good day to all!
After careful planning with Steve O'Neil and much thanks to Robert and Larry in the 2002 section for combining their groups' participation, I am excited to announce the following rally plans for Saturday 11/3:
Meeting point: 10:00 at PNC Bank parking lot in New Hope, PA at the intersection of Bridge St. and Main St.. We will meet in the back of the lot near the Starbucks employee parking spots. For Mapquest or Yahoo maps, the exact address is 2 North Main St. New Hope PA 18938. It looks like @ 12 cars are confirmed to participate.
Leg 1: The Stretch
We will depart from the Bank parking lot at @ 10:30 where we will let the cars unwind a bit as we drive North on River Rd. hugging the Delaware River. This will be followed by my favorite part of the rally, Ralph Stover Park where the twisties, elevation, and banked turns are outstanding. We will then hop back on to River Rd. as we bend around the scenic Delaware River all the way up to the local ice cream stand at the Milford bridge for a stretch. --Approximate drive time 45 minutes--
Leg 2: Lunch
We will then turn around and go South on River Rd. until we come to the Frenchtown bridge. We will cross the bridge into Frenchtown, NJ and gather for lunch at the Bridge Cafe which is set in an old railroad station. This will be a rustic setting to enjoy a relaxing bite to eat (and to give our cars some time to rest). There will be ample parking. --Approximate drive time 20 minutes--
Leg 3: The Vineyard
Depart from lunch, cross back over the Frenchtown bridge back to PA and head back down River Rd. to the Sand Castle Winery. I've arranged for a brief 20 min. tour with the owner of the Vineyard who is excited to see all of our cars (and he insists on a photo op with his new Castle as the backdrop)! Their website is
www.sandcastlewinery.com. This will be followed by a brief wine tasting at our option. --Approximate drive time 20 minutes--
Leg 4: Sheep Farms
Depart from the Vineyard and cut inland where we will tour scenic backwoods Bucks County farmland. The highlight will be a drive through a sheep farm and other (hopefully) deserted back roads. --Approximate drive time 30 minutes--
Leg 5: Church, Departure
We will continue further inland and conclude at a local New Hope church where we will gather for one last photo op. This location will allow all of us to get back on the main highways home without passing through the New Hope tourist traffic.
I estimate that we should be done somewhere around 2:30 or 3 pm depending on traffic and lunch time.
SOME OTHER THOUGHTS:
Should one of our cars break down and is undriveable I will try to arrange for a towing service to be on call.
The rain date will be Saturday 11/10 IF enough people can make it.
Please forward me your cell phone #'s so that I can have a list on hand should one of you need to call for directions. Steve O'Neil lives locally so he is familiar with the roads.
Please forward this email to anyone else who owns a late 60's/early 70's BMW. More drivers=more fun!
I look forward to seeing everyone on the 3rd. Perhaps this rally will become an annual tradition as we say goodbye to the driving season in spirited fashion.
With Regards,
Jonathan Blanc
