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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...

Parade and Picnic in Spreckels - July 4, 2019





Hi Everyone,

The Spreckels Parade will be on July 4, 2019 . It’s a real small-town event with the parade going around the park in the center of town, music, food booths and arts & crafts displays.

Be sure to read all of the instructions on time, where to meet, what to bring, decorations for your car, etc.  


We'd love to see as many of the classic Minis our members have at this event. They are usually big crowd pleasers!  Bring all your Minis/MINIs, we know several of our members have more than 1 car.  :-)

Only if you are attending this event, please RSVP Via MotorSportReg link below:


Meeting Location 1:

Starbucks
125 Bernal Rd #20
San Jose, CA 95119

Meeting Time/Departure Time:
7:30 am/8:00 am SHARP!

Or

Meeting Location 2:

Starbucks – Lucky’s Parking Lot
1186 S. Main Street
Salinas, CA

Meeting Time/Departure Time:
9:00 am/TBD

Once everyone has gathered in Salinas, Vickie will lead the group to the Memorial Building for everyone to register for parade. Don’t miss meeting at the Starbucks in Salinas at the appropriate time as everyone has to make their way over to the Memorial Building as a group. Once in line as a group for parade it will be impossible to get you into the lineup.

Registration for Parade – 10:30

Spreckels Veterans Memorial Bldg
90 5th St
Spreckels, CA

We will leave the Starbucks in Salinas as a group.  Once we are at the Memorial Hall, everyone will need to fill out a card with their name(s) and information about their car. Everyone needs to stay in the order of the cards because they have a guy who announces all the cars in the parade. After we get registered, then you can start decorating your car. There will be plenty of time to decorate your car after we are registered.  Our suggestion is to figure out how you will decorate ahead of time, then recreate it once we are all in line together.

CANDY!!! – Bring lots of candy – Be sure to throw very far away from
the car as kids will be jumping in street to get it.


Decoration Ideas:

It’s the 4th of July, so it’s RED, WHITE & BLUE!

  • Flags
  • Streamers
  • Balloons
  • Bunting
  • Bows
  • Ribbons
  • Be creative

Tips for Decorations:

  • Get stuff at the Dollar store
  • Small suction cups - you can use hot glue to attach to decoration, then just use the little suction cup to attach to your car without a worry of any damage. Once done, it’s easy to just pop off the suction cups.
  • Don’t get anything where the color might run if it gets wet
  • Don’t forget to decorate yourself!
EXAMPLES:






Picnic After Parade


For those of you who want to hang around, we will picnic in the park after the parade. Be sure to bring:
  • Your own food or plan to purchase from food booths available
  • Chairs
  • Your own drinks (Beer is ok to bring)

If there are any further updates on the plans for the Spreckels 4th of July parade, watch your email as we will send information via MotorSportReg.

Only if you are Attending this event, please RSVP Via MotorSportReg link below:


Dogs are OK as long as they remain on their leash.



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: Instructions

Fort Bragg, Avenue of the Giants, North Coast Overnight Run July 13th & 14th



Join us for a fabulous 2 day run to the North Coast, via some of the more scenic highways Northern California has to offer!

First day's run will be taking us through Napa via Silverado Trail to St. Helena for lunch at Gott's Roadside. From there, we'll be continuing on Highway 128 through Cloverdale, then on to Booneville for a beverage break at Anderson Valley Brewing Co. Next we'll be heading west along Mountain View Rd / Hwy 510 to the coast, where we'll be stopping at the Point Arena Lighthouse (closest western point of the continental US to Hawaii). From there we'll be heading north along scenic Hwy 1 and arriving in Fort Bragg to wrap up the day.


Only if Attending this event, please RSVP via MotorSportReg:
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/fort-bragg-avenue-of-giants-norcal-minis-277003


Your Host for this event:
Larry Anderson

Saturday, July 13, 2019


Meeting Location:
Starbucks
21001 San Ramon Valley Blvd
San Ramon

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

If this meeting location is not convenient for your, ie you live in Sacramento, or South Bay, meet the group at Gotts in Helena. We suggest you be there by 11am.

Details for Day 1:

  • There are both Shell and Chevron gas stations across from the Starbucks where we'll be leaving from. Please fill up before meeting at Starbucks (Saturday's route can be easily completed with a full tank and there will be limited opportunities to stop along the route)
  • We will be crossing the Benecia-Martinez bridge on our way to St. Helena; please have a FasTrak ready to go. If you have to pay cash and go through the regular toll lanes, we'll regroup further up I680 North before turning onto CA12 West.
  • After leaving Anderson Valley Brewing, we'll be heading West towards the coast on Mountain View Rd / Hwy 510. The road is single lane in a few places, and is generally very twisty and rough. We'll be taking it easy going through here (no more than 25-30 MPH), but the payoff makes it worthwhile
  • Once we have a final count, we'll be arranging a group tour at the Point Arena Lighthouse. The views from the Lighthouse are definitely worth the price of admission
  • From the lighthouse we'll be heading north to Fort Bragg. We may or may not arrange a group dinner, but for the moment assume you're on your own for the evening


Lunch:
Gott's Roadside
933 Main St
St Helena, CA

There are two driveways at Gott's; there are no connections between the two parking lots, so the pack will be splitting here to maximize parking opportunities. We do not have reservations, so grab food and tables as soon as you park!

