Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
9/14/05
 

Greetings Riders,
 
Well, it is that time of year again. The monsoons are gone and the Chamber of Commerce weather in Phoenix is about to begin.
As I was riding back from the Arrowhead Harley Open House this past weekend enjoying the dry 95 degree weather I couldn't help but think of the irony of weather as we process it through our mind. I remember back in early May as we were approaching the 95 degree mark on the way up, how hot I thought it was and how uncomfortable it is to ride in that kind of heat. Now that we are seeing those kinds of temperatures on the way down, we are all happy to see it and ready to get out and ride. Interesting how much we appreciate what we had, after we experience what is worse. Evening riding couldn't be better right now. If you get a chance, take in one of the many bike nights throughout the valley.  
 
Last week, I skipped the report of our Glacier Trip 2005 to throw in my 2 cents on the oil situation in our country. Hopefully some of you gave the bike a try for transportation to work.
This week I am going to pick up on our trip at Day #7 from Jackson Hole, WY to Richfield, UT. If you need to refresh from the last letter Click Here. When I left you last time we had ended up staying an extra day in Jackson Hole to take a float trip down the Snake River. We knew we had about 1000 miles of riding to get back home in 2 days so we decided to get an early start as we left Jackson to get as close to Bryce Canyon National Park as we could. We took Hwy. 89 out of Jackson and followed it through Montpelier, Idaho and eventually to the small town of Paris, Idaho. This is nothing like the Paris you have heard of in France but still had an interesting charm about it.
 
One of the great things about touring on a motorcycle is seeking out the back roads of the United States to really get a first hand look at Americana and try to imagine what life was like in these towns as many as 150 years ago.
One of my favorite things to photograph is old barns and buildings that are still standing from this era. We see that from time to time as we travel, but this particular town seemed to save every old barn and building it ever had, including some extraordinary ones. As we rode through the main street of this town of 500 people, we could sense there was something special about this community, which led us to explore the entire 6 square blocks. We later learned that Paris is the second oldest town in Idaho. It was settled by Mormons in 1863 with 30 families and swelled the next year to a population of 700 people, never getting more than that. Paris now has over 60 homes, buildings and sites registered with the National Historical Society. One of the most significant is the Paris Tabernacle, completed in 1885 at a cost of $50,000. The Tabernacle can hold 4 times the population of Paris.
 
Once we finished our ride back in time,
we continued on Hwy. 89 and crossed into Utah and past Bear Lake, one of the bluest lakes I have ever seen, and on through Logan Canyon on our way to Logan, UT. If you are making your way to Sturgis next year and have the opportunity to take this route through Logan Canyon, you won't be disappointed. The 36 miles of beautiful Canyon riding plus the riding by Bear Lake and going through the old town of Paris is very enjoyable. We then decided to get on the fast track in the form of I-15 and knock out some miles the quick way through Salt Lake City on to our next great motorcycle road surprise called the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway.
 
Every once in a while you will hear something about a particular road from someone and without knowing much about it will insert it into your itinerary. Sometimes they are good, sometimes not.
This one was fantastic. Mount Nebo Loop, was designated a National Scenic Byway in 1998, but is not actually a loop at all. This 38-mile road crosses the Uinta National Forest between Payson and Nephi and climbs through aspens and flower filled meadows to over 9,000 ft. providing beautiful views of Utah Valley, the Wasatch Mountains and 11,877-foot Mount Nebo, the tallest mountain in the Wasatch Range. There are plenty of overlooks including the Utah Lake and Mt. Nebo overlook. It is said that the brilliant foliage in the fall is hard to match anywhere in the nation. As you head South from Mt. Nebo you will go through the Devil's Kitchen geologic area where you will see red tinted rock formations and spires similar to that of Bryce Canyon. If you are ever on your way to or from the Provo or Salt Lake City area, it would be well worth a detour to experience the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway. It will take you about 1.5 hours for this 38 miles and the route is closed in the winter.
 
After a short break and some fast food in Nephi Utah,
we decided to knock out another 80 miles to Richfield, Utah before stopping for the night and ending our 469 mile day. Day 7 was supposed to be one of those travel days without much excitement that turned into an absolutely great riding day with a lot of variety to stimulate your senses. You will find 80 pictures from Day 7 of Glacier Trip 2005. Next week I will rap up the trip with Day 8, the awesome ride through Bryce Canyon National Park.
 
Click Here for photos of Day 7.
 


