A broken leg, busted HPN, and a commercial Boeing 777 captain making a hard landing on a BMW F800 GS could not keep the sounds of laughing Big Dogs out of the Rocky Mountains during the 27th Running of the Dogs.

Themed “Dogs Phoenix-like Rising From The Ashes,” the popularity of the event drafted organizers and sponsors like BMW of Denver www.bmwofdenver.com and BOB’s BMW www.bobsbmw.com into a “Last-after-the-last” gathering of the like-minded individuals. Some highlights:


PAPARAZZI!
Mistaken for Paul Blignaut, principal of GS Africa Rentals & Adventure Bikes www.gsafrica.com was CITY BIKE Magazine’s Chefredakteur, Surj Gish, pictured wearing all black and a graying beard. It was a classic example of mass paparazzi confusion, the hordes of paparazzi thinking Blignaut had entered the Big Dog wearing a disguise. CITY BIKE published their reportage of the Big Dog 2017 event in their October, 2017 issue, titled BIG DOGS, BIGGER SKIES on pages 22 and 23 under “Back Issues” at www.citybike.com


LOST MAN ROLLING SEMINAR
Throughout the event was conducted a unique rolling seminar titled MOTORCYCLE TRAVELING THE WORLD WITH A 21st CENTURY UGLY AMERICAN. In one photo the B Class entrants were listening to the morning benediction and fact checking before the day long seminar began.


AEROSTICH ADVENTURE TEAM
Photographed were three of the Aerostich Adventure Team. One had ridden from Florida and the other Delaware, both to Alaska first before entering the Big Dog event. The third, mistaken for Charley Boorman (and Ozzy Osbourne) had just completed his sixth circumnavigation around the world. Aerostich www.aerostich.com riding gear was favored by Big Dog entrants as was the Aerostich contribution to the two-inch thick T-bone steak dinner.


NO FEAR ADVENTURE RIDERS
Some Big Dogs display no fear by driving, at speed, through water crossings, before checking to find hidden rocks the size of footballs or potholes deep enough to swallow a Honda Cub. One entrant photographed was quoted as saying, “If I hit a deep spot or immovable object I get a free bath. Adventure includes risk, thus no risk, limited adventure.”


A HPN “TOW JOB”
Fresh from the assembly shop in Denver, Colorado was a HPN (highly modified R80G/S). One photo shows it resting on its side after hitting a rock to the right side of the photo, at speed. The entrant claimed that the rock had “jumped out and bit the HPN,” folding the feeble BMW stock crash bar into the cylinder head, knocking a fist sized hole, and resulting in a subsequent Big Dog “tow job” off the mountain.

THE BEAR EATS YOU
Borrowing from film THE BIG LEBOWSKI, “Well, Dude, sometimes you eat the bear, sometimes the bear eats you." Big Dog Banker Steve, was awarded “Best Ride Out Of Back Country With A Broken Tibia.” “Back country” should have been “tough country” by pure definition. Banker Steve suffered a broken tibia when his BMW F800 GS fell on him, a freak accident not involving a crash into an immovable object, just the behemoth bear of a BMW eating him. One photograph shows Banker Steve enjoying (possibly with the assistance of some swill chasing a prescription from the local pharmacy) the 2 inch thick T-Bone steak dinner sponsored by Avon Tyres, Grace Moto Adventures, Globe Rider Productions, Twilight Zone Motorcycles, Aerostich, Bob’s BMW and BMW of Denver.

NEVERMORE HELMET PISSOIR ADVOTECH FIELD TESTING
A Big Dog prototype Nevermore Helmet Pissoir was tested prior to and during the event by several Big Dogs. The helmet top needed to be drilled with a number of holes to let water drain into a mug or drain pipe, away from expensive adventure touring boots. Prototype designers hope to have it included in a proposed catalog by the ADVENTOTECH motorcycle touring gear company selling for $6,000.00 USD plus $220.00 for shipping and handling. One motorbike tour company operator and member of the testing team said it was designed as a ‘round the world trail memorial to “Miss Nevermore,” while others laughed at how inexpensive the product was.


BIG DOG PRODUCT TESTING TEAM EXPOSED!
One of the Big Dog highly secretive product testing team was captured in a photo smiling (drooling) before entering the “For Eyes Only” Big Dog Adventure Test Lab. He said the team was working on a new type of Depend underwear that were water and bomb proof, as some of the Big Dogs were aging. The Big Dog Depend unterhosen are to be ready for field testing in the next Big Dog Adventure Ride: August, 2019.


Big Dog 2017 Reporters
What is the Big Dog Ride?

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