Day 1 Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/cecKDL4mJ7FfYzW39


Sunday, July 14, 2019

Meeting Location:
Starbucks
576 S Main St
Fort Bragg, CA


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

Details for Day 2:
  • Please fill up before meeting at Starbucks, as there will be limited stops until lunchtime. 
  • We'll be heading north via an indirect route to the South Entrance of the Avenue of the Giants (Highway 254). 
  • A leisurely cruise along 254 with a lunch stop in the middle, then a straight shot south on 101 to Bear Republic Brewing in Healdsburg and a wrap to a fabulous weekend!
  • We will not be stopping at the Drive Thru Tree Park in Leggett (using it as a landmark); there's another drive thru tree on the Ave. of the Giants (Shrine Drive-Thru Tree)
  • The formal route ends at Bear Republic in Healdsburg; people are free to head home via whatever route makes sense from there


Day 2 Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/dP2y93EvJZNfbXhs7



Hotel Choices in Fort Bragg are:

Seabird Lodge Fort Bragg
191 South St.
Fort Bragg 95437
707 964 8000

Motel 6 Fort Bragg
400 S Main Street
Fort Bragg 95437
707 964 4761

Super 8 By Wyndham Fort Bragg
888 S Main Street
Fort Bragg 95437
707 409 0055

Holiday Inn Express Fort Bragg
250 West State St.
Fort Bragg 95437
707 964 1100

Surf Motel & Gardens
1220 S Main Street
Fort Bragg 95437
800 339 5364





Only if Attending this event, please RSVP via MotorSportReg:
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/fort-bragg-avenue-of-giants-norcal-minis-277003


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: Instructions

Annual Mt. Hamilton Run for Absent Friends May 5 2019 RECAP




Your Host For The Event: Bayley Mah


The annual Run for Absent Friends up to and down from Mt. Hamilton has concluded for 2019. This is the traditional NorCal MINIs club run in memory of those we have lost. A big thank you to those who made donations to the American Cancer Society and the Valley Humane Society. The donations were very generous this year to two very worthy causes.

We gathered at a Starbucks on McKee Road in San Jose to begin the run. As we waited for everyone to show up, there was the usual chit-chat among the group. I spoke to Ken (who drives a white 2006 R53) for a while. I learned he is scheduled to go into surgery to replace a failing aortic valve the Thursday following the run. Ken didn’t go on the run because of his condition, but he showed up at the starting point to see everyone off. Let’s hope Ken’s surgery goes well, and hope to see him soon on a future run.

There were 19 MINIs that showed up for the run. A little after 10am we started on our ascent of Mt. Hamilton with club president Simon leading the pack. The day had started out cloudy, but when the run started it cleared into a beautiful sunny day making perfect driving weather. There was a bit of traffic before we got onto Mt. Hamilton Road, but we managed to stay together heading up hill. Considering what a challenging road it is, drivers were encouraged to drive at a pace that was comfortable for them. If you enjoy driving the twisties, this is the run for you. Of all of the club runs, this is the one that is most about the experience of driving. The road is especially fun in a MINI. The road is narrow in some places with no guard rails, and steep drop offs. A lot of hairpin turns to test to road holding ability of your MINI on. For the co-pilots, there are great scenic views of Santa Clara Valley. Also, as you would expect, there are cyclist to watch out for :-) After a little over an hour, the group made it to the top of Mt. Hamilton.

We stop for a rest to let the drivers unwind, and let folks enjoy the view from to top. We gathered for a group photo, and held the drawing for goodies. At about 11:40am, we started the descent. More twisties and switchbacks, but this time going downhill. Mt. Hamilton Road becomes San Antonio Valley Road. We stopped for a regroup to get the MINIs back together after the descent which became photo op of a line of 19 MINIs. We continued along San Antonio Valley Road until we got to the junction of Mines Road that would take us into Livermore. Mines Road is a blast to drive in it’s own right with lots of twists and turns of it’s own.




The group of MINIs made it to Livermore after 1pm. For those who wanted to do some socializing, we gathered for a post-run lunch at The First Street Ale House.

Thank you to those who attended to make this another successful Run for Absent Friends.

Bayley Mah

PS: Check out all the great photos from the day as well:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/puxs4FX4K8sQr6s17

Highway1 Point Sur / Big Sur Run - June 2, 2019


Here are the details for June 2nd's Highway 1 Point Sur/Big Sur Run

Your Hosts For The Event:
David Sitter & Simon Tildesley

Meeting Location 1:
Starbucks

125 Bernal Rd #20
San Jose, CA 95119

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

Or

Meeting Location 2:
Starbucks
6865 Camino Arroyo
Gilroy, CA 95020

Meeting Time/Departure Time:
10:30am/11:00am or soon after

Details:
We will be heading south to take in the sights of Highway 1 stopping for lunch in Carmel Valley at Baja Cantina & Grill. Take a look at their lunch menu.

Lunch:
Baja Cantina & Grill
7166 Carmel Valley Rd
Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923

After lunch we will then continue South down Highway 1 taking in Point Sur, Bixby Bridge and finishing at Rocky Point in Big Sur.

This drive will be all about enjoying the coastal scenery

Route:
https://goo.gl/maps/7nwzTTRqqRLiL3Fz5



Please RSVP for this event via MotorSportReg:
www.motorsportreg.com/events/highway1-point-sur-big-run-norcal-minis-443359





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: Instructions