MINI Across America: My Cross-Country Motoring Trip this Summer Pacific to Atlantic!

[averyocooper]

In about 3 weeks I will be taking my MINI on the road for a cross-country move from San Francisco, CA to NYC with a long stop at the Jersey shore for the summer.
My girlfriend and I moved out to SF, CA 5 years ago pulling a 12? Uhaul trailer behind a monster SUV and we will now do the complete opposite journey with a tiny MINI Cooper and only a duffel bag of clothes for our multi-state motoring adventure. (We are selling anything replaceable and shipping the rest so we won?t need to be bogged down with our possessions on the road). Our cats are being shipped with ProPet Transports.

Our route will meander as our interests change along the road but will most likely cover the following winding route: SF to Tahoe, Salt Lake City, UT, Yellowstone, Montana, Colorado Rocky Mtns, ???, Chicago, ???, PA, NJ, then after a few months at the beach NYC. Streets and Trips software estimates my present route at around 4000 miles.

I would love to post photos and motoring notes daily from the road but in an uncharacteristically anti-tech move I will unplug from the internet for a few weeks and only bring my digital camera to record the journey. I will be keeping good notes and will surely post photos and details of our motoring adventures after we arrive on the opposite coast.

I have done this trip before, although not on this route, so I do have some experience with all day driving and what sort of stuff to bring. I do plan on having spare fluids, some simple tools, spare fuses, etc. but am open to any advice from fellow long-distance motorers on what to expect on such a long journey. Please feel free to reply with tips, cautionary tales, advice on nice places to stay, good roads for spirited motoring, etc.

[zgokart]

Love affair with California over? Job transfer? Well, you're leaving a high-cost area, for sure. Good luck on your relocation. We'll track your travels.

[pefloresjr]

Good luck with the move to NYC. I just looked at your IPOD setup today. Do you still use the aux input in the parcel shelf with the ICE link? How hard was the extra 12V and aux input setup with the parcel shelf?
Also, any advice on replicating the cargo cover? I plan to run most of the time with the rear seats down and haven't found any sort of cargo cover. How is it attached to the boot area lid when it is rolled up?

Thanks and Cheers,

Pete F.
(In Sacto 9 years and hoping to return to SF before it reaches 10.)

[averyocooper]

zgocart, yeah i am done with CA but will surely miss it. i will be closer to friends and family in NYC. and i figure the 4000 miles of motoring is a good way to spend a vacation, why not move at the same time

pete, thanks. my new glovebox mount is using the active cradle that comes with the ICElink v1.1 it is GREAT. I can hide the Ipod and control it through the steering wheel. The sound is also much better than the belkin auto kit (which was very good) and the aux input. I posted the cargo cover pattern in my gallery. I do plan on doing some improvements this summer in regards to the attachment option, right now it is velcro but i am finding in super hot weather the adhesive gets a little soft. I will probably switch to magnets so the cover can just snap right in. You can probably take my pattern to anyone handy with a sewing machine. It is attached to the boot shelf with hook side velcro, the boot shelf is fuzzy enough to make it stick.

cheers,
avery o.

[Sejanus]

Great photo!

[Mike Clarke]

Good luck with the journey Avery O, I look forward to rerading your report and seeing some pics

[Doctor Wha?]

Hey, Avery'o'!

Good luck with the ride. If your meanderings bring you near the North Georgia area, let us know!

Motor on!

Cheers,
DW

[averyocooper]

Well, we made it. My fiancee (girlfriend at the start of the trip for those of you paying attention) and I had a GREAT time driving from coast to coast. We touched the Pacific before we left San Francisco and drove all the way into the Atlantic on Long Beach Island, NJ. I put a few photos in my gallery of my MINI along the way.

We took a twisty route and put 3985 miles on the car over 12 days. Too many beautiful places to descibe here but we did see Northern CA, Reno, NV, Salt Lake City, UT, ID, MT, Yellowstone & Teton National Parks, WY, Rocky Mountain National Park & Boulder, CO, NB, IA, Chicago, IL, OH, PA where we grew up, and finally arriving on Long Beach Island, NJ where we are staying while looking for work in NYC.

I didn't have a single problem with my MINI on the entire trip. Everything went perfectly smooth. (And speaking of smooth I do have run-flat tires and didn't have any problems with road feedback or bumpy ride for the whole trip).

