Emma and I are once again activating the “Shindig Rover” team to participate in the 9th annual “Driving for Kids” British car charity endurance run through the Colorado mountains and back country roads. This year we will explore the north central Colorado mountain roads, spending three days pinwheeling from Kremmling, Colorado.
The event will be held September 20-23, which should be the height of autumn colors in the mountains. We will traverse the Continental Divide three times. On the second day we will visit Roundup River Ranch to join the kids for lunch at Trent’s Cookhouse and a hands-on car show which is the highlight of the trip each year.
The charity drive supports chronically ill children and their families for a free week of camping at Roundup River Ranch in Gypsum, Colorado. The ranch is a medically-supported camp where the kids can just enjoy the fun of being a kid, no matter what illness they are battling. Visit the following website to watch a short video about the camp: www.roundupriverranch.org.
Last year, Emma and I started the drive in our fully restored 1967 Austin Healey 3000. Going up the very narrow Independence Pass, we had to straddle a rockslide. We almost made it but one of the rocks caught the oil drain plug causing a leak in the oil pan. At the crest of the pass one of the drivers noticed the oil leak. We were able to proceed through Aspen to Glenwood Springs where we loaded the car on a trailer and headed back to Denver. We transferred everything to our 1997 BMW-Z3 and headed back to meet the tour at Roundup River Ranch the next morning to visit the kids and continue the drive.
We will be riding in style this year. Our Benchmark builder group held a surprise retirement dinner party for Emma and me and presented us with a new 2024 Lotus Emira for the “Driving for Kids” event. We are going to pick the car up in Naples, Florida, in June for its maiden voyage back to Denver. Will we be able to handle a reliable, non-vintage British sports car?
This year’s event will consist of around 20 British cars caravanning through the mountains and backcountry in north central Colorado. The three-day tour will begin in Golden, up Golden Gate Canyon to Nederland, and into Estes Park for lunch. In the afternoon, the route takes us to Grand Lake via Trail Ridge Road, crossing the Continental Divide for the first time, then Byers Canyon to Kremmling which is our base location for the tour. On the second day, we travel over Gore Pass to Roundup River Ranch for lunch with the kids and our hands-on car show, and then head to Oak Creek and Steamboat on two of our favorite roads for our small sports cars. From Steamboat, we drive over Rabbit Ears and Muddy Creek passes, crossing the Continental Divide twice again to return to our base camp in Kremmling. On the third day, we head to Walden, Granby, and then Winter Park for lunch. After lunch, the tour heads south over Berthoud Pass to Empire, then down Clear Creek Canyon back to Golden.
Emma and I invite you to join our “Shindig Rover” team for this wonderful event, supporting the kids for our 9th “Driving for Kids” fundraising event. Our team has been the top fundraiser for each of the last eight years, totaling more than $250,000 to support the kids. Emma and I have been humbled by your continued support for us and the outpouring of donations each of you have made for these chronically ill kids and their families. We truly make a difference in their lives.
Chuck & Emma Shinn