This past July I had some wonderful reminders.  I was reminded of how much I love riding first of all.  Then I was reminded of how beautiful this state is and what great riding there is here.  Most importantly I was reminded of how much fun it is to ride with friends, both old and new.

these reminders came to me during Summer Contrail, or as we now call it, A Ride with Friends.  The trip began and ended in Silverthorne.  We were allowed to leave our cars at the Comfort Inn for the week.  this seemed like a great idea because when the trip finished, thoe who wanted to could gather for a quick bite.  It also allowed for exchanging of email addresses, phone numbers and Contrail stories.

The first day we rode to Carbondale, then Ridgeway, Durango, Ignacio, South Fork, Gunnison, Buena Vista, and back to Silverthorne to round out the eight days of riding.  We climbed alot of mountain passes including Wolf Creek and Cottonwood which I had never done.

What makes a ride like this special is the people!  We had a terrific time riding riding with our "old friends"  Val and Robin, Tom Boyle, John and Bob.  We got to know Ronalee better and her husband Paul was a fabulous sag driver.  We made new friends like Jeannie and Roger, Jim, Brenda and Brad.

I think everyone enjoyed themselves and had a fine "adventure".  The riding was tough, but was rewarding.  The accomodations were great and what is more fun than riding, eating, drinking and talking in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

My favorite lodging spot was the Casino in Ignacio.  The rooms were beautiful, pool and whirlpools were quite luxurious and the faint aroma of sage coming through the ventilation system added "magic" to the atmosphere.  My favorite pass is probably North Pass because I thoroughly enjoyed the wide sweeping turns as you go screaming downhill into Gunnison.  You get that same reward as you come flying down from the former Purgatory Ski Area into Durango.

Paul, as I said before, did a wonderful job of sagging for us and taking care of our 2 little 4 legged mascots.

He managed to snag delicious homemade cookies for us to eat before we climbed some of the passes, did beer, wine and food runs without complaint.  He managed to figure out if he needed to add an extra rest stop, if the day seemed tough.  He did all of this with a smiling face and a great attitude, when some of us were tired and grumpy.

My favorite evening of the trip was a rather simple one.  Brent and I hung out with our old friends Robin and Val in their room.  We just talked for hours, ate junk food and laughed at our dogs snoring on their beds.  It was the BEST.  We all get so busy that sometimes we forget how much fun it is just to hang with friends .. or ride with friends.

I can hardly wait for next years Contrail!  the reminders of how wonderful it is to live in Colorado, how great most riders are, and why we love riding are things I never want to forget.  Why don't you come join us next year and have a ball!