And the Winner Is... July 15, 2011

This spring, we traveled the world with the Wanderlust Movement. Scarcely understanding where we were headed or what it was all about, we let ourselves get swept up in the spirit of this special moment in MINI Space history, and we invited you to jump onboard and grab on for dear life. As always when we present you with a new challenge, we expected great things, but you as a Community gave us more amazing ideas for Wanderlust events than we could ever have imagined. Reading all of your fantastic ideas and then seeing the amazing photos and video of your plans being put into action, as well as participating in some MINI-sponsored events of our own, we got reconfirmed that Wanderlust is, more than anything else, a lifestyle. It's about living every day true to that age-old axiom about journeys and destinations: Wherever you happen to be going, just make sure to have as much fun as possible while getting there. And in that sense, Wanderlust never dies. The MINI Countryman Wanderlust Movement, however, ended on Friday, May 27th. And we have a winner for you. Our warmest congratulations to MINI Space member Unixgal, who's elaborately documented "Cross-Country MINI Motoring Adventure" has earned her a brand new MINI Countryman, and a lifetime of bragging rights. Unixgal is Emily Stemmerich from San Mateo, California, and her solo motoring adventure combined a simple love of the open road with MINI, Geocaching, and the desire to get out into the world and make new friends and experiences. Emily herself pretty much sums it up when she says: "Calling this a simple road trip is an understatement." Indeed, in less than a month this spring, she traveled a total of 7,819 miles across 28 different states. She plowed through thunderstorms in Oklahoma, braved hail and tornadoes in Memphis, Tennessee. She waded street flooding in Arkansas, and in Wyoming, the snow came down so hard that the eastern road into Cody was blocked by an avalanche. In her epic journey from Northern California to North Carolina, Emily showed the rare and inspiring dedication to Wanderlust we were looking for in a winner. Visit her personal blog or her event page on MINI Space to learn more about her journey. And be sure to keep an eye out for her, zipping around in her new MINI Countryman on an interstate near you. All photos courtesy of Emily Stemmerich unless otherwise noted.