Another Bay Area Fit Meet Opportunity from macbuddy!

[manxman]

Okay folks! Depending on weather and your schedule, macbuddy and I intend to have lunch on the Santa Cruz Wharf on Saturday, 2/27. We plan to meet either at the Summit Roadhouse at the top of Hwy. 17, right side, for breakfast, or if more people are planning to come but can't make it until later in the A.M., we'll meet in Scotts Valley at a location to be announced via PM.

Depending upon how early we can get started, we can either do some twisty driving right after breakfast and wind up at the wharf for lunch, or do lunch in the late morning and go into the mountains for the twisties afterward. The mountains will put most of you back on the highway toward home.

Please let us know if you plan to come on 2/27 by posting on this thread . That way, we will know whom to PM the final details.:D

The wharf will be cold and windy, so dress appropriately. This time we are giving two weeks notice. Don't wimp out- we'd like to see you!

[manxman]

BUMP!

C'mon EXWRX, Slimjim, CuTeBoi, chime in! Let's have a meet!

[Slimjimx701x]

Count me in

[manxman]

Thanx Jimmy. I am in , rain or shine- our lunch destination may change depending on weather, but it will be in the Santa Cruz area. So, we have a commitment of at least 3 Fits, and almost two weeks to collect some more!

[macbuddy]

Dave,
I just got word from Bap. He is interested joining us! (although his work, and school may dampen his chances to attend).
Regardless, the good news is that he should be getting his Fit back from the shop soon! :)

[manxman]

That is great news! I hope that we see him, but because of the distance we probably won't this time.

[EXWRX]

It is looking very probable that I will be able to attend. I'm hoping the weather will be good enough to visit a special ice cream parlor in Santa Cruz.
Mariannes
1020 Ocean St
Santa Cruz, CA 95060

They make their own icecream. I went there and had their dark chocolate icecream.. It was not for the faint of heart. It was almost black, and totally delicious. :D

[manxman]

Even if it snows, we can still visit Mariannes. Good news that you are coming Jeff!

So far, we have macbuddy, Slimjimx701x, EXWRX, Bap (we hope) and manxman. Planning on weather that will be at least gloomy, here is my suggestion:

Everyone meet at the Summit Roadhouse at the top of Hwy.17, west (right side) as you are driving Southbound (directly across the highway is another restaurant/fruit stand). I will be there at 8:30- target time for breakfast is 9:00. By 10:00, we'll take off westward across the top of the mountains to Bear Creek Road, go up Hwy. 35, and wind up at the Hwy. 9 intersection. If you guys are interested, we can travel about 1 mile past Hwy. 9 to the fire station, and see if fitfreak member grouser is working and say Hi. Then head south on Hwy. 9 and go all they way down to Santa Cruz to the wharf area. If no one is hungry yet, we can go the east side of Santa Cruz to the Mystery Spot, and then go back to the wharf for lunch.

After lunch, and Mariannes Ice Cream for dessert, we can take the short drive up to Loch Lomond and check on the opening date, then take Hwy. 9 all the way over the mountains to Saratoga. That will put all of the visitors back on Hwy. 17 heading North to the freeways that will take you home.

We hope to have even more people join us, so please let us know if we can plan on you!

[EXWRX]

I'm checking with some friends that have relatives in the area. They might come along, but they're not sure yet. No Fits, but my friend rides in mine more than anyone but me and my daughter on our lunchtime trips. :p

[manxman]

Change of plans!!! We will NOT meet at the Summit Roadhouse for breakfast.

I just got back from driving up there to check their hours, and realized that several cars trying to leave their parking lot and get onto Hwy.17 will get someone killed. The restaurant driveway dumps you immediately into two lanes of 60+ mph heavy traffic with no on-ramp at all.

So, since the main attraction of this meet's food was to be the Santa Cruz wharf, and in trying to find cheap good food/coffee for breakfast with easy, no risk parking, the new meeting place will be the "Chubby's Diner"- address is 266 Mt. Hermon Road, Scotts Valley, CA. Again, I'll be there at 8:30, target time for breakfast is 9:00, and we leave at 10:00 or earlier if everyone is ready.

