British V8 2014 - Venue Update

lars49 · July 02, 2012, 03:25:55 PM

Venue update due to the Waldo Canyon fire.

Good News 1st:

1) The hotel I had reserved was in the mandatory evacuation area but was not damaged.
2) The Cave of the Winds appears to be OK as well as the Garden of the Gods - I will have more information about both of these later in the week
3) The fire did not make it across US-24 so the Pike Peak Highway was not affected

Up in the air - or should I say mountains:

1) No word yet on CO-67, one of the roads on the big mountain tour day, there were some spot fires in this area.

Bad News:

1) The Flying W Ranch is burned completely to the ground. This was going to be our venue for the final nights BBQ dinner along with western entertainment. They are talking about rebuilding but I don't know at this time what that schedule is.

Cross posted to MGE

The 1st attached photo is from my place on the day of the firestorm. The 2nd is a view on a normal fall day.

BlownMGB-V8 · July 02, 2012, 04:00:44 PM

Thanks Larry. Not too bad considering. Maybe 2 years (almost) will be enough time for them to rebuild the ranch.

Jim

rficalora · July 02, 2012, 09:03:07 PM

Thanks for the update Larry. I have several friends in COS from when HP had a major financial processing center there. One friend - now in houston - showed me a picture a friend of his sent. Picture was taken from my buddy's old house . You could see the two houses across the street and the entire hillside behind them was a blaze. They apparently lost about 1/2 of the houses in his neighborhood. He lived not too far from the AF Academy.

mowog1 · July 03, 2012, 03:25:28 AM

Thanks for the update, Larry....looks like you're staying ahead of the game!

lars49 · July 03, 2012, 11:04:34 AM

Rob,

That whole thing was too close for comfort. I live about a 1/4 mile south of the AF Academy on the east side of I-25 in about 12 lots. I was watching that thing coming down the hillside. If the CSFD hadn't stood their ground, it could have easily gotten into my neighborhood. Hope your friend's buddy is OK. They said at this mornings update that the fire is completely contained on the city's western edge. 70% total containment.

lars49 · July 05, 2012, 08:01:22 PM

We just got news to expect 100% containment of the wildfire by midnight.

Last night Russ Wolfe who established the Flying W Ranch announced that they have had a marvelous 60 year run and are looking forward to a wonderful next 60 years. From that I gather that they are already looking to rebuild. They did manage to save all their livestock.

The Cave of the Winds re-opened for Independence Day.

The Garden of the Gods has re-opened - no damage.

The Pikes Peak Highway has re-opened. The 90th running of the Pikes Peak Hill Climb has been rescheduled for mid August.

No word yet on CO-67.

Cross-posted to MGE

lars49 · January 12, 2013, 12:06:03 PM

The Flying W Ranch has made a decision to rebuild. They are looking to be open this coming June to September on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There is no information yet as to the days in 2014. More information can be found at this article link: http://www.gazette.com/news/saddle-149567-carley-flying.html

Cross posted to MGE

danmas · January 12, 2013, 02:07:54 PM

Larry,

Looks like it's going to be a great meet - looking forward to it.

Thanks for taking it on.

Jim Stabe · January 12, 2013, 04:03:39 PM

Keep us posted and let us know when we can make hotel reservations. I'm really looking forward to driving the car there for this one. I have a friend with a Factory 5 Cobra coupe that is coming along - sort of a British V8... sort of.

lars49 · January 13, 2013, 11:04:57 AM

For those of you coming in from SoCal There are a couple of options that can bring you into Colo Springs from western CO. Both US-24 and US-50 are beautiful drives.

Jim Stabe · January 13, 2013, 11:55:34 AM

What elevations do you have along these two routes? I was also thinking of going through Phoenix and then taking US-60 across and then coming north.

lars49 · January 13, 2013, 01:28:09 PM

Jim,

If you come up US-550 and pick up US-50 in Montrose and then across your max elevation through the passes will be about 11,300. Picking up US-24 from I-70 will take you through Tennessee Pass just north of Leadville at about 10,400.

The 550 drive north is spectacular! The Glen Canyon stretch on I-70 is gorgeous - pun intended. I-70 through Utah is desolate but the rock formations are awesome.

More info can be found at these links

http://www.coloradodot.info/travel/scenic-byways

http://www.mesalek.com/colo/index.html

MrNick · January 18, 2013, 05:00:02 PM

Wait, the 2014 meet is going to be in my town? Well I guess I really need to get my MGB running this year don't I?

Larry - if you need a volunteer I'd be happy to help out as much as I can.