The caravan that Cathy and I are leading to Miatas in Moab will take
the very scenic route across Utah (on Thursday, May 17).  I just put
our planned route from St. George to Moab into Google Maps and was
pleased to find that the scenic route is only 52 miles longer than
taking the freeway route.  Granted, the freeway route will take
(Google estimate) about 2.5 hours less than our scenic route.   But
the Google estimate for the scenic route is still only about 7.5
hours total.  So, even with some stops, we will easily be able to
cross Utah between breakfast and dinner.  And we're not talking 7.5
hours of comparatively boring freeway driving.... The scenic route is
the best extra 2.5 hours and 52 miles you will ever spend on an
American road.

As mentioned previously, the scenic route will take us through parts
of Zion, Bryce and Capital Reef National Parks.  In the middle of our
391 mile scenic route is the 124 mile-long Scenic Byway 12.  Scenic
Byway 12 is a designated "All-American Road".  From the Scenic Byway
12 website:

"All-American Roads have one-of-a-kind features so exceptional that
they qualify as a destination “unto themselves.” Only a few byways
achieve the status of an All-American Road, making Scenic Byway 12
one of the most unique roads in the United States."

For photos and other information about Scenic Byway 12:

http://www.scenicbyway12.com/general-info.html

The registration for Miatas in Moab III is up to 244 Miatas from 45
clubs.  For more information about Miatas In Moab:

http://www.utahmiataclub.com/miatasinmoab/

Again, if you plan to join Cathy and me for our Caravan from San
Diego to Moab (leaving San Diego on Weds, May 16 and arriving in Moab
on Thursday night, May 17), please drop me an E-mail.

Mark

This probably goes without saying, but those of you attending the
Miatas in Moab event might want to start evaluating the condition of
the wearable items on your Miata.  How are the brakes and tires?  It
is time to change spark plugs?  Plug wires?  How about the fluids
(coolant, brake and clutch)?  Has that clutch slave cylinder been
acting up?  And, of course, depending on your mileage and date since
your last change, you will probably want to be sure to do an oil
change right before the trip.

The other reminder is the need to plan for a National Parks Pass.
Effective January 1, 2007, the National Park Service has changed the
pass program.  And, unfortunately, the cost of the regular annual
pass has climbed to $80.  The standard, single park, entrance fee has
been increased to $25 so you only have to visit 3 parks before the
annual pass makes economic sense. Reduced cost passes are available
for seniors (62 and older) and free passes are available for citizens
with permanent disability.  Details can be found here:

http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

These passes can be purchased at the gate of the first park we visit
(Zion, if you will be joining Cathy and me on our caravan).
Appropriate documentation is required for the Senior and disabled
persons passes.

Mark

It's just a little over 4 months until the Utah Miata Club's Miatas
in Moab III event so it seems another update/reminder is in order!  :)

Currently, we have 35 SDMC members (21 Miatas) signed up under the
SDMC banner at the event's "Who's Going" page.  There are additional
SDMC members signed up under other club banners.  As it stands,
SDMC's participation is second only to Utah, the sponsoring club.
Most impressive (but not unexpected, given SDMC's history of being a
very active, fun-loving group of enthusiasts)!

It is not too late for YOU to join the fun.  And that's exactly what
these multi-day Miata events always turn out to be... FUN!!  There
are currently 241 Miatas from 45 different clubs registered to attend
the event (see the "Who's Going" link at the page below).

For complete details on the Miatas in Moab III event (May 18-20),
please visit the event site:

http://www.utahmiataclub.com/miatasinmoab/index.htm

As a reminder, Cathy and I will be leading a caravan of Miatas to the
Moab event.  We will leave San Diego the morning of Weds, May 16 and
stop for the night in St. George, UT.  We will be up early on the
morning of May 17 and then take the "scenic" route as we cross Utah
to Moab.  The 17th will be a rather long day of driving.  But it
won't be monotonous freeway driving.  It will be some of the most
beautiful scenery you've ever encountered as we pass through portions
of Zion, Bryce and Capitol Reef National Parks.  We will arrive late
in Moab the night of May 17.  And, since the Moab event doesn't
really get going until the evening of the 18th, we can sleep in on
Friday morning and have plenty of time to get settled, clean up the
Miata, etc.

If you would like to join the caravan that Cathy and I are leading,
you need to make reservations at a Moab hotel (of your choice) for
the nights of May 17 to May 19 or May 20 (depending on whether you
plan to leave Moab on Sunday or Monday).  The two "official" host
hotels in Moab are already sold out.  But there are plenty of other
hotels in town and we already have members staying at others.  Be
sure you let the Moab hotel know that you want the late check-in
guarantee for the night of the May 17.   It will almost certainly be
beyond normal check-in hours when we arrive in Moab.

If joining us, you also need to make a reservation at a hotel in St.
George for the night of May 16.  Again, you can choose any St. George
hotel but Cathy and I (and some others) are already booked at the
Best Western Abbey Inn (details below).

