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10th Annual Gold Rush to Gil's Drive

9K views 86 replies 16 participants last post by  OGTS-Team 
#1 ·
Okay lads and ladies, looks like Saturday April 23rd is the date for this year's upcoming Grand and Glorious event known as Gold "Rush to Gil's.

Looks like the team roster consists of Mike, Alan, Terry, and Alan's two sons.

Let's meet, again, at the Starbucks located at:
392 Elm St just off Interstate 80 in Auburn.

Leave at 8 am with an arrival time estimate between 11 am and 11:30.
So show up 15 to 20 minutes early, fueled up. There's a Shell gas station a half block east on Elm.

I'd like to infringe on Terry's time to establish the route again this year. Perhaps this year participants would enjoy the return trip together. Let me know.
 
#3 ·
Wow, I guess I just have bad timing. I already registered for Kool April Nites in Redding, CA. My buddy lives up there, so it's our annual get the old cars out and put them in the show. He has a 72 'Cuda. We always have a ball, but I would like to make the run to Gil's one of these years.

Bob
 
#4 ·
Okay lads and ladies, looks like Saturday April 23rd is the date for this year's upcoming Grand and Glorious event known as Gold "Rush to Gil's.

Looks like the team roster consists of Mike, Alan, Terry, and Alan's two sons.

Let's meet, again, at the Starbucks located at:
392 Elm AVE just off Interstate 80 in Auburn.

Leave at 8 am with an arrival time estimate between 11 am and 11:30.
So show up 15 to 20 minutes early, fueled up. There's a Shell gas station a half block east on Elm.

I'd like to infringe on Terry's time to establish the route again this year. Perhaps this year participants would enjoy the return trip together. Let me know.
Hmmm! I have to go to Woodland about then, maybe I can schedule it right and join you (with my Ford F150 pickup)? Any problems with non-Opels joining the parade?

Doug
 
#7 ·
I can put maps together again. Just a few questions first. Any restrictions on the drive time down to Gils? Do we want to take the Forest Hill Bridge again and see if Mike has learned anything? I liked the Copperopolis detour last year. What about taking CA49 all the way to Placerville. This takes you through Sutter's Mill SP on through some sharp curves be for Placerville. Another fun drive is to go through Georgetown on CA193. Essentially you turn left at Cool and follow the road to GT. GT is a unique town in that it has parking in the middle of Main Street. I would add some time to the trip. CA193 takes you down into the S. Fork of the Am. R. at Chili Bar. Nice twisty roads with significant elevation changes. It eventually rejoins CA49 north of Placerville. We could then do a slow cruise through Placerville and loop around on a back street to get back on CA49. If we do Georgetown, we probably would not have the time to go through Copperopolis. I'm open to suggestions. Since CA49 was realigned we miss most of the small towns. We could divert through a couple of them just to cruise main streets.
I've had my car on the road during these nice days the last couple of weeks. Still has the winter dirt on it but most definitely more fun to drive than my truck.
 
#8 ·
Official Trip Label: I like the word play of "Gold Rush to Gil's". That being said, I'm okay keeping it as "Foothills Fun Run" 10th annual.

Route: Terry. The objectives to maximize are:
  1. Keep it to 3 hours or less. If we make it too long, our arrival time will end up more skewed. I prefer an ETA that we can come close to hitting. It's only fair to Gil. He's hosting, and grills for us. We can't be showing up an hour late. That would be rude.
  2. Keep a route that minimizes losing cars along the way. Let's keep it simple. But, yes, where we can do so without complicating things, let's also shoot for scenic and some fun twisties.
  3. We need to add a couple of re-group spots. Especially after going through a town where we get separated from each other. Pick sites that allow us to plug into a GPS navigation system. That way we can easily re-group.

Non-Opels: Non Opels are not an issue. But Arizona? I don't know. I've heard they have bad habits. You know, spill their drinks. Don't roll through stop signs. Stuff like that. But, sure. Let's take a chance this time. Any chance of dragging Roy up here with you?
 
#14 · (Edited)
Official Trip Label: I like the word play of "Gold Rush to Gil's". That being said, I'm okay keeping it as "Foothills Fun Run" 10th annual.

<SNIP>
Non-Opels: Non Opels are not an issue. But Arizona? I don't know. I've heard they have bad habits. You know, spill their drinks. Don't roll through stop signs. Stuff like that. But, sure. Let's take a chance this time. Any chance of dragging Roy up here with you?
There are a few things WE have to understand!
First, I live in AZ but I was born in Texas. (Is that a + or a -?) :thinking:

Second, I was raised in a military family, but spent 14 years in Kansas before I graduated from college. (The job offer I took was the one furthest from Kansas!) :cool:

Third, I worked in Los Angeles for 32+ years, the birth place of the roll through stop! But I never considered myself a Californian. :haha:

Fourth, regardless of where I lived, I NEVER spilled any of my drinks (IF they contained alcohol)! :beerchug: It hurts me to think that anyone could say that about me! :slap:

Fifth, I will ask Roy about the trip, but I will be staying in Woodland for a week (+/-) so if he has a place to visit at that time it could work out. This is Gainey Ranch Cars & Coffee so I should see him Sat, but I will call tomorrow. :yup:

Doug

Might I suggest the title of the event be: "The Gold Rush to Gil's for the 10th annual Fun Run through the Foothills"?
 
