The 2012 Range of Light Gypsy Tour is now open for registration. Starting from Sonoma County Fairgraounds. Camping Friday August 31, tour departs Saturday Sept 1. More details and signup here.
bmwrider
The BMW Club of Northern California
May 2012 Newsletter
May 16, 2012 in Newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0)
49er Program Schedule
The 49er Program Schedule is now online.
Our seminar schedule also features MSF instructor Cuda Glowacki, who will conduct our asphalt clinic plus an airhead 5-speed transmission tech session.
Pre-registration ends this Thursday, May 17- You must pre-register to get the Satuday.dinner.
Sign up now!
May 14, 2012 in 49er Rally | Permalink | Comments (0)
May Second Sunday Breakfast
For May 13, 2012, we will be meeting for breakfast at Doug's Place in Castro Valley at 8:00AM and then heading into the hills above Berkeley. Great views over looking San Francisco.
Doug's Place
20871 Redwood Road
Castro Valley, CA
.
Breakfast at 8am - leave for ride about 9am.
May 03, 2012 in Second Sunday Breakfast | Permalink | Comments (0)
49er Speakers at Mariposa
Carla King and Rene Rene Cormier will be two of our speakers in Mariposa. More info.
NorCal Home Page
April 30, 2012 in 49er Rally | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 15 - Breakfast and Ride
This month's Second Sunday Breakfast Ride will be a differnt date, it will be moved to April 15th. The ride will leave from Little Amsterdam, 14490 Big Basin Way, Saratoga.
Breakfast at 8am, leave about 9am.
April 06, 2012 in Second Sunday Breakfast | Permalink | Comments (0)
April 28 Meeting - La Grange
The April meeting will be at 5:00PM on Saturday, April 28, 2012, at the property of Russ Drake's daughter in LaGrange, CA. Scott and Angela welcome you to their weekend get-a-way in the foothills of the Sierra, just a short distance from Lake Don Pedro. There are 5 acres of all grass camping with pure well water available. A porta-potty will be onsite for sanitary use. If you use an assisted breathing device at night, there will be power available.
Russ will be onsite Friday afternoon for those campers who want to camp Friday night, and the club will be providing a dinner prepared on-site Saturday evening after the meeting. Saturday evening dinner and Camping for the entire weekend will be $10 for members, $15 for guests.
This month we’ll do things a bit different on the tour. Breakfast will be at the Country Waffles Livermore, 6049 Northfront Rd, Rd, Livermore, CA, 94551 and we’ll take a fun but short route to the campsite. We’ll arrive late morning and have some time to setup camp, then there will two guided routes to see some of the area. There will be a GS tour (maybe some easy dirt roads involved, subject to the weather) leaving from the property, and a street route that stays on pavement. We’ll be back to the campsite in plenty of time for the meeting and dinner.
Please RSVP to Z Ortiz at president@bmwnorcal.org if you plan to attend. We need to have an idea of how much food and beverage to prepare.
Download 2012-Apr-LaGrange (route pdf)
Download 2012-Apr-LaGrange (Garmin File)
April 04, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (0)
Death Valley Maps and Points of Interest
For those going to Death Valley this weekend for the Club's meeting, here are points of interest and maps that you may find useful (courtesyl of Lee Blake).
Download BackcountryRoads
Download DEVAmap
Download 2012 Death Vly Points (gdp)
March 19, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (0)
March 2012 Newsletter
March 12, 2012 in Newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0)
Mar. 11- Breakfast and Ride
The March 2012 Second Sunday Breakfast and Ride will start in Pleasonton.
Meet at 8am, leave about 9am.
620 Main Street
Pleasanton, CA 94566
phone 925-846-4222
March 04, 2012 in Second Sunday Breakfast | Permalink | Comments (0)
Death Valley - March 24
For March, our adventure will be in legendary Death Valley. The meeting will be at 4:00PM on Saturday, March 24 in the group campsite at Panamint Springs Resort. We have reserved 5 campsites on Friday, March 23; and the group site for Saturday and Sunday (24 & 25). That should accommodate 20+ people on Friday night and about 40 for Saturday and Sunday nights. (we can add spaces on Friday if needed and yes, we’ll need to shift to the group site on Saturday).
The resort is inside Death Valley Park on Route 190, just west of Panamint Valley road. It has a campground, RV park, motel, Wi-Fi, restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, small store, gas and a bar with over 100 different beers; but prices are understandably somewhat lofty. If you are planning an extended stay, bringing some of your own food and beverage might be worthwhile. There are also other restaurants and gas stations in the park (like Stovepipe Wells and Furnace Creek).
