Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
9/9/09
 

Greetings Riders,
 
Well, back from a 3 day visit to Lansing, Kansas to visit family. Actually enjoyed some cool weather up there and enjoyed some time back in the old home town. Tuesday night I went to the Nickelback concert at Jobing.com arena, where I'm sure a few of you were too. They put on a great show. Nickelback sings one of my favorite all time songs called "If Everyone Cared". It is a really inspirational song about giving that fit extremely well with a video that I did a couple of years ago for the Chopper Memorial Ride that was put on by Scott Pasmore of TV 3 and Myself. This song and video really shows how caring and generous motorcycle riders are. Over 2000 riders came out on an extremely hot August day to support this memorial ride for the 4 that were killed in the helicopter collision over Phoenix and raised over $42,000 in just 2 hours for  Phoenix Police officer George Cortez who was killed in the line of duty that same day. Seeing this kind of generosity from a group of my riding peers still gets to me every time I watch this video. It is one of my proudest moments as a motorcycle rider and event organizer. If you could use a little uplift about now, watch this video. Click Here to View. This makes me want to put together another big ride. Is anyone up for it?
 
If you want to make comments, read the comments, or watch the video on Facebook, Click Here.

I mentioned last week that a great short ride out of the Valley is to the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park outside of Payson. Good news is that they have decided to open it on weekends through October. (Check Schedule) If you are looking for a nice ride to a higher elevation this weekend, head to the Payson area and visit the Tonto Natural Bridge State Park. Great ride, great scenery and a nice little hike under the bridge. If you haven't been, it is well worth the ride. More info at http://twurl.nl/xpa6ix and http://budurl.com/tontobridge.

Can't go but want to see the bridge and the hike? Watch this short video with music. Click Here to View.

2009 Road Trip - Day 3 

When I left you last week we were in Nakusp, BC for the evening. I was particularly excited about beginning this day because the next 2 days were going to be the highlight of the entire trip as far as scenery was concerned. We left Nakusp early and headed North looking for a breakfast stop. We found one at a beautiful little resort called Halcyon Hot Springs overlooking Upper Arrow Lake. A few miles up the road we had a brief stop at Galena Bay to wait for our only ferry ride of the trip and then to Revelstoke for some gas before making our way through 3 National Parks that included Mt. Revelstoke N.P., Glacier National Park (of Canada) and Yoho National Park to Lake Louise.

The mileage on this day was only 204 miles, but it took us all day to do it. Highway 1 in Canada is also known as the Trans-Canada Highway between Victoria, BC and St. John's, NF is the world's longest national highway with a length of 4,860 mi. But our segment of this beautiful stretch of highway would only be 140 miles. Riding through this part of Canada is almost hard to explain and the pictures don't do it justice. But the best way to describe the Canadian Rockies is "Spectacular" and to highlight the majestic way that their peaks reach for the sky. Pictures don't even come close to doing them justice. They have many more sheer cliffs than the mountains that you will see in Colorado which makes them appear that much more ominous and the mix of Quartzite, Limestone and Dolomite having them giving off many colors throughout the day. When riding in, through and around this landscape that has been millions of years in the making, it is a continuous rubber necking trying to take it all in.

We have ridden many miles through the mountains around the Western U.S. including Colorado, California and Washington, but nothing compares to the grandeur of the Canadian Rockies. You just have to see it to understand the difference. We have always been told about the wildlife in Canada, but never really got a look at anything exotic the last time we were there. But this turned out to be our year. As we were riding through the very beautiful Glacier National Park on Hwy. 1, I saw something moving on the side of the road looking like it was going to hop over the concrete barrier. As we got closer, I finally realized that it was a black bear standing up with his paws on the concrete barrier wanting to cross the highway. I was so excited to see a bear in the wild that I reached down to get my camera, pushed the button to turn it on, but, it was already on, I turned it OFF! So I missed the picture, that time.

