Sonora Recon - 9/1

[drswift]

The wife and I did some scouting in Sonora area this past weekend. It has been a few years since we were last in Sonora and I was really impressed with the way the town has thrived. Lots of new restaurants, shops, and thriving businesses. Retail vacancies were minimal, and there is a strong downtown association.

 

Campgrounds:

Our first stop was the Mother Lode Fairgrounds, which was site of a large RV jamboree, and a large wedding that particular day. Even though it was 102 degrees, we found the abundance of trees and grass offered a pleasant setting. One of the buildings that were recommended by fairgrounds staff is next to the camping area, which is all grass. There is also a covered patio with about 10 picnic tables that would be a great “socializing” area. Showers are close by. Some of the RV-ers told me the facilities were more than adequate. Catering is available but not mandatory if we decide to use our own vendor for a bar-b-q or other type of meal. The only negative I could determine: no campfires allowed. Rates and fees are forthcoming from the management.

 

Motels:

Gold Lodge: directly across the highway from the Fairgrounds. It has 41 rooms, most with single queen beds, and a decent looking pool. AAA gives it one star, but a recent review on Trip Advisor was pretty bad. It’s owned by a private party in the Bay Area. We met with the manager and looked at two rooms. This is basically a tattered but clean (from what we saw) budget motel that really needs updating. We were quoted a current rate of $79. Who knows if this place would have a facelift or an ownership change in two years, but it did have location going for it. Would I stay there? If I wanted to be really close to the fairgrounds, sure. Then again, I’m not opposed to walking ½ mile to nicer accommodations. I do plan to check it out several times between now and the Unrally.

 

Next closest was the Days Inn (formerly the old Sonora Inn) 3/10ths miles away, which we found a pleasant walk. On the way we passed a pizza place and a Laundromat. Typical Days Inn with two buildings - a three story Spanish-looking structure, and a two story L-shaped annex at the rear. 81 rooms and a banquet room for 75, and a pool. An Italian restaurant is in the same building. Current room rates: $80.

 

A half block away is the Gunn House Hotel, the oldest hotel in Sonora, where we spent the night. A wonderful, charming Victorian–style hotel in the middle of Old Town. Small by nicely appointed rooms. Breakfast buffet with lots of fresh-baked goodies, A/C and a pool. Our room rate was $89.

 

Several other motels are adjacent to the Gunn House. A few B&Bs are also in the area.

 

Non-riding activities:

From wine-tasting to cavern exploring, there are many interesting and entertaining things to do in the area. Yosemite is just 50 miles away. The Fair folks said that they would connect us with the Visitor’s Bureau to provide a plethora of information for attendees.

 

Summary:

Sonora is a great little town with a wide variety of housing and eating choices. The campgrounds at the Fairgrounds are ideal for our type of group, with decent facilities. Local motel rooms are plentiful and reasonably priced. Obviously, the riding opportunities for both touring and off-road are limitless.

 

My goal for the event is to make this Unrally a camping event that also has motel rooms close by. Ideally, we would build interest in, and a desire for eating, socializing and “hanging out” at the campgrounds. This would include ensuring that we have plenty of chairs and a good system for communicating and sharing information.

 

At this point I’m awaiting hard numbers from the Fairgrounds as a first step in doing some budgeting. In the meantime, I’d welcome any suggestions, comments, and ideas for making the 2010 Unrally a success.

 

P.S. – if you’re looking for great eats and nice wines at a reasonable price, check out the Diamondback Grill, 93 S. Washington Street.

 

[SageRider]

Thanks, Dave.

I will be spending Friday & Saturday nights of the Thanksgiving weekend at the Gold Lodge and am planning on walking the area.

There is a big crafts fair at the fairgrounds on that weekend.

 

I'll be looking at ease of walkers or motorcycles getting across the street to the fair grounds from the Gold Lodge as opposed to the Days Inn with the signal at the intersection.

Also, when you get the fairground info, if you could let me know which building is being recommended, I can take a look at that also.

 

If there is anything you would like me to do while I'm in Sonora, please let me know by mid November.

If there is anything else you need done, please let me know.

[Firefight911]

Good stuff Dave.

 

Sonora was pretty busy when I went through the other week. It has definitely become a hub of the Sierras in that area.

 

Since it's so close, I can run down pretty much anytime for quick recon or info pick up, etc.

 

I am planning on doing some riding with the intent of creating loops in the not so distant future. As it seems as though Sonora is our first choice I will be using it as a hub to launch from. This will apply for both off and on road.

 

Obviously, we are very early in the game but I would definitely like to do a pre ride congregation to the area once we are in the full swing of planning. It would be a great weekend getaway and can be quite valuable for the success of the event.

[Les is more]

This looks very promising. It would be a similar set up to what we had in John Day although the camping sounds a little better. The distances between the campground and lodging are excellent.

 

Nice!

 

 

[drswift]

Got some "preliminary" prices from the fairgrounds and I think they are on drugs. For three nites camping for 40 tents and use of the Manzanita Room Tuesday thru Friday morning they are proposing $3K. I asked them to break down costs into camping charges, meeting room charges for one dinner and one breakfast, and use of a small "office" for registration and storage, etc. I plan to see if I can negotiate these rates, which don't seem to be firm based on how long it took them to get back to me. I'll let you know what they come back with.

 

In discussing campground costs with Steve, compared to this proposal using the facilities at John Day was like stealing!

[Les is more]

Dave,

 

I've opened up the current planning forum to you so that you can read what rates they're looking at too.