#9 ·
What's a GPS? Is it something the PO took off my car? Don't need no stinking GPS! :)

We're driving classic Opels, half the fun is to navigate the old fashioned way, by the seat of our pants. Getting lost provides more stories to tell around the campfire and for Mike to publish.

Terry
 
#10 ·
Just did a quick Google map. The normal route from Auburn to Zeni Lane via CA49 and Salmon Falls Rd is 108 mi and 2 hr 37 min. If we divert through Georgetown, it is 119 mi and 2 hr 55 min. Georgetown does offer a photo op that Mike might like. The first time I was in GT, there was a Model A parked in the street and no other modern cars around. I though Scotty had transported me through a time warp.

I doubt we ever make it in 3 hrs with all the stops for regrouping. Certainly will not make it in 3 hrs if Mike goes looking for snow again.

Terry
 
#11 ·
No worries. We get out of Starbucks by 8:00, we can hit Opel GT Source by noon, or noon-thirty. Don't forget about the return trip. Mike and I discussed it. That way we leave at about the same time. Double our fun.

What's Google maps? We'll old school, right?

Keith
 
#13 ·
Check for strip clubs along the way.

Just to offer them a chance to pose for pictures with the cars, of course.
 
#15 ·
Possible Routes for 10th Gold Rush NorCal Fun Run

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Sta...92f7400d8!2m2!1d-120.2588345!2d37.9531805!3e0
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Zen...s0x8090ecc0c19baa49:0x4088e25d7a032d7!1m0!3e0

Above are a couple of links (cross fingers) for routes to and from Gils. The first link is for the trip from Auburn to Zeni Lane via Georgetown. This clocks out via Google to be a 3 hr run so will take us 4+ hrs with stops. I anticipate stopping in Georgetown so Mike and get pictures of our cars parked in the middle of Main Street in an old Gold Rush town. The drive from Georgetown to Placerville takes us through the S. Fork Am. R. gorge at Chili Bar. It is a steep drop and climb out of the gorge. From there it goes through Placerville where we have the option of a cruise down Main Street or just going straight through. The rest of the trip should be fast, just straight down to Sonora on CA49.

The return trip I am proposing goes from Zeni Lane through Copperpoplis like we did last year but in reverse. When we hit CA4, we turn left and head to Stockton and CA99 north. I terminated the run at Elk Grove (Grant Line Rd & CA99). There is a new large shopping center there where we can say or farewells. I will be taking Grant Line Rd back to El Dorado Hills and home. Others can continue up CA99 to US50 or cut over to I5. Google says the return trip is 2 hrs.

Comments and suggestions are welcome.

If people do not like the side trip to Georgetown, we could stay on CA49 to Coloma (Sutter's Mill SP) and take pictures there. Lots of scenic buildings we could park in front of.
 
#16 ·
Faq

Q. How many years have we done this trip?
As far as the 10th Annual Fun Run, this will be our first. To determine how many times we’ve already run this Grand & Glorious Celebration of Vintage Opels, solve for N where;
N= Number of previous trips
A= Number of annual trips this will be (10th Annual)
N=((A*2)-(2*(A-1)))*(A/2)-1​

Q. I understand you guys communicate by cell phones. But I'm new to these devices. Is it okay if I use my radio instead?
Sure. No problem. Will you be visiting the snow again this time?​

Q. Can I bring my dog?
No.​

Q. But he's a member of the family.
NO.​

Q. He's a comfort dog.
NO! Look, scotch (Glenfiddich) is my comfort drink, but I'm leaving it at home. You need to do the same.​

Q. Should I go to the bathroom before we pull out from Starbuck's?
Call your mom and check with her. But if it helps, some wise words once spoken from Gandalf the Grey, "At my age, I never pass up the chance to take a piss." Hope this helps you, dude.

Q. Do you like large breasts?
Only on women. But this is really more of a general question rather than one regarding this Grand & Glorious event.
Q. My omfort dog has large breasts.
Stop. Just stop it.​
 
#17 ·
Keith, the first pictures I can find are in 2008 but I know that it was not the first year. Chris is in the pictures but he does not have a car, either his Bumblebee GT or the Policia Manta. I thing he was driving Gils blue GT that year. He had blown the GT's engine and then switched to the Manta in later years. I remember the first couple of runs I went on, I met the caravan at Pilot Hill before the Salmon Falls cutoff. Chris had his Bumblebee GT with the stroked engine. Then one year they stopped here. It was after the Barn was built. We finished the barn in '04 so it would have been '05 or '06. There was also one or two years where I met the crowd in the El Dorado Hills business park. I know I missed one or two runs and we may just have not gotten in organized once or twice.

The bottom line is that we have been doing this at least 10 years, most likely longer.
 
