| Author | Message | ||
     Eulysses |
My bride and mineself are off to AZ for a 2 month cycleabout. We will tow the Uly with the camper and use the Uly as the scoutmobile. Toad? We are exploring the state to see if we want to find a winter nest down there somewhere. Anybody got a favorite riding area? | ||
| Coolice |
Yuma area is nice this time of the year. Been there, family there, and sand dunes to play on  Foothills area would great road riding along the Colorado river too. | ||
| Ourdee |
Hoover Dam | ||
| Itileman |
Hope it's better than it was last year when I was there. Snow in Nogales, 16* in Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon was closed because of a snow storm. If you want some culture,  Mrs. Itileman is an artist and some of her paintings are in the Mannheim Gallery in Cottonwood. | ||
| Bttrthnwrk |
Sounds like you're about ready to go. Around this time of year, southern AZ from Phoenix south is probably best. Maybe even as far north as Sedonq and Oak Creek. Northern AZ, like Flagstaff, has had a bunch of snow. So has the high country, like the Apache National Forest (AZ highway 191 - the Coronado Trail), and north. Here around Tucson, it's been 60-70 during the days (about 10 degrees above normal for us), and around 40 as the overnight low (also a little high for us). In this neck of the woods (well, desert), highway 83 from Vail to Sonoita is pretty good, and highway 82 from Sonoita to Nogales is nice, too. Arivaca Road from I-19 to highway 286 is a great ride. Kinney Road from Ajo Road north to Cload Road runs through Tucson Mountain Park and then through the Saguaro National Monument, too. A visit to the Southern Arizona Desert Museum on Kinney is interesting. Since it's pretty much all outside, this is the best time of year to see the Desert Museum (a kind of natural habitat zoo). Summers out there can be murder when it's 110 and the sun's beating down. Partway through the Tucson Mountain Park you can veer eastward back towards Tucson on Gates Pass Road and run it back to town, if you want. If you can find a warm enough day, Mt. Lemmon highway is about 30 or so miles of mountain road but it can get cold, snowy and icy up there, since it tops out at 9000 feet. That's probably a better idea later in the year, I guess. Those are the highlights that come immediately to mind. There's more. Enjoy! | ||
| Hooper |
I've always wanted to see the Air Force aircraft boneyard in Tucson. Can you ride up on the roads along the fields and check them out from a distance? An amazing amount of cool old planes lined up out there in the sun. I could spend an hour on Google Satellite looking at them. http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&ge ocode=&q=aircraft+boneyard,+az&sll=33.311451,-111. 934547&sspn=0.036295,0.055017&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Ai rcraft+boneyard&ll=32.150909,-110.821881&spn=0.009 193,0.013754&t=h&z=16 | ||
| Xbimmer |
Thanks for that link Hooper. Impressive, sad but impressive. B-52's are one of my favorite aircraft, beautiful in flight. I can't imagine how many hours of SAC and combat flight are represented down there. My father-in-law lives outside of Tucson, next time we're down there I'm definitely taking a detour. | ||
| Rotorhead |
I enjoyed riding the south east areas around Tombstone, Tuscon, and Sierra Vista areas. Rt 83 is a great ride at sunset head North from Parker Canyon to Sonoita to I10. There is a great steak house in Sonoita that has a wonderful selection of the local wines. I recommend south to north at sunset or the Sun will kill the driving experience on the road. Another drive from Tuscon up to Summer haven on the Mt Lemon HWY is a really great ride but hard to tell how far up the road you can get before there may be snow. Don't stop at the gate to pay just ride right buy. Rt 60 from Globe to Showlow will not disappoint but the season to ride that road may have past but even fun drive in a car for sure. For sure a must see town and chat with the locals is Bisbee, AZ. Let me tell you it's the coolest little town in American I have been to on my ULY. I have been to 42 of the 50 states on my ULY and that is one place I'll always stop for a day. Preferably Friday for the night life. BTW if you can't tolerate UBER liberal's, artsy folks and hippies pass this town buy. I just love the vibe of the little tourist trap. The Pima air museum in Tuscon is cool if you don't know any Air force people to get you on the airbase to get a closer look at the graveyard. PM me if you would like Routes I have ridden Dirt, really dirt, twisty and super twisty. | ||
