Hey, everyone; haven't chatted with some of you much over the past few
months. Life's been busy but fun; hope you've all been having a great
summer, and that it hasn't been too hot to drive your cars.
So on with the subjects: 1) Shopping for a TC.
A friend of a friend is looking for a complete, nice TC. I'm not sure, but I
get the feeling he isn't really looking for a project car, but looking for
one that's done, that's built, and that's ready to be driven and enjoyed and
maintained but that's already gone through the restoration process. Price
isn't a problem for this buyer (must be nice...)
If you're in the San Francisco Bay Area and you have or know of a car for
sale, write back or call me at (408) 736-3124. I can check it out up here;
the buyer is in southern California, so people there should let me know as
well. And if it's a really exquisite car at a really superb price, I'll bet
the buyer will go to other western states.
2) DBTBD Notice
Some of you may not know what DBTBD means. It stands for the Day Before The
Britcars Day, my now-traditional tour for British sports car owners,
enthusiasts, and mailing list members in and around the Bay Area. This is
our fourth annual tour, and it's always a little different but a lot the same
as far as fun, scenery, and companionship goes. As always, this tour takes
place the Saturday before the All-British Car Show in Palo Alto, California
(hence the name); this year that puts the tour on September 9, 1995.
We're formatting things a little differently this year. People from the west
side of the summit (hi, Steve!) have resisted driving over the hill to meet
us in Palo Alto, then driving back over the hill to where they just came
from. So while the main tour still departs from Palo Alto at 9:30 AM as
usual, we'll also meet up with the beachfront contingent at the San Gregorio
General Store at 10:30 -- 10:45. From there we'll take Stage Road to
Pescadero, more or less as usual, and then I'm planning to go to Phipps Ranch
for berry picking, looking at antique farm equipment, and maybe some pony
rides if we're interested. (I'll have the family with me this year, which if
nothing else means I may not arrive so far ahead of everyone else at each
stop... :-)
After that we'll visit Bonny Doon winery again, following long-standing
tradition, and enjoy a picnic in their lovely facility. Oenophiles will note
that Bonny Doon's Le Cigare Volant just received gold medals at a San
Francisco wine competition, something many of us have thought appropriate all
along. We all loved the Big Basin drive last year so much that it will be
reprised, and then we'll end up at the White Cockade for either an early
dinner or a late-afternoon snack before heading for home to prepare for the
All-British Car Show the next morning.
The DBTBD Tour is always a great day, featuring some of the most scenic and
enjoyable roads anywhere in the world. You'll see a few old-growth redwoods,
a dozen or so microclimates, unparalleled views of the ocean, and my favorite
places to remember what sports cars are for. And you'll be in the company of
15 or 20 people who feel as strongly as you do about what makes these silly,
antiquated old heaps such glorious things to own, drive, and work on.
As always, this tour is free, though you will want to bring along money for
gas (hi, Hanz!), food, wine, and maybe even a battery (hi, Miq!) The
distance is about 100 miles, and the weather changes; we've been dripped on
at the summit and scorched at the winery in years past, so dress in layers.
If you have friends who aren't on the net or aren't on the list, feel free to
invite them along; some of our most interesting guests in past years have
been from the unwired among us. Anyone with a British car is welcome; I've
had to make the tour in a Japanese car and an Italian car in the past, so if
you've been on the tour before but the LBC is down that weekend, don't let it
stop you -- show up in whatever you've got.
To recap the date, time, and place:
When: Satuday, September 9, 1995, 9:30 AM (I'd like to leave by 9:30, so
I'll be there by 9 AM -- in what car or cars, I'm not sure!)
Where: Palo Alto Elks Club Lodge Parking Lot, on El Camino Real just
logical-south of Arastradero Road. There are several breakfast spots
(Denny's and Hobee's) across the street, and lots of room for us to park and
wait for the crowd to show up.
>From there we'll avoid the freeway this year, and instead concentrate on back
roads up to King's Mountain Road and then down Tunitas Creek to Highway 1.
From there to Stage Road, where we'll turn for the San Gregorio General
Store; that's at the intersection of Stage Road and Highway 84. Then it's
over Stage Road to Pescadero for a stop at Norm's Market where we can pick up
picnic supplies -- you can buy sandwiches at San Gregorio, but you can buy
warm sourdough-artichoke-garlic bread and Italian salami at Norm's. Then to
Phipp's for some berry-picking and pony-ride-watching, followed by a jaunt to
Bonny Doon where we'll pick out some wine and have a picnic. After that
we'll head up into the mountains, come into Big Basin as last year, and then
head to the White Cockade to wind down and have fun.
Thanks, and I'm looking forward to another great event!
--Scott
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