[Greg Urrutia]

Just when I think I'm starting to burnout on the VW scene, I'll go to another club meeting.
Last night I went to San Jose to catch up with some old friends of BLTN (Better Late Than Never VW Club). I use to go regularly when I was back in the Bay Area. The Club back then was Blitzkrieg VW's. Same location, but the club has evolved into a more dedicated and mature group.
On a spur of the moment they decided to have a BBQ right there in the parking lot where they meet. Each member brought out a little something and it turned into a potluck feast with lots of tasty treats.
This grassroots gathering of VW enthusiasts was just the right dose of shared common passion that I needed. It was more than just kicking tires and talking old cars. It was truly a gathering of friends and family that goes beyond the typical VW event.
Some of the friendships with the people I caught up with goes back 10 or more years. Even the new faces in the group welcomed me like a lifelong friend. It was really a heart warming experience.
And yeah, there was a nice showing of VW's. A number of type 2's, 3's, a Thing, a couple of water coolers, and of course an abudance of Beetles.
Tonight I will attend the second in my quest to attend 3 VW club meetings in a row. NAG in Plesanton is next up. Tommorrow I will be at SAC NAG to complete the Trifecta.

The Nor Cal VW Club scene is alive and well. I offer an open invitation to anyone that wants to experience it firsthand. If I played my cards right.....I would have also planned to be at the Tracy V-Dub Club meeting that was on Wednesday. So here it is....I will have done the Trifecta.....anyone care to join me to do the QUAD??

Story from tonight will be in the next post.

 

[Brian Watts]

Very cool Greg!

Sounds like fun but I am stuck to this computer for awhile anyway LOL

Let me know if you can schedule in the swap

 

[Greg Urrutia]

Record turnout tonight at the Pleasanton In-N-Out Burger, gathering point of the Nor Cal Air Cooled Group (NAG). In a word HUGE. For the second night in a row, I was the first one to show up. Soon after, one by one and then in small groups they started to roll in. I felt fortunate to be part of this largest ever car count.
At 8:30pm, I roamed up and down the 3 rows of parked cars and counted 59 VW's.
The breakdown:
27 Beetles
10 Buses
5 Convertible Beetles
3 Ghia Coupes
3 Squarebacks
2 Single Cabs
1 Convertible Ghia
1 Fastback
1 Double Cab
1 Thing

Water Cooled
2 Jetta
1 Gti
1 Golf
1 Nu Beetle

I spoke with many different VW fanatics, some were first timers others have been there since the very beginning. There was the usual handful of hardcore enthusiasts that I seem to see at all the events. A couple of deals were made during the night with parts changing hands. I bought a couple of NAG decals for my Shasta Bus project, a pair of Weber manifolds, and a set of Centerline copies. I also talked shop with a couple of people looking for advice on needed repairs.
At 9:00pm the cruise promptly started. It was a bit tricky to get that many vehicles out of the parking lot, but once on Hopyard Road VW's filled the lanes 3 wide and almost 20 deep. As long as I've been doing this, it never gets old. It's always a thrill to be part of a colorful parade of VW's.
Even the bluebloods dining at the over priced outdoor cafes that line Main Street, pause and watch, wave, and smile as the seemingly endless line of assorted VW's roll by. The cruise is short and sweet, maybe 5 miles to the downtown pizzeria. After filling the parking lot, the restaurant quickly fills with the unique blend of people sporting their favorite event t-shirt.
It was another fantastic club night.
I bid farewell to my friends new and old and found my way to the open road that led me back to my Sacramento home base. Can't wait to see pictures of yet another great gathering of like minds.

Tommorrow I'll complete the Trifecta with the Sac NAG gathering in Rancho Cordova. I'll have another post covering that event.
In the past couple of days I've logged a few miles, but logged even more smiles....Yes the VW Club Scene is alive and well in Northern California.

 

[Greg Urrutia]

Well, I pulled it off! Did the Three Peat, Three Of A Kind, Hat Trick,....The Trifecta!
It was very cool! Talked with a lot of really great people. Made some new friends. Picked up a few parts along the way, but most of all, rekindled my passion and shared interest in VW's.
For me, personally, although very hard to choose, the best meet for me was Sac NAG. Maybe hard to understand for some.....I mean the BBQ at BLTN, the biggest ever turnout at NAG! You have to take into consideration I was one of the Sac NAG founding members along with Cody Rogers. Add to that I picked up my Shasta Bus just an hour before the meet (Thanks Brian!...details in another thread). I got to roll the Bus in it's unaltered, found state to the meet.
Although not a record breaker but a fine turnout for Sac NAG. I counted 22 VW's, and John (Bombscare) Rocha brought out his Impala Lowrider complete with hydralics (I got to play with the switch box!)
The breakdown:
10 Bugs
8 Buses
1 Beetle Vert
1 Ghia
1 Single Cab
1 Baja
Not bad at all for the Bus count when you consider there were 10 Buses at the huge NAG meting just the night before. There was talk of a cruise to the local Drive In, but I had to leave and get the Shasta Bus home. I'll be busy for the next few months prepping it for the 2009 Assault. Seems like a luxury to have months to prepare the Bus compared to last year when we did everything in 2 weeks.

All things considered, it has been a great 3 days for yours truly. Caught up with old friends, met some great new people, feasted at BLTN, was part of a historical turnout at NAG, and got to show off my most recently acquired VW at Sac NAG.
My heart is one size bigger, and my VW batteries have been recharged. Life is good!
See you at the next VW GTG!