It was another great day at Kachina for the 9th Annual Porsche Club Artisan Winery & Lunch Tour, Swing in the Vineyards. This event was unmatched by any other, as we were honored to have one of our very own members, Roland Tolosa, perform "rat pack" swing music with his band, SwingSet. Additionally, renowned chef Mike Matson of Vintage Valley Catering out of Healdsburg provided a feast of grilled tri-tip and chicken with all the fixings! 

The day was a hot one, as we all know this event historically has been in the past. We had some shelter of umbrellas on the crush pad and everyone was able to bring their beach chairs to find reprieve under the trees. It was a fun event, with great wines, cars, food, music, playing a game of Petanque, and - of course - you members that make it possible to keep this venue going strong!

Porsches relax in the shade at Kachina

A colorful backdrop to a relaxing afternoon with great friends, food, and wine

Twenty-six Porsches lined up for a perfect photo opportunity

The day was grey and overcast as the first Club members pulled into the parking lot and headed towards the Starbucks in Healdsburg's Vineyard Plaza Shopping Center. Half an hour later, our introductions done, our drivers' meeting under our belts, and - thanks to Kurt - one freebie answer in our hot little hands for our "Fact or Fiction" contest, our 26 cars were on their way. Today's run would take us valley-hopping across some of the area's most lovely scenery, from Healdsburg in Sonoma County to the Rob Roy Golf Club on Cobb Mountain in Lake County. 

We started north on Healdsburg Ave., stopping to regroup there before turning east onto Alexander Valley Road. Ah...now this is why we are in this Club! Slowly the road began to rise, houses began to drop away, hawks flew overhead, and glimpses of nature in the full bloom of summer slid by the roadside. Continuing onto CA 128, we crested the mountain and began a gentle descent to the floor of Alexander Valley. Right where CA 128 pulls a 90-degree turn is a local landmark, The Jimtown Store, known far and wide by fans (authors included) of Guy Fieri's Food Network show, Diners, Drive-ins & Dives. It's a restaurant as well as store. Great brisket sandwich!

The valley floor, as always, was awe-inspiring. We made our way south on CA 128, passing grape vines bursting with fruit, their long tendrils reaching out and beckoning us to claim the moment. Graceful manses from days past dotted the gold and green fields. Everywhere you looked, nature had provided. One cannot pass along these roads without a deep sense of homage to all we have inherited.

A left onto Tubbs Lane and we began to rise again. Around us stood giant green sentinels mutely passing the decades, a stark contrast to the sleek Porsches straining to cut loose below their branches. We passed Old Faithful Geyser, one of three geysers in the world with the designation "old faithful". Thanks to our run hosts, Bob and Anita, we would hear more about geothermal power at our first Lake County stop of the day, at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center in Middletown.

Bob shares some knowledge about Calpine, the largest producer of geothermal energy in North America

Bob, it turned out, had worked on this Calpine project, and as we gathered around a large turbine in the Visitor's Center courtyard, he briefly explained how the phenomenon works - and that power derived from this source is 99.5% green. Note that several of the questions in our "Fact or Fiction" contest came straight from Bob's talk.

Continuing north, we were welcomed at Club member Glenn Marks's place in Hidden Valley, where he graciously provided us with our first bio-break: finger food, beverages, and time for another group car photo in front of those sleek metal horses we love to ride. Relaxed and refreshed, we headed out to the next spectacular vista.

A right onto County Road 219/Pt. Lakeview Road had us hugging the ridgeline on the southwestern edge of Clear Lake.  Though the ravages of recent fires have been visible on the drive, so also is the regeneration of the land. For several miles, we twisted and turned along the ridge, heading inland again with a left onto CA-281E/Soda Bay Road and continuing south along Red Hill Road to CA-175E and our destination, Rob Roy Golf Club in Cobb, CA.

Club members get seated for a nice brunch at Creekside Grill

At a 3,000 ft. elevation, the 9-hole course itself is flat and walkable, a local gem surrounded by the beautiful Mayacamas Mountain Range and Cobb Mountain. We parked our cars on the lawn in front of the clubhouse and, after a few more pictures, proceeded to the function room of the Creekside Grill for some well-deserved refreshment.

Last month, I reported on Redwood Region's first July autocross event, which was held on July 7, and was designated as a "Ladies Day" event. This report will cover the second event, which was held on July 21. As I indicated earlier, July was a busy month! Unfortunately, I was out of town for the August 11 event, but participants assured me that a good time was had by all!

In contrast to our previous event, most of our normal autocross crew would be attending, so I didn't have to arrive particularly early. Once I arrived, I was happy to see that attendance was greatly improved over our July 7 event, which meant that we would have plenty of people to man the various duties that go with conducting an autocross event.

This event's course was designed by our Zone 7 Representative, Sharon Neidel, and it differed significantly from the fast, flowing course at the July 7 event. The course featured the usual slalom sections, and the typically bumpy ride through the go-kart section, with a couple of interesting additions: the first major difference was that there was a 180-degree right-hand exit out of the go-kart section, which would be a very slow turn. The second interesting feature was a very fast set of gates near the finish line. The brave drivers felt that this last section could be taken without braking, or even lifting the throttle! We'd see about that....

