azkaisr Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 My Safari Ride Into the Old West. Having unfinished business is one of those things that drives me crazy. Last weekend I rode through Young Arizona and didn’t really stop outside of getting gas and chatting with one person. This town in the middle of Arizona is the town if I ask 100 people in Phoenix 98 will not have heard of it and 1 out of the remaining two can’t tell me where it is. Yet it is a gem of a place to go ride to. So my readers lets moto out and check out this town together. It was about 100 miles to the turnoff to Young. The weather was warm already at 6:00am The GS temp read 89 degrees F (32 degrees C) and the sun was barely over the horizon. Not lying when I say I really love riding in warm weather as long as the humidity is low. There is no doubt I am a total desert rat. Traffic was light leaving Phoenix and after topping off for gas and water in Globe I made my way to Highway 288 and the ride up to Pleasant Valley. You turn onto the Young road and it is desert. In the next 47 miles I will have climbed up to almost 7000 ft, gone through 4 different life zones and ridden on a road that many of the most famous names of the old west have ridden. The best part, I will pass no cars going the same direction as me and will only see 4 cars going the other way. First stop is to see the Salt River just before it empties into Lake Roosevelt. My mood was lifted because about 4 miles earlier there was a big hawk sitting on top of a Saguaro which would have made a killer picture. Of course he wasn’t under contract so the minute I pulled the camera out he flew off. Don’t stop reading all sorts of animals later on in the story. No silly sign is going to keep me from getting you all the pictures you expect from me. Soon the road turns away from being a normal two lane road into one that is still covered with pavement but not maintained. In a car you can still make great time, but there is a lot of gravel. The landscape has now transitioned from the desert life zone into Chaparral where you see juniper trees. Oh and pay attention because I may through in a pop quiz later… Around a few more bends and you get into the Riparian portion of the ride. The weather is getting cooler and the views are getting a little more dramatic. I have John Coltrane blaring on my IPOD and life can’t get much better. The first Pine tree comes into view with lots more to come. Soon the pavement ends and I am on a dirt road and embraced by the smells of pine trees. Will probably go camping up here sometime in late summer. Its about 78 degrees here (You have to subtract about 5 degrees for the oil cooler giving off some heat) I have driven about 35 miles now and even though there are a few spots that are tricky the road is still a hoot to ride on. Off in the distance you can see the Mogollon Rim. This is the southern most point of the Colorado Plateau. I am now out looking for soft spots to practice riding on and managing to average about 35 miles an hour on these roads. For some reason the only area where I am still not real comfortable is taking left handed Switchback turns on dirt. The bike tends to kick out a little and I need to get used to that. Looks like time for another lesson from Killer. Down in the valley is the town of Young and home to the Pleasant Valley wars. Now everyone has heard of the famous gun fight at the OK Corral, and some of you may even be familiar with the Lincoln County wars that had Billy the Kid in New Mexico. But for sheer violence the Pleasant Valley War was the bloodiest The Pleasant Valley Wars Wiki As you ride into town, the road turns back into pavement and you come upon a few ranches. This is not a big town (maybe 1000 people) but the history and feel are total Old West. The best part is unlike Tombstone or Jerome, there are not a million souvenir shops, or really any tourist for that matter. I love windmills out in the middle of nowhere. Now I didn’t see any crocs….but wasn’t going to test the theory. I did see a couple of wild turkeys on the road and a few ducks on the pond. No report can go without a token picture of flowers to again prove I am ok with my manliness and pretty flora. Next up I came upon this guy but couldn’t coax him to get any closer. You aren’t going to find any IHOPS in Young, but the Café was really good and the locals were all lively for the most part. The Special. I just had a couple of eggs, hash browns and toast. The bar had this rustic back woods décor that was perfect. Oh and the Juke box had had Lynard Skynard so you know that Freebird gets played in this town. I know he was stuffed but sheesh this thing scared me. As I was leaving I ran into two guys from Mesa who were on a shake down ride for a trip to Ouray next weekend. That was a bid odd since we are heading up there ourselves. Randy (I hope that I didn’t get his name wrong) and Rob were cool and I hope we run into them up there. I invited them both to post here so look out for them. From there it was off to get some more pictures. This is a cool old Barn It was here that I discovered that I had lost my tool bag that I had strapped to the back of the bike. It was mostly cheap stuff but decided that it was not much use to go look for it since most of the tools in it were from Harbor Freight. Did I mention this was like going back in time? More cool old buildings Not all of the people here are living in the 1860’s…someplace to go check out next ride. Our hero having some fun putting around. 