The writer, post ride glow

Bringing out my inner biker

Not sure if you’ve noticed, but each Labor Day weekend, Durango and the Four Corners in general is descended upon by swarms of bikers. They come on pilgrimages from around the U.S. to attend the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally in Ignacio or the Sugar Pine Rally in Mancos – sometimes both. Last year, I would easily have been classified as a "Grade-A Hater," loathing the revving engines assaulting my senses at all hours of the night and offset by the leather-clad strangers lining the streets and barstools of nearly every local establishment.

I have a motorcycle rally in my back yard. Literally. On the other side of the hill from my quiet mountain abode in Mancos, the Sugar Pine Rally rages into the wee hours of the morning for three days, but this year I decided that instead of complaining, I would check my attitude at the orange mesh fence and get in on some of that action. My primary objective: ride a bike. Preferably a Harley, just because. The closest I had ever previously come to riding a motorcycle was a 125cc dirt bike when I was a kid. This weekend I pinky promised my homegirl that we would swindle some friendly bikers into taking us for a ride, and I slapped on my biker boots, squeezed into the tightest jeans I could find and slung up my do-rag, destination: Rally Central in Cortez. Truly, I was unprepared for the fun that lay in store.

Let’s begin with the friendly faces. They were everywhere. Every single person I met at any one of the rally events, whether in Ignacio, Durango, Mancos or Cortez, met me with a welcoming smile. If I stopped to chat a bit, I learned that they had come all the way from Texas or Oregon, Florida or New York City. Or maybe they were from Aztec or Farmington, Dove Creek or Albuquerque. Regardless of where they came from, everyone was there to have a good time, and it was one giant playful playground for big, leather-wearing kids.

What struck a deep chord in my heart was the sense of community that exists between these people united by their love of sweet bikes and the freedom of the open road. I was so moved to discover the incredible support extended to veterans, active service men and women, as well as for the Mercy Medical Breast Care Center, a recipient of proceeds.

I discovered that the rally was this amorphous amoeba experience that spread out over the entire region, uniting all of our little towns and taking bikers across the Million Dollar Highway where they would stop in to patron restaurants, gas stations, hotels, grocery stores, liquor stores, boutiques and bars.

At Rally Central in Ignacio, there were family friendly events and some that seemed straight out of Burning Man. Definitely not rated G. The BBQ was delicious, the beer was abundant and the live music was stellar. A highlight at the Sugar Pine Rally in Mancos was the “Men’s Buns in Chaps” contest, which left every lady in the audience screaming with a mix of horror and delight. An amateur bull riding contest in Ignacio had bikers flying and crashing before our wincing eyes, and I heard the homemade bikini contest was ... interesting.

By the end of the rally I could feel my inner biker growing like a gremlin-fed chicken after midnight. I was ready to take my very first ride ever and get a taste of why so many people love this lifestyle. Walking back to the car at the end of a long day it was now or never, so I cornered a group of unsuspecting gentlemen from Amarillo, Texas, and convinced them to take my friend and I for a spin. They kindly acquiesced and I found myself astride a monstrous Harley, behind a giant man, flying down the highway with the wind whipping my hair into a dreadlock, the storm-streaked sunset blowing my mind over the La Platas. It was one of the most exhilarating feelings I’ve ever experienced and I happily mused, “I could get used to this.”

As far as I could tell, the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally was all about fun, freedom and play, building community and supporting valuable causes. I’m all for all of those elements and am so grateful that I took the time to step out of my usual scene to investigate this incredible motorcycle phenomenon that takes place each Labor Day. As for the 2014 Four Corners Motorcycle Rally: I’m there.

– Jaimie Becktel

 

 

         

 

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