Thousands of bikers are expected to motor into the Mancos Valley this weekend for the annual Sugar Pine Ranch Rally.
Located three miles north of Mancos on Highway 184, Sugar Pine Ranch is a working cattle operation, but over Labor Day weekend, the estate is transformed into a festival-like atmosphere — complete with live music, camping, freestyle motocross demonstrations, bike show, impromptu tire burnouts, bikini contest, a dice run, a male “buns in chaps” contest and of course, beer. The seventh annual, four-day event kicked off on Thursday.
“It’s always been my goal to have the biggest party in Montezuma County,” said festival director Joyce Humiston. “I think I’ve succeeded.”
Most attendees are from the Four Corners, but organizers expect bikers from across the United States and even the globe to descend into the Mancos Valley this weekend.
“I really like seeing the people come back year after year,” Humiston said. “It’s just a good time.”
Riding motorcycles since she was 18, Humiston remains young at heart today on her Yamaha V Star 1300. She admits Harley-Davidson purists occasionally rib her motorcycle selection, but she rides with no worries.
“The best part about riding is that I can’t hear my phone ring,” she said.
Humiston said the biggest misconception about bikers is that they are all bad people, clad in leather. Most, however, are professionals who simply like to let their hair down. She works as a nurse at a local nursing home.
A three-day pass to the rally is $45, and proceeds from the event help fund the national Home for Heroes program, Mancos Ladies Auxiliary and the Mancos Boy Scouts.
For additional information, visit www.sugarpineranchrally.com.
tbaker@cortezjournal.com