Not wanting to miss a very rare picture of a bear, we did a couple of U-Turns to get back to him. By this time he was standing on the other side of the concrete wall looking at us looking at him. So as we slowly cruised by, I was able to get one excellent picture of him. Click Here. Could have gotten some more, but I didn't want to be in someone else's picture of the guy on a motorcycle getting eaten by a bear. So we settled for the one very good picture of the black bear checking out the Road Glide. Since this must have been our day for wildlife, a little farther down the road we saw a big horn sheep just strolling down the side of the highway and snapped a picture of it.

About 15 miles West of Lake Louise and about 5 miles North of Hwy. 1 you will want to visit the VERY beautiful Emerald Lake. This turned out to be one of my favorite stops on the entire trip. With the tourquoise glacier water and the mountains in the background, Emerald Lake is an absolutely beautiful setting that you will not want to miss. And if you want to spend some more time there, they do have the Emerald Lake Lodge you could stay in. Just off Hwy. 1 and on the way to Emerald Lake, be sure to stop and visit the Natural Bridge. This is a very pretty stream with a natural rock bridge.

From there we were on the home stretch for the day as we ended up in the very scenic and peaceful Lake Louise for the night. We didn't have reservations and got real lucky by finding one of the last rooms at Deer Lodge located next to the Fairmount and just a couple hundred yards from Lake Louise. Deer Lodge was built over 100 years ago. It is in a great location, but if you stay there, be sure and get in the newer wing. The tower rooms are pretty overrated and in need of some repair, but we enjoyed the newest wing. The view from the spa in the evening overlooking the Glacier at Lake Louise was outstanding. Click Here.

This was one leg of the trip that I was looking forward to and it did not disappoint. The next day is the crown jewel of the ride as we go from Lake Louise to Jasper and back on the Icefield Parkway.

Click Here for 120 Beautiful Photos.
Click Here for
Map of the Day. 


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Highlights This Week 

Saturday, September 12th
Chester's Harley-Davidson 2010 Open House.
Stop by Chester's HD this Saturday from 10am - 4pm and see the latest
that Harley-Davidson has for 2010. Enjoy Food, Live Music, and SAVE 15% off Merchandise.
 
Saturday and Sunday, September 12th & 13th
Hacienda Harley-Davidson National 2010 Open House.
Ride by and Demo to See what's new from Harley-Davidson for 2010.
Fashion Show, Bike Show, Hot Rods, Live Music from Wall Street, BBQ.
Trade in your old leathers. Get $100 toward new!
 

New!! Next Thursday the 17th
McDuffy's Peoria Thursday Bike Night. Plan to attend the first night.
 
New!! Stay tuned for details about the Historic Downtown Chandler Bike Night.
Starts Wednesday, September 23rd. Details next week.


 

Bike Nights This Week 

Wednesday 

NEW!!!
Chester's Harley-Davidson Wednesday Bike Night. Chester's HD invites you to Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill Bike Night every Wednesday night. If you looking to get your bike out of the garage and ride someplace where you know other riders will be, head out to Toby Keith's located in the Mesa Riverview next to Bass Pro Shop, Loop 202 and Dobson, Mesa. 6PM til Close. Live Band starts at 7PM. Free Raffle and great prizes. Half price selected appetizers, $2 wells til 7pm. $3 longnecks or $12/bucket of 5. Designated bike parking. Ride With Us and get a free Chester's koozie! Leaves Chester's at 5:30PM sharp. This is really a fun place for a bike night that includes a large outdoor patio. Great Food, Great Music, Great Place, Great Time! For more information call Chester's HD at 480-894-0404. 

