Passes & Canyons Blog

A handful of the 30-40 bikes that showed up at the Grizzly Rose.

Yeah, it’s cold out there today (Thursday) but that’s not going to stop you from riding, is it? Today was the Last Brass Monkey Run, the ABATE event that closes out each year.

There were indeed people who rode their bikes, as you can see in that photo. And actually there were quite a few more than those guys, that was just the most interesting photo I got so that’s the one I used. Altogether I’d guess there were about 30-40 bikes that showed up.

Was mine one of them? No. Our streets are still covered in ice and snow and there was no way I could get out.

“You’re not going to try to ride your bike, are you?”

No, too much ice on the street.

“Well, you wouldn’t ride even if you could would you? It’s too cold out there!”

Yes, I would ride. That’s why I have heated gear.

But until they make heated tires that melt the snow and ice I have to bow to the whims of winter.

So most of the folks at the Grizzly Rose got there in their cars, including me. And presumably because of the cold there was not that large a crowd. I estimated about 150 in the building at the point when I left. Lots of parking available. The last time I went was a warmer day and I rode, as did many hundreds of others. The parking lot was jammed with bikes. Not today.

And while I knew a few folks there, ABATE members, they were all working the event so I got a bowl of chili and a hot dog and sat down by myself to eat. About then a guy with some pretty interesting facial hair came over and asked me if I’d like to be a judge in the chili contest. Sure, why not? He told me after I ate to go around the corner and do so. So I did but when I got there they told me they had already had 10 judges and 10 was all they needed, so OK, no big deal.

I hung around a bit longer but had other things to do, so I left. Other folks were leaving, too, I could see. Maybe next year the weather will be more cooperative.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is not about waiting for the storms to pass, it’s about learning how to ride in the rain.

The Distinguished Gentlemen's Ride will be held this weekend.

There is a lot of awareness and there are a lot of rides to raise money to combat breast cancer, and it’s only appropriate that all men as well as women support these efforts. Nevertheless, for us guys it is seldom as personal as it is for pretty much all women. This weekend there is an event that kind of flops that, raising money for prostate cancer research. Every guy can take this one very personally, and of course the women who love us should take as strongly to it as we do to breast cancer research.

The Distinguished Gentlemen’s Ride is a worldwide event to be held on Sunday, September 27. Locally, it will start out at Sloan’s Lake (26th and Tennyson, by the tennis courts) at 10 a.m. The goal is to raise $3 million. As it says on the website, “On Sunday September 27th 2015, more than 24,196 smartly-dressed gentlefolk in 404 cities from 79 countries will straddle the saddles of their café racers, bobbers, scramblers and other marvellous custom motorcycles to raise awareness and help fund the cure for prostate cancer.”

Rather than rephrase what has already been written, I’ll just copy in a bit more information.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride was founded in 2012 in Sydney Australia, inspired by a photo of Mad Men’s Don Draper astride a classic bike and wearing his finest suit. It was decided a themed ride would be a great way to combat the often-negative stereotype of men on motorcycles, whilst connecting niche motorcycle communities together. That first ride brought together over 2,500 riders across 64 cities. The success of the event encouraged the founder to consider how it could be used to support a worthy cause. And the rest, as they say, is eloquently attired history.

The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride is a celebration of the art of being dapper and the style of classic custom motorcycles. What does that mean, you ask?

Think: Monocles, jaunty trimmed moustaches, silk vests, crisp shirts and tailored suits.

Ride: Café Racers, Bobbers, Classics, Flat Trackers, Scramblers and quirky, undefinable two-wheeled machines.

Do: Bring your finest manners, neatest beards and a sense of fun and adventure.

Pay: Nothing to ride (entry is free); but please consider helping our charities by getting your friends and family to sponsor your involvement.

LET’S BE STRAIGHT HERE, GENTLEFOLK. AT THE DISTINGUISHED GENTLEMAN’S RIDE (DGR), WE RIDE FOR A PURPOSE.
Our focus is on gentlemen who have been dealt a tough hand in life. In particular, we raise funds for research into prostate cancer as part of our mission to support men’s health.

With your support, DGR is aiming to raise $3 Million USD this year to assist in finding a cure for a disease that kills 1300 men a day worldwide.

How are the funds distributed?

DGR has partnered with a number of international prostate cancer foundations in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

We work closely with each of these not-for-profit foundations to ensure monies raised in each region are directed towards that region’s prostate cancer research projects.

