No whining on this run, but you may choose to do a little wining after this run is over because we will be cruising through the wooded hills and vineyard valleys of scenic Napa and Sonoma!
Wine Country Roads
Your Host(s) for the Event
Paige Lane with co-host Duane Caldwell
Route
https://maps.app.goo.gl/QbyJcRA3zw6ErhfC7
Download the map for off-line use - we will likely lose cell coverage.
Register via MotorSport Registry
https://www.motorsportreg.com/events/napa-sonoma-run-norcal-minis-391281
Meet-up Time/Departure Time
9:00 am / 9:30 am
Meet-up Location
Solano Community College
400 Student Services
Fairfield, CA 94534
(South Parking lot near Admissions & Records)
Solano Community College Parking Lot
SCC Sign at street as seen from parking lot
Please Note:
There are NO services at this location! Please arrive with a full tank of gas, morning coffee in hand, and fresh from a restroom stop. We won't stop at restrooms for the next hour-and-a-half, so plan ahead.
We recommend stopping in Cordelia (Exit 41 from both I-80 E & W), 5 minutes away from our meetup location before joining us for the Meet-Up and drivers' briefing. The addresses are all technically in Fairfield, but many of the road signs here identify it as Cordelia, so don't get confused, just follow your navigation system to the addresses.
Suggested fuel/coffee/restroom stops before arriving at Solano Community College:
COSTCO Gas Station
5101 Business Center Dr, Fairfield, CA 94534ARCO
134 Pittman Rd, Fairfield, CA 94534Chevron
4470 Central Way, Fairfield, CA 94534Shell
4450 Central Way, Fairfield, CA 94534Starbuck's
4490 Central Way, Fairfield, CA 94534
Run Details
Enjoy your morning zipping over twisty, two-lane roads connecting Fairfield to Napa. For part two, we will climb out of Napa Valley's famous Wine Country along narrow, twisty mountain passes to skirt around the southern limits of Santa Rosa in Sonoma County.
Though our departure is timed to miss morning lake boat traffic, if we encounter trucks pulling trailers, we will collectively enjoy the scenery as there are few passing lanes.
Group Pace: We will monitor registration to determine if we will have enough registered Minis to add a spirited group to lead off.
Comfort Break (roughly halfway through the run):
Park N Ride (2000 Redwood Road, Napa). After about an hour-and-a-half, we’ll break here for 20 minutes at most, so we can arrive at our destination before the lunch rush. There are restrooms in nearby gas stations and restaurants. This is your last chance for restrooms for the next hour.
After we descend from the mountain passes into Sonoma County, we will end our run at the Lagunitas Taproom in Petaluma (1280 N McDowell Blvd Petaluma) around 12:45 pm where we can grab lunch and share stories. The taproom at Lagunitas can get busy on weekends, so be prepared for a bit of a wait to be seated, or enjoy one of the many other fine restaurants in the wine country. Please note that the outdoor seating area at Lagunitas is covered, has heaters, and is very dog-friendly.
Lagunitas Taproom
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.
Hilly California backroads can be rough, especially after winter storms spawn new and bigger potholes. We will call out cyclists and oncoming traffic on the radios. Most of the route is fairly smooth with a few backroad sections that may be a bit bumpier than others.
There are stretches where local wildlife may be seen on each side of the road. At some point, these animals may decide to cross the road, so please watch out for deer, wild turkeys, etc. trying to get from one side to the other right in front of your car.
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