I've been wanting to get out for a motorcycle ride for quite some time -- and my friend Linda has a "new" bike too, and she was game... so yesterday (08/15/10) we hit the road early (kind of) and rode up SR87 to Payson, then across the Rim to Camp Verde, and back home via I-17 super slab. Any highway is great for motorcycle riding, but these highways are incredible (a word I do not use too often).
We left my house at 0900, and stopped long enough to check the tire pressures. We left Paradise Valley on Shea Boulevard, and picked up the Beeline Highway (SR87) at Fountain Hills. I wanted to get some photos of road signs for my classes (I'll slip them into the "answers" section for the signs test), so as we entered a construction area out by the Four Peaks (Mazatzal) turn-off, I anticipated the "End of Work Zone" sign and pulled off on the shoulder to snap it -- but I anticipated too soon. It wasn't the one.
So we took off again and I stopped long enough to get the right one about 6 miles further along! There was no one working on Sunday though... The ride to Payson was a series of these kinds of misadventures!
I hadn't taken the Blue Beast (a Kawasaki ZZR-1200, God's gift to horizontal rocketry) on any highways like these before -- it really wasn't a good road machine for me until I had the bar risers installed. But since I did, I wanted to get out on it and see how comfortable it is now. They still are not high enough, but I think I can live with it. Any more modification would require a lot more work and customization, so I will try to live with things as they are. I did OK yesterday so I think it will be bastante bien.
We zoomed up the Beeline! Well, I zoomed and Linda "motored stately." The road as it winds through the Mazatzals (past Sunflower, Mt Ord and the Tonto Basin) rises and falls dramatically and the curves are wide and multi-lane. Some of them are tighter than they look at first, but it is a good high speed road for letting the ponies loose -- as long as you don't get carried away. Quite a few four-wheelers got in the way and interfered with my ability to ride it as fast as I really wanted to, but it wasn't too bad -- the traffic was fairly light.
Bob's Rant #547: What is it about Americans that never get the idea that normal driving is to be done in the RIGHT-HAND LANE? We drive like a bunch of amateurs in this country -- and the USA has always had a love affair with cars and driving. I don't get it. We all ought to be driving like pros out there. My father used to say that on the Earth, there were only two commodities that were universal -- hydrogen... and stupidity. Yup. You want to see an exhibition of that concept -- just get out there and watch how people drive! If you are not passing someone, get the hell out of the left-hand-lane! Savvy? Anyway, I'd zoom ahead for a few moments, negotiating my way through the idiots, then back off and let Linda catch up, as she kept her speed constantly at a more reasonable limit. (By the way... yes, I do realize that not all of those that drive or ride slower then me are idiots! It is not illegal to drive the speed limit.)
We made pretty good time to Payson, despite my stopping occasionally to take sign photos. Linda called her sister and brother-in-law, and we met them for lunch at the Mazatzal Casino south of town. After talking with them for quite awhile, we said our goodbyes and our next leg was north to the Tonto Natural Bridge. We got there about 2:30 or 3:00 (or so). When I was there a couple years back with Mom, there were javelinas milling about, nipping off the grass and luxuriating in the sun like a bunch of sluggish goats. Yesterday, unfortunately, they were not about. So I will toss in a photo of the ones we encountered a few years ago for your edification.
I believe this arch is the largest known travertine arch ever discovered. It cannot be completely appreciated from above -- despite some great viewpoints. So, I suggest taking the effort and time to hike down below and look up at it! It is not long -- but it is a bit on the steep and difficult side if you are not in too good a shape -- as I am not.
But I huffed and I puffed and I got there with only a few heavy sighs and minimal complaining otherwise. It would have been easier had I had better clothing for hiking (my jeans didn't flex or give well-enough for the extreme bending and flexing that rock-scrambling requires), although the flip-side of that is that they did protect my legs -- shins and knees -- from getting banged up. And the importance of good hiking shoes cannot be over-stressed! I wore my motorcycle boots and that made this excursion a MISERY (and even a little bit dangerous in spots). But we made it, and in the end I wouldn't change it (except for the pants and boots). It was worth the effort and the discomfort.
