Solihull Society - Denver, Colorado

The Land Rover National Rally Website has been experiencing technical difficulties of late. The site has been going down for short periods of time. The web host company we use is having technical issues with the computer/server that hosts our web site. This means there may be times that you are unable to access the landrovernationalrally.com website.

In the meantime if you are having trouble accessing the landrovernationalrally.com website simply check back a few minutes later. The down times vary from a few minutes to as much as an hour. We appologize for any inconvenience. We are in contact with our current web host to resolve this problem.

If you are having trouble registering for the rally please see the following link:
View Rally Information

(You may also register in person at the Land Rover National Rally in Montrose)

Membership Reminders

All membership details, benefits, fees and the application form
can be found here: About Us

Discounts
Remember that Solihull Society members also receive exclusive discounts at select Denver, Boulder, Colorado Springs area Land Rover dealerships!

Membership Processing
Club membership is processed by our club secretary Beth Dyson-Muskopf.
Beth is doing a thankless but wonderful job. If you have not received your club membership card and newsletter please contact Beth. Beth processes those requests very quickly.

From time to time Beth has received notifications from a few of our members that they have not received their membership cards/newsletter. There are various reasons this happens but in many of the situations this is due to not having current address and email information. Please contact Beth to let her know if you have changes to your home and email addresses.

Beth’s processing time of memberships is just a few days after receiving the application. The processing time of getting Beth the applications is just over a week at this time. Sneakernet* is the way we deliver Beth the membership applications. A board member checks the Solihull Society P.O. Box about once a week and then delivers the applications to Beth.

*Sneakernet is physically carrying media/mail from one place to another. Sneaker refers to the shoes of the person carrying the media/mail. This is usually in lieu of transferring the information over a computer network.

In the future the club will add online membership processing.
This feature is not ready for prime time just yet but is in the development stage.

All photos are of Rattle Snake and the Colorado National Monument

On the weekend of June 23-24 several club members met to pre run some trails in the Grand Junction area. Jim (66 Series IIa) and Pete (70 Series IIa) linked up on I70 outside of Denver and drove over the ‘hill’ to Grand Junction. After dinner they met up with Neil (96 Disco) near the Bangs Canyon trail head. The three discovered that overnight camping was not allowed at the trail head so followed the Billings Canyon trail about a mile and a have until they found a good spot to set up for the night.
In the morning the three went to Starbucks to meet up with anyone else that wanted to run some trails. Gem (2002 D-II) arrived and after waiting for a while to ensure that no one else was coming the four trucks made their way towards the Colorado National Monument and the mornings first trail.

After crossing the bridge over the CO River there are plenty of signs marking the way to the Monument. At the first turn there is a gas station that had the lowest priced gas/diesel in town. They also have a quarter operated air pump. This is also on the way to the Bangs Canyon OHV area.
The entrance to the CO National Monument is just a few miles further down the road. At the Ranger Station you need to pay $10 per vehicle if you are going to be stopping in the park, but it’s free if you are passing straight through. We just went straight through but for the Rally we will be stopping at all of the scenic overlooks. On the far side of the park is West Glade road, two lane gravel. A short distance down this is the entrance to the trail with a sign Black Ridge Canyons Wilderness Area. Turn right here.

There is a large parking area with a map board explaining about the area, this is a good spot to air down a little, 20-25psi should be fine. There are a few areas on the trail that have some small rocks and a couple loose gravel climbs. Airing down isn’t really needed for these areas, but it does help to smooth out the bumps. The signs posted here explain how the canyon is two different trails. One that follows the rim prior to August 15th and the second follows the canyon after August 15th. So we had to take the upper trail, while for the Rally we will be using the lower. The lower is going to be the more difficult of the two, but still only rates a 4 and is passable by any stock Rover.
When the upper and lower trails meet back together you are now at the beginning of Rattle Snake Canyon trail itself. The trail follows on a finger point of land sticking out into the canyon. About half way down the trail there is a pull off on the right. As long as everyone parks tight there will be enough room to get a dozen trucks off the main trail. This pull off is on the canyon rim and has some great views. (more…)