San Francisco Bay Opel Tour?

[West Coast GT]

Anyone interested in a Saturday morning drive around and through the SF Bay Area? I could lay out a nice tour with options as follows:

A. North Bay - Three to four hour loop, utilizing secondary roads of a winding nature, along with elevation change. The tour would include an out-of-the-way eatery, low to moderate in price.

B. East Bay Hills - Again, 3 to 4 hours, but tour through Canyon to Oakland Hills. Lunch somewhere cool (suggestions needed). Perhaps a picnic lunch at one of the parks.

C. San Francisco Peninsula south along the ridge line towards Boulder Canyon. Lunch at Alice's Restaurant.

D. Mt Diablo Hill Climb (non competitive of course). We could end the tour at the Blackhawk Auto Museum. It's a top shelf facility and there are interesting places to eat there.

Let me know if there's interest, and suggest available dates and your preference for option A, B, C, or D.

[ephillippe]

Sounds fun, always seems like east coast and midwest opelers have all of the fun. I'm in Alameda so any of the options would would good for me and my Manta

[BMWonly]

Great idea, maybe ungermm and opelwasp will join us.

Since I am in Auburn, my preference would be East Bay. Or even the Napa area or Lake Berryessa (lots of windy roads).

As for the timing, I have plans for the next 2 weekends, but am available from mid July. Let's see who else is interested.

Dieter

[opelwasp]

I'm very interested. I hosted a Blackhawk Auto Museum tour a few years ago. had a great turn out, and was a blast. Any of the options sound great, but I may be able to get my inlaws to host a BBQ again, they live in Danville. Call the museum, they let us park our cars in the courtyard last time too.

[mdmanta]

I'm located in Vacaville, so a tour this side of the bay would be of interest,how-ever It would be hot with our un-air-conditioned opels so a run through San Francisco and on to say,Half Moon Bay before or after alice's place might be a thought.couple of good restaurants near or on the water,good beer too. 4th Manta, a 74 this time. Dean

[DennisGardiner]

I'd be up for any of the four.
I'll drive down from the Sierras.
Dennis

[ungermm]

If your Opels will make it up a not so tough climb to the Mt. Hamilton Grandview Restaurant (4 miles up Mt. Hamilton Rd, San Jose), the drinks will be on the bartender (me). I have restaurant duty on Saturdays. You will have a great view of Santa Clara valley and the South Bay too. If you have dinner there, you won't go home hungry. Mom makes the best cheesecake too. Jerry

view2.jpg

[opelwasp]

Well Jerry's idea has my vote.
Race ya to the top!

[DennisGardiner]

Chris, the restaurant on Mt. Hamilton Road is only a few miles up. Not to the top of Mt. Hamilton. The area is a good place to neck..... but that's another story.
I will say a drive near the coast, or to Blackhawk in Concord? would be good.
No A/C in my GT.
Dennis

[West Coast GT]

Wow. I'm absolutely thrilled with the response, and pleased you guys are willing to drive down form Yuba City and Sonora (bringing parts?).

Is July 28th too far out (21st is Tacoma)
What about June 30th?

[BMWonly]

My plans changed - not going to the PNW Historics, I am available this weekend.

Dieter
71 GT
Auburn, CA

[mdmanta]

I like July 28th,tough to plan time off from work,as I work on call.As for parts,how about models? I can build a stunning model of your GT,or my specialty,older 40s 50s tractor trailers.Open for a drive any-where. Dean

[DennisGardiner]

This weekend (Saturday June 30th) appears to be nice weather, according to forecast.

July 28th., you never know, might be super hot!! Last year the weekend that Opels of WA in Tacoma was the hottest week of the entire summer.

So, where might all of us meet?

[opelwasp]

Originally Posted by West Coast GT Wow. I'm absolutely thrilled with the response, and pleased you guys are willing to drive down form Yuba City and Sonora (bringing parts?). Is July 28th too far out (21st is Tacoma) What about June 30th?