Once we got our fill of relaxing in the cool under the travertine bridge, we wanted to hike out along the "easier" and flatter Pine Creek Trail along the canyon "floor." I mean, that sounds really GOOD, right? Ahem. The State Parks Dept should be FLOGGED for calling it a trail! You know what that "trail" consists of? It is a jumble of river rocks and boulders, along not only the floor but the SIDES of the canyon bottom, with little painted arrows on the rock faces here or there to indicate the general direction of the route. It is not a trail at ANY point along it's 1/2 to 1 mile length! But once on it, I kind of felt committed, you know?
The problem was (except for those little yellow arrows) I wasn't really sure we were even ON a trail -- and once you are headed that way, there is no confirmation or information of ANY kind of where, exactly it is going... those little arrows might have been pointing us straight to hell as far as I knew. So we scrambled, and rock-climbed, and huffed and puffed (yes, more huffing and puffing) and just about at the point where I was really starting to doubt the plan -- Linda spotted a ribbon marker that showed where the ascent of the hillside began and we made our way up and out... with more huffing and puffing.
We walked over to the gift shop looking for cold drinks and rest rooms, bully-ragged the rangers for a few minutes, then sat outside in the breezy shade having some cold water.
By then it was closing time. So we got ourselves together and loaded up the bikes, and headed up and out of the park. From there, we rode north to SR260, the Crook Trail, and rode west to Camp Verde. We got rained on for a few moments out of a sunny summer sky -- an Arizona summertime treat! We stopped and took a break along the top of the Rim east of Camp Verde, decided our next stop would be Sunset Point, and then headed down the road to I-17 at Camp Verde. By now my southern anatomy was starting to feel the effects of a day in the saddle as well as the physical exertions of the hiking and rock-climbing, and I squirmed around on the saddle and thought about stopping and stretching. We made it down to Sunset Point though -- at just about sunset -- and relaxed there for 30 minutes or so. Sitting on those hard concrete picnic table benches actually felt good!
Next stop was just a few miles down the road at Black Canyon City for supper -- my thought was great Amish food at Byler's -- but alas and alack, they were closed. So we went on to Rock Springs and had a great burger there (their food is getting a little better than it was a few years ago). There was no room for dessert and I think their pies are way over-rated anyway (so it was easy for me to decline) -- and we moseyed down I-17 in the Sunday evening heavy traffic toward Phoenix.
I led our little procession most of the day and somewhere around New River, I lost my companion! I checked the mirrors -- and no Linda. So I slowed down a bit, and eventually, a motorcycle came up on my stern and maintained there -- so I thought all was well -- but it later took the off-ramp at SR74 and now I freaked out! So I pulled off, and after what seemed like a LONG time, Linda finally caught up -- she had run out of gasoline and it took her a few moments to switch over to "reserve" and get rolling again. We stopped at Happy Valley Road for her to fill -- and that's about where we parted company -- the remainder of my ride home was fairly quick around the loop and she went the other way toward Glendale.
Once the bike was curried and blanketed, I took myself a nice cool shower for the refreshment value -- and settled down in my chair to wind down. I seriously thought about going out on the bike again today -- it was so much fun.
08/16/2010
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| The Route |
I hadn't taken the Blue Beast (a Kawasaki ZZR-1200, God's gift to horizontal rocketry) on any highways like these before -- it really wasn't a good road machine for me until I had the bar risers installed. But since I did, I wanted to get out on it and see how comfortable it is now. They still are not high enough, but I think I can live with it. Any more modification would require a lot more work and customization, so I will try to live with things as they are. I did OK yesterday so I think it will be bastante bien.
We zoomed up the Beeline! Well, I zoomed and Linda "motored stately." The road as it winds through the Mazatzals (past Sunflower, Mt Ord and the Tonto Basin) rises and falls dramatically and the curves are wide and multi-lane. Some of them are tighter than they look at first, but it is a good high speed road for letting the ponies loose -- as long as you don't get carried away. Quite a few four-wheelers got in the way and interfered with my ability to ride it as fast as I really wanted to, but it wasn't too bad -- the traffic was fairly light.