If you want to extend your stay either before or after, and stay at Panamint Springs Resort, you can make reservations directly with them. At this point it looks like there are tent sites and rooms available before and after the weekend, but that can change as we get closer to the date. There are also other campsites available in Death Valley on a daily basis.
March weather in Death Valley can vary considerably; from highs in the 90’s to lows in the 40’s, and Panamint Springs is usually 10-15 degrees cooler than the valley during the day. Even some rain is possible so be prepared.
Since our camping is extended to Friday thru Sunday, there will not be a guided tour on Saturday and no files to download from the club website. However, check the NorCal Facebook page to see who might be riding if you’re interested in getting a group together.
As always, new members and guests are welcome. Although there is no official tour, please feel free to find a riding group or join us at the campground. Find one of the officers and introduce yourself to learn more about the club and our calendar of events.
Meeting Info:
Date: Saturday, March 24, 2012
Time: 4:00PM
Place: Group Campsite, Panamint Springs Resort, P.O. Box 395, Ridgecrest, CA 93556, (775) 482-7680
Long/Lat: N36 20.396 W117 28.080
Website: http://www.deathvalley.com/psr/
March 02, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (1)
Feb Meeting - Updated Camping & Tour
Well, the weather forecast for the weekend has been all over the map but seems to have settled into a couple pretty nice days. Probably miss the mid-week heat wave, but still high 60's with sun and lows well above freezing. Roads should be clear after a week of warm, dry weather.
The ride should be fantastic....miles of great roads with no traffic lights or even stop signs. Peter, Z and I did a pre-ride and visited the park. Great people, friendly ranger and one of the nicest parks I've ever seen. Lots of flat, grassy camping area. Lots to do and see in the park (check out the museums). Lots of amenities close by.
If you download the routes and files, check the website for updated files. I put new files up that were calculated using the recent 2012.4 map update.
Depending on how many riders go on the tour, we may have two riding groups; fast and faster (Peter will lead the faster group).
Look forward to seeing everyone at the meeting.
Thanks,Lee
Updated write-up: Download 2012 February Tour Article
Updated Print file: Download 2012-Feb-SanLorenzo
Updated Garmin file: Download 2012-Feb-SanLorenzo
Updated GPS Exchange file: Download 2012-Feb-SanLorenzo
February 21, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (0)
February Meeting - Updated Campout and Tour Info
Here's an update on the meeting and tour route. Note: Routes are calculated using the recent Garmin CNNANT 2012.4 map update
Updated write-up: Download 2012 February Tour Article
Updated Print file: Download 2012-Feb-SanLorenzo
Updated Garmin file: Download 2012-Feb-SanLorenzo
Updated GPS Exchange file: Download 2012-Feb-SanLorenzo
February 19, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (0)
February 2012 Newsletter
The newsletter is online: Download 2012-02
February 17, 2012 in Newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0)
San Lorenzo Park - February Meeting
1202Download Route gdb file
For February, our meeting will be at 5:00PM, February 25, 2012 in the San Lorenzo Park in King City. At the January meeting we camped on the largest lake in California; in February we’ll be camping right next to the largest river of the central coast of California. The Salinas River runs 170 miles and in addition to being a wildlife corridor, it provides the principal source of water for the farms and vineyards of the valley.
San Lorenzo Park is right on the banks the Salinas River, on the west side of King City. The park has flat, grass camping with water, electricity and firepits at every site. There are several museums at the park, including one with historic vehicles, and there are walkways along the Salinas River. We have the use of the Depot Building for our meeting in case the weather turns foul, and there are BBQs and tables outside. This is a beautiful and interesting park with lots to do and see.
There are several restaurants and motels nearby, including a Quality Inn right at the entrance to the park. A Safeway is located within ½ mile and nothing in King City is farther than 2 miles from the park. Some charcoal and fixin’s from the grocery store and dinner is served…
The tour will start at the Los Gatos Café Uptown in Los Gatos, the “Home of the Famous Half-Pound Cinnamon Roll”. Assuming we can still move after breakfast, the Tour will start around 9:00 AM and include Hicks Road, McKean Road, Airline Hwy (Rt 25), Peach Tree Road, Hare Canyon Road, and Jolon Road….. hours of scenic, fun riding.
