Napa Fun Run
Another fun outing is behind us again for July. This month’s routing was new for us based on a new Start Point. Through a prior event, I was introduced to a unique facility & organization that recently opened in Corte Madera called Club Wheelhouse ( www.clubwheelhouse.com ). Think of a well designed club house ( and concierge storage ) for serious car people. Through my prior visit and meeting the team there ( Mgr Bailey Smith, Frank, Tony Bailey, Martin Lauber founder ) we knew it would be a fun and entertaining experience for our group. And it was! Upon early arrival the street was already coned off for Group 4 and the small lot was set up to accommodate our 35 plus cars. Again, good pre-planning by our crack logistics team really made the difference in pulling this off.
The auto candy inventory at Club Wheelhouse did not disappoint either. If you haven’t checked out the site, the club has an initiation fee plus monthly subscription. On the day we were there, some of the inventory included ( 1961 Ferrari 250 SWB, Mario Andretti’s 1976 JPS Lotus 77, Alex Albon’s 2019 Red Bull STR12 F1, Hertz 350 Mustang GT, an early Singer 911, etc. These were not museum pieces, but cars actually driven in various road and HSR events.
This month’s tour was a bit unique to begin, as we were at a very nice venue vs. a shopping center parking lot. As such, a bit smaller parking space that required Groups 1, 2, 3 to align nose to tale for departure. Also the beginning part of the route had about 19 miles of Hwy 101 and Hwy 37 before we could take our Lakeville Hwy exit. Once on Lakeville Highway, Stage Gulch Road and Arnold Dr we were just cruising along some of Sonoma’s best known AVA’s ( Petaluma Gap & Carneros ) and taking in the view. The day was sunny and bright with excellent cruising temperatures and clear roads for the most part. Once past Glen Ellen, we headed East over Trinity Road connecting Sonoma Valley to Napa Valley. A fun and technically intriguing route 9.5 miles with wonderful views from the Mayacamas Mountain range on West and East sides. This said, a keen eye is needed near the summit on the West side not to miss a very tight left hand turn before descending to Napa Valley.
Once in Napa Valley, just take in views. I think at times we take for granted everyone has been everywhere I’ve been in this beautiful place where we live. Not the case. Several of our fine guests this day mentioned it was their first time on these primary roads in the valley. The views on Rutherford Crossing ( aka CA 128 ) and subsequent ride on Silverado Trail were screen saver worthy. A combination of the grape crops progress, the mostly clear roads, blue skys and beautiful German machinery in motion make you grateful for the bounty of where we live and drive.
Turning East on Deer Park Dr to Angwin for the prescribed bio break brought our first surprise of the tour. Would not be a GGR Tour without at least one surprise or two. Our Pre-drive confirmed our intended Chevon could only provide gas, yet NO restrooms. No problemo, the adjoining Ace Hardware & Grocery were friendly and would be available to us. Yet when we did the Pre-Run on a Sunday all good, on the “ Saturday “ of the drive this huge retail establishment is Closed. It is owned by the Seventh-day-Adventist church ( & Pacific Union College ) in Angwin. They are not Open on Saturdays. Good news by the time my group arrived, some good reconnaissance by Group 2 had identified new, better and larger facilities just across the street at the college. Bio crisis averted, again.
After our break another fun Porsche worthy 19.3 miles of twisty turns, nice sweeps interspersed with short straights along Pope Chiles Valley Road back to CA,128 then over the hill to Silverado Trail. This section of our day had something for everyone to keep you focused and entertained without wearing you out. Traffic was nil or light, and what was there yielded to most of our groups. Safety first, no close calls or road surprises.
Once back to Silverado Trail, a short run then to our lunch destination ~ restaurant Bottega Napa Valley at the V Marketplace Square ( www.botteganapavalley.com ), yet with one more surprise in store. On Thursday prior to the drive, a Mr. Brad Somberg contacted me by expressing interest to meet us at the Bottega parking area. He’s not currently a PCA member (but I’m working on it!) and wasn’t signed up for this event. His only interest was to share his very unique Porsche Speedster with our group. Outrageous may best apply to Mr. Somberg’s car. Not just a Speedster, but a Guntherwerks ( https://guntherwerks.com/programs/speedster ) carbon fiber 4.0L creation in a stunning muted Whisky wash ( his words ) color over the carbon fiber body that alone took 800 hours to complete. Complemented by Bottega (the fashion house, not the restaurant) textured cream leather personally sourced by Mr. Somberg in Italy.
After our visit with this amazing car we were off to lunch. We had more guests than Bottega was originally expecting but no problem. Food & beverage here are amazing and have something for everyone. Due to our scattered arrival times, the restaurant accommodated us at different tables on their patio area. We had varying opinions on the service ( remember we came in over plan ) yet the food quality and choices did not disappoint.
Another successful outing behind us and now on to August Monterey Car Week 2025 tour. Again, many thanks to our volunteer team. Leads; Kurt Kruger, Soah Hsu, JB Ellis, Sweeps; Subhendra Ghosh, Ottmar Stubler, Jacqueline Birmingham, Birgit Heinz, Bert Ciccone.
Hope to see you at our next outing. Never Stop Driving,