Take Hwy. 880/17, Southbound, over the Santa Cruz mountains. When you see the first signs mentioning Scotts Valley, get in the right lane. Exit on Mt. Hermon Road, in the right lane. Turn right at the signal. Pass the first shopping center (Nob Hill) on your right, stay in the right lane, and turn right into the next shopping center (K-Mart) and you will probably see the Chubby's sign before you get to the shopping center driveway. Immediately after entering the driveway, turn right in the parking lot to get to the parking area of the Chubby's restaurant. Please PM me or email with any questions.

If you are coming from the Central Valley into the Santa Cruz area from the south (such as Hwy. 152 from Gilroy) get on Hwy. 1 Hwy. 1 Northbound from Watsonville, and stay on 1 until it intersects with Hwy. 17. Take 17 North about 2 miles to the Mt. Hermon Road off-ramp, and follow the above paragraph's directions.

[TFBDesigns]

Rachel and I will be there. Sounds like fun.

[manxman]

Rachel and I will be there. Sounds like fun.
Good! It will be nice to see you two. Fitfreak member grouser will be waiting for us to stop by his fire station to say Hi.

[manxman]

Suggestion for everybody---
Bring lots of change for wharf parking meters!!!

[lilcat]

anyone going from SF area?

[manxman]

anyone going from SF area?
Hi Alex, we hope to see you. Lindy (MRsunrise) got a PM invitation from macbuddy, but I do not ever hear from her, and don't know if she is coming. Maybe if you PM'd her, she might consider a caravan down here with you.

Sorry for everyone who has such a long drive to get down here. If you guys could cook up a meet/drive in your own areas, I would come there to see you!

[Bap]

I will be able to make it i will see you guys for breakfast next sat. it sould be fun.:D

[manxman]

That's GREAT Blake, but the best part is it means that you have your Fit back, looking new again!

[manxman]

Wow! Including mine, we now have 6-7 Fits! And the little kids can't even call this a "Secret Meet".:D:D:D Besides, the Subaru crowd has better things to do, like complain about their bad gas mileage, and lack of cargo space.:eek:

[manxman]

Local weather reports predict rain and thunder for Friday, but only "early showers" for Saturday. Most of macbuddy's FF PM's have not posted any interest here, so it looks like our group will be fairly small this time.

[macbuddy]

Bap and manxman,
I will be there to join you guys for breakfast. Bacon, eggs and hash browns sound real good to me!
-macbuddy-

[manxman]

Great to hear Mike. This will be quite a change of scenery compared to your numerous hospital visits to your family members.

Local weather reports still say A.M. "showers" for Saturday, but that could mean anything. Friday is supposed to have some high winds and pretty heavy rain, so I will call the CHP Highway Information phone number to see if falling trees might mean a change of route for our cruise.

[claymore]

UUUUMMM bacon eggs and hash browns.

[manxman]

UUUUMMM bacon eggs and hash browns.
claymore, you will be missing a lot! If everything goes as planned (weather problems?) we will have seafood for lunch on the wharf, and Maryanne's hand made ice cream for dessert, and a nice drive through the mountains and redwood trees. Like the Jimmy Buffet song title:

The Weather is Here-- I Wish You Were Beautiful

[manxman]

Based on those who committed to come with posts on this thread, here is our list:

Bap, EXWRX, macbuddy, manxman, Slimjimx701x, and TFBDesigns. Somehow, CuTeBoi convinced himself that the meet was set for Sunday. Macbuddy and I sent him messages to remind him that it is Saturday, so he may be with us, may not.

Anthony, please post to let us know whether or not to expect you.

I will PM our list with my cell phone number. Please call if you have any trouble. We plan to leave the Chubby's Diner in Scotts Valley by 10:00 A.M.

Drive carefully, and we'll see you there!

[lilcat]

just find out i have to go to chinatown before i come to the meet. i need to go there around 8:30 then drive down to the breakfast place. it will take about 1:17 to get there.

