FIELD TRIP!!! Scharffen Berger Chocolate Factory Tour and a Ride??

[maillotpois]

Could we perhaps choose Saturday the 26th? I now may have an "event" on Sunday.

My riding partner has decided to throw her full support into my new trail running rehab efforts. So there's a trail run on the 27th we may do: http://www.pctrailruns.com/Redwood_Park.htm

Would Saturday 8/26 work for the chocoholics here?

[SadieKate]

Works for me. I was leaning toward Saturday anyway but didn't want to be too controlling. That meant our PITA make the final call.

[SadieKate]

I heavily edited my original post and will make reservations for August 26th.

I just need to keep a headcount so let me know if you want to join us. Still have my spreadsheet going.

Slinke? What about your family?

[bikerz]

I'm in for one spot!

I can't wait to see what happens when all you chocoholics experience the mother-lode!

[SadieKate]

That's probably the real reason they make us wear closed toed shoes. Fewer broken toes . . .

[snapdragen]

OK - it's on my calendar, so it's official. Aug 26th.

[bikerz]

Ride idea...

The factory is very near the Bay Trail - lovely bay views, places to eat at either end, 20-30 miles of lovely cool bike path*!

This would be a totally flat ride. And very unlikely to be hot. (Says BZ, fresh from her near-heat-exhaustion experience of Sunday!)


* The fine print: In the interest of full disclosure, it could also be 20-30 miles of fog and/or relentless headwinds and crosswinds, with surprisingly few tailwind moments. And all the usual irritations found on multi-use paths.

[slinkedog]

What's the route? (I, embarrassingly enough, have no idea where the SB factory is!) How long of a ride and all that jazz?

I'd love to come. I know the kids will be back to school that week, so I will have to talk to Blaine and see if he's willing to spare me. Will this be a whole-day affair?

[spazzdog]

Might do a ride but don't like chocolate all that much.

A little goes a long way... a little piece of this and a little piece of that, then I'm done til the next holiday.

Now, if there's a ride centering on the JellyBelly place or the Gummi Bear place (requires trip to Germany), watch out grrls!

I'll beat y'all to the door, blasting thru roller bladers, running over slow moving seniors, and beating off small children in strollers like they were pesky paparazzi... just to get my hands on those scrumdillyishous JellyBellys.

spazz (shakin' all over from excitement)

[bikerz]

What's the route? (I, embarrassingly enough, have no idea where the SB factory is!) How long of a ride and all that jazz?

I'd love to come. I know the kids will be back to school that week, so I will have to talk to Blaine and see if he's willing to spare me. Will this be a whole-day affair?

Hey Slinke - the factory in in Berkeley just off 80 between Ashby and University. The ride is TBD... (I made a humble suggestion above.)

[Tiffanie]

Oh yum. Dh and I will be in San Francisco and near Sonoma mid-August. Looks like they have a factor in SF, too?

I think I'll need to stop in there.

[SadieKate]

BZ - are you stepping up to the post of Humble Ride Leader? Sounds good to me. I have no idea what the parking is like at the Factory so I don't know if they'd be thrilled with our cars there while we ride. And, I certainly don't know ride routes in the area. Thanks, ma'am.

Spazz, the tour is only one hour and you can hang out with friends. You can learn all about the cacao bean and amaze your friends.

BZ, can we ride, have a late lunch and then tour? Will that work with your ride idea?

[Pedal Wench]

I might have to move to California just for this ride!

[SadieKate]

Any one seen Miss Kim? When she abdicated the role of Exective Decider she seems to have flown the coop. Do we need to put out a search for aka_kim?

[bikerz]

Hmm - H.R.L. - a new title - I like it!

Yes - a ride on the Bay Trail and lunch and then the tour would work fine. It will be totally flat (except for one small hill), and quite possibly breezy! But beautiful views...

The primary logistics question is one of parking. Any idea how many cars we are talking about? With a rough count, I can call the factory and ask how they feel about the parking issue - that would be the easiest solution!
There is plenty of public parking at the Emeryville end of the trail, and I'm almost 100% sure that there is public parking at the Richmond end too - I will confirm.

At the Richmond end of the trail is a nice little grocery store/cafe where they make good (and inexpensive) sandwiches. We could then ride out to the very end of the Richmond Marina and eat our lunches watching the boats come and go, if it's not too windy, or go to one of the more sheltered picnic areas (and the cafe has some sheltered outdoor seating too) if it is windy. The benefit here is that our bikes would all be in our presence at all times...

If we wanted to eat at a restaurant, there is a Chevy's in Emeryville (the south end of the trail) which has a waterfront view and plenty of space to accommodate a large group, and the pro (or con, depending on how you feel about Chevy's!) of being consistently Chevy's. I'm not sure what we would do with our bikes while we ate, though.

Any Berkeley TE folk have other/better suggestions? Of course there are a gazillion other places to eat off the trail in Berkeley, but I'm not sure how well they would accommodate a group of cyclists (and their bikes).