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Colorado

Around Town in Crested Butte

B91• View of the town of Crested Butte and its namesake from low on Kebler Pass, September 1978.
B92• Introducing the modern mountain bike to cognoscenti of Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1978. Joe Breeze (right) tries to calm Buttian fears that the popularity of his chromium-molybdenum-tubed Breezer frames will lead AMAX to re-open nearby Mt. Emmons moly mines. Left to right (only known): in white cap, Cloud; in shorts and boots, Joe Breeze.
B93• Gary Fisher on his 1938 Schwinn Excelsior talking to Richard Nilsen (left) and Michael Castelli (right) outside the Grubstake Saloon, September 1978.
B94• The Marin County crew stretches after the big drive out to Crested Butte, Colorado for the “Fourth Annual Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Tour,” September 1979. Left to right: Gary Fisher, James Macway, Charlie Kelly, Joe Breeze, Wende Cragg.
B94.5• Monte Ward, Joe Breeze and Steve Potts confer about bike design on Elk Avenue in Crested Butte, September 1980. Steve’s nickel-plated Breezer is maybe a week old.
B95• Aspens in their prime Fall color above Peanut Lake, up the Slate River from Crested Butte, CO.
B96• Man imitates nature. Tent and Mt. Gothic. Part of the Marin camp at Peanut Lake, up the Slate River from Crested Butte, CO. Steve Potts’ 1980 Breezer.
B96.1• Moonshine through monolith. Mineshaft headframe near the Marin camp by Peanut Lake, up the Slate River from Crested Butte, CO.

Rides around Crested Butte during week before Pearl Tour

B97• In truck, heading up Washington Gulch. Wende Cragg’s Excelsior on right (on loan to Michael Castelli) and Mt. Gothic straight ahead, September 1978.
B98• Heading up Paradise Divide out of Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979. View is towards Paradise Divide. Left to right: Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly, Gary Fisher, and James Macway. Wende Cragg’s Breezer is over to the right.
B99• Waiting for the cows to clear. Back side of Washington Gulch, Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.
B100• Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze, and Charlie Kelly riding up doubletrack at the end of the Slate River?, Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.
C01• Cabin up Oh-Be-Joyful Canyon, Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979. Gary Fisher’s blue Ritchey MountainBikes bike.
C02• Charlie Cunningham, on Beckwith/Swampy ride, 10 miles west of Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1980. Owens Peak (13058’) and Ruby Range in background.
C03• Monte Ward on Beckwith/Swampy ride, near Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1980. Ritchey MountainBikes (Monte’s) and Joe Breeze’s 1980 Breezer.
C04• Gary Fisher, Charlie Cunningham, Dave Sigman, Joe Breeze, Monte Ward, Steve Potts, and Scot Nicol on Beckwith/Swampy ride, near Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1980.
C05• Kay Peterson (organizer of Fat Tire Bike Week for many years) and Denise Caramagno (once publisher of Charlie Kelly’s Fat Tire Flyer) near Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.
C06• Monte Ward and Kay Peterson studying the map at cabin up Oh-Be-Joyful Canyon, Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.

Pre-Start Time

C07• Grubstake Saloon, Crested Butte, CO, September 1978. Riders readying for Pearl Pass Tour. This was the Marin group’s first trip to visit the Buttians or to visit any other known group riding ballooners outside of Marin. Mt. Emmons in background.
C08• The Marin County crew checks into the Grubstake Saloon, Crested Butte, Colorado, for the “Third Annual, (Second Actual) Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Tour,” September 1978.
C09•Local Buttians (left to right), Murdock, Suitcase, Duane Reading, Richard Ullery, Cloud, and Albert Maunz readying for Pearl. Loading jeeps on Elk Street. Mt. Emmons in background. (Sept. 78) .

