On Wednesday, June 21st CRMCA member Mark Gardner with Whitewater Building Materials set out to ride the world renowned Whole Enchilada Mountain Bike Trail. Mark rides this trail almost annually, but this ride included a few more people. He rode with 5 individuals native to Colorado and experienced with this trail, in addition to that were 6 riders from outside the area, this group included father and son, Bill Elliott and Chase Elliott, champion stockcar race drivers. Bill, Chase and his pit crew decided to make the trip out to Colorado and then Utah to ride the famous trail and a mutual friend gathered together a group of experienced riders to take on the trail together.
The Whole Enchilada Trail begins at 11,000’ elevation in the LaSal Mountains and drops steeply over the course of 33.8 miles to an elevation of only 3,968’ ending up at the Colorado River just outside Moab. The group was out on the trail for about 4 hours that day in the 108-degree heat and sunshine. Mark noted that while the views were beautiful, it was very hot ride and this trail is a great one to ride in the fall because of all the changing foliage and less intense heat.
Bill Elliott, who has raced stockcars and in NASCAR races for 37 years rode much of the time with Mark and the two got to talking about the mining and stockcar industries and the similarities between the two. “Bill, he understands miningand mining equipment as he has had friends and neighbors in the industry. He is a very down to earth guy that enjoys the outdoors. We also talked about the early days of NASCAR and how far they have come.” Bill mentioned to Mark during the ride that in the earlier years of NASCAR many of the races, tracks, and even cars were made available through a cooperative mindset and people working together to propel the industry forward, this mindset is one that individuals in the concrete and aggregate industries hold as well.
Bill is known throughout the NASCAR industry as “Wild Bill” and has a series of victories under his belt, including the 1988 Winston Cup Championship and two Daytona 500 victories. He also won NASCAR’s “Most Popular Driver Award” 16 times throughout his career. Although they are still gaining experience in mountain biking he and his son Chase are active motorcycle and snow bike riders as well.
Thanks to Mark for sharing his adventure with us!
Emma Dolan
Administrative Assistant
