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...

Marin to Bodega Bay Run - Saturday Feb. 25, 2023


 

Your Hosts For The Event:

Gordon & Alison Lee

Run Details:

We will start out our day by meeting at MINI of Marin (5880 Paradise Dr., Corte Madera, 94925) for bagels and hot coffee kindly provided by the dealership.

Please have a radio tuned to Channel 7-21 CTCSS to hear alerts during the run! The Club has loaners if you don’t have your own. Leaders will use the club radios to alert drivers to hazards, so please have your radios or borrow the club radios to listen in.

After our drivers' briefing, we will head north on US 101 through San Rafael, passing the iconic Marin County Civic Center designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Drivers won't get to see much of this building, but passengers can look back over their right shoulders at this treasure.


We'll take a new route through the scenery of Lucas Valley following Lucas Valley Road which includes oak grasslands and hills, Big Rock park, and a redwood forest before passing through the quaint village of Nicasio. We will pass Lucasfilm's Big Rock Ranch and Skywalker Ranch before reaching Nicasio, but they are well hidden out of sight of passing cars and strongly protect their solitude and serenity. "These are not the droids you are looking for."

Once we have exited the redwood forest, we will turn right onto Nicasio Valley Road toward the small, historic village of Nicasio and the Nicasio Cheese Company on our way north past Nicasio Reservoir. After passing the reservoir, we will turn northeast onto Pt. Reyes - Petaluma Road and stop for our halfway break at the Marin French Cheese Company, known for its brie, restrooms, and beautiful picnic table views of the pond and hills nearby.



(click photo to enlarge)


After we've stretched and refreshed at the cheese stop, we are in for some beautiful backroad treats and hilltop passes through Hicks Valley and up and over to Chileno Valley on our way to Tomales via Tomales - Petaluma Road. We will reach our destination at the Tides Wharf and Restaurant on the shores of Bodega Bay via Hwy. 1. The valleys along this second half of our drive are filled with scenic views, cows, sheep, deer, wild turkeys, and the occasional elk. Keep your eyes open for the wild animals who may cross the road in front of us!



We will have the post-ride debrief in front of the Tides Wharf and Restaurant before we all break for lunch on your own and your return home.



Meet Up Time/Departure Time:

9:00am/ 10:00am

Meet Up Location:

MINI of Marin

5880 Paradise Dr.

Corte Madera, 94925

Additional Run Details:


*Please bring your radio*, fully charged, turned on, and tuned to Channel 7, Subchannel 21 CTCSS before you arrive at the start. If you don’t have a radio, ask for a loaner at the driver’s meeting. For radio recommendations, please see https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/728353274556164/.

Be sure to turn the “VOX” voice-activated setting OFF, or we will hear the wind from your AC, your conversations, and any noise in your car broadcasting to everyone.

Make a pit stop before the drivers' briefing. We will be driving for a while through twisty hills before our rest stop at Marin French Cheese Co., so plan ahead.

Bay Area backroads can be rough, especially after winter storms spawn new and bigger potholes. There are no major hazards that would take out a car, but some of the backroad sections are definitely bumpier than others.

There are stretches where local wildlife can be seen on each side of the road. At some point, these animals may decide to cross the road, so please watch out for deer, wild turkeys, etc. trying to get from one side to the other right in front of your car.

Let’s finish the drive as a group at the Tides Wharf and Restaurant parking lot. This is a good point for club pictures and making plans for lunch.


Route:

https://goo.gl/maps/qkZjcdCi2ZUcH5727




Halfway Stop:

Marin French Cheese Company (20 minute break) 7510 Point Reyes-Petaluma Rd. Petaluma, CA https://marinfrenchcheese.com/

Bodega Bay Lunch Spots:

Tides Wharf & Restaurant 835 Bay Hwy. Bodega Bay, CA. 94923 https://www.innatthetides.com/tides-wharf-restaurant/ Fishetarian Fish Market https://fishetarianfishmarket.com/ Lucas Wharf Restaurant https://lucaswharfrestaurant.com/ Delight in Bodega Bay: Captain Davey’s ice cream http://captaindaveys.com/


Register Via MotorSport Reg:

Check out 2023 Run Calendar for complete list of events for the remainder of this year.