BUT…a hundred miles of uninterrupted scenic country roads comes with a price. There are no restaurants or gas stations between Hollister and King City. That means 140 miles between gas stations, and there won’t be a restaurant for lunch. Not to worry, we’ll stop a couple times along the way so bring along lunch or snacks and drinks and we’ll work up a good appetite for dinner. And there are a couple bail-out points along the way that shorten the ride if necessary.
As always, new members and guests are welcome. If you are new to the club and would like to join the ride, please check with the tour captain at the start of the ride. Club members and guests are reminded to have a full tank of gas and be ready to ride at the departure time.
February 07, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (1)
Second Sunday Breakfast and Ride
February 06, 2012 in Second Sunday Breakfast | Permalink | Comments (1)
January 2012 Newsletter
January 18, 2012 in Newsletter | Permalink | Comments (0)
June 23th Meeting
The BMW Club of Northern California Election meeting will be held Saturday, June 23, 2012 at Finnon Lake in Placerville, CA. The entrance to the campground is right next to the Rock Creek Café at 9100 Rock Creek Road, Placerville, CA 95667 (N38 47.781 W120 45.094). We have reserved the entire campground for the meeting and will be arranging for dinner to be available.
Thanks to Tuco for his help arranging this meeting. Tom is involved with and has written about the renovation project at the reservoir, and we will be some of the first to experience the improved site. He is also planning an easy GS ride (2-4 hours) on Saturday morning to sample some of the scenic roads in the area. Friday night camping is available and can be arranged individually with the campground by calling 530-622-6832.
We’ll have updates about the camping, dinner, the GS ride and the tour as we get closer to June, so check back for more details. - Lee Blake
January 16, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (0)
49er Rally
The 49er Rally will be in Mariposa this year---May 25-28. Details and registration is now online.
January 13, 2012 in 49er Rally | Permalink | Comments (0)
Clear Lake - January Meeting
Tour Route pdf: Download 2012-Jan-Clearlake Tour Route gdb: Download 2012-Jan-Clearlake
Happy New Year everyone! 2012 … a new year and we’re starting with a January meeting and campout at Clear Lake, the largest inland lake in California. Clear Lake has 100 miles of scenic shoreline, and we’ll be riding alot of it on the tour. Our meeting and campout will be at the Edgewater Resort and Park at Soda Bay, right on the shore of Clear Lake. This campground Is on the west side of the lake, just south and east of the Clear Lake state park and a few miles from the town of Kelseyville. The address is 6420 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville, CA 95451 and the Long/Lat coordinates are N39 00.070 W122 47.575.
The park has beautiful campsites, hot showers, clean restrooms and restaurants within walking distance. These are some of the friendliest people I’ve dealt with and I look forward to a great time. We have the use of a heated clubhouse for our meeting (if we need it), firepits at the campsites, free wi-fi and there are cabins available for rent if you don’t want to use your tent. Friday night camping is also available. Please call Sandra at (707) 349-2482 to make reservations for cabins or Friday campsites.
We’ll start the tour with breakfast at 8:00 AM at the Denny’s in Fairfield, 260 Pittman Road, and depart around 9:00 AM. Heading north, we’ll ride Suisun Valley road, Capell Valley road and over Berryessa Knoxville road to our first scenic stop overlooking Lake Berryessa. Then along Pope Creek, past the Hubcap House and up Butts Canyon to a gas/rest stop at the Hidden Valley Mart in Middletown. After that our route will take us right along the entire eastern shore of Clear Lake. If you have never ridden around the lake, it’s a surprise how big it is. After a break at the Alpine Park in Lucerne, right on the eastern shore of the lake, we’ll continue north on Hwy 20 past the Blue Lakes, over the East Fork of the Russian River and past Lake Mendocino before heading back south for our lunch stop in Ukiah. Finishing up with some fun twisties on CA-175 we’ll have done about 185 miles and should be at the campground by 2:30 or so with plenty of time to setup and catch up before the meeting starts at 4:00PM.
For members who ride up individually, please plan to arrive at the park after noon on Saturday when the office opens. When you arrive, stop at the office to sign in and pick up a restroom key. There is a $5.00 deposit (cash only) for each restroom key that will be refunded when you leave on Sunday and return the key. Don’t worry if you plan on leaving early, we have made arrangements.
As always, new members and guests are welcome. If you are new to the club and would like to join the ride, please check with the tour captain at the start of the ride. Club members and guests are reminded to have a full tank of gas and be ready to ride at the departure time.
Tour Captain: Lee Blake
January 03, 2012 in Member Meeting Tours | Permalink | Comments (1)
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