 

This Week's Bike Night Events  
Tuesday 

Copper State Cycles Two Wheeled Tuesday. Copper States Two Wheeled Tuesdays has turned into a must attend event. Start your night with $2 bud drafts, Appetizer specials and great food all night long. Watch Two Wheeled Tuesday on Speed Vision under the mist cooled patio. The party starts @ 6:00 followed by Texas holdem from 8:00 till the last hand falls. Join us @ K'Odonnells for a great time. K O'Donnell's American Bar & Grill (formerly Uno's Pizza) located in the north Scottsdale area at 14850 N. Northsight, just of of the 101 & Raintree. Every Tuesday night from 7:00pm until...... 61" TV's and music on the mist cooled patio! Reserved parking in plain view for all bikes. For more information call 480-596-6820.
 
***New Night Tuesday***
Hooters at 1-17 and Bell Rd. Tuesday Bike Night. Hooters at I-17 and Bell will be hosting a new Bike Night every Tuesday night from 6pm - 9pm. They will feature a "Ride In" Bike Show with weekly prizes for 1st - 3rd. And then, the third Tuesday of every month we will crown the Bike of the Month with a Grand Prize. We will have $2 Bud, Bud Light, and Bud Select bottles. There will be 20% off of all food and merchandise when you ride in on your bike. Stop by for loads of Raffle Prizes. There will be VIP Motorcycle Parking and you will be greeted at the front door by a Hooter's Girl waiting to give you your raffle ticket. Hooter's is located in the Bell Canyon Shopping Center at 2834 W. Bell Rd., West of I-17 on Bell Rd. 602-375-0000.  

Thursday Night

Superstition Harley-Davidson and Spirits Bar and Grill have teamed up to bring riders in the Far East Valley a great New Thursday bike night. For those of you in Far East Mesa and Apache Junction, you now have a place to go on Thursday nights. And better yet, just for riding your bike to Spirits, they will give you a free hamburger. That’s right, every rider to show up on their bike between 7-10pm will receive a free hamburger! Stick around and win great prizes and raffle items from Superstition Harley-Davidson. Spirits is located at 9303 E. Apache Trail in East Mesa. One block East of Ellsworth on Apache Trail (Main St.). Come sit on the patio and watch the bikes roll in, stay inside and enjoy a game of pool, and friendly wait staff.  The large dance floor is always open with music from Goodtime Charlie The OUTLAW DJ playing The Best of Country and the Best of Rock and Roll every Thursday night from 8:30p.m till 2am. With an extensive food menu, 2 patios, and monitors inside to watch your bike, Spirits is the hottest Bike night place to be in the east valley. The LEGEND of Spirits Lives on. More info at Superstition HD at 480-346-0600 or 480-986-5572.

Hooters Mesa Thursday Bike Night. Hooters in Mesa located at 6730 E. Superstition Springs Blvd. will host a Bike Night every Thursday night from 6-9 pm. If you haven't seen this Hooters yet you will have to stop by and take a look. This is one of the nicest locations that they have. Hooters will $2.00 Corona's and 20% off of food and merchandise if you ride your bike in. Stop by for raffles prizes every Thursday Night with Big Raffle prizes the first Thursday of every month. For more information call 480-396-9396.

Hooters at Arrowhead Bike Night. Continues Giveaways and Raffles. Ride by and join in on the fun! Hooters will host a Bike Night every Thursday at the Hooters at Arrowhead located just 1 block S. of Bell on 83rd Ave. Stop by for some great food and Hooters Hospitality. There will be 20% off menu items, $2.00 Corona Thursdays and plenty of parking next to the outdoor patio. Stop by for some giveaways and raffles from Hooters and Arrowhead Harley as well as great wings and fun at Hooters. Click Here to see Pictures and all the detailed information.

Casey Jones Grill Bike Night. A valley favorite bike night for over 3 years. Ride in and sit out on the patio for what I call the Best Cheesesteak Sandwich in town. This thing melts in your mouth.  They have 3 new pool tables, darts and foosball. Located in the Mervyns Shopping Center on the SE corner of 43rd Ave. and Thunderbird Rd. Casey Jones is a great place for a bike night featuring a large outdoor seating and over 150 people inside. And for those of you that want to watch a sporting event they have 50 TV's scattered throughout the restaurant connected to satellite to get any game you can think of. They have a full menu for lunch, dinner and a Happy Hour from 11:00AM - 7:00PM and a reverse happy hour from 10:00PM - 12:00 Midnight. $1.75 domestic bottles and $2.00 Jacks. There are always a lot of bikes showing up for bike night at Casey Jones Thursday night. Join them for open mic night on Wednesdays. Sunday. You can always count on lots of bikes here.

