News

Dear Fellow Cavers,

As was finalized at last night’s meeting, Bill and I are pleased to be hosting the 2018 SFBC Holiday Party on Saturday Dec. 8, 2018.

Location: Frantz residence
16345 Englewood Ave.
Los Gatos CA.
Directions: Google is right on – Call if you need more.
There are numerous ways to get here. All eventually put you southbound on Los Gatos Blvd. Turn left on Shannon Rd. 2nd Right is Englewood. We are the 4th on the right after you turn off of Shannon, last before the speed bump. Oleander hedge in front.

880 south from East Bay, becomes 17 towards SantaCruz. Exit at Lark. Left onto Lark. Right onto LGBlvd.
280 south from SF then 85 south towards Gilroy, exit at LG Blvd.
101 south, then 85 south towards Gilroy, exit at LG Blvd.

RSVP or directions: Peri’s cell 408 464 7141 (Leave a message if no answer, I will return your call)

Time (approx): 6:00 Gather
7:00 PotLuck Supper
8:30 Auction
9:30 GIft Exchange
11:30 End

Activities:
Mostly socializing:
Pot Luck Supper – Bill and Peri will provide a Turkey, gravy & cranberry sauce.
– Call if you want to arrange a side dish, salad or dessert. Things usually work out fine without prior arrangement.
Auction: SFBC’s annual fundraiser. Bring a donation – old caving gear, or whatever.
Gift Exchange – Bring a wrapped gift (approx. value $20) – we will explain rules for this ”Thieving Exchange” before it starts. I’s lots of fun. Make sure it is wrapped.

Bill & I will be out most of the morning & afternoon, so if you need to talk to us, do so in advance.

See everyone on the 8th.

Peri

Dear Members,
ELECTIONS!
Officer elections are this month.
The election is this Tuesday.
The November SFBC Members’ Meeting will take place in the San Carlos Public Library on Tuesday November 27 at 7:30 PM. There is a parking lot in front of the library and plenty of street parking in the area.
*PRESENTATION:*
This month’s presentation, beginning at 7:45, will be:
*Millerton Cave, San Joaquin River Gorge and a Dam *
This month we will hear from Anita Lodge of the Friends of the River about the impending damming of the San Joaquin River Gorge. This impacts one of our favorite caves – Millerton Caves. Come hear about this.
*LOCATION/DIRECTIONS:*
This is the address:
San Carlos Library,
610 Elm St, San Carlos, CA 94070
This link will help you find it on google maps:
*Google Maps <goo.gl/maps/Rryvp1ERZkL2>*
*Google Maps*

This month’s pre-member’s meeting dinner and executive committee meeting will be held at Broiler Express, which is located at 895 Laurel St, San Carlos, CA 94070. This is the link for it on google maps: goo.gl/maps/bxHypZeiDsQ2.
For those who are interested in attending, the after-meeting caver happy hour will be held at St. James Gate, 1410 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002.
I hope you can all make it on Tuesday!
Rafael

Howdy!
How much candy did you eat last week for Halloween? Yeah, right. Not that much? Really? How about pumpkin pie? Or pumpkin spice lattes? So, if you are looking for ways to start fighting back against the holiday season caloric intake, what better way to do it than getting together with some of your friends and getting on rope to practice your vertical skills? (LEGAL DISCLAIMER: The aforementioned activity shall in no way be construed as a binding agreement pursuant to eliminating all those extra calories from the delicious, delicious pumpkin spice late. Void where prohibited. Results not typical. Professional driver in a closed race track. Do not attempt at home. Events may have been recreated for TV purposes)
So, anyway, join us tomorrow, Tuesday, 6 November, for our monthly vertical practice!
Our kind hosts will be Peri and Bill Frantz. You can arrive anytime after 6:30 pm, we will have some dinner and immediately after we will have some fun on rope.
Dinner is “modified potluck style,” where you bring your own main dish and also bring a small appetizer, side dish or dessert to share. We will have a grill for your food, in case you need one.
Please bring a helmet and a headlamp, and a jacket, since we will be practicing outdoors if weather permits and it’s getting colder. If you don’t have yet a helmet or headlamp, we will have a couple of extras. If you don’t have a jacket, in general you’ll be needing one in your life soon, so a visit to Goodwill would be a good idea. Bring your vertical gear if you have it, and if not, we will also have a couple of extras for you.
The address of the Frantz Pumpkin Spice Latte Patch is:
16345 Englewood Ave Los Gatos, CA 95032 goo.gl/maps/rKNoy
See y’all soon!
– Fofo

