Ride the Divide, The Summary
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Ride the Divide, The Summary |
Mark and I did some rough counts from memory about how many folks have participated in RtD over the years. There were 10-13 riders in 1994, 17-23 in 1995, 24-28 in 1996, 30-42 in 1997, and 20-35 in 1998. That totals about 120-130. A few each year rode all four days (6, 15, 15, 20, 8) while others joined and dropped out during the ride. The riders came from Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, California, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Nebraska, Oregon, and British Columbia. The bikes included a real mix of Kawasakis, BMW, Honda ST-1100, VFR-750, Hawk, and CBR-1000, Yamaha V-Max, Venture, and YZ-1000. Just counting the 4-day riders to make an estimate of passes crossed during the ride yields 64 * 14 passes = 896. Estimating the miles gives us 64 * 1200 miles = 76,800 miles of scenic, winding Colorado mountain roads. And that doesn't count all the miles folks rode just getting to and from Pagosa and Steamboat from their homes, crossing other non-Divide passes such as Raton, LaVeta, Cumbres, Kenosha, Red Hill, Gore, Red Mountain, Molas, and Coal Bank. Whew, that's a lot of high-altitude fun!
In addition to the fun of motorcycling, meeting and spending time with other folks that like sporty riding through the mountain scenery was a special part of RtD. We seemed to naturally break into groups of 2-4 that rode at the same speed, be whether it was quick, medium, or cruise. The faster riders always stopped once in a while to allow everyone to gather back together and chat for a bit. And then at the lunch and dinner stops we all had a good time swapping motorcycling stories with guys and gals we hadn't met before and with friends from previous RtD's. The stories, tall tales, and laughs continued around the campfires too.
So, after 5 years and a lot of good memories, Ride the Divide has come to an end. All of us that were fortunate enough to participate owe Mark, and his helpers, our thanks for all their expert planning and organization. Thanks, guys!
- Randy Bishop, Littleton Colorado
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