Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
4/30/08 

Greetings Riders,
 
The first of May is officially here, which means a couple of things to Arizona riders. One is that 100 degree temperatures are just around the corner, so it is a good time to be thinking about riding to cooler weather. The second is that when we see the 100 degree temperatures coming IN, it is usually followed by a map of the United States coming OUT of the drawer. Yep, I know for me it is that time of year that I will sit down with a map of the U.S. and daydream about where I would like to point the nose of the Road Glide to next. If time allows, I like to look for at least a couple 3 night, 4 day trips early on and then a ride in the middle of the Summer of at least 3000 miles.
 
As I look at my map, I see that we have been many places over the last few years. In fact, to be exact, it is 12 States in the Western U.S., two provinces in Canada, (British Columbia and Alberta) and one state in Mexico, (Sonora). What does that tell me? It tells me that we have been a lot of places, ridden a lot of miles in the West, enjoyed a lot of beautiful roads and scenery, but that we have a whole lot more to see across the United States and really a lot more to see in the areas that we have already been. One of my personal preferences is that I'm not big on taking the same route every year or two. My mind tends to thrive on new input which is why you will see that most of the trips on the site are not redundant. But that is not to say that rides like the San Juan Parkway in Colorado, one of my favorites anywhere, cannot be enjoyed again and again. 
 
Another of the concerns when planning a long trip and getting the most out of it in terms of riding WHERE you want to ride is the amount of time that you have to spend. Something that Mrs. C. and I have not had a lot of in big chunks. It seems that we are usually only able to allow about 9 days if we straddle it over two weekends. So what happens if we want to spend most of our time back East or in Canada? We do what we have done several times before. Ship it to where we want to do the bulk of our riding and then ride home. By doing this you save yourself 2 or 3 days of riding through areas you may not care about seeing, and you get the advantage of starting your ride fresh in the area that you want to see. Not to mention, you have saved yourself a few days of travel and are able to still get your 3000 miles in where you want to be. It obviously costs more to do it this way by the time you pay shipping and two one-way airline tickets, but backing out 3 days of gas and lodging helps defray some of that cost.
 
So where are we going this year? I don't know yet. Looked at doing the Blue Ridge Parkway last year and did Colorado instead. So that would probably be on the top of the list this year. Maybe ship to Washington DC and ride South to the Parkway and then home. We have really enjoyed our rides in Canada, so maybe ship the bike to New York and go to Niagara falls and come across Canada. There are so many great places to ride it is hard to pick just one, and even harder to do it in a strict time frame. Mrs. C. and I always talk about the time we can take 3 months off and just go from town to town and really enjoy the moment without being on the clock. If you need ideas for your ride this Summer, be sure to go to the Day Rides section on www.cyclerides.com . There are several long trips on there that are all excellent. A good way to get a quick look at a map is http://maps.google.com/
 
To get the riding season going, we did a short trip last weekend to Puerto Penasco, Mexico, aka. Rocky Point to celebrate Mrs. C's birthday. (Click Here for a 30 sec. video of the locals singing happy birthday to Mrs. C.) We left Friday morning with our friends Dan and Kathy at about 8:45am and rolled into Rocky Point by about 1pm. Had lunch, took a little walk on the beach, sat on the deck with some margs and went to Lapa Lapa, our favorite restaurant on the Malecon in downtown for dinner and to watch the sunset. Saturday morning was a walk down the beach to the new restaurant in the Sonoran Sky for breakfast on the outdoor patio, a ride into town for some shopping before retiring to the pool and the beach. We headed back at 8am Sunday morning with only a 10 minute wait at the border.
 
It was a great little 500 mile round trip with some fun down time in the middle. In fact, it is really pretty right now because the saguaros are just starting to bloom and there is plenty of desert color riding through the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument from Why to the border. Another interesting characteristic of this ride is that the Saguaros in this area are all so tall and slender with lots of various arms on them. You will see these in the pictures. If you decide to go and need some help on where to stay, email me at info@cyclerides.com and I can give you some ideas. Click Here for the Day Ride feature to Rocky Point. As usual I am always taking pictures and video. Here is a cool photo of Kathy and Mrs. C. on her new Vrod in front of the Friendly Dolphin. I also took several random photos along the way to give you the flavor of the area that you might enjoy. Click Here for all Photos.
 
Thanks to all who replied from the last 2 newsletters. Your support was overwhelming and I am working through them to get them answered. I will be adding more pictures and video in the next few days of the Hearts To Heroes. Thanks again.
 
