Fly-n-Ride, Tour de ‘Merica!

[Dahveed]

During the week of Thanksgiving I met and shared a hotel room with a fellow TWTer, Dane @dcwilcox who told me of his journey. He is doing a fly-n-ride. He lives in Florida, but his bike was stored in El Paso then. Every 4-6 months he would fly out and ride, often to a new location, and then fly home again. This got me thinking. My schedule makes doing a long ride a challenge for me. But a fly-n-ride would work. Dane gave me lots of advice, some of which I even took!

I’m writing this in Buckeye, AZ. I’m a little behind on the posting. I’ll try to do better. Each day will be a separate entry in this thread.

 

[Dahveed]

Week 1, Day 1 - Jan 24, 2020 - Fort Worth, TX to Alpine, TX

I went the quick way here. I’ve been to the BB area and west Texas often, so I didn’t want to spend much time here. Made it to Alpine before dark.

 

[randypower]

Right on, Dave. So far it sounds more like a Ride and Ride. [emoji106]

 

[Dahveed]

Week 1, Day 2 - 1/25/20 - Alpine, TX to Tombstone, AZ

The whole reason I went to Alpine was to ride 118 past the McDonald Observatory. That’s a great road! Saw 1 car, 1 dead javelina, and 1 live javelina on the road. The temp hit 34.5º on my bike’s gauge. Ah, winter.

I didn’t stop to take any photos this morning and rode quickly to El Paso to the large Harley Dealer in town. It was large to say the least. Thousands of square feet of over-priced tee shirts. They actually had some cool bikes in the used department.

I’ll post photos from Tapatalk.

After a delicious and healthy lunch I left El Paso and headed for NM 9. Google maps, however, didn’t want to go that way. It insisted I get on I-10. This “discussion” required 3 stops before I managed to head out of town on the road I wanted. [emoji2955]

Who knew the Border Patrol drove Raptors?! This agent was very nice to let me take a photo. They don’t want their pictures taken at all and When I asked if he wanted me to obscure the plate he said yes.

Desert Art

A monument to the location of where Geronimo was arrested.

I rode into Tombstone and found a hotel at dusk. More photos tomorrow.

 

[Jarrett]

What's going on here?

Looks like a droopy shifter.

 

[Jeff S]

subscribed (this incremental ride plan is brilliant)

 

[my6]

 

[Texas T]

I’m writing this in Buckeye, AZ.

Texas rider comes to Arizona and writes a thread read by an Arizona rider that just got back from Texas.

I'm about an hour SE of you.

Need any suggestions on where to go in the state?

 

[Texas T]

By the way, if that BP agent is so concerned about identifying his truck you might want to obscure that vehicle number. I didn't know they had Raptors either. This was the first one I've seen.

 

[Jarrett]

Is the plan just to leave the GS out there somewhere?

 

[StromXTc]

He left it at the tombstone Hotel parking lot. It'll be okay till next year. Very little rust out west you know.

I've often thought about how neat it would be if you could put a motorcycle on the Amtrak and ride out to California. Then either ride return or return on the train. Unfortunately it don't work that way. I did see where they have a automobile train from Virginia to Florida but that's it for North America

 

[Dahveed]

Texas rider comes to Arizona and writes a thread read by an Arizona rider that just got back from Texas.

I'm about an hour SE of you.

Need any suggestions on where to go in the state?

I saw your post this afternoon as I got to my hotel in Vegas. At this stage you can just point out all the great things I missed. I didn’t cover the whole state. Due to weather I stayed mainly south.

 

[Dahveed]

Week 1, day 3 - 1/26/2020 - Tombstone to Buckeye, AZ

When the sun came up I went exploring the old street in Tombstone. Well, first breakfast at the OK Cafe. I had the sausage plate and it was good!

The main historic street there is closed to auto traffic and has been covered in gravel to replicate the look it had back in the 1880’s. It kind of smelled a little like you would have thought an old western town would have. The place is pretty touristy, so I packed up and hit the road.

