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Greetings Riders,

It might be my imagination, but It sure seems like I have seen a lot of motorcycles on the road lately. Maybe riders have been taking advantage of the good MPG on their bikes and are letting the SUV's sit in the driveway. I even pulled up next to a guy on a brand new Vespa with a 200cc engine the other day. He said he bought it to ride to work and save gas. I asked him what kind of gas mileage it got and he replied, "I don't know for sure, I got it 3 weeks ago and I haven't had to fill up yet, but I think it gets about 80 miles per gallon". It's not what I would take on a long road trip, but it seemed to be accomplishing this man's objective of not contributing to the oil companies.

Speaking of long road trips, this week I am going to finish my report on Glacier Trip 2005 with details and photos from Day 8, the ride through Bryce Canyon and back to Phoenix. First of all, I would like to thank all of you for allowing me to share this trip with you through the newsletter. We are humbled by your kind comments both via email and in person when we see you at events. Mrs. C. and I feel blessed to be able to safely complete these trips and then share the pictures, stories and anecdotes with all of you, fellow motorcycle enthusiasts. We hope to encourage you to get out and enjoy some of these same experiences for yourself.

Day 8 took us from Richfield, Utah through Bryce Canyon National Park as part of our 585 mile ride back to Phoenix. Our travel to Bryce took us through a small town by the name of Panguitch, UT, located on Hwy. 89 that impressed us similar to that of Paris, Idaho. Panguitch was founded in 1864 by a group of 54 pioneer families. It was abandoned in 1866 due to a conflict with Indians and then resettled in 1870 by Brigham Young. As you can see by the link above, Panguitch has a lot of history and a lot of the old buildings are still standing in the small town which were begging to be photographed. The old Courthouse from 1903 is still intact, an old log cabin from the late 1800's, as well as most of the downtown area and several old houses as you meander throughout the city.

Seven miles South of Panguitch is Hwy. 12, a Utah Scenic Byway that takes you to Bryce Canyon National park as well as Bryce Canyon Country. This All-American Road takes you through 2 National Parks, 3 State Parks, America's largest National Monument and one red rock arch. Bryce was one stop that I had been looking forward to the entire trip. I had seen pictures, heard lots of good things about the park and was looking for this visit to be the grand finish to a great ride. Bryce Canyon delivered all of my expectations and more.

Your first view of Bryce Canyon National Park once you enter the park is of rows of pine trees that line the road. But these are only here to veil the grandeur of the canyon until you reach the rim where the beauty of Bryce comes alive. In fact, Bryce is not really a canyon at all, it is a series of horseshoe shaped amphitheaters carved along the Paunsaugunt Plateau that you can enjoy from 13 viewing points along the way. It is almost hard to explain the 3D visual landscape that Bryce has to offer. After seeing Bryce in person, photos don't really do it justice. The best way for me to explain it is that it looks like someone took the top off of a cave, like Kartchner Caverns, allowing you to stand on a ledge and look at all of the stalagmites from above.

The different formations that the wind, water, freezing and thawing have formed over the years are endless and the rich red, green and tan colors are vivid and alive. As the sun peeks from behind a cloud it can light up the valley in a dramatically colorful way that will mesmerize you. You can let your imagination run wild as you look at the hoodoos and start to visualize faces in the rocks, see spires and what looks like the tops of castles in the rocks as you look across millions of years of erosion. Look at the left side of this photo, you can see 3 rock formations that look like faces of man or beast. Or possibly resemble exotic chess pieces. That is what I saw through my eyes, I'm sure you will come up with a few of your own as you make your way through the park.

Bryce Canyon National Park is seen from one 18 mile road that will take you to an elevation of over 9100 feet at Rainbow Point where you will turn around to experience the view from the opposite direction. It is a 36 mile round trip that will take you past 13 viewpoints, including the most famous stops of Rainbow, Natural Bridge, Inspiration, Agua Canyon and Bryce Points. Be prepared to spend about 3-4 hours in the park to really digest all that Bryce has to offer. You can also plan a relaxing lunch at the Bryce Canyon Lodge inside the park. Click Here for a map of the park. On your way out of the park you can go East about 12 miles to Bryce Valley and the town of Tropic where Ebenezer Bryce lived.

