Disclaimer:
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This a pay your own way event. This means even I, the organizer, will pay my own way to attend. Organizing drives is my hobby and I enjoy organizing and hosting events for fellow enthusiasts. I pay for the website and store system out of my own pocket to make sharing information and registering easier on everyone.
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Expedition Lost Coast – September 19th-20th, 2015

[url="http://raddrives.com/catalog/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=65"]Register here for trip[/url]

The Lost Coast run is a change of pace for an off-roading adventure than our usual desert runs. This two-day trip is a slower pace, more social event that has the group winding in and around the mountains along the Northern California Coast. While not a fast pace trip, we will still be exploring some great trails in order to get as much dirt under our wheels as possible. Families and couples are welcome, as we will be driving along the coast with some breath taking views.

Planned Trip Summary:
The group will meet in Cloverdale, CA to kick off 250 miles of a mix of back roads and dirt trails leading to Eureka, CA. Over the course of the day, you will see some amazing areas rarely seen by others and enjoy over 70 miles of dirt trails through the heart of the Northern California Coast. The planned stops for day one are as follows: Point Cabrillo Lighthouse for a group photo opportunity, Glass Beach for a little coast time, Pacific Star Winery for lunch and wine tasting, and Lost Coast beach. We will end the day in Eureka, where we will be staying overnight. The second day we will head down the Avenue of the Giants for a morning walk in the redwoods and a stop at the Drive Thru Tree to see if your rig fits. We will then make a stop in Willits for lunch before heading to one more winery to end the trip.

Participation checklist
Radio of some sort
Full Size Spare
Ability to have fun

For Fun

Along the way, participants will also have a few opportunities to earn four achievement decals. These are visiting the lighthouse, driving on the beach, and spotting a surfer or bigfoot.
[img]http://raddrives.com/radphotos/lostcoast/Lost-Coast-Logo.jpg [/img]

Expedition Lost Coast – September 19th-20th, 2015
Day 1: Meeting Location
Date: 09-19-2015
Address: Super 8 Cloverdale - 1147 S Cloverdale Blvd., Cloverdale, CA 95425
Time: 7:30am - Drivers meeting
Depart: 7:45am – Trip begins.

Activity: Registration, assist with decal application and drivers meeting for day

The drivers meeting is to go over the rules of the trail as well as make sure everyone has the required gear. This is also a chance for participants to ask questions and get assistance on any part of trail setup. There will be plenty of stops on this trail with civilized restrooms and fuel will be plentiful, so no need to pack the extra fuel cans.

Stop 1:
Point Cabrillo Light Station - 45300 Lighthouse Rd., Mendocino, CA 95460
Stop 2:
Glass Beach - Fort Bragg, CA 95437

Lunch stop will be at the Pacific Star Winery
Address: Pacific Star Winery, 33000 CA-1, Fort Bragg, CA 95437

After lunch, we will head to the Lost Coast Trail, which will take us along the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. This is the longest section of dirt trails for the day. The trails are very technical in regards to having lots of turns, washout transverses and tight quarters.

Overnight Accommodations
Address: Clarion - 2223 Fourth Street, Eureka, CA, 95501
Hotel includes a hot breakfast as noted on the website.
Phone: (707) 443-1601

Dinner stop
Address: Lost Coast Brewery & Café - 617 4th St., Eureka, CA 95501
Time: 7:00pm

Expedition Lost Coast – September 19th-20th, 2015
Day 2:
Leave from the hotel at 8:00am on the DOT!!!

This day is a shorter day as we make out way back towards home. We will start with a freeway drive down to the Avenue of the Giants to check out the redwoods.

Lunch stop will be in Willits, CA
Time: ~ 12:30 – 1:30 for Lunch
Lumberjack's Restaurant - Willits
Address: 1700 S Main St., Willits, CA 95490

After lunch, participants can caravan home and/or start their own adventure on more trails. The official group event ends after lunch so those who have to make a longer trek home can start their long journey.

Event Cost
Base event fee is $70, which covers the Decals, Shipping, Event Insurance, Printed Maps / Docs and PayPal fees.

Optional Items
$15 for Whole Foods Boxed Lunch (Choice of sandwich and includes pasta salad, fruit cup, cookie, soda)

Pre Run Accommodations[
For those who are making a long trek to get to the event start, we have rooms held at the Super 8 Cloverdale for $146 taxes included. We have 10 rooms on hold, so if you wish to get a room with the group the night before, register ASAP. If we book all these rooms we will attempt to get more if possible.

Super 8 Cloverdale
Address: 1147 S Cloverdale Blvd, Cloverdale, CA 95425

What to expect:
A. Slower pace on the dirt as we are winding in and out of mountain trails.
B. There is a more paved driving than dirt trails in order to make a complete run and not have a lot of down and back trails.
C. Day one will be long, as we need to cover the mileage, but the effort to cover these miles offers some great scenic rewards rarely seen by others.