She must have been really in love with that boy to stab him and the girl.

The woman at the hotel asked where I was heading. I told her I was heading SW to Sierra Vista and then west. She mentioned that I should take 82 and then 90 instead of the E. Charleston Rd (what Google maps has it listed as) because its so curvy and dangerous. I told her that was the whole point of going there! Although what little I saw of the town made me think its a cool little town. The woman mentioned that the town has a military base. It’s not really marked on my map and sure enough, google maps tries to take me right through the base. Twice. The security people at the base were nice and said I could go on the base once they did a background check. But I turned around and headed up 90 to 82 and then west.

82 continues west and then goes SW into the town of Nogales. I actually turned on River road before Nogales and hit I-19 north of town. Heading north I noticed that the street signs were in metric. Not all of them, just the ones telling you how far the exits are. The speed limits were in miles per hour still. Very odd.

From I-19, I exited in Amado and took the Arivaca road. It was amazing. Twisty and it follow the terrain really closely. It’s hard to describe. The pavement was new, clean and dry and everyone was making good time on it. An absolute blast to ride.

In Arivaca, the road makes a right and changes names to Pusch St. This is a twisty bit of pavement too, but the surface quality was poor with some loose material here and there. A lot less traffic, but the surface kept my speeds slower. I turned north on 286. Of the 2 dozen vehicles I saw heading south on 286, I’m guessing 1/2 of them were Border Patrol. This day I went through about 6 check points and saw many more vehicles on and off the road. I used to think Texas has a big Border Patrol presence, but between Saturday and Sunday, I think Arizona has the most.

I headed west on 86 with the intent of visiting the Organ Pipe Cactus Nat’l Monument, but I was running late and I had been seeing the cactus everywhere.

Mandatory cactus photo.

I rolled into Buckeye at 6:00.

Once again I’ll add the photos using Tapatalk because I can get that to add the photos easier than I can add them with my phone or tablet.

 

[Dahveed]

Is the plan just to leave the GS out there somewhere?

Yes, I’m going to rent a storage unit in San Diego and fly home. I’ll leave the helmet there too. There are specific motorcycle storage places in some cities. I know there is one in Las Vegas.

I’ll come back and get the bike and head north this spring and find another storage unit In another city.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Texas T]

I saw your post this afternoon as I got to my hotel in Vegas. At this stage you can just point out all the great things I missed. I didn’t cover the whole state. Due to weather I stayed mainly south.

I don't know what experience you have had riding in this part of the country, but if you haven't toured the western half very much I can suggest various places I've been to. Just let me know your intentions and if I've been there I'll throw some stuff your way. And if you intend to come back through AZ at some point just tell me where in the state you want to go to and I'll give you some riding suggestions.

I'm not too familiar with the Vegas area and I don't know where else you might be going. There's Red Rock Canyon which is a nice one way twisty road, but lots of tourists. Take 159 west from town and it will turn SW until you come to the entrance. When you come back out you can return to town or continue S and SE on 159 to bring you to 160 which will bring you back into town on the southern end. There's Mt Charleston which is to the WNW of town but it might still have a lot of snow up there.

If you're into cars, Shelby has their museum outside of town.

If you're heading to Utah, take 15 NE to Hwy 9 to Zion. When you get to Virgin you can take the Kolob Terrace Rd to the north. I've only ridden part of it, but I think @Tourmeister has done the whole road. And if you are going to Utah there's a lot of us that can offer suggestions if you don't already have plans.

 

[Texas T]

The place is pretty touristy, so I packed up and hit the road.

The woman mentioned that the town has a military base. It’s not really marked on my map and sure enough, google maps tries to take me right through the base. Twice. The security people at the base were nice and said I could go on the base once they did a background check. But I turned around and headed up 90 to 82 and then west.

