Bob and Susan, Back in the Rockies

VETTES ON THE ROCKIES 2003

 Last year Susan and I attended the Vettes On The Rockies event in Frisco, Colorado without our car since we were out there anyway visiting our friends that live close by.  It was hard to be there without our car, so we then decided to drive the Blu Pil out this year and experience everything the show offered, and also visit our friends as we do each summer. We planned the trip so that we could see more of Colorado, which included a two night stop on the way in Durango, Colorado to see the beautiful scenery around that area. Durango is one of those towns you can just walk around and one of the big attractions is the train ride to Silverton, an old mining town.

 On our first day there, we saw a couple sitting on a bench with Corvette shirts on, so we struck up a conversation with them.  Turns out there were 4 couples from the Looking Glass Corvette Club of Illinois that were sightseeing in Durango like us, and on their way to Breckenridge, CO, the site of the 2003 Vettes On The Rockies.  As luck would have it, we ended up on the train with them to Silverton and then caravanned to Breckenridge and spent time with them at the event.  Two of the couples do a lot of traveling and have attended many corvette events.  It was interesting to talk with them about the events they like the best, Eureka Springs, Arkansas, Spearfish/Black Hills in South Dakota, and Mid America.  They were a fun group our age and we plan on seeing them at other events throughout the years. 

 The caravanning from Durango to Breckenridge was great.  We saw a lot of magnificent scenery and traveled the “million dollar highway” from Durango to Ouray.  Part of the road is 25 mph, the road is virtually at the cliffs edge with little to no guardrails (guardrails prevent the snowplows from clearing the roads, so they don’t use them).  Believe me, you don’t want to go over 25 mph on that stretch.  When we got to Ouray, it was time for a break, so Susan asked someone on the street where to find coffee and pastry.  We were directed to a local pastry shop “La Papillon Bakery and Grill”.  When we went in, I noticed Pete Fountain and Jazz Fest posters and other New Orleans memorabilia so we asked about it and found out the owner is from Chalmette and his wife is from Metairie.  Get this, on Friday’s, Saturdays, and Sundays they fly in fresh soft shell crabs, shrimp, and catfish.  The locals and tourists love it.  The owner went to the same high school as Susan.  After coffee, pastries and a few pics, we left to finish the trip to Breckenridge.

 The Vettes On The Rockies event is a large event with 500 cars and 800 people registered.  This was the 30^th year for this event, put on by the Looking Glass Corvette Association of Denver.  It was held at the Beaver Run Resort in Breckenridge with the Sunday show being held on the main street of this Swiss Alps town.  There were 335 cars at the Sunday show and shine lined up on both sides of Main Street and on the side streets.   It was interesting to note that the judging at the show and shine was done by several groups of local residence (non car judging people). Also, the sponsor club had their cars judged separate from out of town participants.

 Chevrolet set up a display of some of their concept cars (Chevrolet SS, two SSR pickups, a couple of Monte Carlos, etc).   The event also included a rally and poker run (200+ miles), a funkana (low speed, play games), an Autocross at the local high school parking lot, which I did and thoroughly enjoyed, and a dinner and dance on Saturday night.  Chevrolet’s Jon Moss, the man responsible for all of GM’s special vehicle programs, was at the dinner also, gave a speech and then signed autographs.  It was a fun and busy weekend, well organized to handle the high volume of cars and people.

 After visiting a few more days with our friends, we were anxious to get back so we drove the 1400 miles back home in two days.  The total trip up and back was 3300 miles, our longest trip ever, but the C5 handled it well.  The roads for the most part were great once you got out of Louisiana, and running 15 mph over the speed limit in the wide open areas of Texas and New Mexico seemed to be the norm, so we made good time.  Susan wants to do the Black Hills event next year (July) in Spearfish, SD, so anyone interested, keep this in mind for next year.

Bob and Susan Himes

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