MINI TAKES THE STATES 2016

Graduation day.  We’ve all worked so hard to reach this momentous occasion which will be held in Palm Springs.  In some ways our start in Atlanta on July 10 seems so far away, and in others, the time seems to have flown by.  I’ve lost track of the days, dates and time zones. That’s a sure sign of a good vacation, or at least chronic fatigue.  

Upon reflecting about our journey on MINI TAKES THE STATES, I would like to take this opportunity to share what I have learned with the world.

1.  Wave.  If you are driving a MINI and you pass another MINI, wave.  There are no hard feelings about getting passed.  However, you must wave at the other car as a friendly token of acknowledgement and friendship.  It’s kind of like a secret handshake at a Masonic Lodge.  

2.  Restaurants.  Small-town diners are always better than fast-food chains.  Give me a fresh hamburger and onion rings any day. Spinach salad with homemade poppy seed dressing?  “Yes please!” Franchises are ok in a pinch, but Ralphie’s Diner has better pie.

3.  Water.  Do not underestimate the power of water to heal!  Tired?  Headache? Upset stomach?  It’s probably because you didn’t drink enough water. Thank you Aquafina for all the free bottles you’ve given us over the past 15 days.  I didn’t drink as many as I should, but that’s my fault, not yours!

4.  Gas tank.  My gas tank is on the right.  It’s on the right. THE RIGHT, DAMN IT!

5.  Beaver.  I passed through at least four towns and saw as many rivers with the name, “Beaver,” in them.  It made me laugh every single time.  More towns should share this descriptive name.

6.  Vocals.  The acoustics within a MINI are such that my vocal stylings are an amazing gift to mankind.  Surely, I rival any Broadway star. 

7.  Navigation.  Apple Maps vs. MINI Navigation.  Final score, Apple Maps 8, MINI Navigation 7.  However, MINI Navigation had a nicer voice.  I named mine, Myrtle.  

8.  Wildlife.  This country is filled with vicious animals, and most of them are in city centers.  My navigation system kept telling me “Bear! Right!” and “Bear!  Left!”  I never actually saw the beasts, but the National Game & Parks service has a lot of work to do.

9.  Different But Equal.  I’ve seen Appalachians and Alleghenys.  Forests and deserts.  Grasslands and scrub brush.  I can honestly say that I found something to like about every piece of geography. Variety is the spice of life!

10.  There’s no place like home.  I love you all.  You’ve been so kind.  I’ve had so much fun.  But, it’s time to go home.  I’m ready to wear a shirt that isn’t dark blue or emblazoned with the words “Pit Crew” across my chest.  I’m ready for the little things like a full-sized tube of toothpaste.  I would like to avoid convenience store bathrooms for as long as possible.  I would like to hug my kids, pet my cat, rub my husband’s tummy and kiss the dog. Wait.  Switch those last two.  I guess I’m tired and also want to sleep in my own bed.    

Those are just some of the valuable things that I have learned over the 15-day odyssey that was MINI TAKES THE STATES 2016.  It isn’t exactly a Doctoral Thesis, but it is the culmination of what seems to be volumes of experiences on the road.  

David Lata loves MINIs.  Having never done a road rally before, he talked his three roommates into going All the Way for MTTS 2014. The “Four Guys in a MINI” left NYC, drove cross-country and met the rally in San Francisco in time for the big kickoff.  During David’s two-week jaunt to Boston he made countless friends, had an overwhelmingly positive experience and was determined to do it again in 2016.

Fast forward a few weeks and David is back in New York, with a new job at MINI of Manhattan. He’s still there today working as a Motoring Advisor on 11th Avenue.  When he first approached his boss about taking time off to do MINI TAKES THE STATES 2016, the response was less than enthusiastic.  After all, it was fall of 2014 and MTTS 2016 was a long way away. As the rally schedule and route were announced, David kicked into high gear.  He was determined to participate in MINI TAKES THE STATES again, but still needed to secure his boss’ blessing.  

David took an analytical approach to the situation.  He prepared a six-page proposal for his manager.  He outlined the costs and benefits of his participation in the event.  He mentioned the invaluable exposure it would give the dealership and the MINI brand as a whole.  After a lot of patience and persistence, David got his wish.  

Not only did MINI of Manhattan agree to give him the time off, they backed his efforts 100%.  The customized wrap design on David’s own MINI was the result of collaboration between David’s Manager, the Marketing team and the VYNI Company.  As the target date approached, the whole dealership (Parts, Sales, Service and Marketing) jumped in to help manage details.  

