WHAT'S COMING UP?

Avenue of the Giants Weekend Run - Sat. March 23, 2024

Saturday will be a very full day of cruising from Novato up through the Avenue of the Giants and ending at Eel River Brewing in Fortuna. Sun...

April Run To Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon Recap






April Run to Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon

Your hosts: Dave and Anne Sitter

We met at the Starbucks in Hollister and headed out the back roads on Highway 25 past Pinnacles.  We continued on the backroads for about 90 minutes to Highway 198 heading East.  We were able to stop for one photo opportunity off the side of the road with hills and trees in the background.

We stopped at Harris Ranch in Coalinga for gas and a break to get out of cars and stretch legs.

From Harris Ranch we headed East on Highway 198 to Visalia to Habit Burger for a delicious lunch stop.  We were there about 90 minutes to eat and regroup.  

From Habit we headed back onto Highway 198 stopping once for an additional photo opportunity with the lake and mountains in the background.

From there we heading into Three Rivers and into Sequoia National Park.  The drive through tree and Tharpes Log were both closed due to snow.  We decided to drive to the hotel and relax before dinner.

We had dinner as a group at Wucsatchi Lodge.  








DAY TWO:

We headed out after breakfast to the Sherman Tree which is believed to be the oldest tree in the world.  We were able to hike up a little way to take some photos at the tree before heading west out of the park.  On the way out, we stopped at Grants Grove which includes several more very large Sequoias plus is the home of the Grant Tree, another looming Sequoia Redwood.

We headed out of the park towards Fresno and all headed home from there,

15 cars, 29 people.  

Check out all the great pictures from the run!!


Finally, don't forget about the MAY EVENT - Our annual RUN FOR ABSENT FRIENDS. Remember this is a CLUB MEMBERS only event and please donate as much as you can to to: The VALLEY HUMANE SOCIETY in Pleasanton and THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY. All the details on our website.

Mystery Run Recap - March 24, 2019




Hi Everyone,


Thank you to everyone who came out for the Mystery Run. We had 23 cars & 37 people who were up for the adventure we planned. We got a little late start leaving the Starbucks in Livermore before heading up Vasco Rd to Highway 4, then 99 on to our 2nd pickup point at the Starbucks in Galt.

There we had a surprise celebration for Ms. Nikki Tildesley's 50th Birthday!

While I love a birthday celebration, the planner in me was a bit panicked on our timeframe as I had to improvise and change the plan slightly while we were in Galt. I apologize if this created any confusion or disappointment in the run itself, but the best was yet to come.




From Galt we traveled down a bit of the historic Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway was one of the earliest transcontinental highways for automobiles across the United States of America.[1] Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated October 31, 1913, the Lincoln Highway ran coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City west to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and California.

Before the Carquinez Bridge was built, the Lincoln Highway went through Galt, Woodbridge, bypassing Lodi, and then into Stockton before heading towards San Francisco.  You can find historical marker signs along the route, even in Hayward.  Once the bridge was built the Central Valley towns were bypassed as the route went from Sacramento over the bridge and into San Francisco.   If you ever get a chance to travel The Lincoln Highway in other states, do it.  There are some fabulous places along the way such as: Gettysburg, Shanksville, Pa location of Flight 93 Memorial, out through the west, towns like Laramie, & Rock Springs, Wyoming.  If you were a part of MINI Takes the States 2016, we travelled a lot of the Lincoln Highway.




Check out the Lincoln Highway Association’s online map for complete coverage of the Lincoln Highway and all of its alignments, markers, monuments, and points of interest.

My plan was to then take the group into Lodi to view a couple of their great wall murals.  If you know me as a member of NorCal MINIs, you know I love a wall mural.  However, due to the time crunch I wasn't able to do this as the main purpose of the run was for everyone to participate in a MINI photo shoot I arranged for us at West 12 Ranch Studios.  

West 12 Ranch is a working thoroughbred boarding ranch and lucky for us, they had a day old foal in the barn.  Between the horses and other animals, the ranch provided plenty of distraction while each MINI and its owners waited for their spot in front of the camera. 

A huge, thank you to Phil Rotheram and Steve Sandke, our photographers.





Don't miss our Sequoia National Park Overnight Run April 13 & 14, 2019

By the way if you are not a fully paid member of NorCal Minis there is a $5.00 fee for the event but can be applied to your membership fee for the year if you join up. Check out the details below:

Create your MotorSportReg Account and Join Today! Use the NorCal MINIs Membership link below:


Instructions for joining MotorSportReg and joining NorCal MINIs can be found in the following document: 

Annual Mt. Hamilton Run for Absent Friends - May 5, 2019


*** This is a MEMBERS ONLY run***

Hi Everyone,

Sunday May 5th is a very special run for our club. It is our annual Mt. Hamilton Run for Absent Friends to remember loved ones who have passed.

