I got in too. If you want to ride and didn't get in, don't worry- there'll be plenty of spots for sale as the event gets close and people realize that they are not up for it, or something comes up.
In the past I've stayed at motels in South Lake Tahoe. Vacancies are easy to come by and it's not that far of a drive- about 40 minutes.
There's a Hilltraining group on yahoo groups that's got people training for the Death Ride. The organizer set up training rides in the bay area. I haven't ridden with them though, it's just never worked out.