RISE AND SHINE, L.A.!!! WE'RE OFF & RUNNING!

By Erin 'Gigglechick' Bennett

Sunday morning, I was handed the key to a MINI Clubman (I know, Saturday, I said I was in a Chili Red JCW... but, the press MINIs kinda get swapped around...)

Jeez, I didn't even have a chance to name the JCW and here I have to figure out what to call this fella (of course, it's a boy... it's a ClubMAN)

I slither into the cockpit and turn on the radio, hit the tuner and the first station that pops up is playing Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher"... okay, brother, you made yourself heard loud and clear... Moocher it is!

We gathered at the Santa Anita Park Racetrack... so much history there, it was amazing to see it.





Hopped up on 2 cups of coffee (hey, I was up late Saturday night and jet lagged from flying out here) we were greeted by the energetic music of Sinizen from Huntington Beach. Really keen band.

We got our L.A. buttons (at each leg, you get a button... COLLECT THEM ALL, KIDS!)

I met a number of other excited owners at the start...

The first being George Marsh of the Southern California MINI Maniacs



What a swell egg he was!!

I met Ginny from Carlsbad and then Mark & Ryan with their 1EZDUDE... both MINIs made me miss my Phooka.





seeing those cabrios made me miss my 5-speed BRG Hairdryer -- I haven’t had to use a regular hairdryer in 5 years. I just put the top down and voila! Perfectly styled, windswept look. Phooka also doubles as my tanning salon.

I’m sort of glad that I couldn’t put the top down today since it was 105 degrees driving through the desert... if I had a convertible, there would’ve been a good chance that I would spontaeneously combust.

I’m jumping the gun... we’re still in the parking lot.

Saturday night at the kickoff party, I’d met John and Cindy Quan from MINI of Ontario --- when I broached the subject of their MINI’s name, they looked at each other and apparently their MINI has been nameless since they got her in February. So they didn’t have a definite answer --- until this morning. I’d like to introduce everyone to “Christine”



--- the three of them will be celebrating Cindy’s birthday in style by traveling with MTTS and arriving in Vegas on her birthday this Monday.

and then it was time.



The caterwauling of the herd (or is it a gaggle) of MINIs that were honking/beeping/woo-wooing as we were leaving --- with a police escort, mind you --- was slightly deafening... in a glorious way!

It was MINIs to the Left of Me, MINIs to the Right, here I am, stuck in the middle with Moocher!





I wound up straggling towards the back of the pack (because I was trying to find WiFi somewhere to post this stuff and ran into a fiasco... but, quickly made up time.)

There was Exit 173 on Interstate 10 that is Chiriaco Summit... in the itinerary there was supposed to be a “surprise” of some sort, alas, since I was about an hour and a half behind the pack, I took the exit and didn’t see any MINIs... but... what I DID see wasn’t as good on gas.



There in the middle of the desert was the General George S. Patton Memorial Museum and a slew of tanks sitting outside. Moocher got a little sass in his chassis and tried to challenge the tank to a duel, but, I diffused the situation by driving over to the giant statue of “Old Blood & Guts” and his dog.



We then scooted back onto I-10 and made our way towards Phoenix.

I had to stop to refuel at one point... and, um, I must confess that --- being a Jersey Girl --- this was my first time pumping my own gas. I’m semi-proud of myself... well, kinda... I WAS until some woman yelled as I was driving off “YOUR GAS CAP’S NOT ON!!”

Another first for me was swerving to avoid a tumbleweed. We don’t really have those in the Garden State.

Moocher & I made it to the Hotel Valley Ho around 5pm... what a swellegant place this is! So retro... and yet modern at the same time.

The pool party was downright fun! Karaoke, Cocktails and.... the pool



I’m actually going to take advantage of some of the amenities in this hotel room and take a bubble bath to soothe some slightly achy driving muscles...

perhaps MINI should come out with the MINI Tubman? A bathtub shaped like a MINI convertible? I can picture it.