With only six days left before we all meet in Squamish, we have to wonder…are we the only ones not-quite-ready?

Event wise everything is set, and like you we are just eagerly awaiting the days to count down to registration. On the car side, however, we're perhaps a little behind schedule. I know that my white board originally had this weekend set aside as more of a 'final cosmetics' and mountain biking weekend. I'm know Warwick was planning on skiing the final two days of the Telus Ski and Snowboard festival. But here we are, cars on axle stands…hanging out in the garage.

I keep a white-board marker in the beetle for important notes. When your windshield is flat, and right in front of your nose, it makes for the perfect note-board. Normally it's just the odometer reading for the next fill up, but for the last two weeks it's been filling with all the "fiddly-bits" that need attention. There's that rattle in the shifter at certain rpms, or the way the steering wheel isn't quite straight. These are things that I can ignore in my day-to-day driving. But will make me crazy over a long drive!

Whereas I find myself chasing the fiddly bits, Warwick is on a mission to make sure his Mini will make it to the finish! Over the last few weeks I've been busy repainting the car or chasing downhill trails on my mountain bike. Warwick, sensing I needed a bit of a break from my 'real' life, has been the anchor of organization prepping the event in it's final weeks. The event is ready to go…but there just hasn't been time for the Mini.

Poor Abby, the Mini, has been in storage all winter. A quick test drive this week highlighted two major issues Warwick has to deal with; There is a lower ball joint ready to part ways with itself, and that small matter of a brake pedal which likes to sink to the floor.

Both of us were rather shocked to see just how many parts are involved in a Mini ball joint. A quick consult of the manual confirms that the factory didn't forget to assemble it. No, we must do that ourselves! As for the brake master cylinder…have you ever tried to pull one in a Mini? I'd like to meet the Brit who originally installed it, he must have three elbows and two wrists on one arm to get that clevis pin out!

All this doesn't concern me too much…I mean, without some level of time-crunch and "are we going to make it?" Where is the adventure!?!

-Dave