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BIKER TALES
Arizona Spring Get Away
April in the Colorado Rockies at 10,000 feet is still in the grip of winter, so we loaded my Road King in the back of the pickup, and headed to Arizona for a week of riding in the desert. Our plan was to drop off the truck at our friend’s house in Prescott and gipsy around the state, just riding where the mood took us. After some stressful driving on Intersate 40, the Black Raspberry Margarita’s and great dinner that Marla and Dan made for us was just what the doctor ordered. We even had enough energy to go out dancing at Whiskey Row in downtown Prescott.

The next morning we took a ride north on 89A toward the old mining town of Jerome. The road goes up over the mountains and has some great scenery with a lot of twisty turns before you start down the switchbacks into town. We stopped in at the Spirit Room for a beer and to listen to some live music that we were told went on every weekend. As it turned out our friend Ed was going to Lake Havasu to check out some real estate, so that afternoon we backtracked to Prescott and headed toward Kingman to meet up with him the next day.

After having a little trouble finding our way out of Prescott, we finally found Iron Springs Rd. toward Skull Valley. I was surprised at how fast we left the town behind and was back in the country with shrub covered rolling hills, winding roads and very little traffic. At the junction with AZ-96 we stopped in at the old Kirkland Bar & Grill for a cold one. I was walking around checking out the place when I met the owner Herb, who was cooking steaks on his huge rock BBQ pit. We were being pushed for time, so we didn’t have time to eat, but the food looked great and we’ll definitely put it on our list of places to eat on our next visit.

Heading west on AZ-96, we rode into the Weaver Mountains and was impressed by the huge Saguaro cactus and rugged rocky bluffs. There are many tight turns and some are deceptive or hidden, so pay attention to the signs. As you approach the junction with highway (97), the desert gives way to farmland, where we made a left staying on AZ-97 toward Hwy. 93.
Highway 93, or the Joshua Forest Parkway, is a smooth four-lane, which had very little traffic on the day we were there. The speed limit is 65 although most of the traffic was going faster, so we made good time as we rolled through awesome stands of cacti as the sun was starting to set. We got to Interstate 40 west, and then it was a short ride to Kingman. Arriving just after dark, we got a room and settled in for the evening.

Ed rented a bike in Las Vegas, and we were supposed to meet him at 1:00 that afternoon. So, we relaxed in the pool at the hotel, and then visited the Harley dealer where I bought a new hat. After we met up with Ed, we started our ride to Lake Havesu by heading west on Hwy 68 towards Laughlin, NV, and then caught the Needles Highway south. I don’t call my friend fast Eddie for nothing, because as I was following him he tried to get air off a roller, that’s when Deb and I left the saddle for a moment and I lost my cell phone out of my shirt pocket.

At Interstate 40 we went east back into Arizona, then took AZ-95 into Lake
Havasu City. Ed lived there 20 years ago, and had been back to visit on several occasions, so he knew his way around and we went right to our Hotel on the Island. It was after spring break and midweek so we had the place almost to ourselves.
After being in a blizzard just a few days earlier at home, the palm trees, flowers,
90 plus temperatures and pool was just what we were looking for. It didn’t take
us long to shed the riding clothes, put on shorts and sandals, and make our way
to the brewery that was just down the road for a beer and some food.

Lake Havasu means lake of blue water, and was created when the Colorado River was damned. Now it’s a popular vacation spot with attractions like the London Bridge, which was brought over from England after WWII. Each piece was numbered, taken apart, then reassembled in the desert, it has an interesting story to it, but I won't go into that.

For the next three days we made our hotel home base and took short rides on the bikes. Like the day we rode south on hwy. 95 to the Parker Dam and explored a few side roads. While riding back north along the river, we stopped at the Road Runner Bar, which is a barge moored on the river with dollar beers and good food.We wanted to rent some Wave Runners and go up through the Topock Gorge, but the weather had cooled off and became windy, so we went on a tour boat. The Captain was full of information about the history of the Gorge and the interesting rock formations.

On Thursday Ed headed back to Las Vegas and we went south on AZ-95. Just past Parker on AZ-95, the terrain flattened out as we rode toward the junction of hwy.72, where we made a left heading toward Bouse. Just after that turn, I was looking south and noticed something in the sky. At first I thought it was a plane, but after watching it for a few minutes it didn’t look like anything I’ve seen before, it was big and looked like a disc.
I pulled the bike over and we stood there and watched it for about fifteen minutes as it seemed to hover, then float over and hover in another spot. Finally Deb said we should get a picture of this thing, although by then it was starting to move away. Put your mouse on the picture for enlargement.
A cold front had pushed in and riding southeast on hwy. 72 we had to put on our leathers as we headed up over some hills before we came to the intersection with hwy.60 at the town of Hope. Heading northeast, the road is a smooth two lane that runs through irrigated farmlands and small towns. At Aguila we took 71 northeast toward the town of Congress. This is a road that takes you into some remote places and although it’s not long, makes sure you have fuel and something to drink.
In the town of Congress we took 89 north or the “White Spar Highway” and in just a few miles it turned into the “Foothills Road” as we road back up into the Weaver Mountains. This was one of our favorite parts of the ride, with great views as we road up into the canyon country. Once we got up in elevation things got greener and in Peeples Valley there was some nice horse ranches. Then it was back into the twisty turning roads of the canyon lands.
We stayed on AZ-89 and it wasn’t long until we were back in Prescott and the end of our Arizona adventure. We can’t wait to go back because we know we just scratched the surface of a very beautiful place to ride with many more things to see.
 
htt;://www.MotorcycleTraveler.com/Biker Tales ---(updated 05.06.08