New member Matt H. join us for this run for the first time. Facebook group lurker Steve J. came by our Starbucks gathering point to meet us and to find out how a run works and just say hello. It was great to meet Matt & Steve in person. Special guest of the day was Brian B.'s mom, Helen.
Ann R. came all the way down from Mendocino. Via Facebook she let me know, "the nice ladies in the VIP lounge awarded me 'the prize for the person who came the most distance, from a town that started with "M"'. Lovely bottle of rose:)." Bonus for Ann!
After leaving Stockton we drove along Hwy 88 to Hwy 12 into San Andreas. Matt and Craig were going exploring on their own at this point as the rest of us were going onto Plymouth for the games via Hwy 49.
Our stopping point in San Andreas was the mural you see below that caught me eye as we passed by it. You can find the mural at 64 E St Charles St, San Andreas, CA 95249. We took over the parking lot to position the MINIs just so for the photo op. We got to meet the artist while we were there as he was working on a few finishing touches to the mural on the front of the building. Vern Mayhall is very talented. You had to take the time to look at all of his details. A snake was a clock, Bigfoot among the trees, and Swamp Thing to name a few.
Here's Vern posing with our cars and the mural. I'm going to have to take another drive out in the fall to see the completed work. Saturday he was working on an eagle that will be up under the eve of the front door.
Mother Lode Highland Games
The Amador County Fair Grounds is a great place to take in the Mother Lode Highland Games. The grounds aren't large, so it was easy to get from venue to venue to watch various activities. The VIP room was great and the ladies were wonderful in making sure we had plenty of food and drinks. Bonus, the VIP room had their own set of restrooms.
My highlight of games was watching the caber toss. The objective is to toss the caber so that it turns end over end, falling away from the tosser. Ideally it should fall directly away from the tosser in the "12 o'clock" position. The distance thrown is unimportant.
You can see the full set of photos in my NorCal Club Run - Hwy 49/Mother Lode Scottish Highland Games - June 10, 2017 Gallery.
Don't miss our next run to Madonna Inn. Full details can be found here on the blog, Facebook or via your Google email invite. Don't miss our first "a-MINI-ing Race".
Ready to motor on again,
Christine Toibin
President, NorCal MINIs