[manxman]

just find out i have to go to chinatown before i come to the meet. i need to go there around 8:30 then drive down to the breakfast place. it will take about 1:17 to get there.
Alex,
If you can't be in Scotts Valley by 10:00, be sure to call. We can delay leaving by a few minutes, but we need to know that you will be there.

[lilcat]

I got you and Mike number already. I'll let you know as long as I leave SF.

[macbuddy]

Hey manxman,
EXWRX and I will be caravaning from Tracy at 6:45am, and should meet you at Chubby's by 8:30am (on Saturday, not Sunday).
Good news! Bap got his Fit back from the shop this morning!
Not so good news is that Mrs. Bap got sent to the ER, so we most likely will not see Bap and Mrs. Bap this meet. Hopefully Jamie will be okay.

[EXWRX]

Some pictures from the meet
http://picasaweb.google.com/heisssenberg/SantaCruzFitMeetFeb2010#

[manxman]

Nice shots, Jeff. Thanks for being so quick to post them. I hope that your Fit full of people all had a good time.

[claymore]

Looks like silver Fits were the choice for the day. And Dave had the only GE. Good thing the rain stopped.

[EXWRX]

I think they had a good time. I know I did. We bumped into Chris's family at the wharf. By the time we got back, I was ready to not sit in a car and concentrate on driving for a while. ;)

[Slimjimx701x]

Here my photos...still waiting on my GF to give me a copy of what she took.

http://picasaweb.google.com/jimmylinhphan/2_27_2010_FitMeet_Santa_Cruz?feat=directlink

[EXWRX]

Jimmy, it won't let me access the pictures.

[Slimjimx701x]

Jimmy, it won't let me access the pictures.

It been set on public...

[claymore]

See them fine now. Who are the people in the photos? I take it the hoodie guy is you.

[claymore]

So the important question what...... did you guys EAT!

[Slimjimx701x]

See them fine now. Who are the people in the photos? I take it the hoodie guy is you.

That is "CuteBoi" aka Anthony

[macbuddy]

Hey Jimmy,
How did your GF like that long twisty ride? Mrs. macbuddy would have been screaming, and slugging me if I ever took her on a "roller coaster ride" like that!
Looks like your Yokohama S. Drives like the way you drive. Your Fit appeared very composed on those wet, leaf strewn roads.
BTW, your LS Meshies look great! The offset looks perfect on your TW GD3.
Hey, thanks for introducing me to that interestingly delicious "Chocolate covered Bacon!"

[manxman]

So the important question what...... did you guys EAT!
Re: eating. Our breakfast diner served good quality food and a fairly low price- better food than a Denny's for a little less. For lunch, what we learned was that the food at a big tourist trap like the Santa Cruz wharf is not as good as what we make at a normal meet/Bar B Q, and costs four times as much. A lot of us ate clam chowder (salty), and deep-fried this or that- mine was clam strips/fries. We all got our week's worth of salt and fat, except for those who chose salads or shrimp cocktail. The rain and the need for some to leave early kept us from going to the ice cream shop.

The drive through the mountains and our visit with grouser from fitfreak (a Calif. Div. of Forestry Fireman at his station at the top of the mountain) was pleasant and the rain was not heavy enough to be dangerous

Announcement: for the first meet where we can cook, I will make carne asada, al pastor, and chicken quesadillas with fresh salsa (so I don't need charcoal or a grill- just a pan and camp stove).

[manxman]

Hey Jimmy,
How did your GF like that long twisty ride? Mrs. macbuddy would have been screaming, and slugging me if I ever took her on a "roller coaster ride" like that!
Looks like your Yokohama S. Drives like the way you drive. Your Fit appeared very composed on those wet, leaf strewn roads.
BTW, your LS Meshies look great! The offset looks perfect on your TW GD3.
Hey, thanks for introducing me to that interestingly delicious "Chocolate covered Bacon!"
Oh yeah, Jimmy, keep eating that chocolate covered bacon, and your "Slimjim" user name won't fit for very long!
You will be Slimjimx701 XL

[macbuddy]

Hey manxman,
Kudos for the creative use of roadways that delivered us to the breakfast spot, Fire Station, and Wharf.
Also, thanks for the great job on leading, and setting a safe, yet fun pace on all of the roadways. I had a great day!

