Our MINIs are heading back up to the Driftless Region (i.e., “the land the glaciers forgot”) to enjoy some beautiful Autumn motoring and to check out the renowned Gays Mills Apple Festival on Saturday, September 24th in Gays Mills, Wisconsin. All are welcome to join us!

No RSVPs necessary…but feel free to let us know you’re coming so we can keep an eye out for you. Links to do so, as well as more information describing where and when to rendezvous on Saturday morning and other pertinent info is available by clicking on the — Read More — button below.

See you on the 24th!

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Link to the Gays Mills Apple Festival Website:
http://www.gaysmills.org/apple.html

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If you’d like to let us know you’re planning on coming along, you may do so using any one of the following three options:

(1) Clicking on the sign-up link in our NAM Event Calendar Entry; and/or
(2) leave us a reply in our associated NAM Discussion Thread for this drive; or
(3) give us a shout using the “Leave a Reply” form below.

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Rendezvous

The main rendezvous spot is over on the Wisconsin side for the benefit of the folks coming up from the Quad Cities area. We will all plan to meet up at the BP Station on the southeast corner of US-61/WI-133 (Elm St.) and W. Kansas St. in Boscobel, WI at 10:00 am. The address of the station is 605 Elm St.

For anyone coming up on the Iowa side, let’s plan on a preliminary rendezvous at 9:15 am at the Isle of Capri Casino parking lot along US-18/IA-76 on the south side of Marquette, IA. You can’t miss the spot — just look for the big pink elephant with the black top hat!
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Think these folks are serious about their fall colors? Check out this quote:

“Although it is commonly known as “America’s Dairyland,” Wisconsin could also be called “America’s Forestland” as nearly half of the state is forested, and it is now viewed as one of the nation’s top destinations for fall color viewing. With its unique topography of hills, valleys and bluffs, the driftless region of Southwestern Wisconsin is particularly attractive.

Sunlight converts sugars that have been trapped in certain leaves into anthrocyanins, reddish or bluish pigments. The more anthrocyanins a leaf has, the deeper its red and purple hues. These brilliant shades are outstanding in Wisconsin maples and sumacs. The crisp yellows of poplar, some beech and most birches, on the other hand, reveal a lack of tannins in the leaves, so the yellow pigments shine through. An abundance of these brownish tannin compounds will cast a yellow-brown color in certain species of oak and beech trees. With the exception of tamarack, Wisconsin’s abundant conifer trees remain green during the fall, providing a dramatic counterpoint to the deep reds and oranges and bright yellows so prevalent throughout the forest palette. Willows, alder, elder and some oaks also provide a counterpoint, as their neutral shades add a rich dimension of depth.”