Mt. Hamilton Run for Absent Friends & Family - Sept. 24, 2023

Our annual run over Mt. Hamilton is dedicated to remembering and honoring absent friends and family. Please join us to remember those who can no longer ride with us.

View from the Lick Observatory Grounds

Your Host(s) for the Event:

Pat & Michelle Lewis

Route:

https://goo.gl/maps/QT3gCxD7Kf978dMt5

Register via MotorSport Registry:

https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/mt-hamilton-absent-friends-run-norcal-minis-426463

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

Run Details:

Join the club for its annual Absent Friends run. On this run, we remember our past members and friends who are no longer with us by keeping the spirit of driving our fun cars on some great roads.

Lot in front of Evergreen Donuts
2844 S. White Road, San Jose 95148

Due to storm-damaged road repairs, we will meet along Quimby Road at the parking lot in front of Evergreen Donuts (2844 S. White Road, San Jose, CA 95148). Please note that Google Maps is not playing nice, so the map shows us meeting behind the donut shop. We will head up Quimby Road into the twisties up to the Lick Observatory on top of Mt. Hamilton. If the parking lot at the observatory is open, we will stop for a few photos looking back to the South Bay. 

After our pause to reflect and enjoy the mountaintop scenery, we will head down the back side of the mountain and continue on the twisties towards The Junction in San Antonio Valley. This is a point where we can regroup if needed before we continue along Mines Road towards Livermore.

Looking west to the large telescope observatory
Lick Observatory

We will finish up in the parking lot of Da Boccery restaurant at 101 E. Vineyard Ave in Livermore. There is a Chevron and a Starbucks in this parking lot, and many local restaurants and wineries to enjoy on your own with NorCal MINIs friends.

Looking down Mines Road from The Junction

Last winter's storms were not kind to the mountain roads, so we will drive mindful of the several single-lane traffic controls past shoulder washouts. There is one small section of road across a creek on Mines Road that may still be unpaved. It was completely washed out a couple months ago, and while it has been filled back in, there are a couple MINI-lengths of unpaved fill to navigate.

Meet-up Time/Departure Time:

9:30 am / 10 am

Meet-up Location:

Evergreen Donuts
2844 S. White Road
San Jose, CA 95148

There is a Chevron on Quimby Road on the other side of S. White Road from the donut shop. Please be sure to gas up and use the restroom before our driver's briefing in front of Evergreen Donuts!

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 up in the mountains, so plan ahead.

Hilly California backroads can be rough, especially after winter storms spawn new and bigger potholes. There is one tricky spot at a patched washout on Mines Road, but it is safe to navigate at a slow speed. We will call it out on the radios. Most of the route is fairly smooth with a few backroad sections that are a bit bumpier than others.

There are stretches where local wildlife may 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.