(resending this, apparently the first one didn’t go through for everyone)
Howdy!
Labor Day is just behind us. But, is this the end of summer? Can this be the end of outdoor activities? As a caver, you know that’s not true! Some of the best caving is done in the upcoming part of the year. Is your vertical technique ready?
Join us TODAY, Tuesday, 4 September, for our monthly vertical practice.
Our kind hosts will be Peri and Bill Frantz. You can arrive anytime after 6:30 pm, we will have some dinner and immediately after we will have some fun on rope.
Dinner is “modified potluck style,” where you bring your own main dish and also bring a small appetizer, side dish or dessert to share. We will have a grill ready in case you need one for heat-processing your food.
Please bring a helmet and a headlamp, and a jacket, since we will be practicing outdoors if weather permits. If you don’t have yet a helmet or headlamp, we will have a couple of extras. Bring your vertical gear if you have it, and if not, we will also have a couple of extras for you.
The address to the Frantz End-of-Summer Camp is:
16345 Englewood Ave Los Gatos, CA 95032 goo.gl/maps/rKNoy
See y’all soon!
– Fofo

Howdy!
It’s the middle of summer right now. Wow. Where does time go? But this is also perfect timing for preparing for the vertical caving expeditions that are coming up so you can check out more of the underground wonders of our world!
So, with that in mind, please join us tomorrow, Tuesday, August 7, for our monthly vertical practice. PLEASE NOTE that for this month only it will be at a different location!
Our kind hosts will be Marguerite and Jock Williams. You can arrive anytime after 6:30 pm, we will have some dinner and immediately after we will have some fun on rope.
Dinner is “modified potluck style,” where you bring your own main dish and also bring a small appetizer, side dish or dessert to share. We will have a grill for your food, in case you need one, and there is a pool and the water is warm, if you feel like going for a swim (remember your swimming suit, if you want to do that!).
Please bring a helmet and a headlamp, and a jacket, since we will be practicing outdoors if weather permits. If you don’t have yet a helmet or headlamp, we will have a couple of extras. Bring your vertical gear if you have it, and if not, we will also have a couple of extras for you.
The address is:
2350 Perich Court Mountain View, CA 94040 goo.gl/maps/AKhkoytjZSE2
See y’all soon!
– Fofo

Come one, come all, to the 37rd annual Stanislaus Grotto Barbeque to be held on Saturday, August 11th, at California Caverns (AKA Cave City) in Mountain Ranch, Calif.
This may be the last year that we are able to have our annual BBQ at Cave City as the family corporation that owns several caves (Sierra Nevada Recreation) – including California Caverns – is undergoing changes and future ownership of the caves is uncertain.
And as always, other grotto members from near and far are welcomed to join in the festivities.
And as this is a social event, it is open to all; bring your family, friends, relatives, co-workers, etc., – anyone who is interested in a good time. Also, past barbeques have had unusual events, such as belly dancers and six-foot toucans, but there is no guarantee of any such aberrations this time. Someone might also rig a vertical challenge area for energetic cavers.
The standard barbeque etiquette rules apply – bring something to throw on the grill, and bring something to share with the group: a side dish, salad, appetizer, or dessert. Grills and charcoal are provided. There are three stationary grills, and it has been noticed in the past that there might be wait times to use a grill. If you have a small grill that can be easily transported that would be a nice addition. There are several picnic tables but folding chairs are also handy to bring along. Also, an extra couple of folding tables might be helpful if a lot of people attend.
For evening entertainment we will have a LCD projector and screen, so bring your digital cave pictures. Please provide your own laptop if possible.
*FREE CAMPING!! * That’s right, after eating so much food, and maybe consuming an adult beverage or two, why drive home on dark, windy roads. Spend the night under the stars at California Caverns. Then you can meander home the next day, or head off to a caving adventure in the local area.
WHEN: Saturday, August 11th WHERE: California Caverns (AKA Cave City) near Mountain Ranch, CA TIMES: Social hours 3:00 – 5:00 pm Grilling times 6:00 – 8:00 pm Slide shows??? – 9:00 pm
*IMPORTANT: While the barbeque is being held at California Caverns, this event does not include entry into the commercial cave – either on tours or wild caving. You may purchase tour tickets on your own. During past BBQ’s we have been very fortunate to have John Fairchild available to lead a late evening walking tour through the cave, but this is not likely to happen this year. There are numerous local wild cave you may visit before the BBQ, and also on Sunday.. If it is a hot day, Natural Bridges is a great place to visit and cool off.*