Start from CB to Cumberland Basin

C10• On the start line of the “Third Annual (Second Actual) Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour,” September 1978. Outside the Grubstake Saloon, Elk Avenue, Crested Butte, CO, September 1978. Riders include six residents of Crested Butte, six from Marin and one from Hotchkiss, Colorado.
C11• The start line and banner of the Fourth Annual (Third Actual) Pearl Pass Tour, Elk Avenue, outside the Grubstake Saloon, Crested Butte, CO, September 1979.
C12• The start line of the Fifth Annual (Fourth Actual) Pearl Pass Tour, Elk Avenue, outside the Grubstake Saloon, Crested Butte, CO, September 1980.
C13• Chris McManus uses his “Aspen-horn” to signal the start of the Fourth Annual Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, outside the Grubstake Saloon, Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.
C13.2• Chris McManus waits for start of the Fourth Annual Crested Butte to Aspen [(via) Pearl Pass] Klunker Tour, outside the Grubstake Saloon, Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1979.
C13.4• Marin riders take a break a little ways out of Crested Butte on the ride to Aspen. Joe Breeze, ???, Chris McManus, Charlie Kelly, ???, James MacWay. Two red shiny new Cove-built Lawwill-Knight ProCruisers. September 1979.
C13.6• Riders take a break a little ways out of Crested Butte on the ride to Aspen. Richard Nilsen, “Crash” Craddick, Wende Cragg, Alan Bonds, Matt Hebbard, Dave Sigman, ???. September 1979.
C13.7• Riders take a break up Brush Creek out of Crested Butte on the ride to Aspen. September 1979.
C14• Old red Schwinn one-speed at cattle guard. Looking back toward Crested Butte on the way up Pearl.
C15• Heading up Pearl, waiting for the cows to pass, September 1979. Left to right: Richard Nilsen, Matt Hebbard, unknown, Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly, Chris McManus, Dave Sigman.

Cumberland Basin

C16• Albert Maunz, a CB woman (who didn’t make it to the top), Bob Starr, and Jim Cloud arriving at Cumberland Basin Camp. September 1978.
C16.3• Charlie Kelly checks out Chris Carroll’s spiff hyrid at Cumberland Basin camp, September 1979.
C16.5• Penelope Street, Olympic Alpine skier, wheels into Cumberland Basin camp, September 1979.
C17• Charlie Kelly writing in his log book at Cumberland Basin campsite, Third Annual Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, September 1978.
C17.8• Cumberland Basin “Base Camp” line-up, 1979 Pearl Pass Tour. About 30 people.
C18• Cumberland Basin “Base Camp” line-up, 1979 Pearl Pass Tour. About 30 people.
C19• James Macway roasting his toes at Cumberland Basin “Base Camp” campfire, 1979 Pearl Pass Tour.
C20• Camp life: Chris McManus reprimanding his sock, Cumberland Basin “Base Camp,” 1979 Pearl Pass Tour.
C21• Charlie Kelly in Velo Club Tamalpais jersey at Cumberland Basin camp, Fifth Annual Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, September 1980.
C22• Violinist above Crested Butte, Colorado at Cumberland Basin camp, Fifth Annual Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, September 1980. Two chrome-plated ProCruisers to the right.
C22.9• Line up of Breezers above Crested Butte, Colorado at Cumberland Basin camp, Fifth Annual Pearl Pass Klunker Tour, September 1980. Joe Breeze in Velo Club Tamalpais jersey.
WC-BR-CBCB-10/80-36

