August Meeting & Camp Out

Mono Hot Springs

August 26, 2006 5:00 P.M.

I was lucky enough to be elected as this year’s volunteer tour captain. I will try to maintain the current high quality of our monthly club rides that has been established by the many tour captains before me. Everyone should thank outgoing captain Mike Morlin for all of his hard work and great successes on this past year’s tours and camping locations. Thank you and well done Mike! Because I am a transplant of sorts I would appreciate and encourage all club members that have a favorite camping spot or good knowledge of routes to chime in and drop me an e-mail with suggestions for good destinations. If you want to go someplace specific, I’m all ears and will do my best to make it happen.

Last month’s ride to Pleasant Valley near Bishop was excellent. The eastern side of the Sierras is beautiful, and cooler weather made for an unforgettable experience.

This month we will ride out to the western side of the Sierra National Forest and up to Mono Hot Springs. There is not a large group site available, so we have reserved sites 2,4,5 & 6 for our stay. Site 4 is a double site that will accommodate up to 12 people, the remaining sites can accommodate up to 6 people each. Come on out this month and lets fill up these sites with good friends and interesting conversation. The sites are reserved for Friday and Saturday nights (25^th & 26^th) so if you want to get away for a long weekend you are welcome to head on up Friday. You can check in as early as 2:00 p.m. Friday. Summer will be starting to wind down soon so I encourage anyone who has the time to enjoy the camping while the camping is good.

Mono Hot Springs is located about 90 miles northeast of Fresno. If you are riding up on your own head up Rt 168 and follow the signs for Huntington Lake. Also check out the website www.monohotsprings.com for more information about the area.

The tour will leave from Mimis Café at 4775 Hacienda Dr. Dublin, CA 94568 at 8:00 a.m.. Mimis is just north of Rt 580. They open at 7:00 a.m. so don’t plan on eating breakfast earlier than that. From Mimis we will head out 580 to Livermore and exit for Corral Hollow Rd. After that we’ll hit a little bit of Rt. 5 and then across the central valley on J16 to Snelling, after that the fun roads start. We will stop for breaks about every hour and have an early lunch in Mariposa. Be sure to check the club website for tour route updates and changes as I have not yet done a pre-ride on this route.

As always, new riders and non-club members are very welcome to join us on our tours and meetings. You can e-mail Warren at tourcaptain@bmwnorcal.org with any questions.

We will start the ride with a brief meeting to go over the route and general safety rules. I will distribute maps and written directions to all of the riders. Please be on time, and everyone is strongly encouraged to ride within your limits.

Warren Barnes, Tour Captain

Note: This route is subject to change, please check the club website for the latest information and tour details.