Folsom Dam Drive & Tour

Folsom Lake, a man-made lake held in place by Folsom Dam, provided the setting for the August 5th, 2000 SAMOA Folsom Dam Drive & Tour. Genny Osborn was our Dam Tour Coordinator. And a dam fine job of coordinating she did.

The Dam event started in the parking lot at the corner of Folsom-Auburn Rd. and Greenback Ln. in Folsom, by the Coffee Republic, and concluded at the base of Folsom Dam. About 30 Miatae showed up at the start. We were split in to two groups of cars, those that wanted a more spirited drive went with the first group.

The first leg took us up Folsom-Auburn/Auburn-Folsom Blvd. to Auburn where we had our first break. After socializing for a while, we headed out onto the back streets of Auburn After 4 rights, a left, and a white fence, we found Hwy. 49. Down the canyon and back up. Hey, who let that minivan get in front of us! A quick re-group in Cool and we continue on 49 to Rattlesnake Bar. A quick left on Salmon Falls Rd. and it's clear sailing all the way to El Dorado Hills. At this point, we were running a bit ahead of schedule so an impromptu tour of some El Dorado Hills neighborhoods provided a couple of nice views of Folsom Lake.

Another quick re-group brings all of us back together and the whole group heads down Francisco Dr. I wonder what the locals thought of the long parade of Miatas! A right on Green Valley Rd. carries us down to the Dam road. Over the Dam....

....and on to the Dam tour.

At the Dam, they run a tour a couple of times every Saturday morning and will do group tours almost any day on request. Highly recommended if you've never taken one. The tour even includes a short action/adventure movie.

How much concrete did it take to build Folsom Dam? A lot! It took 8 years to build and they were pouring concrete most of that time. The Dam is 340 feet tall 270 feet wide at the base. That's enough concrete for a 3ft wide side walk from San Francisco to New York. Hmmm, make it a little wider, add some twisties and we'd have a Miata only road across the country! The Dam's main purpose is to provide flood control for the region but it provides us with a whole lot more; electricity, water, recreation. Take the tour, you'll learn a lot. Want more info, see http://cee.engr.ucdavis.edu/faculty/lund/dams/Folsom/FolsomDam.html

After the tour some of the group departed, others went up the road to Cabos in Granite Bay for lunch. Overall, we had a dam good time!