Cumberland Basin to Top of Pearl and Down to Aspen

C23.2• Joe Breeze aboard his 1980 Breezer Series 2 bike riding out of Cumberland Basin on route to Pearl Pass. Above Crested Butte, Colorado, September 1980.
C23.4• Out of the woods heading up Pearl Pass from Cumberland Basin “Base Camp” after breakfast, 1979 Pearl Pass Tour.
C24• The rocky pitch before the false summit, Pearl Pass Tour 1979. Howie Hammerman’s Colson in foreground.
C25• Charlie Kelly and Chris McManus, with his 1937 Excelsior ride, pose at Pearl Pass’s false summit, 1979 Pearl Pass Tour.
C26• Chris McManus poses with Joe Breeze’s 1937 Schwinn Excelsior X. Stripped of extraneous metal such as fenders, chainguard, racks and baskets, top tube “tank,” and kickstand, the bike weighed in at 48 pounds. Klunkers like this were king of the off road in Marin from 1970 to 1976. Actually, people had been enjoying them off-road in Marin and elsewhere since these balloon-tire bikes became available in the 1930s. At Pearl Pass’s false summit, 1979.
C27• Matt Hebbard poses with his modified 1937 Colson at Pearl Pass’s false summit, 1979 Pearl Tour.
C28• Howie Hammerman poses with his modified 1939 Shelby Airflow at Pearl Pass’s false summit, 1979 Pearl Tour.
C29• Line-up in Pearl Pass (elevation 12,700 feet), during the “Third Annual (Second Actual) Crested Butte to Aspen Pearl Pass Klunker Tour,” September 1978. Left to right is (bike in parenthesis): Wende Cragg, Fairfax, CA (Breezer); Neil Murdoch, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Richard Nilsen, Hotchkiss, CO (’60s Schwinn); Charlie Kelly, San Anselmo, CA (Breezer); Joe Breeze, Mill Valley, CA (Breezer); Jim Cloud, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Bob Starr, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Richard Ullery, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Gary Fisher, San Anselmo, CA (’38 Schwinn); Archie Archiletta, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Chris Carroll, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Albert Maunz, Crested Butte, CO (’50s Schwinn); Michael Castelli, Point Reyes, CA (’30s Schwinn).
C30• Line-up in Pearl Pass, 1978. Similar to C29, but wheels are disorganized.
C31• At the top of Pearl, Pearl Pass Tour, September 1979. Close up with American flag.
C32• At the top of Pearl, Pearl Pass Tour, September 1979. Joe Breeze on right, pointing to Aspen.
C33•Howie Hammerman on the way down Pearl toward Aspen. The road was boulders on boulders—like a moonscape. September 1979.
C34• Howie Hammerman pauses on the way down Pearl towards Aspen, almost to Ashcrofters and pavement. They don’t call it the Rockies for nothing! September 1979.
C34.4• Dave Koski and Howie Hammerman pause on the way down Pearl towards Aspen, almost to Ashcrofters and pavement. The paint shaking is almost over. September 1979.

Aspen

C35• Chatting with curious onlookers outside the Jerome Wheeler Public House finish point of the Third Annual Crested Butte to Aspen [(via) Pearl Pass] Klunker Tour. Left to right: Bob Starr, not us (not on ride), n.u., Charlie Kelly (partially hidden) explaining the finer points of a Breezer, n.u., n.u. w/camera, n.u. w/c., n.u., n.u., n.u., Jim Cloud (in white hat), Albert Maunz (red hat), n.u., small n.u.s, Joe Breeze (partially hidden), Richard Nilsen, Gary Fisher. September 1978.
C36• Finish banner at the Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado, September 1979.
C37• Party in progress out in front of the famed Hotel Jerome, terminus of the Fourth Annual Pearl Pass] Klunker Tour, Aspen, Colorado, September 1979.
C38• Charlie Kelly, Chris McManus, “Crash” Craddock, ?, Joe Breeze (with Fu-Manchu), celebrating at the finish of the Fourth Annual Pearl Pass Tour, outside the Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado, September 1979.
C39• “One-speed or die,” was his rallying cry. A well-shod Chris McManus salutes the Pearl Pass Tour in front of the Hotel Jerome in Aspen after a hard day’s work. Fourth Annual Pearl Pass Tour, Aspen, Colorado, September 1979.
C40• Outside the Hotel Jerome at the finish of the Fourth Annual Pearl Pass Tour. A rider from Denver? and Joe Breeze.
C41• Charlie Kelly, cracks a funny upon arrival at the Jerome Bar. Celebrating at the finish of the Fourth Annual Pearl Pass Tour, outside the Hotel Jerome, Aspen, Colorado, September 1979.