Some guiding principles sit behind all donations from DGR to the prostate cancer foundations and the researchers that are the ultimate beneficiaries.

So there you go. Might be something you’ll want to be part of. For more info, please check the website.

Biker Quote for Today

“Whenever my mood turns foul and I find myself wandering beyond control, I pull out my motorbike and hurl it top speed down these unfit roads for hour after hour.” – T.E. Lawrence

The Full Throttle before the fire.

Judy and I just got back from an eight-day trip up to North Dakota, to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and while we were in the car, there were some moments when motorcycles were very much in focus.

The really big one was the day we passed through Sturgis. We didn’t have any other reason to go to Sturgis, it was just on our route as we came from the Badlands. To reach SD 79 to go north we drove out past the Full Throttle. Stunner!!! The entire place was black, charred ash, with some smoke still rising. Uniformed fire investigators were poking around in the ruins. There was absolutely nothing left.

Apparently the fire took just the night before. We were without cellphone coverage and without internet nearly all of this trip. We had no inkling this had happened. We just stumbled upon it. Oh my goodness!

OK, there was nothing else dramatic like that on this trip so the rest is a total change of pace.

So we got to THRO (the National Park Service abbreviation for THeodore ROosevelt National Park) and oh man is this a good park for motorcyclists. And yes, we saw a bunch of them there. The park is in two units, a north unit and a south unit, about 50 miles apart.

The south unit has a loop road about 36 miles long that winds up and down through the North Dakota Badlands where Teddy Roosevelt went to get over his grief at losing his wife and his mother in one day. Unlike the South Dakota Badlands, which are stark and barren with sharp peaks, the North Dakota Badlands are older, more worn down, and have a much shaggier look to them due to the vegetation they have, which those to south lack. So the color of the hills mixes with the color of the vegetation to present a totally different sort of beauty.

The loop road has numerous overlooks and also winds down and through the hills. There are lots of places you want to stop and take a better look. Do.

The north unit has just one road, for a 17-mile out, 17-mile back ride. It also has viewpoints but these are of a much broader perspective, with the horizon more than 100 miles away. This is the kind of stuff motorcyclists love. You just can’t appreciate it nearly as much when you’re in a car.

Back south, to the Black Hills, to Devils Tower (DETO) and Mount Rushmore (MORU) it was not a surprise to see so very many bikes on the roads. It’s nothing like at the rally but apparently a lot of bikers have discovered what we discovered about five years ago, which is that the Black Hills is a much nicer place to ride in September than during the rally. It’s quiet. It’s uncrowded. Prices are a fraction of what they are during the rally.

Plus, there were a lot fewer tourists than when the kids are out of school so at times there may have been as many bikes on the road as cars. Now, during the rally there are 100 or more bikes for every car but where else can you go on a normal day and see as many bikes as cars? And the weather is so much more pleasant.

So, we weren’t riding on this trip but you better believe I was thinking about it. Looking at these big RVs with car towed behind thinking how much nicer it would be to have a bike on behind. And how much better than that it would be to be on the bike, not towing it. This time it was my turn to be envious.

Biker Quote for Today

Race the rain, ride the wind, chase the sunset . . . only a biker understands.

Steel Horse Sisterhood logo.

I mentioned last week that the Steel Horse Sisterhood Women’s Motorcycle Summit is scheduled for June 11-14 in Loveland. Here are some additional details.

Full registration for this four-day event is $125, or if you are a supporter or male companion it is $100. Some events are for women only but there is also a guys only ride. My guess would be these things coincide–that would only make sense.

Three are also additional fees for several classes. For instance, the accident-scene management course is $75, and the Western Dual Sport Off-Road Riding Clinic will run you $25. There are poker runs, breakfasts, receptions, and all the usual things you expect at motorcycle rallies. A new rider course offered by Thunder Mountain Harley-Davidson is $249.

Here are a few of the items on the program and the presenters.

