Yep-A-Reno
2nd Saturday in May, 2015.
Placerville, CA south through historical Gold Rush country to the mecca of Opel enthusiasts around the world; Opel GT Source!!!
New Parts. Old parts. Mature Opels. Old & young Opel Drivers. By gads, we've even had some pretty women show up one year. (but, truth be known - it's mostly us old guys)
The goal this year is to get GT Roy up here from Arizona; and not only with his Opel Tee right-side-out, but also in the correct front/back configuration.
Not all of the details are available - so suggested routes or short side-excursions can be entertained at this point.
I'm in! Still have to decide whether to take the GT or Manta. Would like to take the GT but not sure if I'll have enough time for a test drive to make sure I fixed a transmission and antifreeze leak. If not the Manta is ready to go. Due to busy schedule this week my food contribution may be a last minute supermarket purchase but I'm hoping I can make some German Spaetzle mit Sosse.
Actually, approx. 1/2 are bachelors so we're pretty comfortable with store-bought food. But the spaetzle would be nice if you have time.
Any car will get you through the gate, though you could be facing a hostile mob armed with pitchforks & torches if you brought a Vega, Maverick, or Opel Izuza.
Food - Gil says he's arranged for some nice sausages & meat to be delivered for him to grill. If I remember our conversation correctly, he'll provide buns/condiments and drinks.
We can/should supplement with snacks/side dishes/desserts. Let's keep the sides as cold dishes such as salads of various types, veggies, - stuff that doesn't require us running in and out of his kitchen for the oven.
Route - Terry, according to Gil there's a parade (a big one) planned as we get near the end of our route and we should think about either:
Southwest on Hwy 4 just before Angels Camp, and from Copperopolis head southeast on O'Byrnes Ferry Rd to 120/108 (fun road), or,
Bypass Sonora parade & rodeo by taking Rawhide Rd (state route E5) to Hwy 49.
Don't forget,
Leaving Starbucks at 9:00 sharp. So get there early, have your coffee & pastry, and please be fueled up, ready to leave. We'll shoot to arrive at Opel GT Source by noon-thirty.
Starbucks
392 Elm Ave
Auburn, CA 95603
And, as always on road trips, BAIL IS A LOAN, NOT A GIFT!
It is 123 mi 2 hr 50 min so a little longer but has the advantage of being virgin road for this fun run. We could also take Pool Station Rd from San Andreas down to Copperopolis. It is slightly shorter than going into Angel's Camp but I do not know its condition.
I was planning on baking some hamburger buns but if we are having Brats and such, I can make long buns instead. I am taking Thursday off to clean up the GT and get supplies. I would do it on Friday but we have an important customer at work coming that day. So I will be cooking Friday evening.
Is there anyone planning on joining us en-route? If so we need to pick some rendezvous points.
Charge up you camera batteries.
Once the route is finalized, I will print maps and directions. My cell is 530-306-5953
I will be coming up from the south planing on hwy41 on to connect with hwy 49 into sonora and use the gps from there. I will be bringing a sesame pasta chicken salad that I hope you all enjoy.
LT
OK, we're down to the wire. Tomorrow's the big day. First organized drive of the season. (It's California, why do we wait until May for the 1st drive? Why not New Year's Day when the weather is cool and the roads are empty?)
Remember to meet up at Starbucks (Auburn) already fueled. There's a gas station just down the street.
We pull out at 9:00 on the dot. So get there early and get your coffee/pastry before hand.
Starbucks
392 Elm Ave
Auburn, CA 95603 BAIL MONEY IS A LOAN, NOT A GIFT!
1. Can I bring an Opel. It's an old one; from the early '70s?
Sure. Why not?
2. Can I bring a spouse?
Again, sure. Why not? Is she yours?
3. I like Opels.
Well, that's not really in the form of a question, but most of us on this forum like Opels too.
4. Will West Coast make fun of me if I wear my shirt inside out and backwards again?
Oh hell yes! Especially if you also wear your slippers.
5. What if I fail to follow the group again and end up in the snow?
There's no snow this year, buddy. Throw a 2nd seat in the TinyVette and bring a navigator. Perhaps a cell phone.
6. Will there be food?
Yes.
7. Can I bring my cat?
No.
8. Dog?
No.
9. Shall I bring a Caprese Salad?
What, exactly, kind of car do you drive? 'Cause this isn't a garden tour, and there'll be no wine tasting / food pairing thingie goin' on here. You're thinking of the PT Cruiser group.
I hope the Spätzle didn't pick up the taste of motor oil and antifreeze. I should have first cooked and then checked all the fluid levels on the GT:veryhappy
Hope you guys have a great time. Pouring rain down here, and the princess never sees rain. Not going to be making this run, hopefully one in the future.
Two seats in the Tinyvette => two people lost, and getting lost => strategic delay has us arriving just as the food has been cooked and is being served.
I printed 8 sets of maps/directions. We will be using route #4 through Copperopolis.
Potatoes cooking for potato salad, bread dough in the machine. Camera batteries charged, car is ready. Car is fueled but will top up in Auburn. Weather looks good. All set here. Ready for fun.
Twas a fantastic day. Great weather, the cars all ran good, grill master Gil did an excellent job again. The only negative was that on every twisty road/hill climb, we got stuck behind a slow mover. As seen from the photos, we had 4 red GTs, Al's gray one and TinyVette. Niel and Alex tagged along in a street car. The southern end of the route was different as we detoured around a special event in Sonora. Thus we had new terrain to see and hills to climb. We do miss Roy and his golden 1.1.
Glad you guys had a great time. We had a large Kappa gathering down here. About a 450 mile trip for those that did the whole thing. Rain stopped about 10am so took off to catch them at Palomar Mountain. 25 Kappas overall I guess. Went from Bombay Beach to Dana Point, Chase the Sun Run, it was called. Saw the sun twice. You guys had far better weather.
I am going to get to one of these events. The cars looked great, and as in our run the red ones out numbered every thing. Mine was the only yellow one there.
This I will say when you are out in the lead and watching the mirror to see if everyone made a turn, the yellow trail car is easy to spot. Naturally that is Mike and the TinyVette which we have learned to keep a special you on. TinyVette likes to wonder off into snow drifts.
I've tried getting in touch with Kiltcop (Chris) to see if I could get more of the story of the early days of this event, for the Blitz, of course, but so far no luck/no reply.
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