Colorado’s car scene never fails to provide a good time for its enthusiasts. As my good friend Pat Curtin wrote in
his article “The Case for Colorado” in our Issue #1, Smaller car communities keep the passion alive. As the days grow cooler and shorter towards the end of our car season, our local scene of smaller events truly begins to shine, with the big name events done and dusted for the year.
On October 9th, 2022, I joined in on an event that fits this to a tee. A small group of enthusiasts with an eclectic collection of cars met on a crisp October morning in Golden, intent on enjoying some of our best driving roads and early autumn scenery. This was the Simply Clean Fall Rally, hosted by Tyler White, owner of the Simply Clean detail shop in Lafayette Colorado.
The rally was well planned and communicated on the Simply Clean Social Club Facebook group prior to the drive, with disclosure of the route, meeting times, stops along the way, and a reminder to keep behavior appropriate on the drive. After a short meeting and rebriefing of the same (as well as handing out a professionally printed route guide), the group departed up Golden Gate Canyon road, taking the scenic route to Blackhawk and Central City. The drive through Blackhawk in the clear morning air was scenic, and we quickly found ourselves at the first stop at the “Squatch Store”, a large gas station and souvenir stop off of I-70.
The Group continued up I-70 to Georgetown, taking in the scenery (and the mountain traffic as well… you learn
to take the good with the bad on I-70). The group stopped again for a photo in Georgetown, as well as an attempted drone session, made difficult by Georgetown’s notorious wind. The route continued further into the mountains, first crossing Guanella pass, with a photo stop in Platte Canyon, followed by a run up Kenosha Pass to Fairplay. All of this to the backdrop of the Colorado Rockies, just starting to accumulate their first bit of snow.
From Fairplay, the group continued on through Breckenridge to Loveland Pass, a pass notoriously used by automakers for high altitude test-mule flogging, and avoiding Eisenhower Tunnel based issues on high traffic days. From there, the group rejoined I-70 for the road home, completing the loop and covering over 130 miles of scenic passes and photography stops in roughly 5 hours. Drives like these are a hidden gem for Colorado residents, allowing us to experience some of the most breathtaking scenery that the state has to offer, minutes from the Denver Metro area. Further, drives like these are accessible points of entry for significant others who are not as car-crazed as we are; while we had some time to stand around and densely discuss cars like our lives depended on it, the bulk of the event was putting miles on the car. I know my spouse enjoyed the scenic tour and opportunity to get out of the house as much as I did!
Simply Clean Motoring Club is a free group on Facebook that hosted this and other drives throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall seasons, focused on scenic drives and good company. For more information, visit their Facebook page at the group below!