[VAmini]

Hi to everyone! I wanted to let everyone know about a meet and drive planned, based in Abingdon, VA for August 16-17. Already there will be about 7 MINIs coming, but the more the merrier! For anyone not familiar with the area, Abingdon is a historic town located along I-81 about 15 miles north of the TN border. It is surrounded by the Appalachian mountains and there are some great roads in the area that twist up through the hills.

The plan is to have a day’s drive on Saturday 8/16. We’ll meet in the parking lot of the Alpine Motel at 8:30 and plan to leave by 9:00 AM. We’ll stop for lunch in Damascus, VA along the way and probably finish up the day around 3 or 4:00. Dinner plans will be forthcoming.

On Sunday AM I will arrange a bike trip for anyone interested. There is a converted rail-trail called the Virginia Creeper that starts at the top of White Top mountain. A shuttle service will rent a bike to you and provide transportation to the top of the trail. The ride is essentially a 17 mile coast down the mountain, over some beautiful old trestles. There is very little effort involved (my favorite kind of exercise!). I’ll need a fairly accurate head count for this so that I can make the reservations. The shuttle would leave at 8:30 AM, and you’d be down the mountain by 11:00. You could easily have eaten lunch and be on your way back home by noon if needed.

You can read more about the Creeper Trail here or here.

A block of rooms has been reserved at the Alpine Motel (a classic sort of motor inn here in Abingdon). The phone # there is 276-628-3178. Address is 882 E Main St. The price there is $49 + tax and includes a modest continental breakfast. Other breakfast places are nearby. I’m also planning a dinner for those who are in town on Friday evening, and will give details out a little closer to the date.

I think this will be a really fun weekend… hopefully looking forward to seeing some of you there! Please respond here or to my email vamini@earthlink.net

[LJ in NC]

Sounds like a great weekend of MINI fun... and [modest] exercise, to boot!

Wish I could make it, but have already promised to attend another MINI event that weekend. I hope you'll repeat this, maybe in the spring?

LJ in NC

[AprilWhine]

I really wish I could make this one, but I will continue to move that weekend.

Thank goodness, moving should be over by the end of August.

[mininc]

What a great MINI weekend.

I will be with LJ at another MINI function that weekend.

Please repeat your event, I promise to attend.

Good luck with this one and thanks for making it to Asheville for dinner.

[queen B]

Hotelcalif and queen B are coming. Yea!!

[VAmini]

Hooray for Queen B and Hotelcalif!

We'll look forward to seeing you there! Are you also up for the bike ride?

[Hotelcalif]

Yes, we plan to ride. My parents may also come along. It's one of those things we've had on our list to do for a while. I let you know a total number soon.

[89STS]

Ah man... Too bad I don't have a Mini yet. My hometown is just down the road in Bristol, VA. Maybe I can join a meet when I actually do purchase a Mini, which I'm hoping is next year sometime.

[VAmini]

89STS, you'd be welcome in any car if you wanted to join in the fun!

[89STS]

I'd love to, but I'm autoxing that weekend in Radford, VA.

I tool around in my '89 Acura Integra. It gets me from A to B, so no worries. Once I do get a Mini, there's a 99% chance I'll autox it. Just can't decide if I want to go GS with the Cooper S or HS with the Cooper. Decisions, decisions...

[VAmini]

In the hopes of sparking a bit more interest...

Here are a couple other links that talk about some of the roads we'll be driving:
From MiataDrives.com click on Virginia on the map and check out the first, third, and fourth routes listed.

From MotorcyclePlayground.com check out the links to US 421 and Hwy 91.

I'm telling y'all, we've got great roads in SWVA! As a point of reference, Abingdon is 2 hours south of Roanoke, VA; 2 hours north of Knoxville, TN; 2 hours north of Asheville, NC.

[Smokey 4]

I'd love to join you VA, but will be out of town for the next few weeks. I've been up in that area and they are some great roads around there.

Say Hi to david and the queen for me, thanks.

[VAmini]

Just wanted to bump this one up to the top, see if we can get any other last minute takers!

[AprilWhine]

Wish I could!

[queen B]

Thanks VAmini for a really great weekend!! Wish we could have made the drive but dinner and MINI conversation and the bike ride the next day were GREAT!! Thanks so much for organizing it!! Those who missed out, be sure and watch for her to do it again 'cause you missed a good one!!

[VAmini]

Thanks everyone who came for any part of this weekend! We had a great time I think! Only 5 of us were on the drive, but there were 12 people and 7 MINIs for dinner on Saturday, and 9 folks stayed for the bike ride on Sunday. Not bad for being in the middle of nowhere!

[VAmini]

Lined up and ready to go...


Getting organized...


Wheeeee!




MINIs in the mist...


Bike ride on the Creeper Trail...