[Slimjimx701x]

Hey Jimmy,
How did your GF like that long twisty ride? Mrs. macbuddy would have been screaming, and slugging me if I ever took her on a "roller coaster ride" like that!
Looks like your Yokohama S. Drives like the way you drive. Your Fit appeared very composed on those wet, leaf strewn roads.
BTW, your LS Meshies look great! The offset looks perfect on your TW GD3.
Hey, thanks for introducing me to that interestingly delicious "Chocolate covered Bacon!"

Hey Micheal,

The GF like the ride with the S.drive, but the first time I took her with me on HW9 (with the Falkens) she was terrified.

As for the LS Meshies, I am tempted to add 10mm spacers to the fronts to promote more turn-in

[manxman]

Hey manxman,
Kudos for the creative use of roadways that delivered us to the breakfast spot, Fire Station, and Wharf.
Also, thanks for the great job on leading, and setting a safe, yet fun pace on all of the roadways. I had a great day!
I'm glad to hear that! Sorry for the two false directions near the fire station! The stop sign just before the two wrong turns was not there the last time I was at the top of the mountain. However, when we turned LEFT and had to turn around about a mile later, that is the road to Castle Rock Park (I have not been there), but that park might be a good location for a future meet.

I hate to keep asking people to drive so far just to get into MY neighborhood, but no one else seems to want to organize a meet anywhere else. Another place to think about a meet would be the Pinnacles Nat'l. Monument south of your area. I haven't been there either, but the rock formations would probably make a great backdrop for photos, and it would be easy to climb high enough for great elevated photos. Summer heat would be intense though, and we would need to bring our own water.

[claymore]

Sounds like a good day for all. Except for the rain but even Dave can't control the weather.

[TFBDesigns]

The meet was fun. I haven't really tested my tires on wet windy roads before but I was pretty impressed. I also sold the s10 when I got home so overall it was a great day. I added some pics to the Fit gallery: http://tfbdesigns.com/fitgallery.html

[claymore]

This photo is pretty neat is that some of your work?

http://tfbdesigns.com/gallery/civic32.jpg

[TFBDesigns]

Yes that is decal I made from high temp vinyl.

[Slimjimx701x]

Just finished my GF Pics....

http://picasaweb.google.com/jimmylinhphan/2_27_2010_FitMeet_Santa_Cruz_YiJu_EDIT?feat=direct link

[manxman]

Wow Jimmy! Spectacular photos- she's REALLY GOOD!! Bring Eru (sp?) ANY time!!!

[Slimjimx701x]

Wow Jimmy! Spectacular photos- she's REALLY GOOD!! Bring Eru (sp?) ANY time!!!

Hey Dave, it's "Yi-Ju." And I will bring her again...I just need to spend more time editing them.

[manxman]

Thanks Jimmy- I never would have guessed the proper spelling. I am totally lost with Asian languages because there are so many of them. And it is great to see you with a companion.

[claymore]

Nice job on the photos. This one is my favorite looks just like the pancakes I make using my world famous dry pan method. :rolleyes:

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_BQ8WrZEw4PA/S5GLmyL1C4I/AAAAAAAAANE/BQFvKehoTXM/s720/IMG_8170.jpg

[VillageIdiot]

You guys sure get to have a lot of fun out there on the left coast.... I guess I'll stay here though since I enjoy my status of being the village idiot and there is so much competition for such a high status title in California I would just be considered normal.

[macbuddy]

Finally figured out how to post these pictures!

(click below to view slideshow)
Santa Cruz Fit Meet (Feb. 27, 2010) (http://img294.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=pict0129.jpg)

[manxman]

Thanks Mike- another great job and nice shots. If I start to complain when it heats up into the 100's during the summer, I will just open this thread and hypnotize myself into being more comfortable by staring at the photos with the storm clouds and wet cars in the background!

[claymore]

I thought I had the wrong link when I saw all those people in California in jackets :rolleyes:

Nice job on the photos.

[Slimjimx701x]

Thanks for the new pictures, Micheal.

Now I need to lower my car a bit ;).