Briones Regional Park
Date: (Sat.) May. 14, 2005
Location: Lafayette, CA
Event Director: 
- 510.658.4327
Course Setter: Penny DeMoss
Type: C; Advanced courses only; No beginner or intermediate courses
Course Setter's and Event Director's Notes
By Penny and Harold DeMoss
Ok, so we're clear on this now. The meet is on SATURDAY, and there will be ADVANCED COURSES ONLY. Brown, Green, Red, and Blue courses will be offered. Because of parking limitations, we cannot include White, Yellow, or Orange courses. Needless to say, there will not be any beginners' clinics either.
Please car pool if at all possible -- we don't want to lose our ability to use the north end of this park by jamming up the parking lot and ticking off the head ranger. She has been very good about letting Harold and me use this area in the past, but only because we've had limited numbers. This is a popular equestrian staging point, so please leave the large open area towards the back of the parking lot open for horse trailers. (You'll know what I mean when you see it.)
As always, do not startle horses by running up from behind if you encounter them during your run. Stand aside or walk slowly if you are approached from the front by equestrians, and call out to the riders and ask if you can pass if you approach from behind.
VETTERS' COMMENTS: "I enjoyed the courses, had a lot of fun" ... "make it clear that the Blue course is a 'true blue' (not our more normal 'wimpy blue')" ... "I think Green is the best course of the bunch" -- Steve Gregg. "The Green course looks great" -- Steve Beuerman.
Okay , so there you have it. Looks like if you're wavering between Brown, Green, and Red you should go for the Green. Because of the recent rain, the ground should be nice and soft. Briones tends to be overgrazed by cattle, so you won't have to swim through thigh-high grass like at Joe Grant. The courses are very physical, and as technical as I could make them at a typical northern Calif. venue. Not a time to move up a course.
Here are the course details:
Brown 3.4 km 220 m climb 9 controls difficult Green 4.8 km 325 m climb 12 controls very difficult Red 6.0 km 445 m climb 13 controls very, very difficult Blue 7.25 km 545 m climb 15 controls very, very, very difficult
The map scale is 1:10,000 with a contour interval of 7.5 m. The area is a nice combination of high hills, open grassy meadows and valleys, creeks, ponds, and oak/bay forests. Do not plan a route that goes through dark or medium green. Can't be done. The lighter green is not bad, but that's where you'll see poison oak. Bring your Tecnu. Better yet, bring the new Tecnu Extreme if you can find it at the drug store. It's excellent. Sounds like it would be harsher, but it's not. I happened upon it last month at a Longs and seeing that it is homeopathic I figured it wouldn't work -- but it works better for Harold and me than the "old" Tecnu. Check it out. (We both got poison oak picking up controls at Joe Grant -- does Derek not know what it looks like? Jeez...)
REGISTRATION: Registration will be from 9:00 AM until noon. We (you) will be self-registering. Bring a check or exact amount to put in the envelope. James will be on hand to issue rental E-punch sticks, and to register non-members or people who didn't bring exact change.
STARTS: Starts will be available from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM. The start is about 200 m from registration. It will be set up as a self start, but I will be hovering around to make sure all goes smoothly. Just thought we'd see if this can work -- there will be a sign explaining the procedure.
FINISH: The finish is remote and there will not be anyone there. It is about 500 m from the download tent, which will be set up next to registration. Don't forget to download. If you finish close to the 2:00 PM closing time, please make your way back to download sooner rather than later so that the E-punch people can leave.
COURSES CLOSE AT 2:00 PM, and I reckon Harold means it, don't you?
So, by now you're wondering, "if we're self registering, self starting, and self finishing, what are the DeMosses going to be doing?" We thought we'd go out to breakfast, of course.
HELP: The only thing we need help with is control pick up. Please let me know if you can stay around and help out with this chore.
DIRECTIONS:Remember "it's cool to pool" -- try to car pool. Take the Pleasant Hill Rd. exit off of Highway 24 in Lafayette. Go north on Pleasant Hill Rd. for 0.8 mile, and turn left onto Reliez Valley Rd. Stay on Reliez Valley Rd. for 4.6 miles. Turn left at the large, brown sign that says "Alhambra Creek Valley Staging Area of Briones Regional Park". It is 0.8 mile to the parking kiosk. After parking, follow signs 100 m to registration in the orchard. There is running water available for drinking and washing up, but there is only one (non-flushing) toilet.
See you there. If you have any questions give either of us a call or e-mail.