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the amazing people I work with,” David said.  While on the trip, he and his friends have made a conscious effort to utilize his time away from the dealership in creative ways to tie-in the dealership and involve customers.  “We have been creating daily videos, Facebook and Instagram posts as well as filming drone footage.  MINI TAKES THE STATES is such an amazing event.  You don’t really understand it until your attend.  I hope that our posts show the world why it is so cool to own a MINI and become a part of a community with a great heritage.”

Being the charitable soul that he is, David is not only utilizing MTTS 2016 as a vehicle to have fun and increase exposure for MINI of Manhattan, but to also draw attention to Feeding America’s fight to end hunger.  (Check out #Lataman and #MINInyc on social media.)  MINI of Manhattan generously donated T-shirts and stickers for David to sell while on the rally.  All proceeds are going towards Feeding America.  Each morning, you can find David hawking MINI merchandise out of the back of his car.  Shamless plug:  T-shirts are $25.  Stickers are $5.  They just got a new shipment of shirts overnighted to them so they’ve got a replenished supply!   #DefyHunger

David has had a rotating cadre of traveling companions on his track-to-track adventure.  In for the long haul is his fiancé’s brother, Ed Danglacruz.  Friend (and MINI intern) Nic Nelson jumped on in the middle for a few stops. Nic was born in Nebraska, but raised in North Carolina (#It’sASmallWorld, #GoBigRed #IKnewILikedThatGuy).  David’s fiancé, Allan Danglacruz jumped on an early morning plane to Detroit after working a 12-hour shift and is staying through the end in Palm Springs.  

Undoubtedly the thing that David is most looking forward to on the rally is his and Allan’s wedding on July 21.  That’s right! Congratulations to the happy couple! They’re tying the knot on Thursday evening while we’re in Las Vegas.  The ceremony is taking place at “A Little White Wedding Chapel” on the Strip and is being streamed so that friends and family can witness the ceremony.  This isn’t the first wedding that’s taken place during MINI TAKES THE STATES, but I believe it’s probably the first same-sex wedding that we’ve had during the route.  

“Allan and I are so happy to be sharing our story and our wedding with these loving and accepting people.  I feel as though I’ve had to fight to be who I am.  Have fought to love whom I love.  I hope this wedding can help to serve others who are struggling or fighting to be themselves and give them encouragement.”

Agro Ross is hard to miss. He’s a stocky Australian gentleman with red whiskers and he’s usually sporting an orange T-shirt.  To look at him, you’d think he was an extra from Mel Gibson’s ‘Braveheart.’  He comes by it naturally.  His grandmother was Scottish and he can turn on that thick Scotch burr quite easily and you won’t understand a word he’s saying. (#OrneryAussie)

Agro is a MINI lover from way back.  When he was a kid in Sydney, Australia, he and his mom bought a 1973 Austin MINI Clubman together.  They spent $800 and mom, Carole taught him how to drive it.  When he moved to the States in 1996, he had to leave that MINI behind.  “My mum sold it without my permission and I’ve never quite gotten over it,” he said.

By 2002 Agro had moved to Las Vegas and gotten married.  He read that BMW Corp. had purchased MINI Cooper and he was immediately excited about the possibility of getting one of the first cars they released.  “As long as they do it right, that is going to be my next car,” he said at the time.

Well, MINI did it right and Agro purchased a brand new liquid yellow and black Cooper S.  (He had to pick yellow because they didn’t offer it in orange.)  Sadly, the car met an untimely end in 2013 when the engine blew.  Not to be deterred, Agro replaced it, this time with an ORANGE and black Clubman Cooper S.

While he hasn’t technically gone “All the Way” by starting in Atlanta, Agro has undertaken an extensive journey all his own.  Prior to the rally, he incorporated a family vacation with his twin daughters Miranda and Sophie (age 7) and his mother, Carole who came all the way from Sydney!

Has all of this together time been stressful on the three-generation Cooper Lovers?  “Not at all,” said Agro.  “We used to do car vacations as a family when I was growing up in Australia.  We never did anything quite this long, but we’re having fun.”

Mom, Carole, said she was most excited about seeing an American Buffalo.  Her favorite event so far was the Cheyenne Rodeo where she got to see cowboys in action.  The girls have enjoyed Mount Rushmore, the Sculpture Garden and Carhenge. Basically, they’ve liked the places where they could get out of the MINI and run around for a bit.

Agro is not only traveling with his family, but several members of the Sin City MINIs club out of Las Vegas are on MTTS as well.  “There are a total of four club presidents (past and present) taking part on this trip!”