Mark,..I try to get people to join us on the Palomar Mtn runs but only a few die hards ever show up...AND that is with NO STRINGS ATTATCHED!!!
I can understand your logic, but I think you hit a good reason why there is a charge. It's amazing the kind of guaranteed attendance you can achieve when people pay up front.
It's very easy for someone to say "I'm in!" when there's no fees involved. Next thing you know, you've got 50 - 100 people saying they're in, and you have to plan for that many people showing up, not just for a restaurant but for the drive itself. I'm sure ANYTIME, ss_md, coolnsx, tbNSX, etc. can all chime in about how difficult it is to create a route (often times new and unique) that can accommodate X number of cars. Then, come drive day, only a fraction of those people show up.
As for this event's $30 fee, not only does it cover lunch, but it also covers costs for T-shirt production. I could only imagine the size of the headache resulting from balancing who's paid for what (drive? shirt? lunch? etc.?) if there was a buffet style "pick & choose your Drive" event.
In any case, "I'm in!!" for the Palomar Drive too.
-Randy