Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
7/6/05 

Greetings Riders,
 
Well, this year I get to write the newsletter on my 49th birthday. It reminds me that it was 39 years ago when my fascination with 2 wheeled vehicles became apparent. I'll never forget when I through my leg across the seat of my first 3 hp. mini bike at age 10. I mowed lawns for $2.50 per lawn for 2 months to earn the $35 to buy my first set of wheels. As I think back now, that must have been a pretty big deal because I can still see in my minds eye the lawns that I mowed and remember saving up the $35 in anticipation of making my big purchase. Fast forward 39 years and several motorcycles later, I am still mowing my own yard and the passion for riding is still the same, although the equipment has gotten a little more expensive.
 
Unbeknownst to me that when I sold my 350 Scrambler when I left Kansas in 1980 that I was moving to one of the most interesting States in the nation to ride a motorcycle. But fortunately after a few small bikes in between raising a child, we were able to get back into the cruiser bikes and take advantage of the many sights that we have available to enjoy here in Arizona. And better yet, I am privileged to be able to write about these trips and share with you the many pictures from these rides. The most recent journey that Mrs. C. and I took was a ride to the Southern part of the State including Nogales, Tombstone, Bisbee, Kartchner Caverns and Saguaro National Park.
 
This was our first trip to this part of the State and one that I had been looking forward to for a long time. Not knowing much about the Southern part of the State, I called my buddy Bill Nash at Tucson Harley for some pointers and we were on our way. There is so much history in Tombstone and Bisbee that it is hard to even comprehend, much less absorb in a few hours in these towns. In order to take advantage of the best part of our riding we left Phoenix at about 6:30 in the morning and headed straight South on I-10 to Hwy 83 which is about 20 Southeast of Tucson. As you turn South on 83 you start a gradual rise to 4970 feet in elevation on your 25 mile ride to the small town of Sonoita. at the Junction of Hwy. 83 and 82. The country store named Sonoita Mercantile must be a popular rider stop as there were several groups of bikes there taking a break. From this point you can either go East on 82 and make your way to Tombstone or go West and take a nice ride through Patagonia to Nogales. It was only 10:00am and we had plenty time to take the 66 mile roundtrip, so it was a no brainer to find an excuse to tack on some extra miles and take the beautiful ride through the Santa Rita and Patagonia Mountains to Patagonia and then on to Nogales.
 
Once you reach Nogales you can park the bike and walk across the border for some sightseeing, but for us, it was all about the ride that day and we pulled the U-Turn at the border and experienced the ride from the other direction. I would recommend doing the same if you take this ride. You will go back through Sonoita and continue on Hwy. 82 for 20 miles to the junction of Hwy. 90. Turn South on Hwy. 90 for 10 miles to Fry Blvd. in Sierra Vista. This is also the main gate to Fort Huachuca. Turn Left on Fry Blvd. and go about 3 blocks to the Sierra Vista Harley store on the South side of the road. They have some excellent HD T-Shirt backs at this store. Everyone is very friendly so stop in a say hello. When leaving the dealership continue East another 2 miles to Hwy. 92. Turn North about 1/4 mile to Charleston Rd. and turn right. This will take you on your 17 mile journey to the town "Too Tough To Die", Tombstone, Arizona.
 
I'm sure most everyone has heard the stories of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, Wyatt Earp and the Boothill Graveyard, but I would recommend doing some reading before you go to really give you an appreciation of what went on in Tombstone in the late 1800's. It was apparently one wild town. Click Here for an excellent page of the history of Tombstone and several links for additional information.
 
We rode into Tombstone (elevation 4540 feet) on our Iron Horses and parked at the Hawg Corral with several other bikes. Tombstone was full of activity on this Saturday as tourists were taking a walk back in time on the wooden sidewalks just as they were in the 1800's. We enjoyed lunch and entertainment at Big Nose Kates Saloon followed by a walk through town, a customary tourist picture with the local Sheriff and a stop to view the actors performing an old west gunfight in the streets. The fun part about Tombstone is to walk the streets, look at some of the old pictures and artifacts and try to envision what it must have been like over a century ago when the saloon was hopping, there were gunfights in the streets and the likes of Wyatt Earp ruled the town. From there we took the short ride to Boothill Graveyard to see where the one's that lost the gunfight at the O.K. Corall were buried. It is a free tour and interesting to read the tombstones. Here is a particularly creative one.  
 