This charity run benefits the American Cancer Society and the Valley Humane Society. Donation details below so open your hearts and pocketbooks in NorCal style.

Your host for the event:
Bayley Mah

Meeting Time/Departure Time
9:30am/10:00am

Location
Starbucks
2707 McKee Rd,
San Jose, CA 95127

Route:

Please be cautious on Mt. Hamilton Road. The drive is scenic, but the road is narrow and has many sharp curves. Please fill your tank BEFORE meeting in the morning. There are no fuel or automotive services at Mt. Hamilton or anywhere along the road outside of San Jose until we arrive in Livermore. Caution is also advised on Mines Road leading to Livermore. Mines Road is less than a 2 lane road in some places,

The run will start in San Jose. Meeting at 9:30am at Starbucks 2707 McKee Rd, San Jose, CA 95127. Drivers meeting at 9:45am. Departing at 10:00am. From there, we will drive up to Mt. Hamilton with the run ending in Livermore. For those interested, we will meet for lunch after the run at:

First Street Alehouse
2106 First St, Livermore, CA 94550

We don't have a reservation for the group, but there is a back patio area where we should be able to sit together as a group. There are other places in the area for those wanting a different option for lunch.

As always for this run, the charities for this run are the American Cancer Society, and the Valley Humane Society. Please donate directly to both at these web sites:

American Cancer Society -

Valley Humane Society -



Sequoia National Park Overnight Run April 13 & 14, 2019




Your Hosts For The Event

Anne Veen-Sitter & Dave Sitter


Please RSVP via MotorSportReg link below:
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/sequoia-national-park-kings-canyon-norcal-minis-457117

Meeting Time/Departure Time
8:30am/9:00am

Location

Starbucks/Nob Hill Parking Lot
1730 Airline Highway #300
Hollister, CA 95023

Details
We will drive out Highway 25 towards The Pinnacles and then onto Highway 198 through Coalinga. We will continue on Highway 198 to Visalia where we will stop at The Habit Burger Grill 604 S. Mooney Blvd, 93277, for a quick lunch.

We will hop back onto Highway 198 and drive towards Sequoia National Park through some simple highway into the mountains onto fun mountain roads. We will stop at Reimer's Candies/Gifts/Ice Cream, 42375 Sierra Drive, Three Rivers, CA. 93271, for a shopping and sweet/coffee break. Parking is limited there so we will need to park on the street. Have cash for ice cream!!

We will then head into Sequoia National Park from there - there is a $35 fee PER VEHICLE or don't forget your PARK PASS, to enter the park. Recommend you have cash. If needed inside the park we can stop at Hospital Rock for a bio break then we will climb to about 6,000-foot elevation to drive through the park's Tunnel Log. Photo opportunities available. The official run ends there.

Route Day One:
https://goo.gl/maps/kXhYieeox9H2


Lunch
Habit Burger Grill
https://www.habitburger.com/locations/visalia/

After Lunch Stop
Reimer's Candies/Gifts/Ice Cream
https://www.reimerscandies.com/

Accommodation Options
https://www.nps.gov/seki/planyourvisit/lodging.html (INSIDE PARK)

Sierra Lodge; Highway 198 (OUTSIDE PARK)
http://www.sierra-lodge.com/

Comfort Inn & Suites; Highway 198 (OUTSIDE PARK)
https://www.choicehotels.com/california/three-rivers/comfort-inn-hotels/caa26

Dinner recommendations for overnighters
Grant Grove Restaurant or
https://www.visitsequoia.com/dine/grant-grove-restaurant

The Peaks at Wusachi Lodge
https://www.visitsequoia.com/dine/the-peaks-restaurant

Day Two
Sunday we will take an unofficial hike (really a mile trail walk) out to Thorpes/Tharps Log and drive to The Sherman Tree, the biggest tree in the park, before heading home.

Start Time
TBD

Route Day Two
https://goo.gl/maps/UaiXywAJxSu



By the way if you are not a fully paid member of NorCal Minis there is a $5.00 fee for the event but can be applied to your membership fee for the year if you join up. Check out the details below:

Create your MotorSportReg Account and Join Today! Use the NorCal MINIs Membership link below:


Instructions for joining MotorSportReg and joining NorCal MINIs can be found in the following document: