraudulent charges hitting my card. I had to go by my credit union today and have a new card issued and the old card cancelled.
No issues on my account.....thanks for the head's up.
I'll have "upper management" check our account, thanks for letting us know.
EDIT: all good here !
Had a boring ride home but that is a good thing. Credit card is good too. Thanks for letting us know to check .
Looks like you guys had a fantastic time! Thanks for sharing the photos and adventures!
I found Dave's coolant leak today. Top rad hose at the radiator was a smidge loose. Left a spot on the shop floor after I had it running a bit.
Easy fix, well done. That certainly beats the heck out of a leaky water pump.
A couple of people expressed interest in these shades I use on my car on these runs - they're perfect for keeping the sun off and they allow plenty of breeze but take away all the buffeting - they work great and are simple to instal, just stretch it over the frame and loop around the door mirror. Bonus - if it's raining you can have the window open without getting wet!
Anyway, here's the link for them on Ebay....
https://www.ebay.com/itm/314532850895?hash=item493b9e6ccf:g:Up4AAOSwRJhkPlR-&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAABIHSpbR1Nb5KDZXTn5vY9lfFjO3E01uK%2FsICSzUhtJJP13bUBRaKFAc4%2BaEZ2C3hoyUTnmnR%2BwKMxrv%2Be%2Fs%2B3PiW3ljHLEHNdrtDf%2FzE3%2FTslZjiHNjYevmjFtdNCFmwL0xvhW8C0ONnWdhcCuFml7jJ7cCK%2Bsm6xmJMVilBHFLVf37nmkA6WlZUXjZCDeGEIFzKr9T70u7Q1WuIA9cn58a41vo0cUmGHiAohGSCM7kQj8GYuCNUsAKrOnKc0ivGOtbSv2b40PspkHpA0yt2ZHzv3%2FqbhXWHhUrlg0ylWA%2FrYkmuSe7roCQPtHPd7PfcqaysWQ5o%2BiLDkRvMOC49juPqooqiJyYji8ec%2BpIgX6ol0ScXCpQSvOQCqZ99xpTzeXA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6yKkdCIYg (https://www.ebay.com/itm/314532850895?hash=item493b9e6ccf:g:Up4AAOSwRJhkPlR-&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAABIHSpbR1Nb5KDZXTn5vY9lfFjO3E01uK%2FsICSzUhtJJP13bUBRaKFAc4%2BaEZ2C3hoyUTnmnR%2BwKMxrv%2Be%2Fs%2B3PiW3ljHLEHNdrtDf%2FzE3%2FTslZjiHNjYevmjFtdNCFmwL0xvhW8C0ONnWdhcCuFml7jJ7cCK%2Bsm6xmJMVilBHFLVf37nmkA6WlZUXjZCDeGEIFzKr9T70u7Q1WuIA9cn58a41vo0cUmGHiAohGSCM7kQj8GYuCNUsAKrOnKc0ivGOtbSv2b40PspkHpA0yt2ZHzv3%2FqbhXWHhUrlg0ylWA%2FrYkmuSe7roCQPtHPd7PfcqaysWQ5o%2BiLDkRvMOC49juPqooqiJyYji8ec%2BpIgX6ol0ScXCpQSvOQCqZ99xpTzeXA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR6yKkdCIYg)
Only $12 a set (4 dr car - I just use the fronts) and free chipping!
Don sent me a link to some of the photos he took on our trip - these are mostly candid shots, nothing posed but I saw a number of good pics that really captured what a fun time we had!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2wiy1lpn0ixt1r2/AADlu9nkTJXCFQA_ZJ1TtcGUa?dl=0 (https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2wiy1lpn0ixt1r2/AADlu9nkTJXCFQA_ZJ1TtcGUa?dl=0)
Great photos!
I really had to stretch my arms out to get that last one!!