Posted September 22, 2006 Email   Print

Golden Aspen: 37 years old and going strong

Story and photos by Dave Hembroff
AMA Road Riding Manager

Mountain air and good riding equal great therapy

"No one was sure if I was gonna make it," said Hank Hruza, with a broad grin. "They even towed a trailer out, just in case."

Thousands came to Ruidoso, New Mexico, but perhaps nobody appreciated the trip as much as Hruza, who rode more than 700 miles from Houston on his 1998 Harley Davidson "Purple Glide."

Only a few months ago, things didn’t look quite so good for Hank. On the way back from Sturgis in 2005, he began feeling weak and barely had the strength to make it home. His doctors diagnosed him with cancer. They told Hank his riding days might be over.

Chemotherapy cost Hank his long ponytail, but today, his cancer is in remission. He celebrated by riding to the Golden Aspen Rally, his first AMA Road Riding National Convention despite being an AMA member for over 13 years.

"Once I got on my bike, every mile I just got stronger and stronger!" Hank said. "It’s therapy!"

If you type "motorcycle rally" into almost any internet search engine, the Golden Aspen Rally in Ruidoso, New Mexico will pop up in the top five results, usually as number two on the list behind the world-famous Sturgis Rally. For many long-time attendees of the Golden Aspen, now in its 37th year, it ranks as number one on their list of must-see events. Again and again, for five, 10, and even 20 years, riders make the long trek to this little town nestled at the base of Sierra Blanca Peak in the Sacramento Mountains.

The Golden Aspen Rally is famous for the clean crisp air, fantastic roads, and for the thousands of dollars awarded in the daily poker runs and tours. The rally offers bike shows and parades, field events, a huge indoor vendor area, and numerous self-guided tours of outstanding roads in "Billy the Kid" country.

Also this year, one lucky lady from Tennessee took home a spanking new 2007 Harley-Davidson motorcycle.

Ron and Jill Andrews, promoters of the rally, are always highly visible, greeting long-time rally goers with hugs and smiles.

"These people are like family to me," Ron said, as a husband and wife wearing vests festooned with pins from rallies past came up to say hello. "That’s what makes this rally different — the family atmosphere."

That observation summed up what I had been seeing all day. Riders of all types, ages, and backgrounds mix and mingle freely at the Golden Aspen Rally. While this is predominantly a cruiser crowd in vests and chaps, many riders wore ballistic nylon or bright racing jackets. Everyone seemed right at home.

Many come to the Golden Aspen Rally to do their holiday shopping early. The indoor vendor area (below) is one of the largest you'll find at any rally. Some even go home with a new motorcycle.

While there was plenty of activity in the vendor tent, many come to the Golden Aspen Rally to ride. Personally, I ventured out to Cloudcroft and Tularosa on Friday's "Anytime Tour."

Highways 244 and 82 wind through the foothills south and west of town, offering plenty of curves and beautiful mountain vistas. They also challenge a rider's braking skills, as cows generally roam freely between roadway "cattle gates." The bovine crowd generally sticks to the grass on the sides of the roadway, but occasionally the greener grass across the blacktop beckons and they have no fear of motor vehicles whatsoever. Fortunately, there were no collisions between bikers and livestock this year.

Cloudcroft is filled with great places to eat and shop, and the locals are very biker friendly. I'm not much of a shopper, but I do love to eat. When confronted with so many dining choices, I opted to "Eat at Dave's."

Dave's Pine Cone Cafe on Main Street serves their house specialty, the Billy Burger, with hand-cut fries and everything is cooked to order. The fried onions, jalapenos on a quarter-pound cheeseburger with all the fixins is sure to please. I also recommend the Amazon Storm milkshake to wash it down - I'd tell you all about that, but I don't want to ruin a very pleasant surprise.

Feeling I'd exacted some measure of revenge on the local cow population, I was ready for more miles of twisties along the National Scenic Byway up to Sunspot before heading to the famous White Sands Missile Range and Tularosa.

Other attractions at the Golden Aspen include trials demonstrations and the dinner show at the Flying J Ranch, which was a definite crowd pleaser. This year, nearby casinos offered concerts by Tracy Lawrence and Steppenwolf to entice riders out at the end of the day. Local eateries and shops stayed open late and were filled to capacity as the rally wound down each night.

Ruidoso is very supportive of the rally, and with good reason. A study completed a few years ago found the Golden Aspen Rally brought up to $15 million to Ruidoso and the surrounding communities. The rally has grown quite a bit since then, and with it, community support.

At the closing award ceremonies, it was my pleasure to announce continued AMA support of the Golden Aspen as an AMA Road Riding National Convention through 2008 — its 15th year to hold that distinction.

Come and see this true Western rally for yourself. The Golden Aspen sets the standard.

© 2006, American Motorcyclist Association