A Great Weekend:  2nd Annual PPBMWRR Campout

On a beautiful June afternoon, the sound of happy BMWs rode into the Arrowhead Point Campground resort outside Buena Vista CO. Several of the bikes were followed by a car, a few motorhomes, more motorcycles, a truck camper and a few more motorcycles. It was a wonderful sight as our club members began filling up the cabins, RV spaces and shady level tent sites we had reserved. The head count changes depending on who was counting and which day, but at least 33 PPBMWRR club members were in attendance at any given moment. 

Arrowhead has a very well appointed covered pavilion with what turned out to be a spectacular grill for us to use.  Niel and Carol powers shopped for and hauled up a delicious dinner of hand made hamburger patties, brats and hotdogs, potato salad, beans and a delightful marshmallow fruit salad. Stan Herman and Niel Powers had a grand time cooking all the meat, perfectly. Everybody chipped in money to pay for dinner and the cleanup was accomplished quickly and easily with many hands helping. 

As the sun went down, so did the temperature, a large fire ring awaited with fire wood brought up by Rolly Cooper and Randy Myers. There were adult beverages and S’mores enjoyed by many. 

Saturday dawned with a heavy smoky haze from the fire in AZ, but it was cool and sunny. The espresso bar at the office was doing a brisk business as we began to move about. The brave souls who were going on the GS ride began to head off to find breakfast to fortify themselves for a long day in the dust. Others planned a long road ride over Independence pass, through Paonia and over Monarch. Both rides are detailed in other stories. There were 6 of us who decided that a nice leisurely ride to Leadville for lunch and then a train ride on the Leadville and Southern Colorado railroad was in order. We were directed to a lovely diner in Leadville for a very nice lunch, The Tennessee Pass Cafe. The train was not going all the way to the top so we got a discount and a shorter ride. There was several feet of snow up higher and the tracks were still being cleared. It was a nice, quiet ride through the pines and aspens. Stan even managed a good nap during our 15 minute stop at the top of our ascent. 

As we began to gather back at the campground, stomaches began to rumble. We descended into Buena Vista to a very nice brew pub called Eddyline. It is in a new development along the water of the Arkansas River. We had the patio reserved and filled every available seat. There was a deal for each of us the receive a complimentary pint of beer or root beer. Our waitress was very proficient at keeping us straight even as we changed tables, added more people and added to our bills. The food and the restaurant got two thumbs up from MO and no one left hungry or thirsty. 

There was another campfire burning that night, more adult beverages, S’mores and homemade brownies from friends who live in town, these are the same friends who gave us the suggestion for Arrowhead, Eddyline and Tennessee Pass Cafe. 

Breakfast on Sunday was made for us by the employees of Arrowhead, we feasted on eggs, bacon, sausage and pancakes. With plenty of hot coffee, OJ and hot chocolate. As breakfast ended, people began to head for home, or for more riding. Everyone had great things to say about the campground, food and riding. I do believe this is going to become an annual adventure. Mark your calendars for the first weekend of June, 2012. 

Thank Dawn at waypastdawn@yahoo.com.