Passes & Canyons Blog

The morning of the ride in 2010, my first time there.

It hadn’t crossed my mind but it must be getting near time for this year’s Elephant Ride. That’s if they’re having one. I’m not sure on that. A lot has changed, not the least the fact that Guanella Pass has been paved.

OK, I’ll back up for those of you who are not familiar with this event.

Long ago, in a distant galaxy–or something like that–a bunch of guys were out riding on a February day and decided to go over Guanella Pass from Grant to Georgetown–who cares about the snow?! They succeeded and a tradition was born.

So my point here–what that headline is about–is that I got an email the other day from Shannon Wilson who tells me he is hoping to do a documentary about the event. But he’s hoping to find some help. Here’s the email.

I’m an E-Rider from the ’90s and a friend of Greg Frazier and the other founders.

You probably know from you experience and looking around online that there is a quantity of material on past rides. There actually is a lot more that isn’t yet online, unless it has been archived in the magazines for which I wrote and photo’ed several stories. I think that a few other participants also have pics. I had enough material that I gave a second scrapbook to Steve Grady of STS Powersports in Conifer.

Last year I wrote to Greg, who winters in Thailand, to say I’ d help if he wanted to turn the stuff into a doc. He said he doesn’t make films anymore, but he liked the idea. He was planning his next foreign ride and couldn’t do anything more about it. I contacted Jim Wear, the owner of the Rocky Mtn MC Museum in the Springs, but he’s given me the impression that he doesn’t get the regional historical importance of the E-Ride, and so far, that inquiry hasn’t gone anywhere.

My other ideas for at least archiving the original items are the Summit County Historical Society, Anamosa MC Museum, and the AMA. At some point, on or before my expiration, the material will have to go somewhere, but be that as it may, I’m hoping to meet someone who is interested and capable of helping to film and narrate the material. It’s a great, entertaining, at times hilarious story that is absolutely the descendant of the zany stuff that mc people of the past used to do in the pursuit of fun. It would be a Colorado cultural tragedy to lose the story in boxes on a shelf or unnoticed archives.

If you can help with finding someone–this person would be given everything I have, contacts, etc., plus could use the other online stuff, and this person could be a good amateur or perhaps pro videographer looking at an easy and fun project. There is a possibility that Greg might narrate it, which would be ideal.

I’m hoping to scan most of my stuff this year into my laptop before I leave on an mc trip for the summer. I hope you’re planning a fun-filled summer of your own, and can give this request some thought.

Thanks,
Shannon Wilson

If you have the skills and are interested, Shannon can be reached at this address that I’m not spelling out directly because I don’t want some spammer scraping it off this blog: shanana plus wilson (all one word) and then the @ symbol and yahoo.com.

Also, if anyone has any idea if the ride is on for this year I’d sure appreciate you letting me know. Thanks.

PsychoSteve has come through again. The Elephant Ride is on for the second weekend in February, but the gathering point has moved a short distance.

There was initially some concern because PsychoSteve no longer lives in the house in Grant that has been the starting point of this winter ride up Guanella Pass. Veterans of the ride offered assurances that if nothing else the plan would be to camp up the Guanella Pass road a bit as has been done before, but that won’t be necessary.

PsychoSteve announced on Jan. 15 on Adventure Rider that he had arranged with the new owner of the Grant Motel to use that property for camp-out, bonfire, launch point–everything. At this point all of the five rooms in the motel are rented but Elephant Riders traditionally pitch tents or sleep in their vehicles, as I done the last two years.

To really take part in the adventure you need to show up on Saturday night (Feb. 11) for the bonfire, the eating, the drinking . . . the fun. Then on Sunday morning at around 10 a.m. or so the assault on the pass will begin. While there hasn’t been a huge amount of snow this year, PsychoSteve and a buddy went up there a couple weeks ago and report that there are indeed spots with serious ice and deeply drifted snow.

In other words, it’s a normal Elephant Ride. So drill those screws into your tires and get out your warmest winter riding gear. The fun is about to begin.

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I didn’t intend to ride in the Elephant Ride this year but we all know about the best laid plans.

I did head up to Grant Saturday evening to partake in the joviality around the campfire, and to identify the guys riding Rokons so I could do a story on those moto-tractors for RumBum.com.

It turned out there was only one Rokon in attendance this year, but that was enough for me to get a story. And then Psycho Steve, who hosts this shindig each year, asked me if I’d like to ride a Kawasaki quad he had. Cool. Sure. You bet.

So Sunday morning came and everyone headed out. I was one of the early starters but was quickly passed by the bat-out-of-hell riders who blasted past me like this was a racetrack, and then a few more, then the Ural sidecar guys, and everyone else. That quad’s not real fast.

I didn’t get very far on it either. The first spot I came to where the road was drifted I just turned around. The quad is only two-wheel-drive and with everyone in front of me I didn’t want to get stuck with no one following after to stop and help me out. Besides, I got the interview and the photos I needed.

