CHEYENNE, Wyo. _ You have to wonder what residents of Wyoming's capital thought last month when they awoke and saw their city's 15th Street filled with Minis.
The sight wasn't hangover-induced or the result of overactive imaginations. It was part of Mini Takes the States, a biennial event where Mini owners trek the country, sharing their passion for their diminutive vehicles while raising awareness and funds for Feeding America, a national nonprofit network of food banks.
The 2016 edition of the tour began July 9 and wrapped July 23, attracting along the way more than 4,000 Mini owners, 900 of whom motored through 15 cities in the 14 days. That's no small feat, as the journey started in Atlanta before heading on to Charlotte, N.C., Richmond, Va., Baltimore, Pittsburgh, Detroit, St. Ignace, Mich., Green Bay, Wis., Minneapolis, Sioux Falls, S.D., Sturgis, S.D., Cheyenne, Park City, Utah, and Las Vegas before finishing up in Palm Springs, Calif.
Mini generously extended an invite my way, which I happily accepted, joining the Mini mob in Cheyenne just in time to enjoy a barbecue and some rodeo-watching at the Terry Bison Ranch outside of town. Yes, it was my first real rodeo, but I've been around passionate car owners plenty of times before.
Still, Mini drivers are a breed unto themselves.
Just ask one what he nicknamed his car. You won't find a Mini owner who hasn't. And the same could be said of customization. Few owners leave their cars untouched.
Typical of the tribe is Kim Rennak of Cupertino, Calif.
Rennak loves Hawaii. So when preparing for the Mini event, she decorated her ride _ named humuhumunukunukuapuaa, the Hawaiian name for the reef triggerfish _ with a lei decal that she found online. When she told the supplier she needed eight of them, "He thought I was crazy," Rennak said. "But I love it." She even covered the car's seats with fabric to match the lei.
"This is an expression of her personality," said her husband, Jim. "So it's great."
Rennak first caught the Mini bug when her sister-in-law asked her to move her car for her. That brief moment behind the wheel got her hooked. But it took another decade before she took the plunge, custom ordering her Mini in 2012, at which point she traded in her Subaru.
"That was a boring car," she said.
That can't be said of the Mini Cooper S Clubman, which retails for $42,350 and which I piloted across Wyoming and into Utah. The redesigned Clubman shares its underpinnings with the also-redesigned BMW X1. Like its German sibling, the English wagon has a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. In the Clubman, it generates 189 horsepower, 17 more than the previous model. A six-speed manual transmission is standard, although the test vehicle was equipped with an eight-speed automatic transmission, which when shifted manually rather than left to its own devices lent the car a far more sporting personality.
After leaving Cheyenne, I discovered that there's a whole lot of nothing in the state of Wyoming, which explains why the speed limit along Interstate 80 is 80 mph. The lack of cities and sights might also explain why I found this desolate highway so surreal, the lack of population accentuated by the fact that the only other cars around were Minis.
And while the Clubman proved to be a surprisingly accommodating highway companion, it's the car's handling that wins you over.
This point was proven when, rather than following Mini's prescribed route, I meandered down twisting back roads to Capitol Reef National Park. In a part of the country filled with stunning vistas, this park stands apart. One portion of road narrows precariously as it twists and turns atop a reef with no shoulder or, for that matter, guardrails. The road was not only truly astounding but it was also terrifyingly fun. The 2016 Clubman handled it with total nonchalance, which is more than I can say for yours truly.
That said, the car's agility through corners is due to a lack of compliance, which is evident when the road starts to deteriorate. But sometimes, there's a price to pay for fun, be it the car you're driving in, or the event in which you're participating.
Mini Takes the States is an exhausting trek no doubt. Each day meant driving between 350 and 500 miles depending on whether I took the official route or a detour. But the camaraderie of Mini owners was infectious; the driving intoxicatingly fun; the nightly events were a welcome respite. Even the tour's ending proved to be perfect, with the bunch of us staying at ahipster hot spot, The Ace Hotel in Palm Springs. This hotel's funky mix of mid-century modern bones and post-industrial design motif had all the markings of Mini Coopers and their owners.
The whole experience proves that the right car and the right people on the right road on the right day can be transformative, fulfilling the ultimate promise we all imagine when we dream of the ultimate road trip and the perfect road trip vehicle.
But it's no dream; it's Mini Takes the States.
