PARTYIN' ON IN IGNACIO

Ignacio, Colorado once again played host to a hoard of bikers that descended on the tiny Southwestern Colorado town for the annual rite of passage that is the Four Corners Rally.

More specifically, it’s Ignacio Bike week, and it is the epicenter of a region-wide slate of activities and good times focused on bikers. And it is an unquestioned good time.

“We figure there were about 25,000 people here through the weekend,” said one of the rally organizers, Ann Mooney. “Lots of people were coming into town, staying a while, then heading out for a ride…maybe coming back the next day…it was hard to count, but there were a lot of people here, that’s for sure.”

This was the third year Ignacio has hosted a bike event on its own, having started in 2006 when the now defunct Rally In the Rockies was abruptly cancelled. 15 years of previous rallies have been held on the Southern Ute Reservation where Ignacio is located, but the town never put on a rally or even bike events before 2006.

“We’ve gotten bigger every year,” Mooney said. “Despite the rain on Sunday, it sure looks like our attendance went up again. We had people showing up here on Wednesday this year. We haven’t had that before. By 10am Saturday we had bikes lining all of Main Street and most of the side roads. It was great.”

It was quite a weekend. Locals across the region greeted bikers with open arms as riders made the most of the fantastic riding the Four Corners region is known for. Most activities centered in Ignacio, though, and it became a headquarters of sorts. The town’s two local bars put on a variety of events, including the always pole dancing and wet t-shirt contests, and the rally hosted a bevy of other activities.

“We had the biker bull riding, which is really popular, and the field events and the bike show,” Mooney explained. “The casino gave away a new Harley, our tattoo contest went well, and the Ms. Ignacio contest was a big hit. I don’t know who won it, but I hear she was a 40-something, which I was happy to hear!”

There was even an unplanned running of the bulls—just like Pamplona. One of the bulls from the bull riding jumped out of its chute for the riding competition, and took off through town, spending about two-and-a-half hours in a residential area before he was recaptured.

“That was exciting,” Mooney said. “He was the only one of our out-of-town visitors to cause any trouble. The people who come here are great. We never have any problems, which is part of what makes this so much fun.”

Sunday, the rally put on its annual Veteran’s Honor Parade.

“It was short, and the rain cancelled the fly-over, but it was well attended and appreciated,” said Mooney. “The parade was followed by a poker run with stops at points of interest to veterans. All the proceeds from the poker run were donated to the local chapter of Gold Star Mothers.”

The run stopped at the Aztec, NM, VFW, the Farmington, NM, Vietnam Memorial, Green Mount Cemetery, the Southern Ute War Memorial Park, and the Ignacio Veteran’s Memorial. It wasn’t all just about riding either. The LaPlata county Veteran’s Outreach program was on hand in Ignacio, and reported making contact with vets they’d never seen before…answering questions, trying to help with the VA and other issues unique to veterans.

“It’s great that by having them (the Outreach program) here some vets were able to get some help with the things they needed a hand with,” Mooney said. “It was just another thing we thought would make this rally better, and I guess it did.”

Even with the activities, it was clear people came to the Four Corners to ride.
“We went through a lot of maps,” Mooney said. “We have legendary riding here, and people were clearly here to get out and ride. That’s the big attraction of this rally—the rides.

It was just wonderful see all the people out having fun and spending a little time in our community. I love the sound of loud pipes…it’s a wonderful sound to us, which made for a great weekend. We can’t wait for next year.”

And so, on Labor Day Weekend next year, Ignacio will once again be the center of attention for motorcyclists, whether it’s for the good times…or more likely, the rides.