#25 ·
Hi Todd, just for the record, the 2.4L never blew. The ancient wiring in the GT caught fire and I parked it. Still have it, but that is a project when I have less kids around. Still have the Manta but not registered. We plan to start coming again but life is in the way. Going to Washington DC soon and that is eating up all the play money. Then the wife and I are going to Hawaii in the fall. It is vacation catch up.
 
#18 ·
I saw something about it, and the formation of the NorCal Opelers and their first events, in a back issue of the Blitz. I believe activities for the first year or so was to visit that museum in the bay area, name escapes me now, and for the next couple of ears a run up to Sonora was their main event.

I'll dig though them and find the articles.
 
#19 ·
Roy & I went to the Gainey Ranch Cars & Coffee on Saturday and discussed a joint trip to the Gold Run. Now, both of us are working on timing and connections. I hope to have some answers as early as tomorrow. Not sure of Roy's target dates. More as we finalize, but put the 2 of us down as "Possible, leaning toward Probable".

Doug
 
#21 ·
Time Travel, Back to the Past

One of the first times, or maybe the very first time, I got together with NorCal Opelers
was a meet at Blackhawk Museum in Danville. I drove a yellow '73 GT but I didn't park
it on the circle in front of the Museum with the half dozen or so Opels there.
Somewhere I must have a slide or photo of that time. If someone recorded that event
please post a pic.
I drove that '73 GT to Gil's when he had an open house at his new location, the house
was mostly complete but not finished or painted inside. I don't remember the year.
There were quite a few of Gil's Opel friends from SoCal there that time. It was the
most Opels I had ever seen together at one time. The one I remember especially was
a 3.0 L (6) Manta ! Lots of chrome under the hood, And I got the impression from the
owner that he wound it up on the drive North.
Years ago Opels were parked where Elephant is now. Mini Brute anyone ?
 

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#24 ·
I'm afraid that I have to put it on MY "back" page. :sigh: The guy I was going to see in Woodland is going to be in Ogden, UT most of the week before the Gold Rush so there is no point in my trip. I'll call Roy tomorrow so he can decide what he wants to do. It is not all bad news for me however as the reason for going to UT is to wind tunnel test 3 vehicles, all of which I was the aero designer for. The original lakester (open wheeled vehicle) which I suggested they convert to a streamliner and built and tested a 1/8 scale model in the small wind tunnel we had at Rockwell (now Boeing North American). I've posted pics of it here: http://www.opelgt.com/forums/2a-body-doors-bumpers/54650-rubber-baby-buggy-bumpers.html post #12 The number 4 pic is the first conversion and the 5th pic is the latest version (227mph with a 650cc engine).

The second vehicle is an open wheeler now and brand new (first runs were at El Mirage in November where the driver was going through licensing runs). It has also been posted in the above link, post #65.

The third vehicle is a custom built motorcycle which runs Harley style engines and has a detachable sidecar. By changing the bodywork, engine sizes, fuel types and adding the sidecar, it can run in 32 different classes. Current best speed with the sidecar is about 165mph (beating the old record by almost 20mph) and without the sidecar it has gone 174.998mph beating that previous record (but not getting the next class driver's license which required 175mph). I'll try to find a pic tomorrow (which will be Thursday). It was my first motorcycle design and the owner let me try some of my own ideas. Since the rider is such a big part of the drag on a bike, he will actually be on board during the tests!

I've never been associated with full scale testing of cars and bikes so I am sure this will be interesting! I am, however, sorry to be missing the Gold Rush and meeting some more Opelers.

Doug
 
#27 ·
I have a Facebook friend from Santa Cruz I was thinking of inviting. She's a (hot) cop, so that should keep everyone in line. ;)

I also heard from Paul Kaman, president of OMC, and he wants to come. He lives in the Seattle area, so he'll be really making the effort to participate.

Also, if anyone is interested, there's a big show in Half Moon Bay the next day. Keith and I plan to be there, again.

Mike
 
#28 ·
Checking in to say that I'll be getting the silver GT out of the storage locker soon and will be driving it on the run. Looking forward to seeing some new faces and also the old ones!

BTW, Keith and I went to the Good Guys Show at the Pleasanton Fair Grounds yesterday. Huge number of very nice cars but no Opels.
 
#29 ·
I decided to check out the road (CA193) from Georgetown to Placerville. The road is in good shape except they are repairing on slide area. It is one lane but light controlled. I am attaching some pictures I took along the way. The first are on main street in Georgetown. It is a great photo op. The others were taken on the descent to the S. Fork of the American River. The drive out of Georgetown is mostly on the divide past the little town of Kelsey. This section is mostly through woodland, with straights and gentle curves. A few miles after Kelsey the drop to the river begins. It is an 8% grade 5 mi drop full of tight curves and switchbacks. I navigated it easily in 2nd gear with little braking. The drop ends at the Chili Bar Bridge over the S. Fork. Then the road climbs for about 2 miles up to CA 49 and Placerville. There are no straights on the climb out. I did it mostly in 3rd gear.
 
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