Spring Lake, Santa Rosa

Sunday, June 27, 1999

Come out and enjoy a beautiful summer day on one of our Club's most distinctive maps. Spring Lake (and the adjacent western portion of Annadel State Park) is an area which experienced intensive, if primitive mining in the past. This activity resulted in an area with innumerable pit and rock features and a wild (though subtly man-made) undulating terrain, mostly flat on the western part of the map, while hillier on the eastern portion. All courses except White will visit both sides of the map, using some new areas not visited at our November event. Temperatures in June can range from 100 degrees in the shade to a chilly 55 degrees when the fog decides to blow in. Come prepared!

Registration and starts will be at the Oak Knolls picnic area (as in the past), with starts from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM. Beginners clinics will run all morning on an as-needed basis, starting at 9:30 AM. There will be a 150-meter walk to the remote start, involving about 3 meters of net climb.

Four courses will be offered: 

Course          Length          Climb

White           2.6 km          30 m
Yellow          3.3 km          115 m
Orange          3.2 km          180 m
Green           4.3 km          240 m

Special Training Session

Alas, the contour-o course I was planning for advanced orienteers is canceled. I ran into too many difficulties with using adequate terrain that was close by the start/finish area.

Instead - elite Blue course runner Neal Barlow has generously offered to take all comers out on the Orange course for a "hands-on-down and dirty" training exercise. Neal will go out with you on the Orange course, letting you navigate each leg, but providing analysis and immediate feedback at each leg's conclusion. This will be a great opportunity for people to learn improved navigation, with the bonus of immediately getting to practice the new skills in the field.

Anyone is welcome to join Neal, especially Orange-level orienteers looking to improve thier skills, and Yellow orienteers wanting to make the move up to Orange.

If you are interested, plan to meet Neal near the Start area at 11:30 AM. Everyone going out should have registered first and be ready to head out immediately.

Directions

To get to Spring Lake, take US Highway 101 to Santa Rosa. Once in Santa Rosa, exit onto highway 12 going east. Follow highway 12 for 1.5 miles to it's left turn at Farmer's Lane. Do not take this turn, but instead continue straight onto Hoen Avenue. At the Hoen-Summerfield traffic light 1.5 miles further, continue straight, then take an immediate left onto Newanga Avenue. Newanga leads into Spring Lake County Park. At the ranger's kiosk, pay the fee and make a right turn, up the hill to the Oak Knoll Picnic Area.

Any questions, please call me at 415-456-8118.

- Scott Aster

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