After about 3 hours in Tombstone we followed Hwy. 80 the 23 miles to the old mining town of Bisbee, Arizona at an elevation of 5300 feet. History says that this town was once the most thriving town in all of the Southwest driven by the riches of copper and gold. But as with most mining towns, once the ore is gone, so are the people until the town is revitalized and turned into a tourist attraction. That has pretty much been the case with Bisbee. As you drop into Bisbee on Hwy. 80 there is a place to stop to get a great view of the town below.
 
Bisbee once thrived from the mining trade, but now the old buildings are inhabited by of art galleries, pottery sales and restaurants. My personal opinion of Bisbee is that it reminds me of Jerome, only a lot bigger and with a personality. Most all of the homes in Bisbee are built on the side of the hill similar to Jerome with very narrow roads to get to them. And when you go there you can't help but see evidence of the eclectic group of people that now call Bisbee home. It is reminiscent of the long haired, tie died look of the 60's, but their hair is now grey. I asked one of the locals about that and they said that the artsy types are finding Bisbee a desirable place to live. The old Volkswagen bus is even a vehicle of choice.
 
There are several Hotels and Bed & Breakfasts in Bisbee to choose from. We stayed at the Copper Queen Hotel. But there is also the Bisbee Grand on Main Street that looked pretty nice that I would try next time. While you are in Bisbee I would recommend riding up the hills on some of the streets to get a good look at the old homes and a great view of the city. They are narrow but you shouldn't have any problem with them. We didn't do the Queen Mine tour, but I have been told that it is very interesting. We ate at the Bisbee Grill located just across the street from the Copper Queen. It was very good. We also went to an old bar named St. Elmo's located just around the corner from the Copper Queen that had some great live music on Saturday night. 
 
This is obviously a 2 day trip. From our house in the NW Valley we rode a total of 329 miles the first day spanning a 10 hour time frame. Most of this trip once you get past Tucson is at elevations of over 4000 feet, ending at 5300 feet in Bisbee. So if you can leave early in the morning like we did and get past Tucson before it gets too hot, it is still an enjoyable ride even this time of year. However, you do still have to get home and that can be a little warm. But it is possible to be home before noon if you leave early.
 
I give this ride 3.5 spokes out of 5. There is a lot of the same terrain, but the historical locations are worth the ride and one that I would certainly do again. Click Here for the photos from the ride. Click Here for the Day Ride Feature. I will be back next week with the ride home with a stop at the fantastic Kartchner Caverns and Saguaro National Park. 

See www.cyclerides.com for all upcoming events. 

 This Week's Bike Night Events  

This Week 

With temps in the 110's, there is still not much going on in Phoenix area. 

Next Week 

Friday - Sunday, July 22nd - 24th
Too Broke For Sturgis. It is that time again when A.B.A.T.E. of Arizona hosts the Rally in Mormon Lake known as "Too Broke For Sturgis". The weekend features camping Friday and Saturday night, Bike Games, Bike Show, Poker Run, Tattoo Contest, Kids Games, 50/50, Wet T-Shirt Contest and many local amenities. Food and Beverage available on site. The Chuck Hall Band and Myklos will be playing Friday and Saturday nights. Cadillac Angels will be playing in the bar. $25 per person for weekend. $15 per person for Saturday and Sunday. Kids under 17 free. For more information call Billie at 480-855-3395. 

Extras 

I normally don't pass things like this along, but this one is just a classic "open mouth and insert foot" case from some idiot in Peoria that has nothing else to do but write letters to the Arizona Republic about something that wouldn't make a difference to most of us. In this case he spouted off before checking out the situation and Lt. Col. Pleus made him look like the jerk that he is. Here is the scenario: This ungrateful idiot from Peoria writes to the AZ Republic the following complaint:
 
"A wake-up call from Luke's jets"
Jun. 23, 2005 12:00 AM
"Question of the day for Luke Air Force Base: Whom do we thank for the morning air show?
Last Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 a.m., a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over Arrowhead Mall, continuing west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet. Imagine our good fortune!
Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at Mervyns' early-bird special? Any response would be appreciated."