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EIM continued its tradition of embarking on a multi-day MINI motoring adventure during the month of May, with this year’s destination being the scenic peninsula of northeast Wisconsin for our first ever EIM Expedition to Door County from 9-12 May.

Our time in Door County turned out to be a continuous series of new discoveries, fun times with our fellow Iowa MINI mates, and of course the great motoring roads in the area. A little bit of rain at the start of our journey on Thursday morning (and the rain and *snow* on Saturday morning!) passed quickly and did little to dampen the spirits of our group. We enjoyed “The Best Breakfast in America” at the White Gull Inn, dodging wild turkeys on the back road twisties, the Cana Island Lighthouse, the Lake Michigan surf against the cliffs at Cave Point County Park, County Roads T, Q, B, and the awesome North Point Ferry Road pictured above (all roads that must not be missed if visiting in a MINI!), searching for — and finally finding — the actual 45N latitude geographic marker, serious antique shopping, more great restaurants, celebrating Daryl H.‘s 100K odometer milestone, Cindy D.‘s nautical captainship, more gift shopping, watching the sun setting in a cloudless blue sky over Green Bay, visiting Anderson Dock in Ephraim, hanging out with our fantastic group of MINI friends back at the Scandinavian Lodge each evening…and the list goes on and on. Great times and great memories.

Many thanks to Daryl H. and Linda and Tom R. for heading up the planning for our trip and for choreographing all of the lodging arrangements. Much appreciated!

We invite you to enjoy the plethora of photos from our trip, posted in our Photo Gallery and directly accessible using the following link:

Photos from the EIM Expedition to Door County, Wisconsin, 9-12 May 2013

See you soon!

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Yep, those are some of our MINIs above, proudly snaking down Snake Alley in Burlington as we headed out for a day of fun at the 4th EIM Border Skirmish Drive this past Saturday. This was our first Border Skirmish in the southeastern corner of Iowa which meant new roads, new sights, and new discoveries. It was great to finally get out and motor again!

In addition to the drive, it was a day of other fun memories too — from the view along both sides of the Great River Road along the Mississippi River between Burlington and Keokuk, circling the Nauvoo Temple; our unexpected entry in the Civil War reenactment in Keokuk, lunch along the banks of the Des Moines River at the Bonaparte Retreat, shopping for goodies at the Dutchman’s Store, exercising the twisties in Lacey-Keosauqua State Park and Geode State Park, and capping it off with a great meal at Gator’s Grill and Spirits back in Burlington.

Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us. We especially want to thank first time motorists Bob and Pam C. from Cresco, Larry and Mary Ann H. from Pella, and Mark from Cedar Rapids.

Lots of pictures from the day’s activities are accessible in our Photo Gallery. You can go directly to this picture set using the following link:

Photos from the 4th EIM Border Skirmish Drive, 4-27-13

See you again soon!

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Taking advantage of the nicest weather in the month of March thus far, our group of MINI folk very much enjoyed the opportunity to gather together in Cedar Rapids this past Saturday at the Granite City Food and Brewery for the 6th EIM “Spring has Sprung” Meet-n-Eat. How nice it was to be able to wander among the MINIs outside without getting wet and cold (not to mention being able to go to a car wash without the water freezing). We had a great turnout. Thanks to all who came out and joined us.

Very warm greetings to all of the splendid folks who made this event their first with us — Darrel and Paula A., Brenda and Eric C., Mike and Laura R., Dakota and Sam K., Andy and Cooper M., and Tina J. Hope to see you all again soon. Oh, and welcome home from France Rebecca D.!

There are some pictures from this event for you to enjoy in our Photo Gallery and they’re directly accessible using the following link:

Photos from the 6th EIM “Spring has Sprung” Meet-n-Eat, 3-23-13

Next month, we motor. Stay tuned!

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Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us for our EIM Meet-n-Eat in the Quad Cities this past Saturday. It turned out to be a great day weather-wise and a perfect opportunity to get together — like we like to do.

Special thanks again to Denny and Sandy B. for hosting our group once again in their home. Much appreciated! Thanks also to Steve and Juli B. for supplying the great local libations, and to everyone who brought along such a tasty and varied selection of goodies for us to enjoy. It was also great introducing ourselves to EIMer John J. and his MINI “Big Bird” for the first time — welcome! We loved Sandy’s awesome EIM slide show too!

Photos from the day’s gathering are posted in our Photo Gallery which you can access directly by using the following link:

Photos from the EIM Meet-n-Eat in Davenport, 2-23-13

Spring will be springing soon…see you in Cedar Rapids!

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What a fantastic turnout for our 2013 kickoff! 22 beautiful MINIs and 39 happy motorists enjoyed the bright sun and the dry, snow-free pavement at our traditional January EIM Meet-n-Eat at the Wig and Pen Pub in Iowa City this past Saturday. It was great fun seeing everyone — thanks so much for coming out and joining us!

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**Update: See the new feature video above by Jay T. of the early arrivals!

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It was great having Steve and Peggy join us all the way from Council Bluffs, as well as having Jake M., Jeremiah, Britney, and Alaina hop over from Des Moines (along with that brand spanking new Light White Countryman off the MINI of Des Moines lot that they brought with them).

Also, it was a special pleasure to welcome new EIM motorists Jake and Jess (Dubuque), Darrel and Paula (Iowa City), and Eric and Brenda (Marion) to our group. Congrats to Jake and Jess for winning the MINI photo-themed “Where’s Waldo?” game following lunch. We hope you’ll all join us again soon!

Photos from this event are in our Photo Gallery — you can get to them directly by clicking on the following link:

Photos from the EIM Meet-n-Eat at the Wig and Pen Pub, Iowa City, 1-26-13

We’re off to the Quad Cities next month. Hope you can make it.

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It was a beautiful and warm autumn day and a great turnout for the final EIM event of the 2012 calendar year. Thanks to everyone who came out and joined us for the EIM Meet-n-Eat at the Country Junction which was hosted in Dyersville on 11/10. It was a special treat to see several old and dear friends back in our MINI motoring family again!

We had great fun reminiscing on all of our fun times over the 2012 motoring season and recognizing some of those special memories in the presentation of our annual EIM Recognition Awards. Congratulations to all of the award recipients! The complete list of recipients appears after the Read More jump below.

A few photos from the event are posted in our Photo Gallery and are directly accessible using the following link:

Photos from the EIM Meet-n-Eat at the Country Junction, Dyersville, 11-10-12

See you in Iowa City in January!

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