Current EVENT PROTOCOLS:
The following guidelines are our best attempt to secure your safety given what is known at this time. They are by no means comprehensive, and we cannot predict every circumstance. Therefore, we are counting on you to exercise your best judgment throughout the event. Please have an awareness and understanding of the following COVID-19 safety protocols:
• NorCal MINIS asks that anyone who is at higher risk for severe illness, feeling unwell, or who has been in contact with anyone that is sick in the last two weeks to STAY HOME
• In line with State guidelines – people who are fully vaccinated may attend without a face mask. If you are not fully vaccinated – we kindly request that you maintain a face covering.
• NorCal MINIs will encourage everyone to maintain personal hygiene in regards to washing hands
• Club loaner radios will be available at the run. These will be sanitized prior to be handed and out will be sanitized again upon return.
• Any PPE you wish to use must be supplied by yourself. This includes any face coverings or hand sanitizing products
• Participants will be required to Sign Waivers Electronically
• Please be courteous with people who wish to maintain PPE and social distancing. It is their choice to do this and we cannot question their vaccine status
Anyone who continually or willfully violates these guidelines will be asked to leave by a club officer or director.
POST-EVENT PROTOCOLS:
• Any participant that falls ill within 2 weeks after the event MUST contact NorCal MINIs and share a description of their symptoms, related test results and movements during the event
• NorCal MINIs will make every effort to alert affected participants privately of the situation
Ultimately, it is your responsibility to assess the risk to you and make a responsible decision on whether or not to participate. You assume all risks and agree the Club holds no liability if you or anyone in your party should develop any Covid-19 symptoms afterwards by attending a NorCal MINIs event. Participants are required to follow these guidelines; any participant may be asked to leave the event for non-compliance.

Join Today! Create your MotorSportReg Account to become a Registered Club Member, use the link below:
NorCal MINIs Membership

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


Recap - Paso Robles Holiday Run - December 3rd & 4th 2022



Your Hosts For This Event:
Steve and Tina Sandke

The route for the Paso Robles weekend planned to take us through backroads to California’s most remote Mission, the Holiday Parade in Paso Robles that night, then a short but windy ride the next morning. As the weekend approached, we all watched the weather forecast closely; would the rain stay away?

The rain did not stay away. However, it cleared at some key points, enough to make the weekend work well!

12 cars met in Morgan Hill early on Saturday, December 3. It rained pretty hard on the way down to Morgan Hill, but as we approached the meetup, it dropped to sprinkles and then stopped. The timing was perfect. After a half hour spent catching up and explaining the plans for the weekend, we hopped into our cars and headed south. We headed south on 101 in light rain, picking up two more cars in Salinas. After a short pit stop in Greenfield, we spent a few more miles on 101 south before heading onto the backroads for the rest of the day.

The rain started to increase as we drove down Jolon Road, and by the time we turned into Fort Hunter Liggett, it was coming down impressively. There were some troops camping in the field as we went past; hopefully their tents were waterproof!

It wasn’t long before the group pulled into Mission San Antonio de Padua, one of the oldest of the California Missions. It is definitely the most remote of the Missions. We all went into the gift shop, where a friendly docent explained the mission’s history, described what’s in the gift shop in great detail, and told us in no uncertain terms not to go out an emergency exit door in their museum! The museum was a nice interesting diversion, and the grounds and chapel were beautiful as well. Everyone appreciated getting out of the rain and stretching their legs. After a quick group photo, we were off again.



We took back roads into Paso Robles, and soon we found ourselves at the main square downtown, where the group scattered for lunch. Most folks spent the afternoon exploring the town or tasting wine. Four cars took a trip out to see the Elephant Seals north of Hearst Ranch.

The rain had cleared as we regrouped around 5 PM near the downtown train station, and the festive car decorating began! Folks were super enthusiastic and very inventive. Sprinkles began just as it was time to move to our staging spot for the parade. Once we were in place, we had another hour or so before the start, and most of us spent the time finishing our decorations off. By the time 7pm rolled around, the rain was coming down in force, but we were in our cars and ready.




An impressive number of folks lined the parade route, and so many kids were waving and calling out at “the Minis” that many of us rolled down our windows and waved back, ignoring the rain. Sleeves were wet at the end, but it was worth it. We returned to the train station, cleaned off our decorations, and scattered for the evening.

A good number of us ended up at Firestone Walker for a late dinner, and the staff were nice enough to let us bring our dogs in.

Sunday morning dawned bright, dry, and clear. Where was this weather yesterday?!? A smaller crew gathered at a local Starbucks, and after the requisite socializing, we drove a short but spirited run through the backroads east of Paso Robles and Atascadero, ending in Santa Margarita. A little before lunch, we bid each farewell, and resolved to come back next year to drive in the parade again.





On Monday the parade organizers published the judges’ results, and we were absolutely delighted to learn that NorCal Minis had won first place in the Decorated Cars category!




Thanks for a great weekend!

Tina and Steve

For more great pictures check out the link below! THANKS TO DUANE