September 8, 2018
Run Leaders: Tina and Steve Sandke
Early on the morning of September 8, about 50 NorCal Minis
members met at a Starbucks in Saratoga. On tap: a drive through the Santa Cruz
Mountains (our run leader Steve called it his “backyard”) and our Annual
Meeting over lunch in Santa Cruz. Once everyone had their fill of caffeine,
Simon and Steve held the drivers meeting, and shortly thereafter 26 cars set
out. It was a sunny day, and we headed out onto Pierce Road. We wound our way
past some beautiful homes in the Saratoga foothills, the Mountain Winery
concert venue, and snuck onto Highway 9 just west of downtown Saratoga.
We drove through the trees and the twisties on Highway 9,
crossing over Skyline Boulevard and down towards Big Basin State Park. Speeds
were held in check by slower traffic, at least until the Big Basin junction. At
that point we turned left and were able to wind things up just a bit. A hard
right in Boulder Creek took us up into the backroads, and after a short but
bumpy ride up Jamison Creek Road (dodging a number of single lane spots where
half the road had washed out) we turned onto Empire Grade Road, which parallels
a ridgeline near the sea. Empire Grade was delightfully empty until we hit
Santa Cruz, and we were able to enjoy the roads. Once in Santa Cruz proper, we
dodged a bit of traffic as we headed into downtown to park.
Lunch was at Woodstock’s Pizza. The club hosted the
appetizers and soft-drinks, and the pizzas and salads were tasty as well. Our
intrepid VP Simon gave a passionate recap of the 2018 year for NorCal Minis. He
followed up by revealing the tentative runs for 2019 and then the 2019
officers. We finished lunch around 1:30, and folks scattered to explore Santa
Cruz or make their way home.
Here is the link to all the photos from the Santa Cruz run!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3MKPqE1VLKkWWkfu7
PS To all members.. Don't forget about the October run Coalinga Highway 198 on October 13th!
http://www.norcalminis.com/2018/08/coalingahighway-198-run-october-13-2018.html
Here is the link to all the photos from the Santa Cruz run!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/3MKPqE1VLKkWWkfu7
PS To all members.. Don't forget about the October run Coalinga Highway 198 on October 13th!
http://www.norcalminis.com/2018/08/coalingahighway-198-run-october-13-2018.html
