Bon Tempe Reservoir
Greg Ehrensing Memorial Event for BAOC Volunteers 1
Date: (Sun.) Dec. 8, 2024
Location: Fairfax, CA
Event Director: 
- 408.568.6740
Course Setter: Martin Kunz
Type: C; Volunteer appreciation event; ONLY ON SUNDAY this time; as in the past, participation is limited to only club members who have volunteered this year; PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED; NO BEGINNER OR INTERMEDIATE COURSES
Related Event Information
Event Results Required Online Registration (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/bontempe2024) Course Setter’s Notes Last Year’s Event
Friday Update (Dec. 6, 12:25 PM)
- We've printed enough extra maps that we can welcome a few more entrants. Sign up by tomorrow (Saturday) at 6 PM.
- If you have not volunteered for BAOC in 2024, you might still be able to enter. For instance:
- You've volunteered dozens of times in previous years, but you weren't around in 2024, or you were ill or injured all year until now, or you are too old and frail to volunteer anymore.
- You are willing to pledge to volunteer at least twice in the next few months.
- You have some other circumstances, in which case you can write to me before signing up.
- Reminders:
- The last start is at noon — not the usual 12:30.
- Courses close at 1:30 — not the usual 2:00.
- Due to construction on the road from Fairfax up to Bon Tempe, there is a one-way section controlled by stop lights. Give yourself an extra 5 to 10 minutes to get to the event.
- Hope to see you there,
- Dennis
As in the past, this will be our annual, free event to thank BAOC volunteers. All club members who have volunteered in 2024 are invited to attend.
Preregistration is required. You can sign up here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/bontempe2024). No day-of-meet registration. See who's registered here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/bontempe2024).
Only advanced-level courses will be available. No beginner or intermediate courses will be offered. The courses for this year are Short (like Brown), Medium (like Green), and Long (like Red/Blue), plus a Very Short for those who would like to get out on a technical course, but would like to avoid the physical challenges presented by Bon Tempe.
Bon Tempe is one of the most scenic orienteering venues in the Bay Area, having a wonderful combination of rolling grassy and openly wooded hills, Redwood forests, and multiple water features. Furthermore, forest fire prevention endeavors continue to make Bon Tempe more runnable year after year by removing nasty vegetation and clearing deadfall. The climb is moderate by Bay Area standards, with minimal poison oak, which is easy to avoid. Not being open-range helps as well, both for minimizing mud areas and no barbed wire fences to wriggle under! There is the infamous "Hillside of Death" of course, but even that black hole of nastiness has been somewhat tamed by the excellent mapping updates made in recent years.
Preregistration Is Required
Our annual Volunteer Appreciation Event is only eight days away! Martin (Course Setter) will be printing the course maps this Wednesday (Dec. 4), and in order to make sure we have enough, we are encouraging you to register (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/bontempe2024) no later than Tuesday night, December 3.
If you are eligible to enter this event (i.e., by virtue of having volunteered in some capacity for BAOC during 2024), then entry is free. If you are interested (and eligible), but unsure about going, please register now anyway. We would rather print a few too many maps, than run out on the day.
The weather forecast looks good. It'll be gorgeous out there.
Note: Last starts are at noon, and the courses close at 1:30.
– Dennis
(Posted to the BayONet (https://groups.io/g/BAOC/message/1496) on Saturday, Nov. 30)
Schedule
Starts will be from 10 AM until noon.
Courses will close no later than 1:30 PM. Please make sure you are back at the E-punch table by then.
- Notes:
- Pre-registration is required for this event — sign up here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/register/start/bontempe2024). Do not plan to simply show up and run. (The list of registrations is here (https://eventreg.orienteeringusa.org/eventregister/reglist/home/bontempe2024).)
- As stated above, this event is free to all participants. Well, okay, there is an expense—there is a park day-use fee of $8.00 per car collected at the park entrance.
Courses
Here are the course details:
Course Length Climb Controls Map Scale
Very Short 1.4 km 25 m 6 1:7:500
Short 3.3 km 110 m 13 1:7:500
Medium 5.2 km 235 m 15 1:10:000
Long 6.7 km 290 m 21 1:10:000
The contour interval is 5 meters.
There are water stops on the Short, Medium, and Long courses.
More information is available in the Course Setter’s Notes.
Holiday Treats
Our Bon Tempe event is usually our North Bay Holiday Season event. If you are so inclined, bring some goodies to share. We'll do our best to get Scott Aster to continue his tradition of bringing his awesome home-made rum cake.
Please consider bringing something to add to the festivities.
Event Location and Facilities
The assembly area will be in the first, small parking lot on the left at the end of the road to the Lake Lagunitas parking lot (see the directions below).
There are restrooms (well, portable toilets) and water near the assembly area.
Driving Directions
Due to MMWD2 rules, no BAOC directional signs will be posted. There are several ways to get to Bon Tempe from Highway 101 in Marin.
The approximate coordinates for the event are 37.9497,-122.5974. You can use those coordinates, use Google Maps to get directions to "Lake Lagunitas Parking Lot", or take the route described below.
There are several ways to get to Fairfax from Highway 101 in Marin County. The quickest route is to take the Central San Rafael exit (#452, just north of I-580) and turn west at 3rd St (a left at the second light if you're coming from the south, a right at the fourth light if you're coming from the north). Stay on this road for about 3 miles (it changes name three times on the way, eventually becoming Red Hill Ave) until it intersects with Sir Francis Drake Blvd in San Anselmo. Bear right onto Sir Francis Drake Blvd and stay on it until you reach downtown Fairfax.
Turn left at Claus Dr (Rino gas station on the right), and then immediately take another left onto Broadway. Turn right at the next corner (coffee shop on the corner) onto Bolinas Rd.
- Note: There is a section of Bolinas Rd that has a one-way section controlled by traffic lights (due to construction). We suggest that you allow an extra five to ten minutes to get up that road.
Stay on Bolinas Rd for 1.5 miles, and turn left onto Sky Oaks Rd—that junction is marked by a large, brown, wooden sign on your left with white lettering that says "Lake Lagunitas", "Alpine Lake", and "Bon Tempe Lake". There is also a "Sky Oaks Rd" street sign on the post for the STOP sign for the traffic coming out of Sky Oaks Rd, but that sign is much harder to see than the large sign mentioning the lakes.
Stay on Sky Oaks Rd until you reach the ranger kiosk. If the kiosk is not staffed, pay the $8 entrance fee at the pay-and-display machine 150 m further on the right. The automated pay station accepts debit and credit cards, and $1, $5, and $10 bills, but it does not make change.
Proceed on the paved road to the parking lot at the very end, following any signs to Lake Lagunitas. (Note: Do not turn right onto the gravel road to Bon Tempe Dam.) The assembly area is at the first parking lot you come to in the complex of small parking lots at the end of the road.
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1 We use this event to remember Greg Ehrensing, a dedicated BAOC member, who died in 2018 (at orienteering age 60). Greg particularly enjoyed this event "in his backyard" (since he lived nearby). He directed and course-set this event several times, as well as always helping out at this event and many others with whatever was needed even when he wasn't on the crew that day.
2 MMWD = Marin Municipal Water District