South Central Rendezvous 2008 – Rocky Mountain Summit

The South Central Region 912 Rendezvous was held for the first time in Northern Colorado on Memorial Day Weekend (Friday, May 23, to Sunday, May 25). We had 12 912’s, including two original-owner cars, both sand beige, interestingly enough. We also had a 912-Phantom, cleverly disguised as a Nissan Murano.

Our base of operations was the Niwot Inn, located in the small town of Niwot, just outside of Boulder. The location gave us great access to spectacular mountain roads while avoiding the traffic of Boulder and Denver.

The featured activity for this event was a drive on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park, the highest continuous motorway in the United States, with a maximum elevation of 12,183 ft. We planned to do this drive with the British Motoring Club of Northern Colorado (BMCNC), for whom the “Trail Ridge Run” is an annual Memorial Day Weekend event. It's done then because that is the first time the road is open after winter. (That's not to say that it stays open!)

Although the “official” event start was Friday morning, we did get a chance to visit with those coming from out of town on Thursday evening at Treppeda’s Gourmet Market next door to the Niwot Inn.

Friday’s drive involved negotiating a little bit of Boulder city traffic, driving up Boulder Canyon to Nederland, then to our lunch stop in Lyons, via the Peak-to-Peak Scenic Byway. Along the way, we had a stop planned for a “photo op”, which turned out to be a chance for us to witness MorriE’s wizardry in addressing the problem of a broken inner pulley half – nobody had a spare! Friday afternoon saw a number of us going to CarQuip in search of inner pulley halves. The others either rested or did some sightseeing in and around Niwot. Friday evening we had a barbecue dinner at Rob & Mary Heath’s home in Boulder.

We got an early start Saturday and headed up to Estes Park to join up with the BMCNC for the Trail Ridge Run. After an hour of exploring Estes Park, we headed into Rocky Mountain National Park. As it turned out, we found that Trail Ridge Road was only open for eleven miles due to bad weather at the top. Undeterred, we forged ahead and drove as much of it as we could, which still afforded us some “interesting” driving and spectacular scenery. When we got to Rainbow Curve (10,875 feet), where the road was closed we parked our cars, and stepped out into the chilly air to admire the views and experience the light snow blowing off the mountains. For some, it was probably the first time they had driven their 912 in the snow. As the snowfall began to pick up we saddled up and made our way back down the mountain, headlights cutting through the light misty flakes.

Our Saturday dinner was at the Gold Hill Inn, located northwest of Boulder, perched on a mountainside above Left Hand Canyon at an elevation of 8,300 feet. To get there, we drove up twisty Left Hand Canyon Road and then Lickskillet Road, the steepest county road in the United States, rising 1,000 feet in one mile. The road is dirt and, due to recent rain/snow, it was pretty badly rutted, providing a challenge to our cars (a Cayenne would have had no trouble).

Thanks to generous contributions from the 912 Registry, members of the Lone Star 912 group and Gunbarrel Motors, Niwot, we had plenty of schwag to give out, as well as a few awards. Terry Green garnered the “Iron Butt” award for driving his original-owner ’69 all the way from California. Dale Thero got to keep the traveling “Love is Blind” trophy for another year. (Paint? Who needs paint?) Pat and Sean Carmichael’s 912-P was recognized. (Picture a 912 in the paint shop in Texas and a Nissan Murano in the parking lot in Colorado.)

Sunday morning meant an early breakfast as the travelers headed out on their homeward journeys. New acquaintances and BBS handles become friends with shared experiences at these events, and we all look forward to the next time we meet.

Tentatively, next year’s South Central Rendezvous is planned to be held in April 2009 near Austin, Texas. You can be sure that BBQ and live music will be on the agenda, along with some fantastic hill country drives and lakeside sunsets. 2010… anyone up for a drive to 4 corners?