Thursday Night 

NEW!!! September 17th
Bike Night Thursday at McDuffy's in Peoria. Ride by the newest Bike Night on the West side Starting next week on September 17th. McDuffy's is one of the finest West side locations for a bike night at a single restaurant. McDuffy's features 2 outdoor patios, a huge dining room with booths for seating, a very large area with high tops for you to easily hang out with your friends, an upper level for lounging or to play pool, a very large bar and 100 TV's to watch your favorite sporting event. Not only that the dinner menu is very broad and McDuffy's has excellent food at a very good price. Bike Nights features a $6.99 Menu that includes Classic Burgers, Charbroiled Chicken Breast Burger, Buffalo Wings, Chicken Quesadilla, Nachos, Popcorn Chicken, Pizza and 1/2 Drink Pricing. Stop by for the first night on Thursday, September 17th. McDuffy's is located just South of 83rd Ave. and Bell Rd. at 15814 N. 83rd Ave. 623-334-5000. Plenty of Motorcycle Parking!
 
The Bike Night At The Billet Bar The Billet Bar is the place to be for the Summer nights and weekends. Set on the patio and watch the action. 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 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. 

This Week
 

Friday, September 11th
Celebration of Patriots Day. We are focused on our next adventure in Corporate Assistance to the war zone: Afghanistan in November.  Led by 3 Star General in the AF Reserve, John Bradley (Ret), Operation Lamia and the Lamia Afghan Foundation (www.lamia-afghanfoundation.org) and Fumar Cigars and its sponsors are embarking on a mission to deliver blankets to a corner of the world that God forgot.  Lamia is cold.  Her tribe and people need the basics and the way to build trust is to provide basics.  We need your support to gather blankets to distribute there on our mission.  Any help is beneficial.  See website for more info about the people and the place. In September on the 11th, our 8th anniversary of the War Against Terror, we will be celebrating and kicking off the drive for cigars to the troops for our trip and collection of the blankets will commence! Thanks for the partnership! 2pm-8pm
TAPS at sunset. Fumar Cigars is located at 2010 W. Parkside Lane, #110 in Phoenix, AZ.
 
Friday, September 11th
Phoenix, AZ 8th Anniversary 9-11 Tribute Ceremony. 12:00 noon Wesley Bolin Memorial park. Will honor the public safety & military personnel who made the supreme sacrifice, in the line of duty, as well as the civilians that were lost on Sept 11th 2001. Will also honor the families and will pay tribute to the men and women of public safety and armed forces that serve our cities and our country. Other activities throughout the weekend. See Flyer for details.
 
Friday, September 11th
Pink Heals Tour '09. Join Dave Graybill and crew from 5 to 7:30 at ABC Nissan, Camelback Toyota and Showcase Honda on Camelback Ave in Phoenix located between 13th and 15th streets.  Wear pink or tie a pink ribbon on your motorcycle and escort the Pink Heals Tour Trucks as they kick off their 2nd cross country tour supporting women and their fight against cancer.  First tour stop this year is Vegas so show your support and be part of the pink parade to Wickenburg. Listen to live music at the car dealers and buy some raffle tickets to win a Pink Heals one of a kind car courtesy of ABC Nissan, Camelback Toyota and Showcase Honda. Raffle tickets are only $10 each.  The Tour leaves Phoenix at 7:30 PM so don't be late!   For more information visit www.pinkheals.com

Friday, September 11th
Motorcycles on Main Street in Mesa. City of Mesa is sponsoring this event that is part of their monthly "2nd Friday". Event time is from 6pm - 10pm. Park your bike on Main St. and enjoy a patriotic theme with flags lining the street. Vendors, local merchants, artisans, restaurants, live bands and more. Activities up and down Main St. From Center to Country Club on Main St. Park and walk or cruise Main St.

Saturday, September 12th
Chester's Harley-Davidson 2010 Open House. Stop by Chester's HD this Saturday from 10am - 4pm and see the latest that Harley-Davidson has for 2010. Take a Demo Ride and see for yourself what you are missing. Enjoy Food, Live Music, and SAVE 15% off Merchandise. The first 5 Customers that purchase a new 2009 HD motorcycle during the Open House gets a $1000 in-store credit! To the first 5 customers to purchase a new 2010 HD during open house gets a $500 in-store credit. Take a ride to Chester's this Saturday and park and play under their huge covered patio. A great place to hang out! Chester's HD is located at 922 S. Country Club in Mesa, AZ. 480-894-0404.