The Bike Night At The Billet Bar. Voted "BEST BIKER BAR IN PHOENIX" by New Times. There is no better place to watch all the Bikes ride down Scottsdale road than from The Billet Bar Patio. The Billet is ALWAYS packed with bikes Every Day. Stop by and take a look at the New Flamed Booths on the Paradise Patio. The new bars front and rear provide spacious seating, fresh air atmosphere, perfect temperature and courteous staff. The food is amazing and always the latest in cold libations await. You can sit at the back bar and watch your favorite TV on any of the seven big inch televisions. Play pool, listen to the latest music and socialize. The front patio seats over 75 people and is perfect for people watching on Scottsdale Rd. The Billet Bar is located right next to Genesis Custom Cycles on 3752 N. Scottsdale Rd. Check it out this Thursday night and all weekend long. Info: at 480-941-1876. Click Here for the New Billet Bar Page with pictures. 

Every Saturday and Sunday  

Cave Creek Roadhouse Bike Weekend. Take a ride and stop by the Hottest New Restaurant/Bar in Cave Creek where every weekend will be Bike Weekend. There is plenty of motorcycle parking right out front. I have mentioned this place before and now it has finally opened to rave reviews. CCR is located on Cave Creek Rd. in the heart of Cave Creek directly across from Harold's. It is a restaurant and bar that focuses on a broad menu of good food and has a large bar for socializing with your riding pals for a good time. It is built to look like something out of the 1800's, but it is brand new. Stop by this weekend for lunch, dinner or just to have a drink and take a look at the place. I can tell you that their hamburgers and steak fries are exceptional. Mrs. C. had the swordfish and said it was very good.
Live Music Every Weekend:

Friday: Live Music with "Wild Angels" 9pm - 1:30am

Saturday Night: Live Music with "Crown Kings" 9pm - 1:30am

Sunday: Live Music with "Walt Richardson" 4pm - 8pm

Click here for the Cave Creek Roadhouse website.  480-575-3098

Sunday

Sugar Daddy's Blues Biker Sunday Brunch.
Now is the perfect weather to be sitting out on the Sugar Daddy's patio, listening to Live Music while dining from the Brunch Menu. Live Music from 10am on the patio.
And Sunday Brunch Just Got Better! You now have 3 options to choose from.
Option #1:
Eggs Benedict – Grilled English muffins, smoked ham, poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.
Served with your chose of fresh fruit or crispy potatoes. ($8) or
Sugar’s Pancakes – You won’t eat pancakes anywhere else. Buttermilk pancakes served with butter and syrup. ($5)
Option #2: Can’t decide what to eat? How about an All-You-Can-Eat buffet for ONLY $12.
Option #3: Order off our regular menu.
Our 5,000 sq. ft. temperature controlled patio has six air conditioning units, misters, and plenty of shade. Sugar Daddy's patio, food and entertainment is becoming a regular Sunday stop. If you haven't tried it yet, give them a try. Complimentary coffee is now served. Make Sugar Daddy's Blues your stop on your ride down Scottsdale Rd. for
Brunch or Lunch from 10am - 4pm. Enjoy live music from 10am - 2pm Or maybe just relax on the patio with your favorite beverage and enjoy the beautiful weather and watch the bikes roll down Scottsdale Rd.  Click here to see the awesome pictures and details of Sugar Daddy's located at 3102 N. Scottsdale Rd. between Indian School and Thomas on the West side of the road. Stop by and check it out. A great place to hang out. Plenty of Bike Parking. If you have suggestions, email them at sugardaddysaz@aol.com . 480-970-6556.

This Week 

Saturday, September 17th
Buddy Stubbs Harley-Davidson Chromecoming Open House. Stop by Buddy Stubbs HD from 9am - 6pm to see the newest H-D models and colors including the FXDI 35th Anniversary Superglide, The FXDBI Dyna Street Bob, the FLHXI Street Glide and the new Screamin' Eagle's Fat Boy, V-Rod and Ultra Classic. You can also listen to the new Advanced Audio System by Harman/Kardon, see the All New Motorclothes and Rider Accessories with a Fashion Show at Noon and 4pm. Door prizes every hour.
Live Band: 11am - 4pm
Free Food: Noon - 2pm. Sodas and Water all day.
Pool Tournament: 11am
Bike Show: 11am - 2pm.
Dyno Evaluations: 11am - 3pm
Fashion Shows at Noon and 4pm.
Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson. 13850 North Cave Creek Road, Phoenix, AZ 85022. Phone: 602- 971-3400.
Mapwww.buddystubbs.com 

Next Week 

Saturday, September 24th
Superstition Harley-Davidson Chromecoming. The 2006 Bikes have arrived. Come experience the 2006 Harley-Davidson Motorcycles at Superstition HD on September 24th and give us the shirt off your back! Bring in a T-Shirt from any other motorcycle dealership and we'll give you 06 dollars off a Superstition Harley-Davidson T-shirt. Enjoy FREE FOOD and Drinks from 10am - 1pm, DEMO RIDES from 10am - 3pm and RAFFLE Prizes every half hour from 10am - 3pm. Come experience the Spirit of Superstition Harley-Davidson located at 2910 W. Apache Trail in Apache Junction, AZ. Click Here for Map. 480-346-0600. 

