We had a great turn out for the run! Seventeen classic Minis, one MINI roadster (my personal favorite of the new MINIs, and a few extra “cars”. The weather was warm and dry in Woodside and partially wet and cold from Skyline Blvd to Half Moon Bay. Normal for May.
I pulled into the Pioneer Saloon parking lot about 8:45am and found what seemed like many hundreds of thousands of bicyclists all milling about getting ready to head into the hills. I thought to myself, “This is going to be a challenging day”. Then the Minis began to roll in and fill up the parking slots next to my car. I forgot everything about the bikes. Last to show up were the folks from the North Bay. They were stopped for a massive oil leak issue that apparently turned out to be a badly sealed valve cover that allowed high pressure oil to spray out due to too much oil (Note to others: Any more than the MAX line on the dipstick is not a good idea). As soon as they arrived, we grouped for the pre-run talk.
Don’t speed, this isn’t a race, beware of bicycles, wear a mask, blah, blah, blah. Let’s go drive! As we pulled out of the saloon parking lot a pack of Datsuns passed by on Hwy 84. We drove up Kings Mountain Road and stopped to regroup on Skyline Blvd. A small group at the back end of the pack stopped for an overheating issue. Turned out that Pat Wu’s beautiful Vtec powered Mk3 had a loose radiator fan ground wire. Dr David Noel diagnosed the issue (very hot engine with no noises coming from the radiator/fan area) and Andy Biddle traced it out, reconnected the wire and they were on their way to the top quickly.
From there we headed south to Alpine Road. I hit the gas a bit too much and separated us into two groups. John in the Cobra jetted up Hwy 84 and videoed us passing by Alice’s on Skyline. There were only four of us in the first group, so the video he posted on the club Facebook page is the bigger second group. The weather got foggy and wet on Skyline between Alice’s and Alpine Road. The intermittent wiper switch I installed last year let me concentrate on driving instead of using the wipers when I really couldn’t see out the windscreen anymore. We got to Alpine Road just as the Datsun group was leaving the Ridge Trail parking lot. For a while it was Datsuns and Minis. I probably should have let them all go in front of us, but I only got one dirty look from the person I got in front of. We certainly kept up with them! We turned out and regrouped at the lower parking lot for just a few minutes.
The drive down to Pescadero was stupendous! The road was mostly dry with wet patches under the trees. We again stopped to regroup along the bridge in Pescadero. This stop is lots of fun. There are always loads of people in town and we become a photo opportunity for them. Lots questions and a few minutes to talk about Minis. The last stretch took us on Stage Road, through San Gregario and onto Hwy 1 and Half Moon Bay. Stage Road is a lonely bit of pavement normally; a couple of years ago we had an epic stop for a Mini breakdown that had Andy Biddle removing and replacing Samir’s carburettor while we all stopped on the side of the road! Do you sense a recurring theme here? Andy seems to be the club mechanic. That’s probably why he got his new Pup, so he can pack all the tools and spares in it to keep the rest of us going.
We had no stoppages on Stage Road this year but as we approached the end of the run at Cameron’ Pub in Half Moon Bay Club President Bruce stopped at a traffic light and needed to push his car through the junction. A couple of notes for classic drivers:
• When it is damp the Lucas Prince of Darkness Demon always strikes at the most inopportune moments. With the distributor in direct line of fire for the water droplets it doesn’t take long to create an electrical path from the coil to other parts of the engine the spark plugs
• Always carry a can of WD40 in the car and a dry cloth. Contrary to popular belief WD40 is not really a lubricant, the WD in the name is for Water Displacement which is just what you need to get a distributor cap working correctly again.
After a couple of quick moments Bruce was back running for us to all convene at the pub where we had our traditional lunch with fish and chips, pasties and bangers were popular choices. This year we sat outside and socially distanced with masks as appropriate. By all reports to me and overheard conversations a good time was had by all. If you couldn’t make this year.
As we all made our ways home Andy Hoffman, Dr Dave, Andy Biddle and I headed back to the South Bay via 84 skirting by Alice’s on to the scenic twisty Skyline Blvd. Unfortunately, one of the things left to do on Andy’s recently restored pickup truck was to fix the fuel gauge which brings us to the final notes:
• If in doubt about how much gas is left in the tank top it up.
• Always bring a comfy chair while you hang around for help to arrive.
Andy Biddle hadn’t followed either of these tips and the pup came to a grinding halt 10 minutes south of Skyline. Dave and I relaxed and chatted while the two Andys headed up to Alice’s to get some more gas to get the stricken pup going again.
I hope to see you on the next run! Until then, Mini On!
Oh, did anyone see Dee Fragos? I thought he checked the “GOING” button on Facebook (Secretary’s note – Dee always comes to our events, but it is just in spirit as he follows us avidly from his home in Athens, Greece).
Thanks go to Chelle Rohde for images from the event.
