MINI Motoring Clubs Spring Getaway, Mt. Rushmore

Post by **ragtopday Johnna** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 5:51 pm

MINI Motoring Clubs Spring Getaway

May 15, 16, 17 2009 (the weekend before Memorial Day)

Tentative Agenda:

Friday, May 15th at 10 am – Meetup point at CarHenge in Alliance, Nebraska. Group Picture prearranged by Jim Petersen (CORN). 297 Miles from Denver.

6 pm – Meetup point at Mt. Rushmore, Rapid City, SD. 167 Miles from Alliance, NE.

• Denver to Mt. Rushmore direct, 398 miles
• KC to Mt. Rushmore direct, 728 miles
• St. Louis to Mt. Rushmore direct, 974 miles
• Omaha, NE to Mt. Rushmore direct, 545 miles
• OKC to Mt. Rushmore direct, 881 miles

Saturday, May 16th – AM and PM rides to destinations of your choosing.

Sunday, May 17th – Return home

Other attractions and possible destinations:

• Corn Palace, Mitchell, SD
• Square Capitol Bldg, Bismarck, ND
• MINI Las Vegas / Calamity Jane / Wild Bill in Deadwood, SD
• Laura Ingalls Wilder homestead, DeSmet, SD
• Badlands National Park, SD
• Sturgis, SD
• Fallkirk Coal Mine, Bismarck ND
• Sica Hollow, Sisseton, SD
• Needles Scenic Highway / Roughlock Falls / Sylvan Lake in Rapid City, SD
• Devils Tower, WY (maybe we can have our own close encounter)

This is an MYOR (Make Your Own Reservations) ride. Hotel suggestions will be offered.

This is being coordinated by the St. Louis, Denver and CORN clubs with input from other clubs welcomed!

davester · Post by **davester** » Fri Oct 24, 2008 10:55 pm

I wana go---

Post by **ragtopday Johnna** » Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:23 pm

Here is more updated info:

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=370a ... f6e8ebb871

Hi Ho Silver · Post by **Hi Ho Silver** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 10:24 pm

Johnna has posted information for this event at the link below. Should you have questions, or if you want to be added to our distribution list for the event, just PM me with your full name, phone and email address and we will gladly add you and keep you informed..

Even tho we have posted our plans, you are free to make other plans as your needs go. This is indeed a grassroots event so you are free to just show up, but we prefer to know if you are coming.

All reservations are OYO so please attend to that promptly so that you do have a place to stay.

Thanks,

Jonathan
MINI5280.org
MITM4@MINIsintheMountains.com
www.MINIsintheMountains.com

JPS

Post by **ragtopday Johnna** » Mon Feb 09, 2009 9:46 pm

I heard today some were having trouble getting the file to open. I'm pasting in the info below. Sorry for the lengthy post, just wanted to make sure everyone could see the info.

From Jonathan:
Dear Motoring Enthusiast:

Thank you for showing an interest in joining the 2009 Black Hills Run, being held on May 15th and 16th 2009. The High Plains Motoring Society is a group of MINI enthusiasts and friends who have motored together to and from multiple national MINI and Mini events in the past few years. Now we have simply planned an event all our own and just for us.
Please note that HPM has no website. We communicate thru the various forums in NAM for simplicity, ease and low cost.

If you would like to join us for this event, please do this:

1. Visit NAM at: www.NorthAmericanMotoring.com and go to the MINI5280 Calendar right here: MINI5280 Event Calendar Sign up for the event just to let us know if you plan to join in. If you change your mind, you can delete yourself.
2. Make your hotel reservations in Rapid City. See info below or www.visitrapidcity.com or www.travelsd.com
3. Send us an email with your personal information. All we need is the Names of attendees, your NAM handle, your email, and a contact phone number (cell) during the event. If you are affiliated with a particular MINI club, do let us know that too.

As of this writing, our agenda is as follows:

• Leave for Rapid City whenever you like. Arrive when you like.
• The STL group is leaving STL on Wednesday after work. They will overnight in the KC area, likely north of town in / near St. Joseph, MO.
• Thursday AM May 14th - head west towards Alliance, NE and CarHenge. Arrival planned mid-afternoon for 5 pm group photo opportunity.
• Thursday evening, Motor north to Hill City, SD eta 9 pm. Overnight and set base camp. About 150 miles.
• Friday, May 15th – Group rides to Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, or Devil’s Tower, WY. Evening dinner ride via back roads to Deadwood, SD and Kevin Costner’s restaurant, Jake’s in the Midnight Star Casino.
• Saturday, May 16th – Same as Friday. Take your pick. Evening dinner ride via back roads to Sturgis, at the Full Throttle Saloon.
• Sunday, May 17th – GTG ends or more area tours. See www.hillcitysd.com and
• Also see Visit Mt Rushmore

Rapid City to Crazy Horse, 37 mi www.crazyhorsememorial.org
opens 7:30 am, fee
Rapid City to Deadwood, SD 41 mi www.deadwood.org
Rapid City to Sturgis, SD 30 mi www.sturgis-sd.org
Rapid City to Mt. Rushmore, 24 mi www.nps.gov/moru
opens 8:00 am, fee
Rapid City to Devil’s Tower 107 mi www.nps.gov/deto
opens 9:00 am, fee

There are a number of area hotels to choose from. There are no special rates or other deals negotiated. If you come across information worth sharing please send it to us and we will gladly distribute to the group. You can also post in NAM here:

High Plains Motoring / Black Hills Run 2009 Discussion Thread

The Hill City Comfort Inn has been recommended by one of our group. Also, Jim recommends the Best Western Golden Spike as it has ample and convenient parking. There is also a Holiday Inn Express and a Mt. Rushmore Super 8. Make your choice. Our plans are to stayin in Hill City rather than Rapid City. They are all blocks from each other as it is a very small town. Check it out at:

www.super8.com www.hiexpress.com www.bestwesternsouthdakota.com
www.comfortinn.com

See the Rapid City Visitors Guide we will send you for complete information. There are Lodging / Monument Value packages available. Look for either the Real America Value Package or the Rapid City National Parks and Monuments Package for combined lodging and monuments discounts.