Bob's Rant #547: What is it about Americans that never get the idea that normal driving is to be done in the RIGHT-HAND LANE? We drive like a bunch of amateurs in this country -- and the USA has always had a love affair with cars and driving. I don't get it. We all ought to be driving like pros out there. My father used to say that on the Earth, there were only two commodities that were universal -- hydrogen... and stupidity. Yup. You want to see an exhibition of that concept -- just get out there and watch how people drive! If you are not passing someone, get the hell out of the left-hand-lane! Savvy? Anyway, I'd zoom ahead for a few moments, negotiating my way through the idiots, then back off and let Linda catch up, as she kept her speed constantly at a more reasonable limit. (By the way... yes, I do realize that not all of those that drive or ride slower then me are idiots! It is not illegal to drive the speed limit.)
We made pretty good time to Payson, despite my stopping occasionally to take sign photos. Linda called her sister and brother-in-law, and we met them for lunch at the Mazatzal Casino south of town. After talking with them for quite awhile, we said our goodbyes and our next leg was north to the Tonto Natural Bridge. We got there about 2:30 or 3:00 (or so). When I was there a couple years back with Mom, there were javelinas milling about, nipping off the grass and luxuriating in the sun like a bunch of sluggish goats. Yesterday, unfortunately, they were not about. So I will toss in a photo of the ones we encountered a few years ago for your edification.
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| Happy Little Piggies |
Linda and I hiked down under the arch -- and then followed the Pine Creek Trail back along the canyon floor and up to the parking lots from the east side. The hike down to the arch or "bridge" is fairly easy the way we went -- and while we didn't hike all the way to the falls -- we hiked far enough under the arch that we had a great view of almost everything and nice shade to sit in and relax.
I believe this arch is the largest known travertine arch ever discovered. It cannot be completely appreciated from above -- despite some great viewpoints. So, I suggest taking the effort and time to hike down below and look up at it! It is not long -- but it is a bit on the steep and difficult side if you are not in too good a shape -- as I am not.
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| Tonto Natural Bridge |
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| Linda relaxes under the Bridge! |
The problem was (except for those little yellow arrows) I wasn't really sure we were even ON a trail -- and once you are headed that way, there is no confirmation or information of ANY kind of where, exactly it is going... those little arrows might have been pointing us straight to hell as far as I knew. So we scrambled, and rock-climbed, and huffed and puffed (yes, more huffing and puffing) and just about at the point where I was really starting to doubt the plan -- Linda spotted a ribbon marker that showed where the ascent of the hillside began and we made our way up and out... with more huffing and puffing.
By then it was closing time. So we got ourselves together and loaded up the bikes, and headed up and out of the park. From there, we rode north to SR260, the Crook Trail, and rode west to Camp Verde. We got rained on for a few moments out of a sunny summer sky -- an Arizona summertime treat! We stopped and took a break along the top of the Rim east of Camp Verde, decided our next stop would be Sunset Point, and then headed down the road to I-17 at Camp Verde. By now my southern anatomy was starting to feel the effects of a day in the saddle as well as the physical exertions of the hiking and rock-climbing, and I squirmed around on the saddle and thought about stopping and stretching. We made it down to Sunset Point though -- at just about sunset -- and relaxed there for 30 minutes or so. Sitting on those hard concrete picnic table benches actually felt good!
Next stop was just a few miles down the road at Black Canyon City for supper -- my thought was great Amish food at Byler's -- but alas and alack, they were closed. So we went on to Rock Springs and had a great burger there (their food is getting a little better than it was a few years ago). There was no room for dessert and I think their pies are way over-rated anyway (so it was easy for me to decline) -- and we moseyed down I-17 in the Sunday evening heavy traffic toward Phoenix.
I led our little procession most of the day and somewhere around New River, I lost my companion! I checked the mirrors -- and no Linda. So I slowed down a bit, and eventually, a motorcycle came up on my stern and maintained there -- so I thought all was well -- but it later took the off-ramp at SR74 and now I freaked out! So I pulled off, and after what seemed like a LONG time, Linda finally caught up -- she had run out of gasoline and it took her a few moments to switch over to "reserve" and get rolling again. We stopped at Happy Valley Road for her to fill -- and that's about where we parted company -- the remainder of my ride home was fairly quick around the loop and she went the other way toward Glendale.
Once the bike was curried and blanketed, I took myself a nice cool shower for the refreshment value -- and settled down in my chair to wind down. I seriously thought about going out on the bike again today -- it was so much fun.
08/16/2010
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