BAOC's first B meet of 2000 is at Joseph D. Grant County Park in San Jose. The standard seven courses (White, Yellow, Orange, Brown, Green, Red, and Blue) will be offered. No remote start this year; start and finish will be at the end of the parking lot near the ranger station.
Joe Grant is the largest park in the Santa Clara County park system. It is a mixture of open grassland and oak woodlands on the slopes of Mt. Hamilton. Lick Observatory dominates the view to the east. It's popular with mountain bikers and equestrians, but at this time of year we probably will have the park all to ourselves, except for the feral pigs.
The White course is largely flat and follows the trails around Hall's Valley. The Yellow and Orange courses go up the grassy hillsides and should be a challenging outing with limited use of trails. Dean French is setting these courses. I haven't seen Tapio Karras' advanced courses yet, but they will be in the same vicinity. Since the area is mostly open and runnable, they will be on the long side.
Registration will open at 9:00 am, with start times from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm. Beginners clinics will be held between 9:30 and 10:30. Park entrance fee is $4 per vehicle.
Joe Grant is at 2,000 feet elevation, so dress warmly. Mt. Hamilton often has snow at the summit in January, but the road is almost always open to the park.
Volunteers are still needed for all duties. Start and finish require no orienteering expertise. This would be ideal for a Scout troop. Control pickup is also needed.