Dear Members,
The July SFBC Members’ Meeting will take place in the San Carlos Public Library on Tuesday July 24 at 7:30 PM. There is a parking lot in front of the library and plenty of street parking in the area.
*PRESENTATION:*
This month’s presentation, beginning at 7:45, will be:
*Cave Arachnids of California *
California Academy of Sciences arachnologist, *Darrell Ubick*, will give us a special version of his presentation on Cave Arachnids of California. Come learn from one of our very own experts about some of the fauna you might see while exploring California caves. In addition to learning about those spiders, the presentation will cover cave ecology, the modifications that cave-specific species have to navigate their environment, and other cave fauna.
*LOCATION/DIRECTIONS:*
This is the address for the June meeting:
San Carlos Library,
610 Elm St, San Carlos, CA 94070
This link will help you find it on google maps:
*Google Maps <goo.gl/maps/Rryvp1ERZkL2>*
*Google Maps*

This month’s pre-member’s meeting dinner and executive committee meeting will be held at Broiler Express, which is located at 895 Laurel St, San Carlos, CA 94070. This is the link for it on google maps: goo.gl/maps/bxHypZeiDsQ2.
For those who are interested in attending, the after-meeting caver happy hour will be held at St. James Gate, 1410 Old County Road, Belmont, CA 94002.
I hope you can all make it this coming Tuesday (i.e. next week)!

Rafael

sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/video/category/spoken-word-kpixtv/3895339-thai-cave-rescue-crews-race-against-time/

Howdy!
You know what’s coming this Wednesday, don’t you? Barbecue, beer, not doing much, watching fireworks. Yes, it does sounds like fun, but you can prepare for all that lack of action by getting on rope, hone your vertical skills and hang out with some of your favorite people. So, join us tomorrow, Tuesday, 3 July, for our monthly vertical practice!
Our kind hosts will be Peri and Bill Frantz. You can arrive anytime after 6:30 pm, we will have some dinner and immediately after we will have some fun on rope.
Dinner is “modified potluck style,” where you bring your own main dish and also bring a small appetizer, side dish or dessert to share. We will have a grill for your food, in case you need one.
Please bring a helmet and a headlamp, and a jacket, since we will be practicing outdoors if weather permits. If you don’t have yet a helmet or headlamp, we will have a couple of extras. Bring your vertical gear if you have it, and if not, we will also have a couple of extras for you.
The address is:
16345 Englewood Ave Los Gatos, CA 95032 goo.gl/maps/rKNoy
See y’all soon!
– Fofo

All cavers are always welcome. Annual BBQ will be at California Caverns ( www.yelp.com/biz/california-cavern-state-historic-landmark-mountain-ranch) in Mountain Ranch on August 11-12.
Most cavers do a quick half day trip on Saturday & then join the BBQ. Sunday trips are also an option. There’s usually a slide show by Dave Bunnell for the evening & we often rig vertical ‘play areas’ in the trees.