Enjoy trivia, scavenger hunts, taking pics on your phone, driving your MINI to cool places? July's club run will be much different from our usual group runs, but it will scratch that itch for fun and games. This is not a race, but a competition of wits, persistence, and MINI navigation!
Commercial Fishing Pier - Monterey
Photo by Duane Caldwell
Your Host(s) for the Event
Mick Brown & Vickie Casacca
Register via MotorSport Registry
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/monterey-county-mini-motoring-challenge-norcal-minis-759071
Meet-up Time/Departure Time
9:30 am / 10 am
Meet-up Location
Starbucks
1186 S. Main Street
Salinas, CA 93901
Nearest EV charging stations:
EVgo Charging Station
1380 S. Main Street
Salinas, CAChargePoint
1320 Padre Drive
Salinas, CA
Run Details
First and foremost, we must be clear this event is not:
A typical NorCal MINIs group run
A RACE! It is not a timed event, it is a thinking and safe MINI navigation challenge.
If you have ever played a photo scavenger hunt like The Go Game or if you ever wanted to play a game similar to The Amazing Race (without the "race"), this is the NorCal MINIs club run for you!
Pezzini Farms
We'll meet up in the parking lot of the South Main Street Salinas Starbucks (1186 S. Main Street, Salinas, CA 93901). Note that there are other Starbucks in Salinas, including one on North Main Street, so please meet at the South Main Street location! Bring the must-have gear listed below, and a thirst for exploring beautiful Monterey County, a land of agriculture, winemaking, fishing, oil production, literature, art, tourism, and scenic parks.
Each MINI "team" MUST have the following:
MINI with a full tank or charged battery
Mobile phone with camera and navigation app (e.g., Google Maps, Apple Maps, etc.)
Mobile phone data plan to text your challenge pics to the Game Host
Money for parking at the final destination ($1.50/hour or $10 maximum daily fee)
At the driver's briefing in the Starbucks parking lot, each MINI competitor will be given a Challenge game sheet with trivia challenges to solve leading to a destination somewhere in the county. Use your map app to navigate and drive to that destination, take a photo using your mobile phone, text it to the Game Hosts, and solve your next challenge. There will be different challenge sheets, so simply following another MINI competitor from point to point may not be the smartest strategy. 😎
Dennis the Menace Playground
Please note the only things we'll "take" at the Challenge waypoints are photos.
The Challenge will end at Dust Bowl Brewing (Old Train Station, 290 Figueroa Street, Monterey, CA 93940) where prizes will be awarded. Parking at Dust Bowl Brewing is shared with Monterey's Old Fisherman's Wharf, and it does cost $1.50 per hour with a daily maximum of $10.00. You can enjoy lunch at Dust Bowl Brewing or check out the many dining options at the wharf or nearby in Monterey after the run.
You must RSVP by Thursday, July 13. Our Game Hosts need an accurate count of contestant MINIs to print up challenge sheets for each of us. If you are not a Registered Club Member and wish to participate using our $5 single run pass option, you will need to send an email to info@norcalminis.com before noon on Thursday, July 13 including your name, email, and mobile phone number.
Wrap-up Location:
Dust Bowl Brewing Co. & Tap Depot Old Train Station 290 Figueroa Street Monterey, CA. 93940
Nearest EV charging station:
ChargePoint in Parking Garage 340 Tyler Street Monterey, CA 93940 (about a 2-block walk to Dust Bowl Brewing)
Dust Bowl Brewing Co. & Tap Depot
Additional Run Details
Please bring your radio, fully charged, turned on, and tuned to Channel 7, Subchannel 21 CTCSS before you arrive at the start. If you don’t have a radio, ask for a loaner at the driver’s meeting. For radio recommendations, please see https://www.facebook.com/legacy/notes/728353274556164/.
Be sure to turn the “VOX” voice-activated setting OFF, or we will hear the wind from your AC, your conversations, and any noise in your car broadcasting to everyone.
We ask that you turn on low-beam headlights - not Auto - to make us more visible to other vehicles either ahead or behind us, including your fellow MINI drivers!
Headlight Switch: Full Manual On