Another Elephant Ride completed!

Somewhere around thirty or so people arrived on Saturday for the evening's festivities. Another couple dozen came up on Sunday morning for the ride. Overall, there wasn't nearly as much snow as recent years, but there was a LOT more ice patches.

The weather was basically perfect for the ride, although some flurries started coming in as the last of us came down off the Pass.

First, the night before:

Our campfire at the hotel was in a former lake bed, very rough ground but plenty of room to rassle.



The Adventure Sword went into the fire, as usual.



Before long, the bikes started puttering. The snow has been light up here, so it was surprisingly clear.







That used to be an XL500. Not any more.



I'm surprised some bikes didn't crash into each other, since most of them didn't have headlights that worked and all the zooming around on the frozen ground and snow was largely done in the dark.



Then, of course, the bikes somehow found their way onto the (mostly) frozen river. This Yammy managed to escape after breaking through with the front tire.



The former XL500 went fully through the ice and we had to drag it out. It came out with the bash plate all mangled up and the shifter lever missing. Someone spotted the shifter in the swift-flowing water, so I grabbed it.



Back to the fire for more stupid juice.



The sword was convenient for drying out footwear after rescuing your bike from the river.



Ethan, Steve, and I were the only ones left at the fire at about 02:30. We were also the only ones still there after 04:30.

Thanks to Steve for the grilled snacks.

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After getting to bed at 04:40, I wasn't very happy to hear a 2-stroker start up at 07:30. Oof.

Things got too busy to stay in bed much later than that, and we were soon up and around. We had the foresight to bring breakfast with us, so we had a bite to eat and got ready for the ride.

Laurie would do some riding around Grant, then would take Jen in the Tahoe to drive up the pass and rescue anyone who needed it. The snow was not nearly as deep as it had been in recent years, and there were long sections of dry pavement. Many more large ice patches, though, so you still had to be careful.

Ethan and I rode up together. I went down twice, once on the way up (ice patch) and once on the way down (ice patch).











At the upper area, there were two snow drifts. Most folks who wanted to punch through the first one eventually did so.



One of the Urals blasted into the drift with plenty of speed, but the angle of the drift sent him over onto his side, with the side car sticking up in the air. Some quick help and all was well. After most riders had broken the snow down, the rest of the Urals followed.

I kept dropping my camera in the snow, so some of the photos were taken through a wet lens.



Here's your wheelie attempt at the snow drift...



...and here's your result.



A short distance later and the closed gate was within sight. The second snow drift wasn't as deep, but it was much longer, so fewer bikes made it past this obstacle. The Urals called it a day here.



A few riders went past the gate but I don't think anyone made it to the top of the pass. Maybe some Rokons did, but I'm not sure. If I'm wrong, someone will correct me.

Julie was expecting us again at her cabin, but her long driveway was still snowed in. A few riders made it up there with their bikes, but I chose to walk in.

Since I was still recovering from the night before, I was very dehydrated and only had some water. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to enjoy any of Julie's other liquid refreshments. The stew smelled really good, too, but I wasn't hungry.



Thanks again, Julie. You are a dear to welcome us into your home.