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16 Bikes with 24 riders assembled at the Chevron for today's ride. There were 1 or 2 more groups of motorcycles also there, heading to different destinations. We discussed our upcoming picnic and reminded everyone that tickets needed to be purchased by the weekend of the 14th, so we had an accurate count to order the correct amount of food. We split into 2 groups, with Dennis leading the first group, with Jay on the tail. Garry & Anne led the second group, with Derek on the tail. Dennis went down thru Florence to Oracle and up to Mammoth, while Garry elected to go thru Superior and down thru Winkleman. It turned out to be a 20 mile difference in the routes. Dennis had called the restaurant on Friday, advising them that we anticipated about 25 riders. They said that would be fine and they could accommodate us, but, it turned out differently! Several of the riders waited 1 1/2 hours, and still had not been served food! The service was very slow for the rest of the group, with the restaurant running out of coffee and even coffee cups! The food was good and plentiful when it was finally served, but. We may have to reconsider that place on our list of restaurants.
We headed out up 177 back toward Winkleman, noticing the abundance of yellow flowers along the roadsides. After a stop at the Shell station for fuel, we headed up the highway toward Globe. The ride from Winkleman to Globe has got to be one of the most scenic routes of the many we ride, which Bonnie tried to capture with her camera. We also stopped at the overlook at the top, which is named El Capitan Pass. The plaque told us that Kearney's Army of the West passed thru here in 1846, with Kit Carson as the scout! We continued thru Globe, with the temperature rising as we descended into the valley. We arrived back at 2:45, having ridden 189 miles.Wednesdays destination is to Payson, but the weather guessers are saying rain, so we'll see. Starting Saturday, the 14th, we will change to 8 AM starts, with our ride to Mt Lemmon. We will also have an alternate for that day, for those who prefer a shorter ride. Derek Hudson's park has a car show from 8-12, with breakfast served ( eggs, ham or sausage, toast or pancakes, coffee, juice for $5 ) It is located at 1101 S Ellsworth Rd & Southern Av. Then a ride destination could be determined. Also, I have had several inquiries about going on the Rim Ride. That is scheduled for the 18th.I am sending the pictures of the ride in a separate e-mail, as I am trying a different method of transferring the pictures from my cell phone to e-mail.Duane
16 Bikes with 24 riders assembled at the Chevron for today's ride. There were 1 or 2 more groups of motorcycles also there, heading to different destinations. We discussed our upcoming picnic and reminded everyone that tickets needed to be purchased by the weekend of the 14th, so we had an accurate count to order the correct amount of food. We split into 2 groups, with Dennis leading the first group, with Jay on the tail. Garry & Anne led the second group, with Derek on the tail. Dennis went down thru Florence to Oracle and up to Mammoth, while Garry elected to go thru Superior and down thru Winkleman. It turned out to be a 20 mile difference in the routes. Dennis had called the restaurant on Friday, advising them that we anticipated about 25 riders. They said that would be fine and they could accommodate us, but, it turned out differently! Several of the riders waited 1 1/2 hours, and still had not been served food! The service was very slow for the rest of the group, with the restaurant running out of coffee and even coffee cups! The food was good and plentiful when it was finally served, but. We may have to reconsider that place on our list of restaurants.We headed out up 177 back toward Winkleman, noticing the abundance of yellow flowers along the roadsides. After a stop at the Shell station for fuel, we headed up the highway toward Globe. The ride from Winkleman to Globe has got to be one of the most scenic routes of the many we ride, which Bonnie tried to capture with her camera. We also stopped at the overlook at the top, which is named El Capitan Pass. The plaque told us that Kearney's Army of the West passed thru here in 1846, with Kit Carson as the scout! We continued thru Globe, with the temperature rising as we descended into the valley. We arrived back at 2:45, having ridden 189 miles.Wednesdays destination is to Payson, but the weather guessers are saying rain, so we'll see. Starting Saturday, the 14th, we will change to 8 AM starts, with our ride to Mt Lemmon. We will also have an alternate for that day, for those who prefer a shorter ride. Derek Hudson's park has a car show from 8-12, with breakfast served ( eggs, ham or sausage, toast or pancakes, coffee, juice for $5 ) It is located at 1101 S Ellsworth Rd & Southern Av. Then a ride destination could be determined. Also, I have had several inquiries about going on the Rim Ride. That is scheduled for the 18th.I am sending the pictures of the ride in a separate e-mail, as I am trying a different method of transferring the pictures from my cell phone to e-mail.Duane
Seven bikes with 8 riders departed the Chevron shortly after 8:00 this morning on the "official" ride. There had been plans for Mt. Lemmon near Tucson, but it's snow-covered and cold. Instead we chose one of the favorites, Maria's at Winkelman. Another smaller group set out for breakfast and a Car Show at The Resort at the invitation of Derek Hudson. Before the departures, Al Jeanquart did a land-office business selling tickets and pins prior to next Saturday's Blue's Angels Picnic. Our speakers on Saturday March 21 work with the wild horses that we often see near the Salt River, and the event starts at 11:30 with the meal at 12:00. Part of the fun will include a ticket raffle for many items, with the prize item being a Motorcycle Blanket filled with decals. It's that time of year, and you should have your meal ticket now, or talk to Mini-Al immediately. Sorry, no pictures today.
Bob Shinnick was our leader today, with Bill Lieser at the tail. There was radio talk about the effect of the Coronavirus on events, but the crowd at the Renaissance Festival seemed bigger than ever as we returned on the 60. Again we had a beautiful day after all the rain as we traced the Copper Canyon Trail from Superior to Winkelman, then from there to Globe after the meal. We passed a large group of bicyclists were on their way to the Winkelman Park and Campground. The meal at Maria's was as tasty as ever, and the riders enjoyed casual respite around the table. There was cool air and lots of flowers along the way to Globe, where our leader reported the elevation is just a few feet short of 5,000. There is a marvelous change to green foliage on the desert since we went through only a week before. A quick stop at Globe including some $2.34 gas, and it was a smooth trip home.
Today's trip was 150 miles in 3 hours 8 minutes elapsed time for an average speed of 48 mph. Today was the last AZ ride of the season for Bob Keeler and Bill Lieser. With warm weather and the Coronavirus emergency, more will soon be leaving. Our fearless Leader Duane will be in Hawaii next week.
The Rim Ride is planned for next Wednesday, March 18 starting at 8:00 AM. Rain is again predicted. See what happens.
Phil Parsons
On Mar 8, 2020, at 11:21 AM, Duane Switz <ddswitz@gmail.com> wrote:
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Duane Switz <switzd@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Mar 8, 2020 at 11:32 AM
Subject: Resized pictures - 22
To: Duane Switz <ddswitz@gmail.com>Pictures resized by Photo & Picture Resizer App<20200307_103816_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084409_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084555_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_085029_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084500_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200307_125131_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200307_102709_copy_1024x1365.jpg><20200308_084701_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084911_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200307_131115_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084445_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084814_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084623_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084611_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084713_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200307_102659_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084643_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_083659_copy_1024x1365.jpg><20200308_084937_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084837_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084326_copy_1024x768.jpg><20200308_084429_copy_1024x768.jpg>