Saturday and Sunday, September 24th and 25th
Thunder Valley Rally Poker Run. This is the 5th year for this very popular event with $15 from every entry to benefit Make-A-Wish Foundation of Arizona. Saturday Poker Run: This is a 7-Card, beautiful ride through the high country starting at Cliff Castle Casino in Camp Verde and riding through Mormon Lake and Munds Park among other stops and then back to Cliff Castle Casino. Registration begins at 8:00am with the organized part of the ride leaving at 10:00am. Riders and/or passengers will each receive a commemorative T-shirt, commemorative ride pin, a coupon for $5 in quarters, $5 blackjack cheque, and 5 entries into the Cliff Castle Casino Custom motorcycle giveaway. Cost of run is $25. $15 goes to Make-A-Wish. Prize money will be distributed for riders and passengers. Highest Hand: $1,500. Lowest Hand: $1000. Total of $5000 in prize money. Click Here to pre-register online.

Sunday, September 25th: Thunder Valley Rally's Bike Show. This is always a good bike show and worth the ride up for. Registration is $10 to enter your bike. Register from 8:00am - 10:00am. Bike show class viewing and voting will take place between 10am - Noon. Will announce prizes from 3pm - 4pm. There will be $7225 in prize money awarded in 12 different categories. $1000 to best of show.  Click Here to see all the categories and detail information on the Bike Show. Cliff Castle Casino is located off of I-17 at Exit 289 in Camp Verde, AZ. 

Saturday, September 24th
5th Annual Habitat For Humanity Ride. The purpose of this ride is to help low income families finance their own homes at an affordable cost. Registration is $30 per person or $40 for doubles. Ride pins to first 50, T-shirts to first 25. Sign in from 8am - 9am at Grand Canyon Harley located just 8 miles West of I-17 on Hwy. 69  in Mayer, AZ. Lunch will be served at end of ride. Prizes supplied by Grand Canyon HD. 

Upcoming Events 

The Hearts to Heroes ride I talked about doing in October is going to be postponed to a later date. As of now I have been unable to arrange for the end location that I wanted. There will be another one but I am not sure of the date yet. I will announce in the newsletter when that will be. 

Extras 

The new season with Orange County Choppers started last week with the first episodes called Military Bike 1 and 2. I was anxious to see how the new season would be and if they would maintain the same type of interesting show that we had become used to. I thought both episodes were as good as ever with interesting bike building, side trips and the human side with visits from all branchs of the Military. In the first 2 episodes both Jr. and Sr. each build a bike at the same time. Jr's is a sleek chopper and of course Sr's was Old School. The bikes were built to raise money for the Intrepid Foundation to benefit fallen soldiers, along with many other pieces of memorabilia donated and raised by the Teutul's. During the course of the show the shop was visited by every branch of service presenting them with U.S. Flags and branch of service flags that they hung all around the shop. Paul Sr. mentioned during the show that he wanted to keep these bikes because they build all these cool bikes for corporations and they have to go away. During the auction at the end of the show, Sr. bought both bikes at auction for $150,000. A nice way to end the show. Paul Sr. and Jr. are both credited as producers on the shows. There will be new episodes every week for the next several weeks. Don't miss the Space Shuttle Bike made for NASA episodes that premiere on October 3rd and October 10th. Here are some pictures of some interesting customer theme bikes that OCC built that I hadn't seen before. And of course, pictures of the 27 TV Theme bikes they have built.
 
Mrs. C. and my prayers go out to Tim Johnson, owner of MPC, Maximum Performance Cycles.
Tim and his wife Judi were in a very bad motorcycle crash in California. Something sped across their path and he tried to avoid hitting it. Brakes locked down and the bike slid sideways, this through Judy off and then it cartwheeled head over heels taking Tim with it. The bike landed on top of him, his head crashed into the pavement with the weight of the bike adding to the pressure. Tim is critically injured with severe head and internal injuries. He is still in an induced coma after 10 days and it is hopeful that the doctors will wake him up soon. The first day they gave him a slight chance to make it, but by the Grace of God he is still with us. Judi came out of the accident much better suffering a broken wrist and road rash. Get well soon Tim. You can send your support to info@maximumperformancecycles.com
 
As for me this week I will be taking a ride to Buddy Stubbs HD this Saturday
for their Chromecoming Celebration. For those of you looking for something to do, there will be free food from Noon - 2pm and live music from 11am - 4pm. See you there.
 

Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To All,
 

Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours -  Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com
info@cyclerides.com

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