We finally pulled ourselves away from Bryce at about 1:30pm for our 8 hour ride back to the valley. With our sense of vision maxed out by the brilliant colors and images, it gave us something to reflect on the way home. The ride back down Hwy. 89 through Kanab is really very nice. In fact, just North of Kanab they have a sign that really sums it all up. It says: "The Greatest Earth On Show - Bryce, Zion, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell". An appropriate statement for this area. Click Here to view the sign. We arrived home at about 9:15pm after a 585 mile, 13 hour day to stop for a milkshake at 5 and Diner to reminisce our day.

In my opinion, Glacier Trip 2005 was a 5 star trip. If you are looking for a Summer trip for yourselves in 2006 I would highly recommend all or any part of this route. Shipping the bike to Seattle to start the trip is a great way to go if you are limited on time. Hog Haulers, Inc. did a great job. This was 2800 miles of beautiful and exciting riding. I would go back and do the exact same route again tomorrow. I will be compiling all of the trip reports into one page complete with maps for you to review in the next couple of weeks.

Thanks for riding along. I would highly recommend you view the pictures from this day. I think they are some of the best of the trip. Click Here for pictures from Day 8 and Bryce Canyon National Park. I will back in the next couple of weeks with a report on our "Four Canyon Ride".

Here are some useful links:
Bryce Canyon National Park - http://www.utah.com/nationalparks/bryce.htm
Bryce Canyon National Park Virtual Tour - http://www.nps.gov/brca/virtual_tour.html
Regional Map of the Area - http://www.nps.gov/brca/regional.html

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. ENTER YOUR NAME IN THE DRAWING EVERY THURSDAY IN OCTOBER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A $250 GIFT CARD FROM SUPERSTITION HARLEY-DAVIDSON. Drawing will be on October 27th. Must be present to win. Enter once every Thursday in October to increase your odds of winning. 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 "EastonAshe" 9pm - 1:30am
Saturday Night: Live Music with "EastonAshe" 9pm - 1:30am
Sunday: Live Music with "Fantasy Jive" 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 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 and Sunday, September 24th and 25th
Chandler Harley-Davidson Chromecoming. Join Chandler Harley-Davidson as they welcome the new 2006 models from Harley-Davidson. See the latest in Motorclothes from HD, enjoy Raffle Prizes and Gifts, Free Food From Charleston's and Papa John's and Free Snow Cones. Enter for a chance to win a new 2006 Dyna Motorcycle. Chandler HD is located at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd. in Chandler, AZ. 480-496-6800.
Saturday: Enjoy a Free Hooters Bikini Bike Wash from 11-3pm

Free Food from Charleston's starting at Noon.

Free Snow Cones from 1-3pm.

Best Billiards Break contest at 3pm.
Sunday:

Enjoy a Free Hooters Bikini Bike Wash from 11-3pm

At Noon stop by for some Free Papa John's Pizza

12-2pm - Chili Cook Off

2:30pm Easy Rider movie and popcorn.

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.

Saturday, September 24th
Fools Life and “M.M.A Leather District” Present, “Fun with the Fools”. A Charity Car and Bike Show With all proceeds going to benefit little Emma Nichole Huff. Saturday, September 24th from 3 P.M. until 9 P.M. Everyone is invited to join in at Charley’s Place, Northwest Corner of Thunderbird Rd. and 43rd Ave. In July of 2004, Emma suffered a serious head injury. As a result of the injury she had a portion of her brain and Skull removed. Now she is almost two and has undergone several surgeries. Emma’s has had numerous problems and complications along the way. Emma’s left side is still partially paralyzed, leaving her unable use her left arm or walk. She is undergoing aggressive therapy to help with speech and mobility. Emma wears a special helmet to protect her brain. She still needs reconstructive surgery to replace her skull as well as procedures to keep her left hand from locking up. It is a miracle that Emma even survived this injury and all of the problems caused by it. Emma’s Mom has lost her job, home, car and everything she’s ever owned while giving Emma the 24 hour a day care she needs. Money is being raised to Help Emma’s Mom cover basic needs, medical costs and buy a computer so she can work from home and still take care of Emma. Any and All donations will be gratefully accepted! $10 per Vehicle Entry for the Car and Bike Show. Trophies awarded to 1st, 2nd and 3rd Places, (Peoples Choice). Along with the Bike and Car Show we will have Live Music, 50/50 Drawing, Raffles, Vendors, & Much More. Karaoke at 9P.M. If you need more information please contact Dan at 602-770-5593.