MINIsOnTop

And you thought the fog was bad?

blalor — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:24:01 +0000

Mt. Washington’s known for its epic weather, and MINIs On Top has seen it all! Well, almost… The weather at the summit this year probably wasn’t what you’d hoped for when you climbed that mile-high road. Strong, gusty winds (or “a stiff breeze” for the folks who live up there), visibility that felt like swimming in milk, and decidedly un-Summer-like temperatures. But it could have been worse!

Your eyes do not deceive you.

Yesterday, the first day of July, saw actual, honest-to-goodness snow at the observatory! Read the full report from Kristin Raisanen at the Observatory.

We missed out this time, but there’s always next year!

Show us your pixels!

blalor — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 10:04:57 +0000

Another MoT has come and gone, but it’ll live on forever in our photographs and videos. We have a group on Flickr where anyone can join and add their photos.

We’d like to encourage everyone to use Flickr because it’s a really cool way to share your stuff and requires almost no work on our end; it’s free(ish) and easy to use, but we understand that it’s not for everyone. If you’re using another service, or even hosting them on your own site, post a link to them in a comment below and we’ll curate them for another post soon!

MINIs on Top 2010 is History…

rfinprc — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 00:21:21 +0000

MINIs on Top 2010 is in the books, and it was a good one! We had 240 cars registered. 358 people went up the mountain. They didn’t see much, but it was an exciting drive in both directions, and everyone made it down safe and sound. The Attitash Grand Summit continues to impress — great rooms and great staff.

Friday night ice cream was sponsored by New Country MINI, Saturday breakfast by MINI of Peabody, and Saturday night party fixin’s by MINI Eastern region — thanks to all!

The Trivia contest had new leadership in Ivan and Kathryn, supported by the trivial veterans from Cape Cod MINI. Judging from the cheers and groans it was a big hit.

The Loon Lot was the usual great gathering of MINIS. Thanks to the fabulous parking crew — Kevin, Pete, Jon, Rick and Lois — everyone fit in and got out. The car wash was a success, the boot sale was thriving, the Concours d’Elegance was elegant, and we made new friends at the Lincoln & Gorham volunteer Fire Departments. The Photo Scavenger Hunt was a huge success, and everyone arrived at the Auto Road with their wheels down.

Michael Smith may have done his sexiest turn yet as Emcee (or maybe not). We had awards for young and old and near and far, and we had a chance to extend much deserved thanks to Ian, Michael, and Theo for years of service to MoT. We gave out 10 boots full of prizes, thanks to many generous donors and the hard work of Sheena and Armen.

All-in-all, a helluva good time. Share your thoughts here, and send us your links to wherever you like to share photos online — we’ll make a list.

See you in 2011.

‘10 sponsor shout-out #3

blalor — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:23:49 +0000

Well, MoT 2010 is nearly here! In just a few hours, most folks will be on their way, if they’re not already. The excitement is palpable, at least from where I’m typing this!

Just to sweeten the deal, we have a few final sponsors to thank for this year’s raffle:

Amanda Robertson has kindly donated some more items from the collection of her son Dan MacDonald — one of the most avid MINI and Mini fans I’ve ever met — who passed away a couple of years ago. Dan was a good friend of many of the MoT “old timers” and he’s still missed today. We’re happy to be able to pass along some of his treasured collectibles to other motoring enthusiasts. There’s too much to list, but some of the items include collectible cards, videos, Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars, and several books. Thank you, Amanda!

Dave and Pam Fisher — driving all the way from Northeast Ohio for their first MINIs On Top — have kindly donated a hand-made MINI bracelet from Bellabor Art Jewelry in Cleveland.

Our friends over at Greasy’s Garage in Worcester, MA have donated an OBD-II diagnostic cable, car cleaning kit, and MINI boot organizer. It seems that most of the MINIs from New England have paid a visit to Greasy’s!

And remember, the proceeds from the sale of raffle tickets go to Make-A-Wish of New Hampshire. So stock up on tickets and stuff the bag for your favorite item and bring a huge smile to a child’s face!

Time to go?

rfinprc — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 04:29:34 +0000

Not quite, but everything’s just about ready. We’ve got lists, supplies, banners, extra T-Shirts & clings, bonus gifts for all of you, prizes for the raffle, and plans for a great weekend. See you in the MOTORoom in about 18 hours.

Mt. Washington Observatory Museum open to all

blalor — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 20:00:12 +0000

Good News! The Observatory Museum and souvenir shop will be open while we are On Top. Through special arrangement between the Observatory and the Auto Road, there is no charge to MINIs On Top participants for entry into the Observatory Museum.

The Museum is in the main Mt. Washington State Park building (you can’t miss it). Go in the building, past the restrooms and down the stairs. It’s well worth the visit.

And don’t forget that three family memberships to the Observatory are among the great raffle items we have this year!

Don’t like the weather? Wait 5 minutes…

blalor — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 14:01:31 +0000

… and it’ll change. Or so the saying goes in New England, at least. And at the summit of Mt. Washington, 5 minutes is actually a pretty long window!

The current conditions look a little something like this:

If you’d like a little more insight into what you might face at the top, check out the Mt. Washington Weather Center for conditions, the forecast at the top, and a pretty nifty temperature profile along the road. You might need snow shoes or you might want to put on some sunblock; we’ve had all manner of weather at previous MoTs, and part of the fun is trying to guess what you’ll find this time!

MoT Sponsor Shout-Out #2

blalor — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:24:24 +0000

MINIs On Top 2010 is almost here! But before we get things under way, we’d like to take another moment to thank additional donors and sponsors of this year’s raffle.

MotoringBadges.com has kindly donated a selection of their popular grille badges; if you win them all, you can also decorate your fridge!

The dog lovers over at PoochStyle contributed a gift certificate worth 25% off a single item. Be sure to check out their cargo and back seat car mats made just for MINIs!

Long-time supporters OutMotoring have generously offered up an assortment of t-shirts, OutMotoring caps, and grille badges (which appear to be quite the “thing” this year!).

Doug Whalen of Whalen Shift Machine™ has donated a gift certificate good for one custom shift knob. Doug does beautiful work and has turned out some wonderfully unique knobs for us in the past. Be sure to check out his gallery of MINI shift knobs!

And last but not least, we have a decimal dozen of LightInSight’s eponymous product, a wide-angle fresnel lens that helps you see traffic lights without dislocating your spine. These are a fantastic addition for anyone who’s ever developed a kink in their neck waiting for the light to turn green!

Be sure to check out the donations from these and other last-minute donors on Friday night in the MOTORoom and Saturday under the tent!

Badge-tastic!

blalor — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 19:23:49 +0000

Boy, have we got a treat for you!

Thanks to Todd Pearson of MotoringBadges.com and WhiteRoofRadio fame, we have one of my favorite pieces of schwag for this year: magnetic motoring badges! They’ll be for sale — along with a limited number of grille badge holders — under the MINIsOnTop tent at the Boot Sale at the Loon lot on Saturday morning. Add one to your collection, or start your collection now!

Driving routes updated

blalor — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 17:42:46 +0000

Although they’re unchanged from last year, we did a little housekeeping today and updated the links and maps for the driving routes. Be sure to check them out, and print a copy to bring with you this weekend!