Wilderness On Wheels Overnighter
By Roadrage
Wheels were turning on June 26th to make sure some other wheels were turning, too.
The Ninth Annual Wilderness On Wheels Ride, sponsored by Maddog Custom Cycles in Conifer, Colorado, put almost 70 riders on mountain roads, rolling up more than a few miles to generate a little cash for Wilderness On Wheels.
“It was a good ride, “said Mark Miklos, owner of Maddog and run organizer. “There weren’t really any problems, only three bikes broke down, and we all got to ride hard and have a good time. At least I think everyone had a pretty good time. The party was a blast and a bunch of people came up just for that, and we ended up rising some money for Wilderness On Wheels.
“What they do there (Wilderness On Wheels) is really great,” Miklos said. “It’s a great place for adults, kids even whole families, who might not otherwise be able, to get out in the mountains and enjoy what we have here. This is an event that generates tangible, long-lasting results. So, we get to have a good time and do something nice for other people at the same time.”
This ride is unique among Front Range poker runs. There aren’t many rides that are more about piling up miles than making bar stops. The 260-mile putt wasn’t real long, but wasn’t for the whiners, either. The ride is followed by an overnight campout/party with a life, and reputation, of its own.
“This run used to be called the Cherry Breaker,” Miklos explained. “It’s a great opportunity for a bunch of us to get together, put in a good long and hopefully fun ride, and then tell lies and have fun all night. The last few years the ride was shorter, and pretty structured with a plan to have all riders by 3pm. This year, we got back to doing some riding. We pretty much took our time and were finished by about 6pm.”
At 10am, the ride rolled out of Cactus Jack’s in Evergreen, Colorado, with 68 riders, headed out for a poker run through Colorado’s Central Mountains. However, tragedy struck early.
“Pulling out of the parking lot one gal got a flat,” Miklos said. “So, she didn’t make the ride, but she met us at the party. We gave her the prize for low hand. I think she had a two.”
Everyone else high-tailed it to I-70 for a hair-on-fire- rumble to Empire, then up and over 11,315-foot Berthoud Pass into Winter Park for the first stop. For an hour or so, bikers scarfing down burgers and sipping frosty beverages ruled The Winter Park Pub.
From there, it was a race with the rain through Granby and up Highway 34 to Grand Lake. Rolling into Grand Lake, it was obvious the run had gotten lucky…Hail covered roofs and piles of the ice balls could be seen everywhere, and the air temperature had dropped significantly.
“It kind of looked like early winter,” Miklos remarked. “It was pretty wild. But, hey, we’re in the mountains, that’s what happens here.”
At The Lariat Saloon in Grand Lake, things started to get a little loose. The occasional wind gust blew a few girls’ shirts up, and general merriment took hold. One dirty girl was even treated to a melted-hail shower out back. While she put up a fight, her screeches sounded more like cries of pleasure than protest. She even put on a little show after accepting her fate.
As fun as Grand Lake was getting, the skies were still threatening serious rain and riders started filtering out onto the road heading to Dillon via Highway 40 and Highway 9. As the run stretched out on the road, some riders were hammered by heavy rain, while others somehow managed to dodge the weather.
Everyone made it safely into Dillon, where the accommodating confines of the Moose Jaw, and the third card of the run, awaited. After the requisite beverage or three, riders formed up to ride as a group through Dillon and Breckenridge before rumbling to the top of 11,541-foot Hoosier Pass. Once at the summit, everyone posed for a few photos, took in the view, and appreciated living in Colorado for a few minutes. Then, it was a quick run down the pass to Alma and the South Park Saloon. While the tiny bar was overwhelmed by the run, Alma’s lone cop was not. He did his level best to keep everyone in line, though it really wasn’t needed. The best officer unfriendly could do was make three bikes parked in front of a section of yellow-painted curb move. The 10 to 12-foot section appeared to be the only yellow curb in town. Boy, he sure showed those bikers….
From Alma, it was time for a fast run through South Park and up 10,001-foot Kenosha Pass. Near the summit, a lone bull moose was dining, offering an opportunity for alert riders to stop and do a little wildlife watching.
Further down Kenosha was the end of the ride. The Wilderness On Wheels complex sits on the shoulder of the pass, and is specifically designed to provided access to the Colorado outdoors for limited mobility or wheelchair-bound persons.
Wilderness On Wheels Foundation was established as a not-for-profit corporation in March of 1986. Its mission: Stimulate the development of access for disabled persons to natural outdoor environments. The approach to the mission: Construct a model wilderness-access facility.
The goal for the model facility: Install an 8-foot wide boardwalk starting at 9,100 feet to the top of a 12,300-foot mountain. To date, some 3,500 volunteers have invested over 116,000 hours in the project. The boardwalk is just over a mile long.
As riders pulled in, it was clear there was going to be a pretty good party.
“When we got there, there were probably at least 50 people waiting for us,” Miklos, said. They were already started, so we just rode into the party, and things really got going.”
And the people at Wilderness On wheels loved it.
“It’s wonderful,” said Iris Arnick of Wilderness On Wheels. “It’s fun to have activity here. If people are having a good time, we’re glad to have them here. And mark is wonderful to work with. This has been a really good experience.”
Arnick and Miklos said the run raised about $1000 for Wilderness On Wheels. Arnick said the money would be used to cover facility upkeep and office expenses.
We have an all-volunteer staff,” Arnick said, “but we do have some office expenses and a few other expenses. Some of the money will go towards building a little storage building we need to keep some of our things out of the weather.”
Maynard Mills got things going for the evening, followed by a boatload of give-aways and prizes. Then Kenny Bryant took the stage for the rest of the evening, naturally, most everyone took it upon themselves to make their own entertainment, so just wandering around and participating in smaller parties within the party was a favored activity.
So partying through the night in the mountains after a long day of riding was the order of the weekend. If it sounds like a throwback weekend, and a lot of fun…it was.
“The whole thing went great,” Miklos said. “It was a blast. Considering we didn’t do the ride last year, we had a good number of people who came out and had a great time. We’ll make a few changes to make things better and even more fun next year. I’m looking forward to it.”
