NorCal DMC club drive Run for the Gold

May 6th, 2012

Delorean car preferred but not mandatory to participate
Rsvp required, space limited! register TBD

Bring your navigator, radio and camera operator, make sure you fill your passenger seat!
Your wife, GF, date, are welcomed and will enjoy the scenery!
This event is much more than just the cars!

Route info:

300 miles round trip from San Jose, or 200 miles round trip stockton
Actual total driving time 4.5 to 5 hours
Event from 9:30am to 6:30pm ( from meet point to end point, including tours)
Start point in Lathrop, end in Stockton at hwy's 99 and 88
Several meeting points pre-planned along the way with plenty of room to park ( see below)
Lunch in Copperopolis town square at Griff's BBQ from 11:30pm to 1:00pm
Break planned after lunch in Copperopolis for shopping, rest, socializing
Route goes through several cities in case vehicle service is required
Easy on one tank of gas
Many scenic, smooth, 2-lane back country roads through Milton, Copperopolis, Jamestown, Angels Camp, Murphys, Valley springs,

Two local attraction tours!  $20 required in advance for both tours*.

1. Stop at Rail Town 1879- site of engine no.3 from BTTF3 2pm to 3pm with special pre-arranged tour.
2. Mercer Caverns tour at 4:30 to 5:15pm ( 45min) ( just north of Murphys)

Drive past Table Mountain. Used as back drop in BTTF3
Final destination at Mercer Caverns
Max elevation climb is 2000 ft

Meeting point departure time is 9:30 am sharp!

Meeting point is in Lathrop, CA at the Starbucks located here: 15010 Harlan Road, Lathrop, CA

Just off the I-5 freeway, Lathrop road and Harlan road. Please be in the parking lot ready to depart by 9:30. arrive at this point at any time prior. If you want to stay in the area overnight, I recommend the Holiday Inn express right down Harlan Road.

At 9:30 we depart and begin our drive, heading north on Hwy 5 to Hwy 4 thru Stockton, and continuing east on 4 (Farmington Road). Along Hwy 4 we will stop along the side of the road to allow everyone to re-group if needed. about 15 minutes drive to this point.

Continuing on, we will take Hwy 4 until the small town of Farmington, at Escalon-Bellota Road, where we turn left and head north toward CA 26.

At Hwy 26 we turn right, and continue heading east. At Milton road, we turn south again and follow this smooth 2-lane road toward Milton. In Milton we will stop for a break at the Old Church. About 1 hr from the turn off at hwy 99 to this point.

Rejoining Hwy 4, we turn left east again and head toward the town of Copperopolis with an ascend up Gopher Ridge. 

Just before we enter the town of Copperopolis, we stop for lunch and break at the Town Square.

Click on image to see the Copperopolis Town Square Directory

This relatively new development just outside the town has a "town hall" and plaza very reminiscent of the one in the BTTF movies. Our cars will fit right in here. We will have lunch here at Griff's BBQ. We will arrive at around 11:30am.

Menu and place pics:

             

Following lunch, we there will be some free time to check out several of the neat shops, have coffee or ice cream, or just hang out and socialize. At 1:00pm we need to get going again. There is also a gas station and ATM there.

Departing Copperopolis town square we will bypass the town and on Reeds Turnpike, then make a right on Main St/O'Brynes Ferry Road. This road takes us through the Table Mountain area, and is very scenic. We will stop at Lake Tulloch Resort for a quick photo op. about 15 min from Copperopolis.

Continuing south on O'Brynes Ferry road, we cross over the bridge over Lake Tulloch and climb up toward hwy 120/108. We turn left onto 120/108 ( 120 soon exits right) but continue on 108 where then is joined by 49. We follow this main route into Jamestown, turning right on main street and toward Railtown 1879, our first tour stop for the day. This is 20 min from the rest stop at the Lake. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=491 There will be a fee for the tour*.

 

At 2:00pm to 3:00pm we will be given a special tour of the facilities there. The steam train used in BTTF 3 is kept here and still runs during the summer months. We will not be taking the Train ride as they will not yet be operational for the summer season. See their website: http://www.railtown1897.com/railtown/default.asp and blog: http://railtown1897.wordpress.com/

Once the tour is complete we will head toward Angels Camp via Rawhide Road back to Hwy 49, then cross over New Melones Lake, with a short photo op stop at the overlook with the bridge in the back ground. About 15-20 minutes from Railtown.

We will continue on 49 north into Angles Camp and toward Murphys, at just over 2000 ft. elevation.

In Murphys, we will drive through town and up Sheep Ranch Road toward Mercer Caverns. About 25 minutes from the overlook over Melones lake.

This road is a little more rough and bumpy. Take it slow, its not that far to the caverns. Discovered in 1885 by a prospector taking a rest, its been hosting tours ever since. Lots of parking and a nice gift shop. I have reserved the entire last tour of the day for us, for up to 20 people. Tour will be begin at 4:30 and we need to be on time! The tour is 45 minute, with easy to access stairs on entrance/exit.

Once the tour is complete, we will head back down into Murphys and begin our drive back home via Murphys Grade Road back into Angels Camp, then Hwy 4 ( the new section and the fun twisty old section) until we reach the highlight road of the drive : Pool Station Road. This turn off is about 25-30 minutes from Mercer Caverns.

Pool Station Road is a 12 mile, smooth, two lane road that heads north, almost parallel to Hwy 49, toward Valley Springs. There are a few old quarries on the route, and what looks to be an abandoned cement factory ( photo stop!)

Here are some photos of the road. It.speaks for itself:

At the north end of Pool Station Road we will meet Hwy 12, and turn west. This will take us through the town of Valley Springs, just north of New Hogan Lake. In Valley springs we will rejoin Hwy 26, that takes us all the way back to Stockton. We will end the drive at the Denny's Restaurant at hwy 99 and 88. This is about 1hr 15 min from the turn off at Pool Station Road.

From this point everyone can go their own way, home or for dinner, or whatever.

Please Note:

Every car should have GMRS/FRS radios using channel 4.1 ( must have sub channels) for communication regarding the route, traffic, road conditions, hazards on the road, cyclists, or if you fall behind. The group will have a designated middle car and last car. I will be in the lead car ( no DeLorean unless someone wants to loan me one!)

* I will have to pay for both tours in one lump sum so I'm asking everyone who wants to go on them to pay up front a charge of $20 per person to cover both tour costs if you want to attend them. Lunch not included.

Click HERE for a complete route map

See you then!