Barry 

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This Week's Bike Night Events 

Thursday, May 1st
Tucson Harley-Davidson H.O.G. Rally Welcome Party. Tucson Harley opens new 60,000 Sq. Ft. store just in time to host the H.O.G. Rally Welcome Party. Stop by and see this beautiful new facility. We are packing up our old shop on Grant this weekend and moving over to the new shop on the Northwest corner of Ina and I-10.  We will be open for business at the new location on Tuesday April 29.  Just in time for the H.O.G. Rally!  Thursday May 1st we will be hosting a “Welcome Party” from 4:30pm - 8pm for the H.O.G. Rally at the new store. Live Music by ShellShock, Food, Harley Promo Girls, Raffle Prizes, Giveaways and More!  Customers can also get signed up for the MDA Poker Run that is starting out at the Tucson Harley store on Saturday May 3rd. Sign in from 7am - 9am. Last bike out at 9:30am. The Tucson Firefighters will be on location cooking a pancake breakfast for all the riders participating in the MDA Poker Run this year.
 
Saturday, May 4th
Sgt. Tate Lynch Memorial Run. All proceeds donated to AZ. Cops (Concerns of Police Survivors). Ride begins at Bikers Dream located at 884 E. Gila Bend Hwy. in Casa Grande. Registration time is 9:30am. First bike out 11am. Donation is $10 all riders. 50/50, High/Low hand, Music, Food and Raffles. 

Next Week 

Saturday, May 10th
3rd Annual Poker Run presented by American Legion Riders Post 79. Registration starts 9am at Post 79 - 22911 Looka Way in Yarnell and will end at the same place. First bike out at 10am, last bike at 11:30am. $15 per person donation is requested includes run sheet and lunch. Ride Pins to the first 100 who register. 50/50 will also be available / $1 draft beer. For more information email prescottbikers@hotmail.com
 
Saturday, May 10th
2nd Annual Run for the Bluff. Memorial events and ceremonies to honor all veterans from all wars and conflicts who served and for those who sacrificed all for our freedom KIA / MIA / POW. Event open to the public. Memorial services and ceremonies to pay tribute to all the men and women who served and are serving. 11am Mares Bluff ceremonies. Click Here for various start times and locations. For more information call Oscar at 602-677-6835.
 
Saturday, May 10th
Hard Ass Run. Sponsored by ABATE of AZ, East Valley Chapter. Sign in 8-10:00am at Arrowhead Harley-Davidson - 16130 N. Arrowhead Fountain Center Dr in Peoria. All Bikes and Riders Welcome. Come on get your ass moving. The route is a mystery and all open road. Come and see some of AZ's Best back roads. Run Shirt Included at the End of the Run. $20 Single / $30 Couple. 280+ Miles. Best hand $250, Second Best $150, Worst hand $100. Music / Door prizes / 50/50. Food and Drive Available at the Last Stop. This isn't your grandpa's poker run. For more information call Jack at 602-696-3015.
 
Saturday, May 10th
5th Annual Roosevelt Lake Motorcycle Rally and Poker Run. You are invited to join us for a day ride to beautiful Roosevelt Lake.  Riders will depart from the SRP PERA Club located at 1 E. Continental Dr. in Tempe and proceed north up the Beeline Highway, through Punkin Center to Roosevelt Lake.  Roosevelt. PERA will provide lunch by the lake.  We will then ride back to the valley ending at BUDDY STUBBS HARLEY-DAVIDSON for end of ride festivities! $20 per bike, $35 two up. Door Prizes, 50/50 Raffle. All proceeds to benefit the Huntington's Disease Society. On site registration from 9am - 10am. Sponsored by SRP.
 
Saturday, May 10th
Amanda's Run. Amanda is a 21 year old victim of a violent crime that left her paralyzed from the neck down in Jan.2006. Through miracles and physical therapy, she has made great progress. To help in this life changing ordeal a “POKER RUN” will be held on May 10th 2008 to benefit Amanda and her 4 year old daughter. A portion of the proceeds to benefit the Christopher and Dana Reeves Foundation. Register: at the Black Bear Restaurant 7 - 8 am. On I-10 and Dysart Rd. S/W corner $20 Entry $5.00 for Passenger. For details call 623-986-6824 or email b57rooster@aol.com 

Extras 

You have seen some of these clips before, but somebody put them together into one video that is fun to watch. It is called 5 kinds of lucky. Click Here to View.
 
Here is a good way to look like a fool when showing off in front of your friends on your $18,000 motorcycle. Click Here to View.
 
Ok, this is one of those prank phone calls that is hilarious. It will have you laughing out loud by the end of it. Click Here to Listen.