In addition to the caravan that Cathy and I are leading, Tom and
Marna Wood are leading a group of Miatas on a "National Park Tour".
Details for Tom & Marna's caravan can be found here:

http://www.miatafun.net/MiataClubs/MiataFun/2007Events/MoabDirectory.htm

Also, as I recall, at least one other SDMC couple is planning to make
a two-day freeway beeline to Moab with an overnight in Las Vegas.

Regardless of caravan of choice, I encourage everyone to attend the
Miatas in Moab event!   I guarantee you will have a load of fun!
Just ask any of the "veteran" club members that have attended a multi-
day Miata event in the past.   But, ONE THING IS FOR SURE.....  May
is a VERY busy month for tourism in Utah.  For best selection and
assured availability, I highly recommend you make your hotel
reservations as soon as possible.  Even if you end up canceling
later, NOW is the time to make those reservations!

Mark & Cathy's Caravan Hotel in St. George, UT for Wednesday night,
May 16:
Best Western Abbey Inn
1129 S. Bluff St.
(435) 652-1234
Triple A rate: $83.65 per night + tax
FULL BREAKFAST included

Finally, if you plan to join Cathy and me for our caravan to Moab,
please drop me a private E-mail with your telephone number (cell and
home) so I can start a list.  Thanks!!

Mark

This evening, I announced the following at the SDMC Monthly Meeting:

Good News:  Starting on January 1, 2007 and effective until December
31, 2007, anyone that wants a copy of our SDMC 10th Anniversary Photo
Slide Show DVD will have a chance to get one!

Bad News:  You won't be able to simply buy one, nor will there be any
further copies given away by Cathy and me as gifts or as raffle prizes.

Good News:  From now until December 31, 2007, the ONLY way to get a
copy of the 10th Anniversary DVD is for you to host a DRIVING event
for your fellow club members.  Each person or couple that hosts a
driving event (one membership per event) will receive a copy of the
DVD as a "Thank You" for supporting the club.  Our treat.

The Rules:  Since Cathy and I are providing the DVDs at no charge, we
get to make the rules.  :)  To qualify, your event MUST be planned
well enough in advance to be included in the club newsletter (Twists
and Turns).  The idea is to allow as many members as possible to
participate and this means planned events that are listed in the
newsletter.  So, impromptu runs do not qualify.  Also, it must be a
driving event.  So, strictly social gatherings also do not qualify.
To earn the free 10th Anniversary DVD, you must put some planning
into the event and have us put some miles on our Miatas, together, as
a group.

More Fine Print:  There will be a limit of one DVD per person/couple/
membership.  If you host 2 or more events, you will only earn 1 DVD.
Our goal here is to get as many members as possible to host events.
However, those who have already earned a DVD are encouraged to take
another member under their wing and help THEM earn a DVD.  Also, a
qualifying event must be planned to start or finish in San Diego
County or start or finish in close enough proximity to San Diego
County to allow a reasonable expectation of a fair number of SDMC
attendees.

Disclaimer:  We will, along the way, possibly make exceptions to our
rules.  One type of event that would likely prove to qualify as an
exception would be a hosted Tech Day.  While a Tech Day isn't a
driving event, per se, a Tech Day is very much about "Miatas" with
lots of socializing thrown in.  And Tech Days require a pretty large
investment in time and planning, much to the benefit of the members
attending.   So, we can see ourselves making an exception for a Tech
Day.   Along those lines, we encourage members to come up with other
event ideas that they feel will possibly qualify them for a free
DVD.  But do not mistake our resolve... our goal is to get more
DRIVING events!  The decision of the judges is final!  :)

DVD Awards:  The free DVDs will be awarded each month at the SDMC
Monthly meeting.  Qualifying events held on Jan. 1 through Jan. 24
will be awarded at the Jan. 25th monthly meeting, qualifying events
held Jan. 25 through Feb. 21 will be awarded at the Feb. 22nd monthly
meeting, and so on.

Finally, For First-Time Event Hosts:  This special DVD is in addition
to the wonderful SDMC Club Magnetics you earn for hosting your first
event.  So, for the many members that have never hosted an event,
this next year is a win-win for you!

Ray and Christene Corbyons will be the first couple to earn a free
DVD thanks to their Jan. 1 Miata Rose Run.

Who's next?  :)

Mark

As previously mentioned, Cathy and I will be stopping in St. George, UT on
the first night of our caravan to Moab.  Below are the motel details on
where we have  decided to stay in St. George the night of Weds, May 16,
2007.  The hotel has informed me that May is typically a very busy time of
year for St. George.  And, while they don't usually get a high demand for a
Wednesday night, he still recommended making reservations as soon as
possible.

If you are planning to join Cathy and me for our caravan to Moab (leaving
San Diego on May 16, 2007) please let me know.  You are, of course, welcome
to stay anywhere you like.  But this hotel looks like a pretty good deal.

Best Western Abbey Inn
Address: 1129 S. Bluff St (exit 8 off of I-15), St. George, UT
Phone: (435) 652-1234
Automobile club (AAA) rate: $83.65 plus tax for single king or two queen beds
Amenities: Non-smoking available, fridges and microwaves, irons, hair
dryer.  Handicap rooms available.
Automobile club rating: 3 Diamonds

Please note that the above rate includes a free full breakfast (eggs,
pancakes or waffles, sausage, bacon, etc.).  The breakfast is available
starting at 6am, which works well with our plan to get an early start out
of St. George.

