California Mille 2009

California Mille 2009 Photos and Stories.

1000 miles throughout Northern California
over 4 days

California Mille 2009

The 19th annual California Mille sets off with some 70 historic race cars which departs San Francisco's Nob Hill on Monday, April 27, for a thousand-mile (mille) back roads adventure and using the days thru April 30th.

The California Mille salutes Italy's famed Mille Miglia (thousand mile) race that ran from Brescia to Rome to Brescia from 1927-1957. Cars that could have qualified for the original event are eligible to apply for entry in the California Mille.

After a full-day, free car show on Mason Street between Sacramento and California in front of the Fairmont Hotel on April 26, the Mille heads off on April 27 south to the summit of Mt. Hamilton, then Quail Lodge in Carmel Valley, and on to Cambria.

Then the run is into the California gold country to Mariposa, up historic Highway 49 to Jackson and from there a drive on through wine country and to Sonoma. After that the west side of Mt. Tamalpais, down through Mill Valley and in to the center of Sausalito.

The California Mille draws its inspiration from Italy's famed Mille Miglia that ran from from Brescia to Rome to Brecia from 1927 to 1957. Cars that are used for the California Mille are those which could have qualified for orginal Mille Miglia.

The festivities of the car display in front of the Grand Old Lady, which is the Fairmont Hotel, is an inspiring way in which to start the drive. The cars, who are the true celebrities, are driven down a red carpet and set aside in the soft April San Francisco sun to bask and pose for all to enjoy. This year the cars were sporting well made name cards which identified the year, make an model so that those which were unfamiliar were easily identified. It is always exciting to discover a new name or model in the line-up.

On a personal note with this being an odd year, I was very disappointed, after my long stint of shooting the cars, when I went off with my lovely wife to find a quiet spot to enjoy a glass of wine and reflect up on all the splendor of which we had witnessed. This remember, is at top of the famed Nob Hill in the center of San Francisco, California and in the mid of the afternoon. We tried the door of no less than three bars and found them locked up tight including no less The-Top-of-The-Mark. Come back later were the signs. As we were not part of the registered troupe that made up the California Mille, we disappointedly cast our tired thirsty selves off the backside of the "Hill" in search of the famed California Wine.