288 ends just North of Young and you are now on Highway 512 which is about 25 miles South of highway 260 which will take you back to Payson and then Phoenix. There are a lot of really pretty areas on the ride up to the rim and the road is a blast to ride. As the road came to an end I was almost tempted to turn right and head towards New Mexico Colorado early. But real life won’t let me do that so I headed back to Phoenix. It was not a bad ride back into the valley and I have a system now where I can keep my arms and chest cool by keeping them moist (think of it as a evap cooler) but once you get into the concrete jungle of Phoenix it gets hot fast. At least I was in the shade This was a great help and I appreciate a lady friend allowing me to use her pool. Next report will be from Colorado with the cast of Hoonigans. I can’t wait. Kaisr Link to comment
Whip Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Thanks Tom See ya in a few days.... Which bike is goin to Ouray????? Whip Link to comment
Francois_Dumas Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Great pics Tom, thanks for sharing ! Link to comment
Bob Palin Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Looks like time for another lesson from Killer. I don't know about that man, the Uintas have been kicking my butt, some of those ATV trails are just wicked... See ya Thursday - do we have net access? Link to comment
lwpaxton Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 great photos what camera are you using?? Link to comment
azkaisr Posted June 18, 2007 Author Share Posted June 18, 2007 Pentax K10D Great camera Link to comment
gottago Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Wow Gar and I went to a Heber Rally in that general area a few years ago and didn't find anywhere as pretty. Great pictures and tale. Link to comment
KrazyHorse Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Awesome pics! Love that mule! Link to comment
HappyMan Posted June 18, 2007 Share Posted June 18, 2007 Awesome! Thanks for sharing. My wife just yelled at me and told me I'd have to stop reading. She said I was "Coveting". ....she was right. Link to comment
BeniciaRT_GT Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Don’t stop reading all sorts of animals later on in the story. Well done Tom!!! I can't believe you even managed to get a picture of the elusive and frightening "Arizona Yeti!!!" Link to comment
Couchrocket Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Tom, That Pentax is doing a great job for you! Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing your adventure! And, be certain to have dinner at "The Outlaw" while in Ouray.... I'm so jealous. Link to comment
PhillyFlash Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Don’t stop reading all sorts of animals later on in the story. Well done Tom!!! I can't believe you even managed to get a picture of the elusive and frightening "Arizona Yeti!!!" Yes, Richard, it is frightening. That photo, believe it or not, is from a distance. You should see it close up. I've encountered it several times in the last couple of months. I think it's stalking me. And I know for a fact that it has a ravenous appetite. DAMHIK Link to comment
BeniciaRT_GT Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Yes, Richard, it is frightening. That photo, believe it or not, is from a distance. You should see it close up. I've encountered it several times in the last couple of months. I think it's stalking me. And I know for a fact that it has a ravenous appetite. DAMHIK Howard, I don't doubt one has been stalking you. They are like that. However, at least you can take comfort in the fact that it isn't a dreaded "Yellow Panniered" version. That would be really bad. Link to comment
PhillyFlash Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Yes, Richard, it is frightening. That photo, believe it or not, is from a distance. You should see it close up. I've encountered it several times in the last couple of months. I think it's stalking me. And I know for a fact that it has a ravenous appetite. DAMHIK Howard, I don't doubt one has been stalking you. They are like that. However, at least you can take comfort in the fact that it isn't a dreaded "Yellow Panniered" version. That would be really bad. Oh, shit, that's the one that was stalking me. Big, glow in the dark yellow bulges on its hips. Scared the crap out of me. I wouldn't want to see that again any time soon. Link to comment
azkaisr Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 I now know how the Geico Caveman feels. Philistnes. Kaisr Link to comment
KMG_365 Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Philistnes. Didn't he hang out with Hippocrates, Socrates, Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles? That sounds like pretty good company to me! Link to comment
azkaisr Posted June 19, 2007 Author Share Posted June 19, 2007 Philistnes. Didn't he hang out with Hippocrates, Socrates, Aristophanes, Euripides and Sophocles? That sounds like pretty good company to me! Et Tu Jamie??? Link to comment
bakerzdosen Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Well I for one won't jump on the bandwagon (for once). Nice ride tale Tom. And I'll leave it at that. ouch.... tongue.... bleeding.... Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.