  We present high-resolution spectra (R ~ 49,000) of stars that have parallax
measurements from the Hipparcos satellite and are projected along the line of
sight to the two nearest known star forming clouds to the Sun: MBM12 and MBM20.
The spectra were obtained with the FOCES Echelle Spectrograph at the 2.2 meter
telescope in Calar Alto, Spain and the wavelength range was chosen to include
the interstellar NaI D lines at 5889.950 Angstroms and 5895.924 Angstroms.
Since the stars are at a range of distances, we use their spectra along with
their parallaxes from Hipparcos to determine the distance to the molecular gas.
The stars in front of the cloud do not show interstellar NaI D absorption
features while the stars behind the cloud do show interstellar absorption
features. We find that both clouds are somewhat more distant than previously
estimated. The revised distance to MBM12 is 58+-5 pc < d < 90+-12 pc and the
distance to MBM20 is 112+-15 pc < d < 161+-21 pc.