What kind of parts are we looking for? Ones that fit in a GT though.
The 28th looks good to me.

[BMWonly]

Anyone else want do do the drive on June 30th, besides me and Dennis?

Chris, do you have time this Saturday?

[West Coast GT]

I’m open for either June 30th, or July 28th.

I’ve laid out a suggested tour with optimizing as many objectives as possible. We have members driving in from Yuba City, Auburn, and Soulsbyville. I figure these guys already have a long drive in front of, and tailing, the tour. So I’ve tried to keep it down to about two hours.

I recommend we meet for breakfast, or brunch, at Mimi’s Café near the mall, adjacent to freeway 80 in Fairfield. This provides easy access from the freeway, a varied menu, and good parking.

Distance and time to this meeting spot is:

• Soulsbyville – 120 miles @ 3 hrs 40 min.
• Auburn – 70 miles @ 1 hr 25 min.
• Yuba City – 72 miles @ 1 hr 45 min

The tour’s route that I’ve tentatively laid out is approx 2 hrs 10 minutes and winds north through the Vaca Range towards Lake Berryessa, east to Winters, then southwest back to the Blue Frog Micro Brewery ½ block away from Mimi’s Café.

I've attempted to attach four files:

• Overview showing a general regional overview of the tour.
• Opel Tour 1 showing a shaded relief topo map of the route.
• Profile showing the elevation gain and loss through the course of the route.
• Start Stop showing an areal view looking west to Mimi's Cafe (lower right) and Blue Frog (upper left).

This is a start. I'm open to suggestions. I understand it's a rather short route, but again, given the distance three members have to drive just to get here....

I really looked at the Mt Hamilton idea. But again, given the travel time for several, let's save that for a future trip. It looks very interesting and has a lot of potential in that it appears to be accessible from San Jose to the east, and Patterson from the west.

Anyone up to suggesting a meet time? 9:30 - 10 AM?

[opelwasp]

Would the Bay Area Opelers be open to coming up to the hills for a tour?
Maybe meet in Sacramento,eat brunch, drive up to Auburn, then head to OGTS along 49, talk about a windy road.

Sonora and the area have many nice places to eat. Great pizza place we seem to keep going to.
Not trying to take over but just another option.


Sacramento to Auburn 32 miles, 30m. from: sacramento, ca to: auburn, ca - Google Maps
Auburn to Sonora 100 miles, 2h 22m. from: auburn, ca to: sonora, ca - Google Maps

[West Coast GT]

I'm open to the idea of a foothills tour. But I can not do it this weekend. Just got word my son's coming home on leave Saturday evening before he deploys back to Iraq.

The idea is a good one. Let's not volunteer OGTS to have a bunch of us showing up. Let's choose an alternate destination such as Ironstone Winery or Murphy's Cave, or Calaveras Big Trees. Or an old saloon. Someday, a ghost town like Bodie.

[BMWonly]

So, let's do the Lake Berryessa tour this Saturday morning (June 30), and plan a Foothills trip next month (July 28)? Will that work?

We should agree soon, so everyone can plan.

Dieter

[West Coast GT]

Dieter's suggestion works for me. I can make the Berryessa trip and still meet my son's plane.

And I can make the 7/28 Foothills trip. (Will one of you guys, or both, lay the plan out for that trip?)

I realize there's other people's input yet to come in, so if Berryessa doesn't workout for this weekend, I understand, and will meetup with you huys on the 28th.

[opelwasp]

Well I just "voluntered" to work this weekend, so the 30th is out for me. I will look into planning the Foothills in July tour.

Dennis, is Gil OK with us stopping by on July 28?
Can you get me an address of the pizza joint we go to, I think it is actually in Jackson.

[DennisGardiner]

I'm good for this weekend still. Lake Berryessa run sounds good. But it should not take 3 hours 40 minutes to get up there. Normally only takes me 2 hours and a few minutes to 680/580 interchange.

I also asked Gil, and he would be up to doing a BBQ at his home on July 28th. after the fun run.

Dennis