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Visit your local CAA and get a trip tik (or try the trip planning thru MINI).
Weather permitting, there's some great twisties, Skyline Drive in VA and the Dragon in SC, on the way from the east half of Canada.
I personally like taking breaks every 4 to 5 hours and see the local sights. I've done the marathon driving bit many times down Rt 95 and it's boooring!!!
So do some planning and check out the regional forums and the travel section in your local bookstore.
The car can take it I'm sure, especially if it's constant speed motoring and not stop start stuff. I've driven the 12 hour journey from London to Inverness many times before, in a variety of cars, and never had a problem.
Driver fatigue is more likely to cause problems than the car. Make sure you take regular rest breaks or share the driving with your bruv.
I always carry 2 kits for a flat repair (MINI kit with bottle) because I don't have runflat tires anymore... Should I bring a spare wheel or I will be ok with the bottles?
2012 Countryman S All4 - Light White, Sunroof, Premium & Cold packages, Xenons, Adaptive lights, and lots of fun!!
Dark Mini... I must confess that I wondered the same questions last summer when we left for MOT2004 and Nova Scotia. But our Mini was flawless. We saved our high revs for opportune times, enjoyed the mountains and the Kanc... often without much rest. We did over 4000 miles in 20 days often driving in 8 or 10 hour segments and visiting for two or three days or a week. We drove from Acadia in Maine across to Mt Washington and down to Bennington in one day. We generally stuck to a plan of not going more than 5 or 10 mph over the limit. We averaged almost 37 mpg as well. We had no trouble... and would do it again.
John
Hers: '02 LY/white, CVT ...... His: '04 BRG/white
In order to possess what you do not possess
You must go by the way of dispossession.
In order to arrive at what you are not
You must go through the way in which you are not. (T.S. Eliot, East Coker III)
Don't worry, your MCS will handle the long hours better than you think it can. I'm travelling between NYC and Toronto every other week without a single problem with my MCS. I stop only once to fill up in most cases. Since winter is around the corner, I'll suggest you bring some extra brankets, water and the usual survival kit just in case you are stuck in the highway. LOADS of extra windshield fluid is a must. It happened to me many times that I had to stop on the road side to refill the bottle before I can drive on and I'm talking about summer time. It may get worse in the winter if you hit a winter storm on your way down.
Have fun
Cheers
Nice trip,lotsa twisty side roads to explore.I make that trip from Montreal twice a year to see the parents in Weeki Wachee,i usually take the interstate 87 to 95 once past Richmond Va. i get on rt301 cause its not so crowded.On the return trip i usually go up I-75 and connect to I-81 and do a bit of the blueridge parkwayTail of the Dragon is a site worth checking out for an interesting side trip
#1 thing - schedule extra time to stop and do stupid things. My wife has still not forgiven me for driving past the "Elvis is Alive" museum on a trip from Atlanta to Winnipeg...
If you come down 75 (no reason not to), there's a cut-through a little south of London, Kentucky that puts you through a big tunnel at the Cumberland gap (take the 25E). It's a lot longer and less direct. But that's good driving (lots of wide, empty roads and long, sweeping turns), and you can then hop over to Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg where the traffic will be terrible because of the holiday weirdness (but they have pretty lights and you can visit Dollywood ). That leads to The Smokey Mountains Park and some fabulous twisties crossing into North Carolina and then Georgia. From there you'll have good driving until you are just north of Atlanta, where you can pick up 75 again for the boring part to Florida.
On a more serious note, when you hit the Southeast, remember that we don't have the necessities of winter life, like snow removal equipment or salt trucks, so really small amounts of the furrry white stuff will shut all manner of things down that would be laughable for people from places where snow comes more than twice a year.
Have a fun, safe motor...
-Eric
ps - if you want American food at its best (worst), stop at the Varsity in Atlanta. The chili dogs are toxic but worth it (get one with slaw). The frosted orange is just plain awesome.
The Varsity....*shudder* . I have to agree with you on the food there (toxic). But I have only been once, and probably won't go back again. Except to pick up a frosted orange...as far as i know there's no grease in those :-) are you in Georgia?
DarkMCS,
I took the drive from NY to GA straight (stopping only for food/gas/calls of nature) many times and my MCS handled it fine. Except for that time the pickup truck in front of me ran over a truck tire which in turn ripped off his bumper that my MCS ate.
The MINI won't have a problem running over a long distance, it will reach a operating temperature and pretty much stay at that unless terrain or climate changes to any great extent.
You will be the problem not the car
As a general rule with long distance driving you should stop every two hours for a break and a leg stretch. Get out and have a short walk to get your circulation going. Regarding the sort of meals you should try to aim for are the lighter high energy ones for breakfast and lunch as opposed to heaps of meat and burgers (keep that for dinner if you're stopping). Fruits good as it digests quickly and releases the energy you need to keep alert .
Don't ignore your circadian rythym - there are certain times of the day and night where your body is used to resting or relaxing - don't fight it. If you normally get up at 6.30 and go to bed at 10.30 try to keep the same routine.
and a final cautionary tale....."I want to die in my sleep like my Grandfather.....not kicking and screaming like his passengers"
Actually this isn't entirely true - as with everything else in life, moderation in everything is good - try to eat a good amount of carbohydrates (ie bread/rice/potatoes/pasta), protein (meat/eggs/cheese...) and fat, all of which will keep you going over both the short and long term. Fruit is good for short-term energy as it's all basic sugars so doesn't take any time to digest (and therefore gives you energy right away) but doesn't last any time at all, so if you want to keep going, you need carbs and a little fat (which will give you energy to keep going longer than about 20 minutes!). Protein's essential all the time, but not in v high quantities.
Just being pedantic
enjoy your trip!
Oh just remembered - if you only need to keep going for the next 1/2 hour or so (just to get home for example) then caffeine is good, otherwise avoid it, and just take rest breaks, as it eventually makes you more tired than if you hadn't had any.
Not sure what you'd call long distance driving in England but in countries where you can actually drive a long distance without circling the island I can speak from experience . My point is that heavy meals (meat etc) are best left to the last one of the day. Caffein when you're feeling tired can also be a fools errand - if you're tired stop, have a nap, swap drivers. Don''t forget that last half hour before home is when most accidents occur (77% within 15 miles from home).
Of course I could be wrong and I'll just have to put my experience, safety and vehicle crash investigation training behind me and become a hermit someplace nice and quiet.
Weeki Wachee!!! I stayed there on holiday many years ago!! Seem to remember a small water park - about 4 slides - and my grandad deciding the waterslide was a good idea even though he was 78!!!! Not realted to the thread but have never heard of Weeki Wachee again since I stayed there!!
We don't eat at the Varsity often, but everyone needs to once
Believe it or not it was featured as a great local hot dog place on a Food Network special a while back.
I'm sure they've managed to put some grease in the FO somehow...
Wife and I live in East Point (just south of West End, of course, inside the great 285 wall) and work at Georgia Tech, right across the street from Coca Cola World Headquarters.
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often without much rest. We did over 4000 miles in 20 days often driving in 8 or 10 hour segments and visiting for two or three days or a week. We drove from Acadia in Maine across to Mt Washington and down to Bennington in one day. We generally stuck to a plan of not going more than 5 or 10 mph over the limit. We averaged almost 37 mpg as well. We had no trouble... and would do it again.
). That leads to The Smokey Mountains Park and some fabulous twisties crossing into North Carolina and then Georgia. From there you'll have good driving until you are just north of Atlanta, where you can pick up 75 again for the boring part to Florida.
