Our all too short trip took us out of Phoenix on Monday morning along as many back roads as we could find, with our first stop at Casa Grande National Monument. It was an interesting look back in time.
I'm amazed how long a structure can last that is essentially made out of mud. I've seen ancient stone castles, and even been inside the Great Pyramid in Egypt, but a mud brick building that has been around for almost a thousand years is still mighty impressive.From there we headed out and the thing that struck me the most was how long, flat and straight Arizona's roads can be. Having been used to the twists and turns and ups and downs of coastal and mountain riding back home, the flatness of the desert riding was totally new to me. Of course, it was still fun, as just being on a bike brings on a joy that can only be 'experienced' and never be adequately or sufficiently described to a non-rider.
We stopped for lunch at Lupe's (don't remember the town but it was at a crossroads) and I had another 'first.' I tried a drink I'd never even heard of before--Horchata. It's just rice milk with cinnamon in it, served over ice. There's apparently also some sugar and possibly another ingredient or two, but all I know is that it was totally refreshing and I'd happily order it again. They said it was also good served hot, but on ice was perfect after the hot ride. I had a 'chicken burro' with it (no 'ito' here). All good, and while it may not look like much on the outside, we really enjoyed our lunch.
From there we rolled on to eventually make it into Tombstone. I gotta say I was impressed with how much everyone made you feel like you were immersed in the setting of being in the late 1800's. All of the individuals roaming the streets 'in character' played their parts brilliantly and really added to the experience. Everyone was so friendly, and it was humorous to find how many 'cowboys' rode motorcycles in their spare time, as my gear gave me away for what I did as much as wearing a badge did.
After spending an hour in town, we figured we'd better head to our 'hotel', as we planned on coming back to Tombstone the next morning anyway before heading back to Ph
oenix. We rode another half hour to Bisbee, and I gotta say if we'd only gone to Tombstone, we'd have really missed out! Bisbee was a great town set on either side of an extremely steeply walled and narrow canyon. The buildings that seemed to cling to either side of the canyon walls reminded me of towns I saw in the mountains of Europe. The town streets were often one lane only, and twisted and curved while going up and down-usually in mid curve-making it an extremely fun and somewhat challenging ride on two wheels. There is a huge quarry/pit that is the result of copper mining that was seriously impressive too. After dinner, we headed to our final destination for the night--lodging at the Shady Dell. What a riot! It is a campground populated by a collection of 10-12 old travel trailers from the 1950's. 
There were Airstreams and all kinds and sizes of funky looking trailers and other vehicles--like the Tiki Bus that my buddy and his wife stayed in. I chose the "Crown", a 12 foot trailer that had all the comforts of home-sans a bathroom (restroom and shower facilities were only 30 feet away though). The old radio in it was set to a 50's station when I walked in and an old copy of Life magazine was on the table. Even the coffee maker was an old percolator type-that worked just fine I might add! If you ever get the chance to pass through Bisbee, I highly recommend staying at the Shady Dell. It totally added to the sense of adventure and made for one of the highlights of the trip.The next morning we headed back to Tombstone to grab a big 'cowboy breakfast' of steak and eggs and then catch a gunfight show. A lot of laughter ensued and we all enjoyed the show. After that was a stop at Boot Hill Cemetery, and then unfortunately due to our rapidly diminishing time, we had to head straight back to Phoenix--all highway. It was a fun ride too, as Arizona's 75 mph speed limit, coupled with the natural wind gusts that day (and unnatural wind from all of the trucks) made for an exhilarating ride. The 1200RT can really move when you want (or need) it to.
I made it back with a half hour to spare for the 5pm deadline, and had maybe 8 miles left of the 500 miles (250/day) that were included with the rental without incurring extra charges. I couldn't have been happier (unless I had an extra couple of days that is!) and would heartily recommend AZRide to anyone looking for a great rental shop in the Phoenix area. It was a really great trip and I plan on making another one out there again soon to see some more of the amazing scenery of Arizona, and when I do I'll be sure to hook up with AZRide again for another great adventure! I'm thinking the R1200GS looks mighty interesting...
Thanks again, AZRide! You guys rock!
Best Regards,
Dave 'Zen Guy' Stern
Seattle, WA
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