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- Joined
- Nov 7, 2004
- Messages
- 17,454
- Reaction score
- 5,597
- Location
- Sun Lakes & Show Low, Arizona
- First Name
- Brian
... in 18 months.
I reviewed my SpotWalla account and realized that my last ride was a Tour Of Honor ride in May of 2022, so it's only fitting that the first ride since I got back on the bike was also a TOH ride.
Things I forgot to do... leave a chip at the Phoenix memorial, take a selfie at Why - although I did take a photo of the bike with the sign, reset the odometer, and reset the GPS odometer. Total miles today were right at 300, lowest temp was 61, highest temp was 91, cheapest gas was in Casa Grande at $3.83. Left the house at 0600 and rolled back in at 1200.
Relive ride review failed to capture my route from Ajo back home; it completely missed Casa Grande and shows me riding the Wing straight across the mountains. I don't know if it was something I screwed up or a failure on their part. I've never had a ride go rogue like that so I'm guessing that it was my mistake.
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/veqzokGJNBv
SpotWalla track:
While reviewing my Relive video I noticed this strange area so I opened up Maps and zoomed in. I assume it's a directional marker. Each "leg" of the triangle is 1 mile long. This is on the Barry Goldwater Range, but since it's Sunday the Warthogs weren't flying today. I have been on 85 in the past when they were doing their strafing runs and on their return leg to the east they use 85 as their turnaround point and they basically stand it on a wing just as they pass over the road at about 500 feet.
My first stop was the Wesley Bolin Plaza where all the veterans memorials are, and there are quite a few, but today's visit was just to the Vietnam War Memorial.
Next stop was Ajo, but first a quick side trip to Why because... why not?
While in Why I stopped at a gas station just so I could turn around because the road was a narrow two-laner with traffic in both directions as it's the main drag to Rocky Point, Mexico. As I pulled off the road into the dirt lot I disturbed a dog sleeping in the dirt and he stood up. Nope, not a dog. He laid back down once I was parked but stayed alert and didn't venture more than about five feet from where I first saw him. My guess is that tourists see him and throw food his way and he's become very accustomed to "people".
Then it was back north to Ajo which is a sleepy little mining town that's about 175 years old. The Veterans Memorial has been moved to the town's cemetery and it was a bit of a bumpy ride through the graveyard to get to it.
Here I noticed that there were other TOH chips on the monument and I realized that I had forgotten to leave one at the Phoenix location, but I dropped one here with the others. I'll have to look up the other numbers and see who the riders are.
Last but not least was Casa Grande. There is some story about this being an artist's conception that was supposed to go into a bank, but the bank never opened and the artist donated the work to the city so they put it in this park as a Veteran's Memorial. It's weird looking in my opinion, but as long as it serves to honor those who served, it's worthwhile to keep.
Anyhow, I'm glad to be riding again. If I have some time in the next 8 days I'll try to get two more in Southeastern Arizona but I'm not going after the northern ones.
I reviewed my SpotWalla account and realized that my last ride was a Tour Of Honor ride in May of 2022, so it's only fitting that the first ride since I got back on the bike was also a TOH ride.
Things I forgot to do... leave a chip at the Phoenix memorial, take a selfie at Why - although I did take a photo of the bike with the sign, reset the odometer, and reset the GPS odometer. Total miles today were right at 300, lowest temp was 61, highest temp was 91, cheapest gas was in Casa Grande at $3.83. Left the house at 0600 and rolled back in at 1200.
Relive ride review failed to capture my route from Ajo back home; it completely missed Casa Grande and shows me riding the Wing straight across the mountains. I don't know if it was something I screwed up or a failure on their part. I've never had a ride go rogue like that so I'm guessing that it was my mistake.
Relive: https://www.relive.cc/view/veqzokGJNBv
SpotWalla track:
While reviewing my Relive video I noticed this strange area so I opened up Maps and zoomed in. I assume it's a directional marker. Each "leg" of the triangle is 1 mile long. This is on the Barry Goldwater Range, but since it's Sunday the Warthogs weren't flying today. I have been on 85 in the past when they were doing their strafing runs and on their return leg to the east they use 85 as their turnaround point and they basically stand it on a wing just as they pass over the road at about 500 feet.
My first stop was the Wesley Bolin Plaza where all the veterans memorials are, and there are quite a few, but today's visit was just to the Vietnam War Memorial.
Next stop was Ajo, but first a quick side trip to Why because... why not?
While in Why I stopped at a gas station just so I could turn around because the road was a narrow two-laner with traffic in both directions as it's the main drag to Rocky Point, Mexico. As I pulled off the road into the dirt lot I disturbed a dog sleeping in the dirt and he stood up. Nope, not a dog. He laid back down once I was parked but stayed alert and didn't venture more than about five feet from where I first saw him. My guess is that tourists see him and throw food his way and he's become very accustomed to "people".
Then it was back north to Ajo which is a sleepy little mining town that's about 175 years old. The Veterans Memorial has been moved to the town's cemetery and it was a bit of a bumpy ride through the graveyard to get to it.
Here I noticed that there were other TOH chips on the monument and I realized that I had forgotten to leave one at the Phoenix location, but I dropped one here with the others. I'll have to look up the other numbers and see who the riders are.
Last but not least was Casa Grande. There is some story about this being an artist's conception that was supposed to go into a bank, but the bank never opened and the artist donated the work to the city so they put it in this park as a Veteran's Memorial. It's weird looking in my opinion, but as long as it serves to honor those who served, it's worthwhile to keep.
Anyhow, I'm glad to be riding again. If I have some time in the next 8 days I'll try to get two more in Southeastern Arizona but I'm not going after the northern ones.