The weather started off relatively cool, but the absence of cloud cover meant that the temperatures would warm quickly. As our course tends to get slippery in the afternoon, there would be great emphasis on trying to set quick times during the morning runs. Personally, I've always found that it takes me several runs to find the quickest way around an autocross course, so I usually post my fastest times in the afternoon, even if the track surface is more slippery. It could be that the slightly-reduced traction enables me to rotate the car more easily into the tighter corners, which leads to faster times. That's my theory, and it seems to work, so I'm sticking with it!

My archrival Chris wasn't able to attend this time, so my direct competition would be another 914, driven by Bob Schoenherr, one of our talented instructors. Bob has participated in a few (dozen) more autocross events than I have, and he always seems to extract the maximum performance from his 914. He is also a very knowledgeable instructor, so if you get the chance to get him in your car, take it! I was anxious to see how we'd match up. After the obligatory tire-warming runs, it was time to try and tame the course. As anticipated, the exit out of the go-kart was excruciatingly slow, and I found it very difficult to exit at the correct point to be properly set up for the following turn. Also, the set of gates at the end of the course was quite fast, but I couldn't quite get up the nerve to take the section flat out. If you ran too wide out of the penultimate gate, you'd wind up in the dirt, and the last gate would require a very quick right/left flick in order to avoid knocking down cones. Bob was comfortably ahead of me. There was work to be done after the lunch break....

As anticipated, the temperature had increased significantly by the time our lunch break ended. Accordingly, we decided to have fewer runs than in the morning, which would allow everyone to get home a bit earlier. After discussing the go-kart section with other drivers, and adjusting tire pressures, it was time for the afternoon session. I was still not very happy with my performance in the go-kart section, but I seemed to be going just a bit faster. On my second run, I was almost able to take the last section flat out, but I chickened out at the last minute, just lifting the throttle before the last gate. Finally, on my third run, I successfully negotiated the last section without slowing. The car just drifted through the last gate, right on the edge of control. I thought that better have been faster, because that was a bit scary! Fortunately, that run was over half a second better than my previous best. I pulled off the same trick on the following run, and improved a bit more. The last time I tried that approach, the track (or my tires) had lost just a wee bit of grip, and the car fishtailed into a spin after the last gate. Part of the good news was that the spin happened after the finish line, and I didn't hit any cones, so there was no time penalty. The other part of the good news is that I didn't try to repeat that approach on my last run, so no more spinning! Who says dinosaurs can't learn?! After the event, I compared my times with Bob's and found that he had gone about 0.6 seconds faster than I had. I'll have to try again in September!

Speaking of September, I will report on the September 22 event in our next newsletter. Although I was unable to attend the August event, I was encouraged by the level of participation. Be sure to come out to the September event - you'll want to practice up for the grand finale (the "enduro" event) in October. See you out on the course!

Redwood Region's Labor Day Pool Party

Last Sunday, September 2, 2012, was our annual visit to Redwood Region members John and Wynne Bergman's wonderful home and pool in Forestville!

I arrive at 10:30 a.m. with the sun out in full force and no fog, with highs expected in the upper 80's. John is busy in the cabana next to the pool, attending to last-minute details, and Randy, the caterer, arrives with his towed BBQ grill. Tables and chairs are set into place, with David Bunch and Sharon Neidel arriving with the Goodie store, which is placed in a good spot next to the pool. We are ready for the Redwood Region members to arrive!

The great smells of barbequed tri-tip and chicken permeate the still, warm air as Randy prepares the pesto pasta and tosses the Caesar salad; he also brought a huge chocolate cake for dessert! 

Splashing away on Labor Day Weekend

Just at 12:00 noon, the cars begin to arrive: smiling faces with towels, bathing suits, and their favorite potables. All the shiny Porsches park in the small field next to the pool. Let the party begin! At around 1:30 p.m., we get the call that the food is ready! No shy people in this group, we grab our plates and the line forms in the cabana with Randy slicing up the tri-tip and chicken served with great aplomb and Randy's dry wit!

I heard nothing but high praise for Randy's cooking: the tri-tip was succulent, tender, and ever so tasty! Wanted chicken? How about half of one? Huge servings for our non-red meat-eating friends. Everybody was happy!

The old rule of waiting one hour after eating and before swimming is finally been debunked! As a kid, this rule was heavily enforced, much to the chagrin of us pool animals. The pool toys come out of the closet and, splash, in go the swimmers into the wonderful salt-water pool at about 82 degrees! If you have never been in a non-chlorine pool, you must experience it. Salt water is wonderful; it makes your skin feel so soft! 

Group shot at the Bergmans' place

Thanks and kudos to John and Wynne Bergman for allowing us Porsche crazies to have another "Occupy Forestville" event at their place, and for their suggestion of using the one man dynamo, Randy Apel, as our caterer! Also, thanks to all our members for jumping up and cleaning the place after the party. This is why our events are so successful: our members care!

I have checked the 2013 calendar and it looks like another event may take place on Sunday, September 1, 2013. Stay tuned!

Kurt