• Reduce the Odds presented by Laurie Latham
• Think like a Negotiator presented by Eldonna Lewis Fernandez
• A Woman’s Intuition presented by Brenda Simmons
• Alisa Clickenger – Life’s Journey & the Power of the Road
• Finding Opportunity in Adversity with Jocelyn Hastie
• Living Raw with Karen Fritz
• Let’s Talk About Gear – Brittany Morrow + Various Presenters
• Gentle Flow + Yoga Nidra Class presented by Marina Koyen
• Self Care for Bikers with Marina Koyen
• Weapons for Women presented by Laurie Latham
• Women Pushing The Curve of Adventure featuring Patricia Jacques
• Make Fat Cry Featuring Betty Rocker
• The Face of PTSD – A Spirited Panel Discussion
• Put On Your Big Girl Panties, Featuring Terri Collier of Thunder Roads OK/AR

Joan tells me she is expecting perhaps 1,000 people for the Saturday night shin-dig that will be the biggest of the social events. Overall conference attendance she expects to be approximately 300. At last year’s first-ever event the mistake was made to plan the conference for International Female Ride Day (May 5 this year). Apparently there was a bit too much competition on that particular weekend, so this year the event was planned for later. That plus better weather later in the season has hopes up for a good turn-out.

Biker Quote for Today

Dirt bike diva: mud for make-up, gasoline for perfume

The "I Am Sturgis" Kickstarter campaign.

Why We Ride burst on the motorcycling scene awhile ago and has been a very popular movie, and not just for those of us who ride. (And by the way, if you haven’t seen it, you can watch it for free until May 19 on Vimeo.)

“We’ve received thousands of letters from fans telling us that after seeing Why We Ride they decided to ‘throw their leg over two-wheels’ and become motorcyclists,” says James Walker, producer of Why We Ride. “We cannot stop with just one movie. This is now a movement, and we would love to have the community help us continue telling these inspiring stories about our motorcycle culture.”

So what’s next? Well, conveniently, the Sturgis rally will be celebrating its 75th year anniversary this year. It’s a natural fit.

Says the Why We Ride website, “The impetus for the new movie stems partly from this year’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally being the 75th Anniversary of that motorcycling institution. In recent years, the Sturgis rally has drawn half a million participants, but attendance estimates for this year’s anniversary rally exceed one million riders. There may never be a better time to capture the passion, dedication, and camaraderie of the motorcycling community, and there certainly is no better place than the iconic Sturgis gathering.”

So they’re doing a Kickstarter campaign to raise the money to make the film, I Am Sturgis. The filmmakers are looking for $350,000 and the last I looked they’re a long way from that total.

If you’ve seen Why We Ride and liked it, maybe you’ll want to chip in a few bucks. And if you haven’t seen it, it’s still available for a little while longer.

Biker Quote for Today

Murphy’s Motorcycle Laws: 4. Quick fixes are named for how long they stay fixed.

by Matt Wessels

The Vintage movement is in full force and old motorcycles are finding their way back to daylight and backroads in record numbers. This year will mark the 5th annual Vintage Motorcycle Show in Golden, Colorado.

Heritage Square will host the event one last time before they close their doors at the end of 2015, and all of their facilities will be operational for the show. Those facilities include bathrooms, restaurants, and a bar.

Erico Motorsports, GrandPrix Motorsports Indian and Foothills Triumph/BMW will be there showcasing some of the factory retro motos. Last year they had a half-million dollar Vincent show up, by the name of the Black Prince. It might make a re-appearance at this year’s show.

The show (Sunday, June 7) is open to anybody with a vintage motorcycle following the structure of a controlled open floor. To enter, respond to the evite and drop a comment so that Bob can get an idea of how many bikes there will be. Being a part of the show is just as free as attending it. They are taking donations for Hospice care, so bring some stray bills to support a good cause!

Much like the show being a celebration of all that was good and right in the motorcycle world, the Hospice donations are a celebration of good people who make it their life’s work to increase the quality of life for those who can not completely provide it for themselves. The idea was started when a friend was immensely impressed with the Hospice workers who take care of his mom, and wanted to give back.

The VJMC is also giving back by footing the bill for the event and wants all motorcycles from all backgrounds, manufacturers, and styles to attend. This isn’t a profitable endeavor, this is simply two enthusiasts who want to bring like-minded people together and celebrate good bikes, good food, good talk, and good experiences.

If you missed the link up above, go HERE to register for attendance. IT’S FREE!

For any other questions or comments, please reach out to Bob @ superhawk65@gmail.com

Many of the same folks meet at the GB Fish and Chips on the first Thursday of every month for Old Bike Night. There are a few other Old Bike Night meetups around the front range area, but not all necessarily connected with this one.