| Bttrthnwrk |
Hooper, I've only been along Kolb and Irvington roads out that way. Kolb is the one that runs N-S through DM with taxiway(s) crossing overhead in that pic. Kolb is a sunken road, and you can't see squat from it. Irvington runs E-W at the north end of the boneyard. Irvington is ground level, and you can see some stored planes to the south. South and a maybe little west of DM on Valencia Road is the Pima Air & Space Museum (I think that's it's name). Worth seeing if you're into sky machines... | ||
| Hooper |
I'll also add Jerome, AZ to the list, a bit southwest of Sedona. It's an old copper mining town perched high on a hill, so the ride up is fun. The old buildings are fun to walk around and look at - most have been converted to art galleries, jewelry and craft shops, and bars/restaurants. A bit touristy, yeah, but still a fun place for a visit or lunch, and some interesting history. Good views from up there, too. | ||
| Liv2 |
I liked the town of Carefree, north of Scottsdale. a little artsy but pretty cool none the less, haven't rode the bike but it appears their could be some good riding. | ||
| Eulysses |
Starting to sound like some good rides...have two months so even thinking I will add the DR650. Just as easy to tow the two of them than just the Uly. Thinking there may be some great back country rides solo. But lets keep this topic about where Uly's go. Unless you just gotta tell me about some back country the DR would love...and thanks! | ||
| Bartimus |
I live in Phoenix, give me a shout when your in the area, and I'll take you out on a couple of rides. By far, the best road in Arizona is HWY 191 from Morienci to Alpine, but it is probably snowed in at the moment. Hwy 60 from Globe to Showlow is a nice road that goes down through the Salt River Canyon. Hwy 87 from Phoenix to Payson is fun, and HWY 260 from Camp Verde to Showlow is a blast. Another fun road is the back way from Wickenburg, (northwest of Phoenix) up over Yarnell pass, to Prescott. Local to Phoenix, the road out to Bartlett lake is a fun ride, as is the road up South Mountain, and the road out to Tortilla Flats. Lots of easy day rides, and a couple of nice weekend rides all around the Phoenix area... As stated above, Kolb, and Irvington are the main roads surrounding the boneyard, it certainly is a sight to see. Local afternoon rides in the Tucson area: Mt Lemon, Spanish trail, and Rollercoaster Rd. come to mind. Flagstaff has been getting hammered with every storm that has blown across the country, most roads are questionable up in the north country this time of year. Show Low, and Prescott roads are all clear at the moment... | ||
| Hooper |
The Tortilla Flat road is great...there's a long section that's unpaved. I dumped a rented Road King in the ditch there a few years ago when I fixated on a sandy section and went right over! I learned a lot on that trip. | ||
| Electraglider_1997 |
Hooper, What did that cost you in $$? | ||
| Ghostrider |
If you're really into those old aircraft, you should check out the Pima Air Museum in Tucson: http://www.pimaair.org/ This is a good time of year since it's mostly outside. There are tons of really cool things to see there. | ||
| Crackhead |
Make use you check out the Grand Canyon while you are there. | ||
| Xb12xmike |
Don't forget the camera!! | ||
| Bobbuell1961 |
Hooper, is that also part of Apache trail, if so that wold be a blast on a Uly! i did it in a car and i loved it! Heading south you have more blind corners, i went south first but before i left i went back and headed north,FUN,FUN,FUN | ||
| Hooper |
That is definitely the Apache Trail...really cool road. EG, the damage came in just under the temporary insurance deductible (of course)...I think it came out to around $1100 for mostly cosmetic damage. I didn't tell them that I'd taken it "off road". I found a link that Rotorhead started about riding in AZ that I added to. My story is below his, with photos. Can’t believe I described it as “a miserable stretch” of road…for a Road King, maybe, but for a Uly it would have been a blast. I REALLY want to go back there. You know, scene of the crime and all… http://www.badweatherbikers.com/buell/messages/142 838/412739.html (Message edited by hooper on January 14, 2010) | ||
| Eulysses |
I gotta stay where it is sunny and warm (er) because I can ride in crap right where I am. The whole idea of trailering south is SUNSHINE!!! And scoping southern part of the state for maybe a winter nesting ground. As I get closer to AZ I will pm you Bartimus. This is great! Thanks. |
