On Saturday, I joined a bunch of the Rhode Island MINI owners on a run to the Purgatory Chasm. I’ve missed a number of MINI events this summer due to scheduling conflicts so I was looking forward to this somewhat smaller MINI run. Sometimes the smaller ones are better; you get to meet everyone personally and the fun on the twisties is usually higher.
It was especially timely as on the way down my MINI hit 20,000 miles! What a great way to celebrate saying goodbye to childhood by carving up blind corners. I should again mention that I have had no major problems with my MINI. I don’t think many other cars would prove so reliable after being driven like you stole it every day.
I met about ten other MINIs in Rhode Island, where we headed on local twisty roads northwest back into Massachusetts to the Chasm. We parked in a line (pictured above), and were joined by two others. We ate our packed lunches, and then hiked into the Chasm. it was a great place to hike, with rock cliffs and boulders everywhere, making for some ankle-twisting fun. The weather was also perfect for hiking, warm with no humidity, a rare occurrence around here.
I was undecided till the last minute about joining–it’s tough to get me to promise anything early on a Saturday morning. But I’m glad I did. I had not met any of these guys before (I had missed a few other RI runs last year) and they’re a great group. I hope to make their upcoming Haunted MINIs Run, which sounds like it will be even better than last year’s.