82 continues west and then goes SW into the town of Nogales. I actually turned on River road before Nogales and hit I-19 north of town. Heading north I noticed that the street signs were in metric. Not all of them, just the ones telling you how far the exits are. The speed limits were in miles per hour still. Very odd.

From I-19, I exited in Amado and took the Arivaca road. It was amazing. Twisty and it follow the terrain really closely. It’s hard to describe. The pavement was new, clean and dry and everyone was making good time on it. An absolute blast to ride.

In Arivaca, the road makes a right and changes names to Pusch St. This is a twisty bit of pavement too, but the surface quality was poor with some loose material here and there. A lot less traffic, but the surface kept my speeds slower. I turned north on 286. Of the 2 dozen vehicles I saw heading south on 286, I’m guessing 1/2 of them were Border Patrol. This day I went through about 6 check points and saw many more vehicles on and off the road. I used to think Texas has a big Border Patrol presence, but between Saturday and Sunday, I think Arizona has the most.

Tombstone is the town too tough to die because the tourists won't let it die. It's one of the more popular places in AZ for the winter visitors to go to.

The base is Ft Huachuca (Fort Hoochie Coochie to us natives) and is a major CIA / NSA installation. The background check is a new one on me, but that has to happen at the Pima Air Museum too these days and that started within the past five years. Otherwise, as long as I had ID and wore a safety vest they would let me on. The base has two good museums; Buffalo Soldiers and Army Intelligence.

82 is a nice ride.

I-19 has had metric signing since the early 80s. I don't know if there are any other Interstates in the country that have metric signs. Yes, the Arivaca road is great. I'll have to get down there to ride the new pavement.

That is a major drug / human smuggling corridor which is why you saw so many BP vehicles. From Arivaca you're only about 10-12 miles to the border. There are many places in Arizona where you'll see the warning signs about smuggling and cautioning people to be vigilant.

 

[StromXTc]

Week 1, day 3 - 1/26/2020 - Tombstone to Buckeye, AZ

When the sun came up I went exploring the old street in Tombstone. Well, first breakfast at the OK Cafe. I had the sausage plate and it was good!

The main historic street there is closed to auto traffic and has been covered in gravel to replicate the look it had back in the 1880’s. It kind of smelled a little like you would have thought an old western town would have. The place is pretty touristy, so I packed up and hit the road.

She must have been really in love with that boy to stab him and the girl.

The woman at the hotel asked where I was heading. I told her I was heading SW to Sierra Vista and then west. She mentioned that I should take 82 and then 90 instead of the E. Charleston Rd (what Google maps has it listed as) because its so curvy and dangerous. I told her that was the whole point of going there! Although what little I saw of the town made me think its a cool little town. The woman mentioned that the town has a military base. It’s not really marked on my map and sure enough, google maps tries to take me right through the base. Twice. The security people at the base were nice and said I could go on the base once they did a background check. But I turned around and headed up 90 to 82 and then west.

82 continues west and then goes SW into the town of Nogales. I actually turned on River road before Nogales and hit I-19 north of town. Heading north I noticed that the street signs were in metric. Not all of them, just the ones telling you how far the exits are. The speed limits were in miles per hour still. Very odd.

From I-19, I exited in Amado and took the Arivaca road. It was amazing. Twisty and it follow the terrain really closely. It’s hard to describe. The pavement was new, clean and dry and everyone was making good time on it. An absolute blast to ride.

In Arivaca, the road makes a right and changes names to Pusch St. This is a twisty bit of pavement too, but the surface quality was poor with some loose material here and there. A lot less traffic, but the surface kept my speeds slower. I turned north on 286. Of the 2 dozen vehicles I saw heading south on 286, I’m guessing 1/2 of them were Border Patrol. This day I went through about 6 check points and saw many more vehicles on and off the road. I used to think Texas has a big Border Patrol presence, but between Saturday and Sunday, I think Arizona has the most.

I headed west on 86 with the intent of visiting the Organ Pipe Cactus Nat’l Monument, but I was running late and I had been seeing the cactus everywhere.

