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View GarageI am very happy to announce the 10th Annual Paso Robles NorCal / SoCal Rendezvous and Wine Tour/Fun Run. I am all but certain that this is the last one of these that I will be hosting. So, I am going to try to pull out all the stops on this one, and make it as great as I can.
I know this is a LONG way off, but time tends to fly, and we often forget to plan for things that we really regret missing when we do forget.
The event has really developed over the years. We started with just a few cars, expanding each year, swelling to over 20 cars, and then 4 years ago we expanded the event to 2 days. That change saw a few cars fall off, but the group was more dedicated, and we had more fun. A hidden added bonus of doing this was that we saw people flying in from the East Coast. This year I think we will not only have that happening, but also people driving down from Canada and other distant points.
Historically, scheduling the event has presented challenges. Picking the right weekend has been tough due to considerations of other events, and the weather. It also has always been a huge strain to get up early enough to make it to Paso Robles in time for the event. There have been those who have missed out on the event, just because it meant having to get up so early. Then, after a full day of eating and tasting, when we get back to the hotel, we are generally all pretty tired. I've missed the Scotch Tasting every year because of it.
While the event is very couples friendly, incorporating a Fun Run has always been hard, as the passengers generally don't have a lot of fun being sloshed around. Consequently the rest of us don't have as much fun as we'd like to either.
To resolve these things, this event will be a bit different format than the previous ones, and is expanding a bit more. I am also changing the hotel this time. While the Holiday Inn Express was "ok", and the staff tried really hard to make it work for us, it left a lot to be desired, and really didn't lend itself well to our group. This time we will be at the Courtyard Marriott. I have already negotiated a great rate. We will also have a dedicated area in the parking lot for us, and not just a few spaces that we constantly had to fight for. The Marriott has a nice lobby, a wine and beer lounge, a patio right off of that, as well as nicer accommodations all around.
To take the load and pressure off of the long drive, this year we will let people arrive at their own convenience on Friday instead of Saturday. If they want to caravan, that's fine, but they don't have to. They can take a day off, or a half day, or not at all, and get there when they get there. This will really make it a lot easier for those coming in from out of town. It will also make the event a lot more enjoyable for everyone, as the stress of packing, getting into the car, and making rendezvous times and such becomes much less of an issue. Being able to wake up Saturday morning much more rested will also make the day's events a lot easier to survive.
For those that don't go on the Saturday Morning Fun Run, and choose to stay behind, we will be putting together a "Spa Day" at the River Oaks Hot Springs Spa. Robin (Brian's better half) will be heading that up. She can be contacted at rbreck@amgen.com for more information. Reservations for what you want must be made in advance, no later than Friday March 29, and must be made directly with the spa. The spa can be contacted at the number on the information sheet below for reservations or more information. I have rented a van for the day, which Ayn will drive, so round trip transportation to the spa will be provided at $10 per person.
I hope to see a bunch of new faces, as well as some who have attended in the past, but not made it recently. I think this package really sets itself up to be a "mini vacation" and will attract some who would otherwise found excuses not to attend.
The WHEN:
The dates will be Friday April 12 Through Sunday April 14th.
The HOTEL:
The hotel has changed to the Courtyard Marriott. I have negotiated a phenomenal rate of $159 per night, down from over $200, which is for a king sized bed, and also includes breakfast for 2. You need to make your own reservation. Please tell them you are in the "968 Forums" group. That will get you the discount rate. The deadline for getting this rate is Tuesday March 12.
Courtyard Marriott Paso Robles
120 S. Vine St
Paso Robles, CA 93446
805-239-5511
HOW MUCH?:
Pretty much all of the wineries are charging $10 tasting fees now. Catering costs went up a bit too. We tend to drink quite a bit of wine at lunch, and will definitely be doing that at dinner, and all of that really adds up. Tickets for this event used to be $40, but you bought your own dinner and breakfast, and I bought the wine at lunch. Dealing with the restaurants has always been a pain. In anticipation of a much larger event, with a lot more people, this time it will be more of an "all inclusive" deal, and I'm taking care of everything. To make things simpler, pretty much everything is included this time around, and there is a whole lot more of it. So, I have to raise the ticket price to cover all of that. Tickets for this event are $100 per person. As always this is to be paid to 968Forums.com, and can be done by check in the mail. Contact me via email (no PMs please) if you don't already have the address to send it to. Included in your ticket prices is:
Friday night Meet and Greet wine and hors d'ouevres
Saturday Lunch complete
Tasting Fees for all wineries
Saturday dinner and wine
Special gift
Here is the schedule:
Friday:
Friday evening, we will have a "Meet and Greet" in the lobby, with wine and hors d'ouevres. From there people can go to dinner at their own convenience, and be able to get to bed whenever they see fit. A list of local restaurants will be provided at the Meet and Greet.
Saturday:
Saturday morning we will get up at a more reasonable hour than we traditionally have, and have breakfast at the hotel (which is included in our room package). This can be done at your own pace, keeping in mind the day's schedule.
Here is what they typically have:
Chilled Orange, Cranberry, Apple & Passion Guava
Fresh Breakfast Breads to include Blueberry & Apple Cinnamon Muffins, Petite Danish Pastries
Coffee Crumb Cake
Assorted Yoplait & Activia Yogurt
Fluffy Scrambled Eggs
Crisp Bacon
Sausage
Breakfast Potatoes
Biscuits & Gravy
Made to Order Omelets
Hot & Cold Cereal
Make your own Waffles
Fruit Salad
Whole Seasonal Fruit
Fresh Brewed Coffee, Decaffeinated Coffee & Assorted Teas
Then, those who want to go on the Fun Run we will have a Driver's meeting in the parking lot at 9:15 and depart the hotel at 9:30am.
For those going to the spa, Ayn will be driving the van, and will leave the hotel at 9:15 sharp. That will give everybody almost 3 hours at the spa.
We will then all rendezvous back at the hotel for a catered lunch at 12:30.
From there we will head on out at 1:30 for the afternoon of tasting. I am planning some pretty special stuff for us this time too, but that's going to remain a surprise.
We will end up at Tobin James about 5 or so for some tasting and shopping.
Dinner will be at Tobin James, where they will kick the public out at 6, fire up the pizza ovens after they close up, and make us some of those gourmet pizzas we had a few years ago that everybody loved so much. We'll sit under the stars, eat pizza, drink wine, and listen to some of the members playing guitar, singing, and generally having a great time.
Sunday:
Sunday will be pretty loose. I will have another Fun Run course lain out for those who want to take a nice cruise, but at more "normal" speeds than Saturday's run. I will also have prepared a list of other wineries that we recommend people go to if they are so inclined. There are 2 nice golf courses in town too. You are, of course, free to go out on your own, or go home.
Here is an information sheet on the spa:
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