Next time, though, I’m going to take all my gear with me even if I’m not planning to ride. I didn’t have a helmet so Steve got one for me. It didn’t fit very well but it fit better than the only other one he had. Plus, it didn’t have a visor and I didn’t have any glasses or goggles, and when that wind started blowing fine little ice crystals in my face it was pretty hard going. I held my hand over my face with just a crack separating two fingers, which is where I peeked through.

Once again, the Elephant Ride was a fun time. Doesn’t everybody go riding their motorcycles in the snow?

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It’s that time of year again: time to go camping and ride motorcycles.

Yeah, I know. You’re looking at me like I’m crazy, but I’m serious. Next weekend, on Sunday Feb. 13 to exact, is the Elephant Ride.

I did the Elephant Ride last year and it was one heck of a lot of fun. (That’s a picture from last year up above.) This is an event put on through Adventure Riders and the objective is to ride up Guanella Pass from Grant over to Georgetown on motorcycles. Never mind that the pass is closed and choked with snow. That’s the adventure part!

And of course, nobody made it to Georgetown last year but again, who cares? We tried. And had a heck of a lot of fun in the process.

So here’s the scoop. To really enjoy this thing you need to go up to Grant the night before. Camp, sleep in your car or your camper, or whatever, but hang out around the campfire eating and drinking and having a great time the night before. Then get up in the morning and give it a go. Here’s the thread in case you want more info.

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It’s been a long time since I’ve had that much fun. I did the Elephant Ride this past weekend and there is no question I will be going to more of these Adventure Rider events.

I mentioned before that I had been invited to ride monkey with Dom Chang on his Ural sidecar rig and that made a huge difference. To participate rather than observe was a big, big difference.

But as much as I liked getting to ride, it was really the party the night before that I enjoyed the most. For 30 years my friends and I used to go winter camping in March. They’ve all wussed out on me at this point, and our annual camping trip came to an end about 5 years ago. For the hard-core riders of the Elephant Ride, the event really starts the night before. Some people camp, others have campers, but standing out around the blazing fire while the frigid wind blew, talking about motorcycles and a lot of other things, drinking and (in some cases) getting way too drunk–it was just like old times. I absolutely loved it!

Yes, it was cold crawling in the sleeping bag, and even worse getting out of the bag in the middle of the night to offload some of the beer, but I just loved it.

Oh, and hey, we did ride motorcycles way up Guanella Pass. Most of us didn’t make it all the way up, and nobody made it over to Georgetown. No matter, we tried, and that’s more than about 5 billion other people on this planet can say.

Here’s a shot of the Urals as they arrived in a squadron.

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Who is crazy enough to ride their motorcycles up over a high Colorado mountain pass at a time when the pass is closed by deep snow? Why, the Adventure Riders, of course. They’ll be doing it this weekend and while I’m not riding, I do plan to be there as a witness to the event.

The group will gather Saturday night in Grant, along U.S. 285, and camp out or take advantage of the local accommodations. Saturday night is party time. Then on Sunday they’ll head up over Guanella Pass to Georgetown, or at least as far as they can get.

This photo gives you an idea of what it’s like. I grabbed the shot from an AVRider post by a guy who goes as “Geek” and I don’t yet have his permission but I’m contacting him to ask for his OK.

The folks making the ride generally ride smaller dirt bikes set up with studs in the tires, just like ice racers, or on sidecar rigs (Urals generally), other three wheelers, or Rokons. Rokons, in case you’re not familiar with them, are very wide tire motorcycles designed to plow through mud or snow and just generally be a four-wheel-drive sort of two-wheeler.

I do know that Dom Chang, the Colorado Motorcycle Travel Examiner, who I’ve written about before, is planning on doing this run on his Ural sidecar rig. I don’t know any of the others but that should change soon.

Oh, and one other consideration. The weather forecast for the next three days is clear, but snow is predicted on Sunday. Could be fun.

Update: Geek gave me the OK for using his picture, and I spoke to Dom and I’m going to be riding with him in his Ural, so I won’t be just a spectator after all. Hot dog!

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I’d been hearing rumors about this but finally confirmed it just a few minutes ago. The Elephant Ride over Guanella Pass from Grant to Georgetown is on for this weekend.

Mind you, this is no ordinary ride. First off, Guanella Pass is covered in snow and has not been plowed. Second, most of these guys are going to be camping at Grant the night before. Is that tough enough for you?

And who are these crazies? Why the Adventure Riders. You may recall that I have mentioned this group on a number of occasions. They’re the ones who did a fund-raising ride to support a group the provides medical care to remote areas in Africa.

I doubt I’ll be able to make it up there on Sunday but if any of you guys reads this and wants to send me some photos and a report I’d love to hear from you and pass it all along.

Have a blast you guys.

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