We've come to a halt after 40 minutes of brisk northward motoring from our Sausalito , Ca starting point, just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco . The weather is appalling with high winds and driving rain and I figure the delay is a result of some flooding of the 2 lane rural road we've been navigating, conditions that turned us back a few years ago. Curious nonetheless, I hop out of the ourSL.com project 280SL and lean into the wind and slanting rain for a jog up the line of cars to see just what is up.

Pausing while the Boxster is removed from the earthen bank.

I'm definitely impressed with the couple in full rain gear who have been wrestling their small block Cobra over what rally legend Colin McRae would refer to as “slippy” conditions sans any top whatsoever. Ditto the guy in the cool MGA roadster with only the LeMans type fold down screen in lieu of any type of windshield, much less a top. These hearty enthusiasts are soaked to the bone but still grinning and ready for the next 90 minutes of treacherous touring.

Intrepid 289 Cobra couple about to be soaked.

Jogging round the bend I see the reason for the delay. A newish Porsche Boxster has imbedded itself into an earthen bank after gyrating off the road through a longish patch of mud and flora. Slippy indeed. I'm feeling rather happy I wasn't leading the pack through that mess. Totally soaked but back in my cozy SL I crank the heater up and munch some raisins while the Boxster is dragged back onto the tarmac.

This is just another edition of a New Years Day adventure known as the Anti Football Run, one of the many events from the fertile brain of car enthusiast extraordinaire, Martin Swig. Obviously not a stick and ball fan, Swig figured instead of planting themselves in front of the TV for the endless football games, his car pals would rather have their rear ends planted in the bucket seat of a cool car tooling the back roads of northern California or, in the case of our Boxster friend, enjoying some off road touring and a mud bath.

A staunch advocate of actually using vintage cars at the track and on the road, Martin is the founder of the hugely successful California Mille as well as something called the “Double 500”, 500 kilometers in a car that costs no more than $500! And you need to PROVE you only paid $500 for your sled. As I mentioned, he has a very fertile mind.

Martin Swig, the guru of vintage car touring!		Small bore machinery reflects true spirit of the event.

For his own wheels, Martin has a penchant for the sublimely arcane. Over the last few years of the Football run I've seen him fold his lanky frame into a lovely RHD Bristol 401, a Tatra (you'll have to google that one), and a beautiful original late 50s Lancia Appia 4 door. He's a damn good driver as well. I had to fairly thrash my 4 speed 280SL to keep up with him in that 60hp Lancia a few years ago!

Sitting roughly mid point of our adventure, the planned stop at the Rohnert Park Starbucks was a welcome island of relief, particularly for the open car pilots. We waited for the stragglers to dribble in and set off once again into the gloom. Martin keeps a loose rein on the proceedings, basically leaving everyone to their own devices and generally good judgment.

Although the weather remained absolutely grim, the remainder of the 2006 edition was completed by the 50 or so hearty entrants with no further drama.

Smiling before the downpour.		Lovely weather did not dampen enthusiasm.

These events are certainly about the cars, but more importantly I'm finding they are about the people behind the cars. Bringing people together via the vintage automobile experience has allowed Martin Swig to pass his infectious enthusiasm to thousands of people like me.

New Year's resolutions are on my mind as I head home across the Golden Gate Bridge in my formerly flawless and now filthy 280SL. Bringing SL owners together to play with their cars and meet other SL owners sounds like a fine New Years commitment to me. Stay tuned for some ourSL.com outings in the San Francisco Bay area. I'll put them together and all you have to do is arrive and have some fun. And for those of you in different parts of the country who like this idea, let us know what you are planning, and we'll use the website to spread the word for you.

Click on the link below to learn all about Martin Swig's unique events.

http://californiamille.com/amicievents.html

Terminal overkill but if I had one, I'd bring it too!