NorCal (Bay Area) DRIVE Chat Thread

[Clipdat]

Originally Posted by undefindedt

What time were you on Pinehurst? We skipped Pinehurst...hit the right to go up it around 8:20-8:25 I think. We went up Redwood onto Skyline instead

I'm not 100% sure but I think I was at the intersection of Pinehurst and Redwood right around 8:30. I must've literally just missed you guys haha!

Pic from Mines today:

[BigFatFlip]

Great drive this morning. I was up by 5:30 and decided to do a quick recce and went down redwood and palomares on my way down to Sunol. Road was clear, nice chilly breeze with the windows down and nothing but exhaust and SC whine filled my ears

Good turn out and don't think I lost anybody along the way despite having to make so many turns. Ran into some traffic here and there and a good number of cyclists, but all were cool and we kept our distance. Even though we started early, I think the sun being out so early and the perfect weather just make people want to be out. The clear skies definitely made for a great view at the top of grizzly peak, we could see as far as Mt. Tam and the golden gate.

Hope everybody had a great time. I was so hungry that I completely forgot to take a group pic and went straight into the diner for food. Maybe someone who took pics can post some?

Maybe the next drive should just start at 5:30? lol

Originally Posted by Clipdat

I'm not 100% sure but I think I was at the intersection of Pinehurst and Redwood right around 8:30. I must've literally just missed you guys haha!

Sounds like it lol. With all the cyclists we were coming up on, I opted to take skyline instead of pinehurst since it had more room, but since it passed through a residential area, it was just as slow.

[nimble]

@BigFatFlip here's one from Grizzly Peak

https://www.instagram.com/p/BHFvmVEDr3i

[undefindedt]

I posted one on Instagram

[witchdr]

@nimble looks like an amazing view. I will definitely try and join up next meet. I'm not super familiar with the area yet so I think I'll wait for a semi stationary meet instead of a drive.

[PMok]

Originally Posted by witchdr

@nimble looks like an amazing view. I will definitely try and join up next meet. I'm not super familiar with the area yet so I think I'll wait for a semi stationary meet instead of a drive.

where are you located? there are weekly or biweekly meets in the various regions... check the East Bay, South Bay, or SF Peninsula meet threads for the "static" meet ups. This is... the DRIVE thread.

[driggity]

Thanks to everyone for making the drive and breakfast great. It was nice to finally be able to make it out and meet some people.

[witchdr]

Originally Posted by PMok

where are you located? there are weekly or biweekly meets in the various regions... check the East Bay, South Bay, or SF Peninsula meet threads for the "static" meet ups. This is... the DRIVE thread.

I'm located im Emeryville. Thanks for the info :P I'll look into the other meets

[PMok]

Originally Posted by witchdr

I'm located im Emeryville. Thanks for the info :P I'll look into the other meets

Yeah East Bay group meets up every Thursday night...

[witchdr]

Originally Posted by PMok

Yeah East Bay group meets up every Thursday night...

Awesome thanks!

[TM]

Here's a few pics:

[BigFatFlip]

This one was inspired by our old friend @Simpleviet who used to do these write ups after a drive.

So I had an interview in Davis yesterday morning which didn't go as smooth as I wanted it to go. It was 104F, I'm sweating in my fancy dress shirt, my tie is choking me like a very frail MMA fighter, I ripped my pants getting into my car and puked out the burrito I just ate 10 mins earlier. Needless to say, I was having a pretty rough day.

Sitting in my car with the AC on full blast, I pull up google maps and scrolled around and found this gem of a route.

https://goo.gl/maps/nc7hfxUTvNT2

128 from Winters to Lake Berryessa to Rutherford, then back and down 121 to Napa.

I've done 128 before, but never 121. The scenery was a beautiful mix of varying terrains and colors, from brown farm land in Winters, climbing up green peaks jutting into the sky, opening up to a very impressive dam by Lake Berryessa then winding down to some very classy looking vineyards in Napa (is this what it feels like to drive around Italy?).

The road was top notch. Silky smooth black top, no where close to the gnarly stuff I'm used to on redwood. Turns were much more gradual than the tight stuff I'm used to, so I got to practice my 5-4-3 down shifts, which were very satisfying. The tighter sections were extra interesting too, throwing a good number of elevation changes and blind crests, which added an element of danger, but then letting me get on the power safely on exit with the help of some camber. Apart from a handful of road construction (a couple of spots were single lane, where both directions had to wait for a light to go through), about the only gripe I have was the surprising number of camper and rv traffic for a Wed early afternoon. I did pass a lot of camp grounds and RV resorts, so that explains that.

I felt so refreshed, I didn't even mind the traffic I had to sit in on my way back home. Its too bad its so out of the way, I'd love to drive it again some day. Maybe I'll just have to have another shitty interview... . Maybe we should start an 86Drive Central Valley series?

[PMok]

echoing my post from the Blackhawk C&C thread...

I am thinking to do an early and short group cruise to Blackhawk this Sunday ... maybe start from Castro Valley at say 6:30AM and take Crow Canyon over like before. Just enough of a "drive" to count as a STARS-earning event.

Who's in?

[BigFatFlip]

Originally Posted by PMok

echoing my post from the Blackhawk C&C thread...

I am thinking to do an early and short group cruise to Blackhawk this Sunday ... maybe start from Castro Valley at say 6:30AM and take Crow Canyon over like before. Just enough of a "drive" to count as a STARS-earning event.

Who's in?

Hmmm... I may join for the drive but probably skip C&C