Napa Valley Cruise -- 5/22/05 -- Vipers and Vettes!!!

CSTER

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Hey guys,

Last weekend I met up with a couple local Vette and Viper buddies for coffee and a quick morning run. We all said that we should try to get a Napa Valley cruise put together. Well, Dave looks to have put his creative juices to good use and has come up with what sounds like a GREAT run!!! ALSO, keep in mind that you certainly don't have to make the entire run/lunch/tour/etc. Actually my wife and I will likely have to head for home right after lunch as we have a 9 week-old baby at home, so if there's others that need to do the same, we can have a smaller group of cars cruise back with us.

This will be a great opportunity to get the Viper out and to meet some other great can nuts.

Christian




NAPA VALLEY V-V-V-R-O-O-M!!! CRUISE

V-V-V-R-O-O-M ! ! ! . . .”Vettes, Vipers, Vines, Roaming Outdoor Outing & Meandering” -- I met a few other Detroit horsepower addicts the other day. . . . Fellow Vette or Viper owners. Four of us met for coffee and thought it would be fun to gather up a few other similarly afflicted car nuts and their significant others (or not) and find an excuse to take a cruise somewhere.



So come join us for a cruise to scenic Napa Valley for lunch and a little wine tasting on Sunday, May 22nd. This event is open to all Corvette and Viper owners. We’ll meet up at my office in Walnut Creek (right next to the freeway) at 9:00am. I’ll provide bagels/pastry and Starbucks coffee. We’ll hit the road at 9:30 and caravan up to the Napa Valley.



Our first stop will be at Andretti Winery (partially owned by Mario Andretti). Hey! . . . Vettes! . . . Vipers! . . . We gotta’ stop at Andretti’s! Great gardens in a Tuscan setting, and some fairly decent wines.



Then we’ll head up the Silverado Trail towards Calistoga, taking the long way around to The Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant located at The Culinary Institute of American at Greystone in St. Helena. We’ll stop there for leisurely lunch – Great food, sensational wines, creative seasonal cocktails, and Northern California microbrews, all in a grand and rustic historical stone structure.



Then we’ll head back up the valley a short ways to Sterling Vineyards for a winery tour beginning with a tram ride up to the winery situated atop a hill. You’ll be offered a taste of wine to take with you as you wander through the sprawling winery at your own pace, following paths leading to various parts of the winery and out to a large outdoor terrace. There you’ll be offered another wine for tasting as you enjoy the fantastic views down the valley. You’ll wander back through the winery and up to the very top of the facility to yet another terrace with fabulous views up the other direction of the valley. There you’ll enjoy a seated tasting of a few additional wine selections served by Sterling’s Wine Ambassadors. Some may want to wander into the Cellar Club Room where wine club members (and those considering club membership) are offered tastings of some of the winery’s more special and limited bottlings. The cost of the tram ride, tour and tasting is $15. I have four complimentary guest passes – One will go to each of the first four cars to RSVP.



Next we can either all go off in our own directions, or some of us may decide to take an extended drive. There is a drive custom-made for low-slung, curve-loving machines that takes you back through Calistoga and North to Middletown, then out through Pope Valley and back to the Silverado Trail at about mid-valley. It’s probably about an hour’s drive through some sparsely populated and beautiful valleys, by way of winding country roads.



Feel free to join us from our starting point in Walnut Creek or anywhere along the route. If you’ll be joining us for lunch, please RSVP to me ASAP as I will need a head count well in advance for reservations at the Culinary Institute.



Please RSVP to David Epperson @ [email protected] or 1-877-605-2016. First four cars to RSVP will get one free admission/tram ride/winery tour/wine tasting at Sterling Vineyards.



Meet at 9:00am for coffee and a little mutual car envy, at 101 Ygnacio Valley Road, Walnut Creek – On the corner of Ygnacio Valley Road and Oakland Blvd – Between the BART tracks and Hwy 680.



If coming from the South or West, exit 680/24 at Ygnacio Valley Road – Make left hand u-turn at end of ramp – First building/lot on your right.



If you’re coming from the North, from 680 Southbound exit North Main Street (Head South-Downtown – Just keep to your right) – 1/4 mile, veer right onto California – Another 1/4 mile, turn right onto Ygnacio Valley – At first light, turn left onto Oakland Blvd – First building/lot on your right. Get lost? – Call me @ 1-877-605-2016.



Here are some links for additional info on destinations:

http://www.andrettiwinery.com/

http://www2.ciachef.edu/lm/greystone/spectator/index.html

http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/

:usa:
 
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CSTER

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ViperCollin, I'm not sure. If we leave Walnut Creek at 9:30, I would imagine we'd be at Andretti's around 10:30 to 11. I'll try to get more information from Dave, or feel free to email him directly for a time. His email is: [email protected]

Hope to see you on the 22nd!

Christian
 
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CSTER

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ViperCollin, I spoke with Dave and he indicated that we'd be arriving at Andretti's around 10:30 a.m. Do you think you'll be able to make it out?

Christian
 
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Jon,

Fly out on the weekend and come along!! I'm sure you can catch a ride. I'd say ride with me, but my wife's planning on coming. I'm sure there'll be other seats available though!

Christian
 
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UPDATE: I received this email from Dave, my buddy that's planning the Viper/Vette cruise on May 22, 2005:

Hi All!

Okay, slight change in plans . . . Though The Culinary Institute at Greystone is a great experience and has great food, when I called to make reservations I discovered they are a bit too structured in regard to group reservations. We would have ended up with a limited and somewhat fixed menu and a per person cost of $50 to $60, plus cocktails and wine -- Even if a person just wanted salad and/or soup (which was not even one of the choices on the group menu). That might be okay if the whole group were a bunch of foodies and all were really hungry. But, I think some of our group may not be thrilled with dropping a C-note for lunch! Plus, since this is a first gathering of a bunch of us who don t know one another yet, I m not real wild about covering the $50/head they will charge me for no-shows (they actually want me to sign a contract for lunch) . . . Maybe another event, another day. And on the other side of the spectrum, if extra people just show up, it seems like the place would not "cope" well with the unexpected.



So Plan B -- We ll stop at Rutherford Grill for lunch instead. Everyone can order whatever they like. The place gets consistently rave reviews (I ve not tried it yet). The cost is more moderate. And we don t have to involve contract lawyers.



So, for anyone trying to join us midday, we ll still start from my Walnut Creek office. We should get to Andretti Winery in Napa by about 10:30. We ll head up the Silverado trail and cross the Valley at Conn Creek Rd, heading to Rutherford. Should make the Rutherford Grill between 11:30 and noon, thus beating the big lunch rush. After lunch, we ll head back to the Silverado Trail via Rutherford Rd/Conn Creek Rd, then continue North on Silverado Trail to (and through) Calistoga. Then Hwy 29 South a short distance to Sterling Vineyards (left on Dunaweal Lane).



BTW - We have 12 cars confirmed so far, and a handful of maybe's. I suspect it will grow more this week. See everyone on the 22nd! Should be a beautiful cruise.



Dave
 
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Right on Dave!

Anyone else want to come along? Shoot me an email. It will be a great cruise. I'd love to have a few more Vipers in; I think we've got about 5 or so confirmed now.

Christian
 

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