Thanks,

Jonathan

Your Hosts and Organizers:

Doug Travis zinful@att.net www.stlmini.com
Jim Petersen zyamfier@gmail.com The Kernel of C.O.R.N.
Jonathan Souza jonathan.souza@allstate.com www.MINI5280.org

Note: Please don’t go to www.CrazyHorse.com Consider yourself warned.

kenshin138 · Post by **kenshin138** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 8:20 am

Anybody from KC going to this? We are tentatively interested.

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 10:48 am

The weather should be gorgeous that time of year for this drive, let me see where my calendar's at for that month and get back to you all. I'll have the new Clubby well broken in by then too........

kenshin138 · Post by **kenshin138** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 3:20 pm

May 16th is my birthday (yay, 30!) so it might be a nice get-away.

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 5:35 pm

I am thinking about it.

saturn · Post by **saturn** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 8:11 pm

John and I are leaning strongly toward attending, we REALLY NEED a vacation!

Zyamfier · Post by **Zyamfier** » Tue Feb 10, 2009 9:25 pm

Hope to see some of you there!

Marlow Main · Post by **Marlow Main** » Wed Feb 11, 2009 9:27 pm

We are planning on going also.

davester · Post by **davester** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:31 pm

We are also planing on going. Has anyone booked hotel reservations yet? We would like to stay where everyone else will be staying. Let us know so we can make the reservation----

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 2:55 pm

We're planning to take the Mini-poopers, so it might limit where we can stay. Anyone else taking their pup?

kenshin138 · Post by **kenshin138** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:19 pm

Let me know where people are staying as well. I need to verify I can get the days off work.

davester · Post by **davester** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 6:48 pm

For those going to the "Black Hills Run", go to the 5280 calendar and sign up. Go here--

http://www.northamericanmotoring.com/fo ... 9-5-15&c=2

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:24 am

Thanks, done.................29 MINIs so far, we'll need to get hotel/motel booked pretty soon. I'll start Rose looking into it.........

Wow, that looks like about 750 miles to Hill city, I don't think we can do that drive to Hill City all in one day traveling with the MINI-poopers, so we'll probably have to leave a day early.

Gonna take a little planning.........

There are lots of name brand motels in the Hill City area, we just need to pick one. Are we going for utitlity or charm in our lodgings?

4 KC MINIacs registered so far! Yay!

Saturn, are you taking any of your Pugs with?

saturn · Post by **saturn** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 10:27 pm

[quote=Saturn, are you taking any of your Pugs with?[/quote]

Unfortunately, no,

all the kids are staying home, they told us they need a vacation from US and have solemnly swore to not have any Pug-Parties while we're away.

davester · Post by **davester** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:07 am

"There are lots of name brand motels in the Hill City area, we just need to pick one. Are we going for utility or charm in our lodgings?"

How about very nice but inexpensive-----
ps: we are retired ya know!!!

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 9:22 am

Works for me, the trip is about the trip to me, not the motel - motels are just for a shower and sleeping.......

Marlow Main · Post by **Marlow Main** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 8:40 pm

We booked in the Holiday Inn Express in Hill City ( I think the rate was $67 per night with breakfast). I am not sure if they are pet friendly or not, but. it is right across the street from the 1880s Train, which we plan on riding sometime over the weekend. While I could motor, motor all day long, oddly it is not as much fun for a passenger, so we usually plan on including some non-motoring activities too.

kabootist · Post by **kabootist** » Wed Feb 25, 2009 10:03 pm

I dont know if I'll be going yet, but I highly recommend Devils Tower in WY...the drive into the valley below it is amazing. I was on a motorcycle last year when I did it, but I can imagine the only difference in a car is less wind.

Minidave · Post by **Minidave** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:44 am

I think we've decided that taking the MINI-poopers on this one isn't going to work so well, they can't go into most of the nat'l parks (like Rushmore) so we'd either not be able to do a lot of things or we'd have to find doggy daycare.

We're talking about going up a day or so earlier so we can spend more time at the sites or to be able to see more - this is a long trip for only a weekend, if anyone is thinking this way too, chime in.

Great pic, Kabootist............vistas like this are part of why I like the western US........

davester · Post by **davester** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 1:46 pm

OK, we have reservations @ the Holiday Inn Express in Hill City,SD as well. This will be a fun trip

I just found this-- LOOK---

http://www.hiehillcity.com/index.htm

saturn · Post by **saturn** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:04 am

Davester wrote:OK, we have reservations @ the Holiday Inn Express in Hill City,SD as well. This will be a fun trip

We'll be staying there as well!