The 2008 Durango SSR Rally DVD is now available!
The DVD is $29.95 plus $4 shipping and handling. You can purchase your copy by clicking the Add to Cart button below.
The second annual Colorado Rally has drawn to a close, and judging by the overwhelming amount of positive comments and feedback, I think I can confidently call it a resounding success. The past weekend was an action-packed party, and I’m grateful for all the effort that everyone gave to make it such a success.
Frankly, without the efforts and family connections of “Blue Thunder” Jeff and Deborah, this event simply would not have been possible. Jeff’s nephew did a lot of legwork for us in Durango – and we benefitted tremendously from having that “locals’ knowledge” in the selection of our venues and the hotel location. Jeff managed the last-minute shift to Sweeneys for dinner – complete with the reservations and travel schedule – when the Ore House plans fell through, and he also masterminded the “OP TrafficCam Convoy,” allowing us to maneuver through closed streets, show our numbers in the webcam, and still manage not to get us in trouble with the Durango PD. A last-minute plan to do a Sonic run was even included – folks, this was stuff that was not on the itinerary, but we were able to do them due to Jeff’s quick planning and hard work. Blue Thunder – thank you so much for everything you and your family have done to make the ’08 Rally such a success.
Doug Allen offered his support and help early in the planning process, and he and Debbie came through with the event artwork, handled the T-shirts, patches and coordinated the dash plaques with Yellow Tub, and put together an impressive collection of raffle prizes. Friends – these are jobs I don’t personally relish, and I can’t begin to tell you how much I appreciated not having to worry about these details. Thank you, Doug and Debbie, for taking on these tasks!
Thank you to everyone who donated an item or two or ten to the raffle – we had some incredibly valuable items available, and I know every winner was happy with their raffle items (if not outright thrilled!)
Thank you, Duane and Elaine, for the ready-to-frame mounted event logos – what a great way to commemorate the event! Mine will look good hanging in my office, and I know it will generate comments that will enable me to relive the event in the stories I tell to others.
Yellow Tub donated the funds for the terrific looking dash plaques – thank you, Bruce, for your donation!
The Kelsos helped us out early in the year with a donation to the rally fund, which was used in setting up a separate account for this and future rallies as well as getting things in place for the PayPal invoicing. Thank you, Gene and Kathy, for your donation!
The staff at the Doubletree was wonderful to us during our stay, and I highly recommend them for your next stay in Durango.
Sweeneys Grubsteak went out of their way to welcome and serve us. Their menu had a remarkable variety of steak and seafood to choose from, and the service was top-notch.
A special thanks goes to The High Rollers Band, who put on one heck of a show at The Wild Horse on Friday night, and even let Jeff Henry sit in on a couple songs – let me tell you, he packed the dance floor! If you get a chance to see these guys, don’t miss them!
Once again Steve, Mike and Richard (Umpire13) were conducting impromptu tech sessions and upgrades to SSRs in the parking lot, and Steve’s arrival from Saskatchewan was a real surprise. I was referring Gnarlydude to Steve to replace his tonneau cylinders just 30 minutes before Steve arrived – needless to say, the upgrade was quickly done. Oh, and I replaced the tonneau cylinders on my ’03 as well. Richard had a few Trailblazer SS frame stiffeners he installed – after seeing one, I need to get one myself. I hear there was a cooling fan or two installed over the weekend, too. Richard, Mike and Steve – thanks for your hard work in helping the rest of us keep our SSRs on the road. (edited – I got Bruce (Yellow Tub) and Richard (Umpire13) mixed up – sorry for the mistake.)
There was plenty of other stuff brought to round out your SSR-centric collection, from jewelry to toys to challenge coins to visors to duffels and folding chairs – if a fellow Fanatic didn’t have it, you didn’t need it.
Folks – if you don’t have a challenge coin from AZSSR Joe, you should really think about getting one. It could get expensive if you’re having a drink with the Fanatics and fail a coin check. 
Besides, it’s a cool way to keep your poker cards covered when you’re playing Texas Hold’em – much cooler than a plain ol’ poker chip.
Once again, Lloyd and Gerry were a big help during the rally – and I think Gerry’s dance lessons Thursday night got a few more Fanatics on the dance floor Friday night than would have been there. School was in session at the Wild Horse Saloon, with several fanatics and maybe a bar patron or two joining in on some line dancing. Fun follows you two around – I’m glad you could bring some of it to Durango!
Finally, thanks to everyone who came and made this such a fun weekend to hang out with fellow Fanatics! Once again we managed to astonish the locals – many who had never seen an SSR in person, and now had 52 of them suddenly appear in their town.
I have no idea how, or even if, we can top this event for Colorado in 2009, but Lori and I are already working on some ideas for next year. We will keep you posted – until then, I look forward to seeing all of you at the next SSR event!
At 8am on Sunday, we will have the farewell breakfast and raffle at the River Rat Cafe, located in the Doubletree Hotel. Breakfast is a buffet with fresh sliced seasonal fruit, freshly baked assorted muffins, danish and croissants, fluffy scrambled eggs, seasoned breakfast potatoes, sausage and crisp bacon.
*Updated* We will collect $18 for the buffet breakfast at registration on Thursday. (price includes $13.95 per person for the buffet, $2.79 service charge and $1.32 tax.)
Here are some pictures of the cafe – located right on the river.
River Views
Venue View
We have had a change of venue for Friday’s dinner – we will now be going to Sweeney’s Grubsteak instead of the Ore House due to a schedule conflict. We have reservations for 14 at a time spaced in 15 minute increments. We have this information all worked out for you, including maps to the venue and a pre-designated road captain for each group. This will be given to you at the checkin on Thursday afternoon/evening.
