Yes, next Saturday, BAOC is hosting an Orienteering event at a NEW Location and on a NEW MAP!
The event is being held at Foothill Park, which is just northeast of the town of Windsor in Sonoma County. The Sonoma County parks department asked BAOC to participate in their annual Parks Day celebration by running an event on their lovely site near Windsor. We will be running beginners clinics starting at 9AM, and will have two courses, White, and a long White/Yellow course. We are using the map created by Sonoma County, and while it is of better quality and detail than any park district map I have ever seen (it has contours, vegetation boundaries , etc.), it does not easily allow fair and accurate navigation off trail (Next year, we hope to have a proper 'O map of the park). The park consists of open to moderately dense Oak woodland, in gentle rolling hills surrounding three small lakes. 90% of the map is very runnable. There is some Poison Oak, but it is currently bright red (easy to notice) and the courses will take care to avoid all of it (easy to do). Their are some beautiful views of the surrounding country on both courses.
An added bonus is that the event is FREE to all participants! The Parks department is sponsoring events at many of the county's parks and has decided that they will all be offered free of charge.
We are expecting a large turnout of first-timers as this event has been getting a lot of publicity in the North Bay. Therefor, we could use several more volunteers to help with registration, starts, and to act as greeters for newcomers. Please contact me or Judy Koehler if you can help.
The site is situated right between the Alexander and Russian River Valleys, which are renown for their many wineries. Plan on coming up and staying for a while in the area to check out the local sights and tastes!
Please contact me if you have any questions.