Saturday and Sunday, September 12th & 13th
Hacienda Harley-Davidson National 2010 Open House. We are having our annual National Open House event this weekend, September 12th & 13th. Ride by and Demo to See what's new from Harley-Davidson for 2010. Enjoy a Ride-in Bike Show - Saturday from 11am - 4pm. Drive-In Hot Rod Show - Sunday from 11am - 4pm. Fashion Show, Live Music from Wall Street, BBQ. Trade in your old leathers and get $100 towards the purchase of new! Saturday, September 12th the dealership will be open till 8pm in support of the St. Mary's Food Bank Alliance and the Valley Wide HOG Chapter Challenge. Bring a minimum of 5 canned items of non-perishable food or your cash donation and get a great burger in the process! All cash proceeds will be used to purchase food for the food drive.  During the week of September 29th all donated items from all Chapters will be tallied. The winning HOG Chapter gets the honor of leading an all Chapter ride to deliver the food to St. Mary's on October 3rd. Looking for a destination ride? Ride to Hacienda HD this weekend. Located at 15600 N. Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale. 480-905-1903. Don't forget the Hacienda Mystery Ride, every Thursday night. Departs from Hacienda Harley-Davidson at 6pm for a destination unknown adventure. One never knows where you'll go, but you're guaranteed to have a good time.

Sunday, September 13th
Save The Chesticles Run. 6th Annual Breast Cancer Bash, proceeds to benefit The Breast Cancer 3-day. Sign up 10am at Steel Horse Saloon located at 1818 W Bell Road. Ride pins to first 200 registered riders. Cost is $10 Single $15 Double. Run Ends at 4pm. For more info, contact "G" at 623-262-7101 or heartakes@yahoo.com.
 

Sunday, September 13th
Benefit - Auction for Paulr. Retired Charter Member and Sgt. at Arms for Medieval Maidens MC. Auction will start at 12:30 ending at 4:00 at the American Legion 105 - 3534 W. Calavar Rd in Phoneix [Map It] 100% of Proceeds will go to help Paulr's 2 daughters Jill & Jessica with the funeral expenses. We need items to Auction please contact Kimmy at Biker Information Guide (602-843-8907) or Blister: 623-330-3440. Sponsored by Biker Information Guide & Chuck Franklin Law.

Tuesday, September 15th
Motorcycle Escort of the Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall. If you have NEVER seen the portable WALL, it is a very moving experience, especially if you are not able or have the privilege to experience the WALL in Washington DC. This is a must see! If you can not make anything else make the ride past the Wall or come and watch the motorcycles ride past. Very moving! Here is the schedule: Sept 15th at Buddy Stubbs in Anthem. CHANNEL 10 NEWS TO POSSIBLY COVER ESCORT.

1pm - 3 pm: Sign in, everyone must sign the waiver and receive a bobber wrist band which has "Remember". Without signing the waiver and this wristband you will not be allowed to participate in the Escort.
Safety meeting before departure. 3pm: PHOENIX POLICE TO TOTALLY CLOSE DOWN I-17 AND SR 101 FOR ESCORT. Route to be I-17 South to SR 101 East, exit 7th St, loop around onto Beardsley to Phoenix Memorial. Once at Phx Memorial follow traffic control personnel please! Buddy Stubbs to feed MC escort between 4:45 and 6 pm.
1:00 - 3:00pm, Sign in all bikes and vehicles  Bike raffle tickets for sale all weekend.
3:00pm - Motorcycle Escort begins -Phx Police Dept to lead escorts
3:45 - 4:45pm. Wall Arrives with motorcycles
4:45 - 6:00pm. Motorcycle Escorts are fed by Buddy Stubbs.

