Because we have the ride announcement, the date of this ride is firm: February 26, 1967. The pictures are marked FEB 67. As usual, click on any picture to see a larger version. Click again, and it may get bigger yet.

Pigeon Pass, February 26, 1967

by David Steffen

Thanks to Melodie Cato, we know more about this ride than for most others on this site. Someone in the Roadmen, most likely Roger Farshon, created a ride announcement with all the details, and Melodie still had it after all these years. I think this was the only Modesto Roadmen ride Melodie attended, making it even more impressive that she still had this announcement after so long.

I can count 20 different people on this ride, but can only name about half of them; Fred Brockman, Jeff Cowdrey, Melodie Cato, John Campopiano, David Steffen, Roger Farshon, Eldon Rosenow, Cindy Leighton, Robbie Rosenow, and Tom Woods. If you can name anybody on this page please send an email to info@modesto-roadmen.org with that information.

We all assembled at Thomas Downey High School, where most of us were students, loaded up a U-Haul trailer with bikes and stuffed people into cars, drove out to the start of the ride just outside of the town of Tracy. The ride itself headed into a canyon in the Coast Range mountains. We turned around just as the road started to climb. The round trip ride was advertised to be 15 to 25 miles. According to the announcement, the road we were on went over Pigeon Pass, and although there certainly was a pass on that road, I can find no mention of one with that name. I assume this was a local, unofficial name and/or one that has been lost into the mists of history.


The announcement for the ride.

Thomas Downey High School, where we loaded up the trailer with bikes for the drive to the start of the ride, just outside of Tracy, California.

The trailer, carrying the bikes. In front of the trailer is Cindy Leighton and Eldon Rosenow. Eldon is wearing our Version 2.0 Modesto Roadmen jersey.

Fred Brockman, with the pump, and John Campopiano, with the beer. Obviously, this is a staged picture. I have a vague memory that while we were assembling, John came across a six-pack of beer in the High School parking lot, leading to he and Fred hamming it up.

At the beginning of the ride, ready to leave. From left to right: Unknown, blocked, unknown, Paul Robinson, Melodie Cato, unknown, Eldon Rosenow, blocked, Cindy Leighton, unknown, unknown, John Campopiano, Robbie Rosenow, blocked, Tom Woods, Fred Brockman?, turned away. (Picture by Melodie Cato.)

At the end of the ride, ready for the drive back home. From left to right, front to back:

  • Eldon Rosenow, Robbie Rosenow, Tom Woods.
  • Unknown, Jeff Cowdrey, Cindy Leighton, Melodie Cato, David Steffen, Roger Farshon, Unknown, Unknown.
  • Five unknown riders.
  • On Top of Car: John Campopiano, Neil Johnson.