Mark

I just extended our room reservation at the Best Western Canyonlands in
Moab to include the night of Thursday, May 17.  The reservations gal had
just a smidgeon of difficulty doing that until she realized that she was
dealing with a group room block (apparently, the Utah club booked the
entire hotel from the 17th through the 21st, not just the 18th through the
21st).  But once she adjusted for the room block, she had no difficulty
adding the night of the 17th.

So, if you call to add Thursday night to extend your stay, be sure you
remind them that you are part of the Miatas in Moab group.

Mark

RE: Miatas in Moab on May 18-20

Cathy and I had previously announced that our plans were to lead a caravan
to Moab starting the morning of Thursday, May 17 and stopping in St.
George, UT before taking the "twisty" route across Utah into Moab on
Friday, May 18.  Well, after further reflection on the issue, we've decided
that we feel more comfortable with the idea of arriving in Moab on the
evening of Thursday, May 17 and then having the entire day free on Friday,
May 18 to clean up the car, kick back and relax, take a little side trip,
or whatever, before the "official" event begins that evening.

With that in mind, our plan now is to leave San Diego about 7-8am on
Wednesday, May 16, head straight for St. George via the highway, stay the
night in St. George, and then get an early (7-8am) start out of St. George
on Thursday, May 17 to head for Moab.  Our route from St. George to Moab
will still be via the twisty route, taking us through Zion, Bryce and
Capital Reef National Parks.

This, of course, means that we will have to book one additional night
(Thursday, May 17) in Moab.  But we feel it is a small price to pay for
knowing we can take our time crossing Utah (relatively speaking) and have
plenty of time to rest up (sleep in, or whatever) on Friday the 18th.

Also, Cathy and I have decided to extend our vacation and take a drive
farther east to visit family in Nebraska following the Moab event.  So, we
will not be available to lead any caravan back to San Diego after Moab.

I apologize if this creates any problems for anyone that has already made
plans around our previously announced caravan.  I hope that we still get as
many folks to join us as we would have otherwise.  But, after much
reflection, this one day extension of the trip is what works best for us
and our need to have a day available to relax a bit between many days of
driving.

Finally, as has been previously posted, there will be other caravan
opportunities.  Tom & Marna Wood have one planned and Alan Kegan & Jill
Wilson  have announced a caravan with a stop in Vegas.  With as many as
20-25 SDMC Miatas heading that way, I suspect there will be others too.

Mark

P.S.  If we have any brand new members that haven't the slightest idea what
I am talking about, here's the Miatas in Moab web page:

http://www.utahmiataclub.com/miatasinmoab/

On Saturday, November 4, Ken & Kathy Roberts will be hosting a Celebration
Of Life Memorial Service for Sal Causarano at their church in Poway.  The
Memorial Service will be followed by short fun run along some of Sal's
favorite roads up into Ramona (where Sal & Geri lived prior to their move
to the Carolinas).  Geri Causarano will be joining us for this event.
Lunch is planned at the Nuevo Grill in Ramona.

Obviously, with a large group, the restaurant needs to know how many to
expect.  So, as the volunteer in contact with the Nuevo Grill, I am
pleading with all members to please RSVP in advance for lunch.  So far, I
have received RSVPs from the names listed below.  If you don't see your
name listed, and you plan to attend, please send me a private message to
let me know the name(s) of those that will be attending.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Mark

RSVP's for Nov. 4 Lunch:
Geri Causarano
Mark & Cathy Booth
Janice Boster
John & Linda Breen
Mary Chabot
Jack & Sue diLustro
Mike & Robin Faircloth
Dennis & Maryanne Garon
Art Hamilton
Jack & Sue Hinkle
Robert & Carol Holland
Bob & Vicky Krueger
Diane Long
Brenda Kay & Jim Markert
Steve & Paula Kennison
Ted & Sue Kesler
Bruce & Debbye Lewis
John Laurence
Jon & Judy Martinez
Nick & Sharon Ponce
Ken & Kathy Roberts
Mike Schwartz & Guest
Harold & Janet Schwartz
Helen Sharp
Wally Stevens & Rilma Raye
Barb & John Templeton
Steve & Laurie Waid
Tom & Marna Wood

Hello,

This is a friendly reminder about the San Diego Miata Club mail list. Below
are the mail addresses for mail services:

   Unsubscribe:  SDMC-Events-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
   List owner:   SDMC-Events-owner@yahoogroups.com

   SDMC mail page: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SDMC-Events
   SDMC Home page: http://www.sandiegomiataclub.org

The first 9 email address are the individual addresses for the various
functions of the board. The last address will forward to all board members.
If you have any questions for a board member, use one of the addresses below.

president@...
vicepresident@...
treasurer@...
secretary@...
newsletter@...
events@...
membership@...
webmaster@...
regalia@...
board@...

Robert "JTBob" Holland
Webmaster
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