Thanks to Doug and Jeff for taking the bull by the horns on this and solving the issue.
Once again, you will see me with a video camera attached to my shoulder throughout most of the weekend in Durango. I’ll be capturing footage for the 2008 Colorado Rally DVD. Plans for the production include footage of all the fun events over the weekend, interviews of fellow SSR owners, and of course an SSR or two. Pricing will be $29.95 per disc, and orders will be fulfilled as soon as production is complete, usually a few weeks after the event.
Sales information will be posted here when the discs are available. You can pre-order if you like, just send an email through the “contact us” form and I’ll take your reservation.
In the newsletter I sent to the registered participants recently, I listed a 7:45am drivers meeting and an 8am departure for Mesa Verde. This was based on my old notes, not on the departure times that Doug has arranged. I apologize for the mistake.
The newsletter posted here on ColoradoSSR lists the correct times, so if you want a corrected newsletter, you can download and print it if you like.
To recap, those who wish to caravan as a group should meet in the hotel parking lot at 6:30am for a brief drivers meeting and departure. Doug will be the road captain for this caravan – I will be leaving prior to 6:30 to get to Mesa Verde to set up for a video shot of the caravan’s arrival.
You can opt to head to Mesa Verde later in the morning if you wish – please note there’s a lot to take in at Mesa Verde – I’ve been there several times and have yet to see the whole park.
The 2008 Colorado SSR Rally newsletter is now available for you to download!
I’ve just returned from a scouting trip to Durango, Mesa Verde and Four Corners – what a beautiful trip! The San Juans still have a lot of snow at the higher elevations, making for a very picturesque setting with green forests and valleys and of course fast, swollen rivers. It’s a far cry from a few short years ago, where drought had resulted in fast depletion of winter snowpack, the rivers were very low and the fire danger was high. With monsoonal moisture just getting started, it looks like the moisture will stay in the area for the foreseeable future. For those of you coming to the Durango Rally, this means that the days are usually sunny, with scattered storms getting started in the early afternoon.
Road Conditions
Overall, the roads around Durango are in really good condition, and there were very few “cone zones” in place this past weekend. Highway 550 from Silverton to the top of Red Mountain Pass is fantastic – it’s been recently repaved, and it’s probably one of the nicest roads in Colorado right now. Work crews are also repaving portions of 550 from Silverton south to Durango, and there was one single-lane restriction around Molas Pass for rock-work and road repairs. Highway 160 from Durango to Cortez is also in good condition, but 491/160 south out of Cortez to Four Corners is only in fair shape, with a road surface that could be charitably called “undulating”. Road conditions in Mesa Verde are very good.
Traffic Conditions
491/160 from Four Corners to Cortez sees moderate traffic, as it’s the only road through this part of Colorado. What’s more, is there are drivers on this road that are in no hurry whatsoever, and drive 5 mph below the posted limit. 160 from Cortez into Durango is much better, with less traffic and plenty of passing lanes available. 550 from Durango into Silverton, and even Ouray and Montrose further north is lightly travelled this year – you can tell the effect $4 a gallon gas has taken on the amount of traffic on this usually popular touring road. Expect to see an RV or two on these roads, and plenty of motorcyclists. Bicyclists are also prevalent on highway 550 – please watch for them as well.
Law Enforcement Activity
I saw a Colorado State Trooper on every road I travelled in Southwest Colorado this weekend – sometimes in passing, but mostly with someone pulled over. Just something to keep in mind when driving to Durango.
Hotel Parking
Our lodging at the Doubletree is simply the best location in all of Durango for access to the train. The depot is a short walk away, and we can leave our SSRs parked safely in the Doubletree parking lot. The hotel is easy to find – it’s located at the intersection of highway 550 and 160.
Mesa Verde
Mesa Verde has an amazing amount of things to see, and you can choose to take in the sights at your leisure during your visit to the park. If you plan to take a tour in Cliff Palace, Balcony House or Long Palace, make sure your first stop is the Far View Visitors Center, because these tours require tickets that are unavailable at the tour sites. Tours require some moderate hiking and climbing of ladders in certain areas, so please be sure of your fitness and ability level before opting into these tours. Finally, it gets hot in Mesa Verde, and the altitude is over 7,000 feet, so be sure to drink plenty of water, take breaks as needed, and protect yourself from the sun.
You will see large areas of sun-bleached tree trunks during your drive through the park – these are remnants of recent forest fires in Mesa Verde, and should offer some unique photo opportunities.
To answer some questions concerning the roads – all areas are nicely paved.
Four Corners
If you’re meeting here for the photo op on Thursday, or want to check it out on your own, it’s a relatively short drive southwest out of Durango. There is a modest admission fee of $3 to get into the monument area – I’m not sure they accept credit, so play it safe and bring some cash.
Coming to Durango for the 2008 SSR Rally? Be sure to register!
The 2008 Colorado SSR Rally is in Durango, Colorado august 21-24, 2008, and it’s going to be one heck of a party! Click the 2008 Colorado SSR Rally link over in the “Pages” section for some more information. We have Mesa Verde lined up for Friday, dinner and live music Friday night, a ride on the Durango and Silverton historic railroad on Saturday and a western show and dinner Saturday night. I’ll be posting lots more information in the days to come, and of course the registration form as soon as we nail down some information from the remaining venues. We hope to see you and your SSR there!
Be sure to get your copy of the 2008 Durango SSR Rally DVD! Only $29.95 plus $4 shipping and handling!