Almost all the interstate highways west of Iowa had 75 MPH speed limits and I regularly had the MINI up at 90 for hours at a time. My average speed records were usually ruined by city driving at the begining and end of the day so I didn't crack 65 according to my computer ( I wonder if that would hold up in court?).

For those of you interested in what a lovely move/vacation like this might cost? I would say we were in mid-budget with some cheap dive motels and some nice places. Our total including all food, gas, lodging, entertainment, etc was $1,228.24 (give or take a few dollars in change already in the coin holder in the car before leaving).

Here are the driving stats:
2004-06-24
Start Location: San Francisco, CA
End Location: Reno, NV
Start Time: 3:30
End Time: 9:50
Start Miles: 7226
End Miles: 7480
Trip Odometer: 253.8
Average speed: 44.8*
Average MPG: 31.7* *includes 2+ hours of city and bumper to bumper driving
MINIs: 6

2004-06-25
Start Location: Reno, NV
End Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 9:00 (through one time zone)
Start Miles: 7480
End Miles: 7998
Trip Odometer: 517.8
Average speed: 62.6* (75-90 on 75mph rote 80)
Average MPG: 31.7* *includes 1+ hour of city driving
MINIs: 2

2004-06-26
Start Location: Salt Lake City, UT
End Location: Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park
Start Time: 8:00
End Time: 7:00
Start Miles: 7998
End Miles: 8379
Trip Odometer: 381.5
Average speed: 53.8
Average MPG: 31.7
MINIs: 0

2004-06-27
Start Location: Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park
End Location: Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park (drove every road in the whole park)
Start Time: 10:30
End Time: 8:13
Start Miles: 8379
End Miles: 8565
Trip Odometer: 186.0
Average speed: 29.1
Average MPG: 35.6
MINIs: 2

2004-06-28
Start Location: Grant Village, Yellowstone National Park
End Location: Fort Collins, CO
Start Time: 9:
End Time: 7:30
Start Miles: 8565
End Miles: 9106
Trip Odometer: 540.9
Average speed: 59.7
Average MPG: 36.1
MINIs: 1 (For rent in Jackson, WY)

2004-06-29
Start Location: Fort Collins, CO
End Location: Kearney, NE
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 11:45 (through 1 time zone)
Start Miles: 8565
End Miles: 9606
Trip Odometer: 499.9
Average speed: 52.2
Average MPG: 32.2
MINIs: 3

2004-06-30
Start Location: Kearney, NE
End Location: Warrenville, IL
Start Time: 10:30
End Time: 8:00
Start Miles: 9606
End Miles: 10236
Trip Odometer: 629.9
Average speed: 64.1
Average MPG: 31.3
MINIs: 1

2004-07-01
Start Location: Naperville, IL
End Location: Park Forest, IL
Start Time: 9:30
End Time: 2:00
Start Miles: 10236
End Miles: 10305
Trip Odometer: 64.2
Average speed: 22.4
Average MPG: 23.2
MINIs: 2

2004-07-02
Start Location: Park Forest, IL
End Location: Easton, PA
Start Time: 10:00
End Time: 11:30 (through one time zone)
Start Miles: 10305
End Miles: 11024
Trip Odometer: 718.6
Average speed: 62.3
Average MPG: 32.2
MINIs: 2

2004-07-03
Start Location: Easton, PA (just driving around to see friends/family)
End Location: Easton, PA (just driving around to see friends/family)
Start Time: (not recorded)
End Time: (not recorded)
Start Miles: 11024
End Miles: 11041
Trip Odometer: 17
Average speed: (not recorded)
Average MPG: (not recorded)
MINIs: 1

2004-07-04
Start Location: Easton, PA (just driving around to see friends/family)
End Location: Easton, PA (just driving around to see friends/family)
Start Time: (not recorded)
End Time: (not recorded)
Start Miles: 11041
End Miles: 11056
Trip Odometer: 15
Average speed: (not recorded)
Average MPG: (not recorded)
MINIs: 0

2004-07-05
Start Location: Easton, PA
End Location: Beach Haven Gardens, NJ
Start Time: 10:30
End Time: 1:30
Start Miles: 11024
End Miles: 11211
Trip Odometer: 155.6
Average speed: 52.3
Average MPG: 30.5
MINIs: 2

Everyone should take this trip!

Cheers,
AveryOCooper