Mandatory cactus photo.

I rolled into Buckeye at 6:00.

Once again I’ll add the photos using Tapatalk because I can get that to add the photos easier than I can add them with my phone or tablet.

And you didn't even visit the Shady Lady of Tombstone

Rose Tree Museum · Rose Tree Museum

The story of the Rose Tree Museum and the World’s Largest Rose Tree is the story of the Robertson - Macia family in Tombstone, Arizona.

tombstonerosetree.com

 

[Jarrett]

Yes, I’m going to rent a storage unit in San Diego and fly home. I’ll leave the helmet there too. There are specific motorcycle storage places in some cities. I know there is one in Las Vegas.

I’ll come back and get the bike and head north this spring and find another storage unit In another city.

What about riding locally in the meantime?

 

[Dahveed]

What about riding locally in the meantime?

I thought I would “borrow” one of yours. You have so many, you might not notice.

I’m in the market for something for at home now. A day/weekender bike since my big trips will be this fly-n-ride.

 

[Jarrett]

I thought I would “borrow” one of yours. You have so many, you might not notice.

I’m in the market for something for at home now. A day/weekender bike since my big trips will be this fly-n-ride.

I see what this is. A way to have more bikes with less garage space

 

[Dahveed]

And you didn't even visit the Shady Lady of Tombstone

Rose Tree Museum · Rose Tree Museum

The story of the Rose Tree Museum and the World’s Largest Rose Tree is the story of the Robertson - Macia family in Tombstone, Arizona.

tombstonerosetree.com

no, I missed it. The thing that sounded good was the Good Enough mine tour. But I left before that opened. And I missed the gunfight as well.

What I’m learning is I’m riding too much and missing to many sights. Trying to slow down some today.

 

[Dahveed]

I don't know what experience you have had riding in this part of the country, but if you haven't toured the western half very much I can suggest various places I've been to. Just let me know your intentions and if I've been there I'll throw some stuff your way. And if you intend to come back through AZ at some point just tell me where in the state you want to go to and I'll give you some riding suggestions.

I'm not too familiar with the Vegas area and I don't know where else you might be going. There's Red Rock Canyon which is a nice one way twisty road, but lots of tourists. Take 159 west from town and it will turn SW until you come to the entrance. When you come back out you can return to town or continue S and SE on 159 to bring you to 160 which will bring you back into town on the southern end. There's Mt Charleston which is to the WNW of town but it might still have a lot of snow up there.

If you're into cars, Shelby has their museum outside of town.

If you're heading to Utah, take 15 NE to Hwy 9 to Zion. When you get to Virgin you can take the Kolob Terrace Rd to the north. I've only ridden part of it, but I think @Tourmeister has done the whole road. And if you are going to Utah there's a lot of us that can offer suggestions if you don't already have plans.

The plan from here is to go to Death Valley. I really wanted to visit there when it was really hot, but I’ll just have to imagine how uncomfortable it would have been if it was another 40º-50º hotter.

I’ll maybe get yesterday’s ride posted later today. I rode into Prescott, AZ. A great day of riding. The state is wonderful! Gas is expensive though...

 

[Dahveed]

Tombstone is the town too tough to die because the tourists won't let it die. It's one of the more popular places in AZ for the winter visitors to go to.

The base is Ft Huachuca (Fort Hoochie Coochie to us natives) and is a major CIA / NSA installation. The background check is a new one on me, but that has to happen at the Pima Air Museum too these days and that started within the past five years. Otherwise, as long as I had ID and wore a safety vest they would let me on. The base has two good museums; Buffalo Soldiers and Army Intelligence.

82 is a nice ride.

I-19 has had metric signing since the early 80s. I don't know if there are any other Interstates in the country that have metric signs. Yes, the Arivaca road is great. I'll have to get down there to ride the new pavement.

