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Quadrennial Drive with the Safety Fast Club

The Winter Olympics. The Presidential Election. Leap Year. The Safety Fast Club’s Quadrennial Drive. What do these things have in common? If you answered, “The Jamaican Bobsled Team” you are wrong, sorry. They all occur once every four years. Well, this is the first-ever Quadrennial Drive, so maybe it’s too early to claim it happens every four years. Besides, February 29th, 2008 is a Friday so who knows what will happen. But every tradition must start somehow!

Quadrennial (from Merriam-Webster)
Pronunciation: kwä-'dre-nE-&l
Function: adjective
Date: circa 1656
1 : consisting of or lasting for four years
2 : occurring or being done every four years

Attendees:
Dennis and Sue Byron, red 1970 MGB
John Fredericks and son Thomas, grey 1958 Magnette
Doug and Connie Hollander, bracken 1976 MGB
Andy and Marla Preston, damask red 1974 MGB GT
Gina Seghi and Graham, brg 1967 MGB GT
Dan and Nancy Watson, citron 1974 MGB
Troy Witzel and Marsha Stollar, red 1967 MGB
The Safety Fast Club held its Quadrennial Drive on Sunday February 29th, better known as Leap Day. It was created to celebrate Leap Year and the beginning of what we like to call “MG season” (also known as the “warm months”). We chose to use the 2nd definition of the word, holding the drive once in four years instead of the 1st definition that would have had us driving for 4 years straight!
Our route was based upon the historic 49-mile Scenic Drive, but did not precisely follow it due to time constraints and convenience. The Scenic Drive was created in 1938 to highlight San Francisco's beauty and to promote it as a business and tourist destination. It wraps around the city in a counter-clockwise loop and offers views of some of San Francisco's greatest landmarks and neighborhoods.
Several club members decided there wasn’t a better way to spend this "extra" day than winding through San Francisco in an MG. They were right. We gathered at Pac Bell Park on the chilly but clear morning and headed towards Fisherman’s Wharf and the Marina Green. There we stopped for a short break and a view of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz.
Then it was back into the cars again and on to the Presidio and Lincoln Park. An advantage of an MG drive early in the year is the lush green hillsides everywhere. We continued past the amazing views of Lands End to the Cliff House and Ocean Beach where we parked for lunch. We enjoyed a great meal at the Beach Chalet Brewery and Restaurant with a panoramic view of the ocean. As we ate, the sun started to burn off some of the lingering clouds and we knew the rest of the drive would be a bit warmer.
After lunch we headed south to Lake Merced and then north again to Golden Gate Park. From the park we passed the Haight and drove up the hill past UCSF and eventually on to Twin Peaks. Nothing beats the view from the top of Twin Peaks but the cold wind made the view a little less enjoyable. At least there wasn’t any fog to get in the way. We jumped back into the warm cars and headed down the hill, through the Castro and Noe Valley to the end of our drive at Highway 101.
Thanks to all who attended for making this drive successful. For those who could not make it, we look forward to seeing you at our next event.

As a member, you have a great deal of input into what events the Safety Fast Club holds. We're always open to interesting drives or destinations. If there are other events with which you'd like to schedule a Safety Fast Club drive, feel free to suggest them. What is most important is that these Bay Area events and drives are laid back and fun.

Got something to say? Send it to info@safetyfastclub.com