Vol-1    Issue-2                                Editor Tom Wood                                         August 1, 2003

That’s right. We have started the “MiataFun Club” for those new people buying a Miata that are unsure that they want to join a club for $25.00 a year. Well now they can join a club and actually get a membership badge ($5.00) ordered right from the badge makers and receive it in 3-5 days. The first 50 Members get a special Membership number and a certificate with their number on it to display where ever they wish. They can have their membership number put on their badge to show how low their number is! After a trial run with a Miata club they can join one in their area, start receiving their news letters, discounts and what ever the club provides to their members. So if you want to be one of those low number members send in your information to MiataFun. You can find information at the MiataFun website at http://miatafun.net (Charter memberships only for the first 50 members.) You still can put your membership number on your badge if you would like. Some of the things we provide are information on runs as we receive information to put on the web site. If you have a run, send it to us and we will put it on our website for all to see.

Here is our Logo a smiling Miata!

And this is our Pin. 

Made in Cherry wood or material of your choice from the Knobmister.

Ladies Only Run !
I think that the ladies found a way of getting out of the house on a beautiful sunny day.

Sunday July 20th, 2003 SOCALM women young and older are going to have a run just for themselves. Leaving the Ontario Hills Mall area and driving the back roads they will ascend upon the Big Bear area of California for a mountain drive and shopping spree. Partaking in lunch in the beautiful mountains of Big Bear lake they will enjoy the breathtaking scenery of our still fairly green mountains. Led by the famous SOCALM navigator extreme Marna Wood, they will enjoy a day of driving without as they say the men!

Big Bear of course will be privileged with the sites of Miata’s streaming through the mountain sides. Adding color the green of the mountainsides.
Pictures

Joint Miata Clubs Adventure
Midnite Moonlite  
or  
The Run That Almost Wasn’t  
By: Sharon Mack 
SJVMC

At our July monthly meeting I cancelled my Midnite Moonlite run to Glacier Point, lack of interest.  Wow, did that ever change!  On August 9^th we had 30 people enjoying dinner at the China Station Restaurant in Mariposa and shortly thereafter 17 cars headed for Yosemite!

 I would like to thank each and every one of you who made the trek to Mariposa from all over the state.  For those of you who couldn’t make it, here’s a list of those who did.  I apologize in advance for not getting last names, mia cupa.

SOCALM  
Tom & Marna Wood
Bob & Juli Davis
Doug & Inger Robertson
Lee Ruecker & Friend Bruce (sorry, didn’t get your last name)
Jon Martinez & Judy Powell
Richard Gondek & daughter Kasia 

SDMC  
Mike & Robin Faircloth

SAMOA  
Tom & Denise Klisz

DELTA  
Graeme Kinsey

SJVMC  
Don & Lisa Asperger
Ralph & Katheryn Weber
Jim Barker
Tom Wade

GUESTS  
Judy Vanwinkle
Kelly Maples & friend
Van & Hertha  (sorry, didn’t get your last name)
Cheron & dad Manny (again, sorry, I didn’t get your last name)

Again, WOW.  Even though not everyone knew everyone else, by the end of the evening new friendships were struck.  My friend and neighbor, Judy, (who is in the market now for her very own zoom zoom) was most impressed by how friendly everyone was.  She said Marna is so sweet and kind, she immediately felt at ease in the group.  I‘ve always felt that our cars are only part of what we are about, and it’s the people in our clubs that make us special.  I’ve seen this same scenario played out again and again at various club functions.

Van & Hertha just bought their new White this week and learned of us thru Lithia.  He called me and asked if they could join us on our run.  Cool huh!  And Cheron is Jim Barker’s roommate, he has a 91 Silver.  Isn’t this terrible, I didn’t get last names, but I know their cars!  My friend Kelly drives…..are you ready for this?…..gasp…..an OTM.  But when she heard me talking about the run at work she asked if she could drive her BMW two-seater convertible and join us.  Hey, my run, my friend, you bet! 

Back to the run. we headed out about 9:30.  The drive down the Highway 140 canyon was nothing short of spectacular.  Those of us who had CB’s (7cars) were constantly on the mike with “oh, look over there” and “oh, look up there”.   Some of our group had either never been to Yosemite or hadn’t been there for many years.  I did my best to be an Interpretive Ranger.  The only sad part of the evening happened at our first stop of the evening.  There has been a prescribed burn going on in the Valley floor and unfortunately the smoke was very, very bad.  We didn’t stay in the Valley very long at all.  Our second stop was at Tunnel View.  That was awesome.  The group got to see first hand what I was talking about when I said the granite monoliths absolutely glow.  Our next stop was on the other side of the tunnel.  From this vantage point the moon was right there in our faces.  It was SO bright.  Several of us were looking at our loooong shadows down the side of the mountain, we did “the wave”.   It was funny, but I guess you had to be there….  

By now we were ready for a potty stop.  Fifteen minutes later up the road we got to take it.  I swear, every time a Miata group stops they’ve got to check out each other’s cars.  : )  

Up the Badger Pass road we headed to our final destination of the evening, Glacier Point.  As we passed by my favorite curve, the one I call the WOW curve, aka Washburn Turn, Inger actually got on the mike and said “wow”.    : )   It was my first time up there in the dark, so the run was new to all of us.  It won’t be my last.  It was incredible.  Half Dome in the moonlight is.. well,.. I can’t even come up with the adjectives.  We looked over the railings to the campfires down below, glowing orange orbs in a well of blackness, totally enclosed by silver walls of glowing granite.  There, how was that?  Cheron had his telescope and tripod along and we all got the chance to view the moon and Mars in all their glory.   The weather was just perfect, the sky was clear, just maybe the slightest of a breeze occasionally.  No jackets or only a light one was all that was needed.  I was afraid there would be a gazillion people at the Point, due to the Mars being close to the earth thing, but we were the only ones there.  It was like the scene from Titanic, when Leo says he’s the king of the world.  It was just us, the moon, the stars, the chirping of the bats and the singing of the crickets.  Magic.

Finally it was time to head down the mountain.  As usual, lots of hugs goodbye.  At the split in the road some of us headed back towards Mariposa, most headed down 41 towards Oakhurst and Fresno.  On my way home I apparently just missed getting hit by…. a BEAR!  Graeme was behind me and he told me the bear came up from the river, ran pell mell across the highway and up the hill.  He never stopped, never slowed down, never looked left nor right.  A half second sooner he would have hit the side of my car, a half second later he would have hit the side of Graeme’s car.  I BELIEVE IN GUARDIAN ANGELS.

I got home about 2:30, I understand the Fresno folks got home about 3:30.  Yes, A.M.   I told you this run was not for the faint of heart.   But worth every sleepless minute.

Sharon Mack  
Pictures

Twisted Weekend Pictures
The most twisting run I have ever been on. Click here!

New Charter Members this Month
Vince Weis and Kathi Bell  (California)
John Starr                           (California)
James & Peggy Sanders     (California)
Suzette & Jim Stringer        (California)
Frank & Michelle Greeson  (Louisiana)
Robin & Mike Faircloth     (California)
Barb Shev                          (California)
Judy Sherman                     (California)
Lisa & Charley Kilgore        (California)
Sal & Geri Causarano   (South Carolina)
Eliot Shev                            (California)
David Rasmussen                  (California)
John & Dorothy Bailey           (California)
Mary Maritin                        (California)