Sept 16th - 9 am
NEED ASSISTANCE WITH WALL CONSTRUCTION! Anyone wishing to help please show up at American Legion Post 107 for breakfast at 7:30 am on Cave Creek Road just South of SR 101 for Breakfast with some Iraq Veterans who will help in the assembly of the Wall. 

Next Week


Friday -  Sunday, September 18-20
The Dignity Memorial Vietnam Wall. A Time to Remember, to Reflect, to Heal. Free and open to the public 24 hours ad day. This traveling replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., stands eight feet high and 240 feet long. It is inscribed with the names of more than 58,000 service men and women who died or are missing in Vietnam and is dedicated to all Vietnam veterans. The Wall will be displayed at Phoenix Memorial Park located at 200 W Beardsley Rd. in Phoenix, AZ.
The following is a list of activities for the 3 days:
 
Fri., Sept 18 9:00am Opening Ceremonies include Navy and Marine Honor Guard
9:00am - 9:20 Introductions
9:20am National Anthem - Bobby Freeman (Diamondbacks Organ Player & Sarge Lintecum)
9:25am Luke Air Force Base Flyover
9:39am Opening speaker
9:50am - 10:30 Various Dignitary speeches
11:00am - 1:00pm Concessions are open to public
4:00pm - 6:30 Concessions are open to public
5:30pm - 6:30 Silent Auction
Sunset POW?MIA Ceremonies begin - VFW 9400
Review of Wall open all day and evening
 
Saturday, Sept 19 Review of Wall open all day and evening
11:00am - 1:00pm Concessions are open to public
4:00pm - 6:30 Concessions are open to public
5:30pm - 6:30 Silent Auction
Sunset POW?MIA Ceremonies begin including Candlelight Vigil - VFW 9400
 
Sunday, Sept 20 10:00am Motorcycle Raffle - pick winning ticket
11:00am - 1:00pm Concessions are open to public
2:45pm motorcycle Salute to Vietnam Wall - ride past the Wall
3:00pm Navy and Marine Honor Guard
3:10pm Burial of a small Vietnam Veterans Memorial Vault Ceremony
Burial Ceremony to include 21 Gun Salute & Taps
4:00pm - 6:00pm Concessions are open to public
5:00pm Closing Ceremony begins
Sunset Park closed

Saturday, September 19th
Billet Bar "End of Summer Beach Party". Summer is just about over and it is time to celebrate with a good old-fashioned "Beach Party" at the Billet Bar. Wear your beach attire and come celebrate the Billet Bar 14th Anniversary. Featuring Promo models giving away free goodies and Special Guest, DJ Design. Penny Drafts, $3 3 Olives, $2 Shot Specials. Plenty of motorcycle parking. Billet is located in the heart of Old Town Scottsdale at 3752 N. Scottsdale Rd. Info: at 480-941-1876. Click Here for the New Billet Bar Page with pictures. 

Upcoming Events 

Don't forget, the Rocky Point Rally is ON! November 5-8. If you plan on going you will need to get your passport card ordered soon. If you missed the newsletter a couple of weeks ago with the announcement of the Rocky Point Rally being UN-Cancelled, Click Here to Read and have instruction on how to get your passport card. The Rally is on an being planned with some very cool additions this year. More will be announced in the coming weeks. Get your passport cards and reservations now. www.rockypointrally.com . 

Extras 

Cyclerides.com is now on Facebook! I am inviting you to "Become A Fan" on the Cyclerides.com Facebook page.
Go to
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Cycleridescom/108447575697 to add your name and bookmark this page. If you are not on Facebook, you can still go to the page, but you will not be able to communicate. There will be a link there for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. 

I'm guessing this would not pass safety tests of today. Look how they tested bullet proof glass 50 years ago.  Click Here to View.

Oh my! Wait till you see this video from the dash cam of a patrol car. Yikes! This is a good lesson to pull completely off the road. 
Click Here to View

Video of the Week
This is a very clever Bud commercial. It really sucks you in.  Click Here to View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the page.


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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