That is a major drug / human smuggling corridor which is why you saw so many BP vehicles. From Arivaca you're only about 10-12 miles to the border. There are many places in Arizona where you'll see the warning signs about smuggling and cautioning people to be vigilant.

That’s the Fort. I wish I had taken the time to visit the museums. I’m discovering that I’m riding too much and missing too many places.

Well, I’m not sure how anything could be smuggled in that area now. At the hotel in Buckeye, I met a group of Army Scouts that are helping the BP out. They have been here for 2 months and didn’t say how much longer they would be here.

Here is a panorama of the border fence being built in New Mexico. This was down the road from where the Raptor was parked.

 

[Texas T]

I rode into Prescott, AZ. A great day of riding. The state is wonderful! Gas is expensive though...

Did you ride in to Prescott on the 89 from the Wickenburg area? Up the Yarnell Hill, and through the White Spars? If so, you chose wisely. You would have passed the Ranch House Restaurant at the top of Yarnell which is an excellent place to stop and eat.

Yes, gas runs about $1 more per gallon here than elsewhere.

Well, I’m not sure how anything could be smuggled in that area now.

Big Sky philosophy... there are just so few agents (and now scouts - that's interesting) and there is a LOT of desert to watch. That entire area is Tohono O'odham Nation land (over 4,000 sq miles) and they have family on both sides of the border, so they are not real receptive to a border wall, and many of the Natives do work with the cartels to bring drugs across. Unfortunately, drug and alcohol addiction, and rampant unemployment is the common denominator for the cartels when it comes time to recruit people. The cartels are very well equipped with scouts of their own that will sit up in the mountains and have radio communications with those moving across the desert.

 

[Dahveed]

Week 1, day 4 - Jan 27, 2020 - Buckeye, AZ to Las Vegas, NV

After a restful night at the hotel at Buckeye, I was up and ready to roll. But there was a problem with my waffle!

Waffles at hotels are supposed to be in the shape of the state the hotel is in. In Texas, they’re Texas shaped. Not in AZ apparently. To be fair, I’m not sure exactly what the shape of AZ is. [emoji848] But its not round.

The temperature was a brisk 44º, but I was heading north and knew it would be potentially cooler.

Heading west on I-10 and then north on 355th/Aguila Rd and then a right on Vulture Mine road towards Wickenburg.

A good sign of the immediate road.

This road is absolutely great. The surface was great and it is very lightly traveled.

From Wickenburg, I headed up 89 to Prescott. Another amazing road. At the start its sort of straight, but once you hit the mountains, the pavement was amazing and its a 4 lane divided highway. At Yarnell the road goes back to 2 lanes and the pavement isn’t as new. The closer you get to Prescott the worse the pavement gets. But its still a great road. The lack of photos here shows how great the road was. No stopping for photos when you have twisty road in front of you and no cars. [emoji2]

Prescott is a neat town, but I only stopped for gas and restroom and then back on the road. From Prescott, I took 10 (aka W. Iron Springs Rd on Google maps) and then 96 back to 93 and then up to 40. This is another great twisty road and I experienced little traffic on it.

In spite of making good time (good average speed and no stops) I’m still running behind schedule and its also not warm.

I book a room in Vegas when I hit I-40 and start heading that way. Of course I get off at Hoover Dam. The last time I was here the road went across the dam. Now they have a fancy new bridge. You can still drive on the dam, but I parked and walked out on it. The nice thing is they have motorcycle parking. The bad news is it costs the same as the car parking.

The dam and new bridge.

Art!

A close up of the art! The toes of the statue are shiny because there is a recording telling you about the statues and it mentions that rubbing the toes are good luck.

My motorcycle in the motorcycle specific parking.

Now on to Vegas. I ate at White Castle. This was my first time at White Castle. I had friends in college that use to talk about how wonderful White Castle was after a night of drinking. Well I hadn’t been drinking, so maybe it would have been better had I over-consumed. [emoji2371]

Tomorrow, Death Valley!


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