Teaser video of what to expect on the trip along the coast.
https://youtu.be/cmCgoVIm_Tk

[url="http://raddrives.com/catalog/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=65"]Register here for trip[/url]

Thread bump to remind people about the outing. I have also had a few common questions across the threads so here is the Q&A.



Q: Can my stock Truck make this event?

A: Yes, no custom or heavy built vehicle is needed for this event. Just make sure to have a full size spare.



Q: Do I need 4X4 ?

A: No, as long as your vehicle has some descent ground clearance you are good to go. Pre run was done in two-wheel drive with no airing down.



Q: Do I have to take the trail the whole way?

A: No, there are 3 points if you find you or your passengers are getting tired can cut over to the freeway to get to Eureka. Just know the last part of the day is the most scenic.



Current decals that have been claimed as of this post:

Reminder that there is still time to sign up. If you want decals mailed before the event you have till Monday the 7th to pre register.

After that date decals will be handed out at the event to make sure the mail does not lose them.

Final deadline to sign up is 9/15

The Lost Coast Expedition was a fun off the beaten path trip on the Northern California Coast. Before we do the recap, the participants and the ROC team would like to thank all the fire fighters out there who were fighting the wild fires in Northern CA. The hotel we stayed at the night before the event was about 3/4 fire fighters resting to go back out to fight the fires.

See all the images on the [url="http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/index.html"]web album at raddrive.com[/url]

See our video highlights of this laid back adventure
https://youtu.be/Et47o6sHTqQ

On to the recap: The group was up bright and early to go over the drivers meeting and pass out all the decals and boxed lunches. After a quick meeting the group headed off to hit the first trail that led from the valley up and over the mountain range to the ocean.







Once we hit HWY 1 we turned north toward the planned stops and the rest of the trails. Along the way we made a restroom stop to give people a chance to relax. Somehow, a bench turned into a surfboard to win one of the achievement decals.



After the restroom stop, we made a stop at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse for lunch and to check out the sights. We got some great shots of the lighthouse using the drone, as the weather was perfect.







From the lighthouse, we made a quick stop for fuel and headed to the winery. The winery has some amazing grounds to hang out at and just relax. Most of the group partook in the sampling of the vineyards different blends. From what I heard, everyone loved the wines, but more importantly enjoyed the wine bong (the thing that wine is poured into to aerate it).





After a short drive from the winery we hit the long section of the trails. Turning up Usla Road we headed towards the beach stop to let people put their feet in the ocean. Since it was the end of the camping season, few people were there and we only had one car to navigate by on the way.



[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Co...r%2057_1024.jpg[/img]

Most of the group parked and walked to the beach once we arrived to avoid the chance of getting stuck. The few of us that braved the beach had a little fun kicking the sand up, though we had to make sure not to slow down as this was deep sand and you could easily get stuck.

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Adam/slides/LostCoast%20%2841%29.jpg[/img]

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Co...r%2010_1024.jpg[/img]

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Adam/slides/LostCoast%20%2840%29.jpg[/img]

After some fun on the beach we headed up the trail on the long section of dirt. Mid way through we ran across a fallen tree. Of course the time I didn’t bring the chainsaw we needed it. Luckily we were able to navigate around the log and continue on the rest of the trail.

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Wagoneer/slides/IMG_5180.JPG[/img]

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Wagoneer/slides/IMG_5179.JPG[/img]

Because we were having so much fun we got off the main trail section later than planned. Instead of chancing the last half of the trail we turned to the 101 freeway and headed to Eureka. After 50 minute drive we reached Eureka and the Lost Coast Brewery. Everyone was tired after a LONG day - 255 miles from start until end.

The next morning we lost a few people who wanted to go direct to the Avenue of the Giants. The rest of the group headed to the shorter section of trail we missed the day before to get all the dirt miles in we could.

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Wagoneer/slides/IMG_5233.JPG[/img]

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Adam/slides/LostCoast%20%2860%29.JPG[/img]

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Wagoneer/slides/IMG_5360.JPG[/img]

After a morning playing on the last section of trails, the group stopped for lunch in an unknown small town. The lunch stop was good and the locals were, let’s say colorful. After lunch, half the group headed home and the other half hit the Avenue of the Giants.

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Wagoneer/slides/IMG_5233.JPG[/img]

This was a different change of pace than the usual desert runs. Those who went on the trip had a blast and felt a sense of accomplishment after Saturday’s marathon day. As always, thank you to those who came, and see you on the next trail run.

[img]http://raddrives.com/albums/2015-Lost_Coast/Lost%20Coast%20-%20Adam/slides/LostCoast%20%2852%29.jpg[/img]