beemerdons
Certifiable Old Fart
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's AZB Ride Report from SkooterG, FJRobert and Don's friend Uri Schumm. Uri rode Andalusia, Spain with beemerdons.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 14, 2008 was finally here. Seven O'clock in the morning saw
fifteen BMWs and Yamahas, primarily FJRs, gather at the Chevron Station on
Goldfield Road and U.S. 60 for the much anticipated Devil’s Highway Ride. About
fifteen years ago the former US 666, in another example of political correctness
gone awry, was dubbed Arizona 191 for our brilliant legislature. Whatever the
name, this 95 mile road allegedly has over 500 turns. It has earned a special
place in the heart of AZ Beemers and Arizona FJR Forum Members.
I had spent the previous night at the home of AZ Beemer Chuy Medina - beemerdons, the trip’s
organizer. This saved me 80 miles of driving on Saturday from my home in
Wittmann. We rode the first 150 miles to Safford without a break in perfect
weather. There we topped off our tanks and proceeded toward Morenci, the site of
deepest open pit copper mine in Arizona. Unfortunately for Cooleyman, he had to
turn back toward Phoenix because of severe back pain. Dave could teach many a
biker a few things about negotiating the challenging Devil’s Highway. The rest
of us took off in small groups with a sense of anticipation.
Everyone rode solo except for Henry who had as his passenger Dawn. I rode with
Jordan our “Club Attorney” and my riding buddy Dr. Bob. Iron Butt Greg and his
FJR compadres, blasted off not to be seen again until lunch. The three of us
drove past the mine and turned off to an overlook where we gazed in awe at the
incredibly deep excavation. There Jordan informed us that his new BMW F800S was
again acting up. The new engine management computer installed by BMW did not fix
the vexing and dangerous problem that this motorcycle had. The engine would die
at unpredictable times for no discernable reason. Jordan called BMW Motorrad and
arranged to have his bike transported back to Phoenix. For the half hour or more
that it took to make this arrangement, Bob and I stayed with him.
Finally Bob and I began a reprise of a ride we had first done together in 2005.
Once away from the mine area and a number of patches of gravel in the road, we
were able to get into a comfortable pattern negotiating the countless twisties
on this two lane highway. Traffic was light and we passed the occasional
obstructing vehicle at will. 666 requires full concentration as it is possibly
the most technically challenging route in Arizona. It climbs from an altitude of
4700 feet at Morenci to 9100 feet in Hannagan Meadow. Then it drops to 8200
feet at its terminus in Alpine. There are no shoulders and no guard rails, and
the drop-off along most of the road is many hundreds of feet. In fact we heard
later in the day a Harley rider went over the side last week and did not
survive.
We had little time to gaze upon the beautiful mountain scenery. Occasional quick
glances at the mountainsides treed in Ponderosa pine, oak, aspen and juniper
under a ceiling of bright blue sky was all we dared. Today was a day to relish
the skill and art of motorcycling, not for sightseeing. Shifting up and down,
leaning left and right, using the engine to decelerate into and power out of
turns was both a chore and a joy. The road was mostly in good condition but
there were some rough patches. At higher elevations we drove through gently
sloping meadows, and were able to get out of second and third gear where we had
spent most of our time. Bob’s R1200RT and my R1150RT performed beautifully.
By the time we arrived in Alpine we were more than ready for the greasy but
delicious burger and fries at the Bear Wallow Inn. There we met our companions
most of whom continued the circuit back to the valley for a 500 mile day. Bob,
Don, Tom, Jim, Chris and I spent the night in Alpine. We awoke the next day to a
clear but chilly 38 degree day. I found it ironic as I was packing, that I
needed to presoak my cooling vest in a Ziplock bag for later in the day. After a
hearty breakfast at the Bear Wallow Bob, Jim, Chris and I took off. Don had left
at first light, and Tom headed out to see a friend in New Mexico.
The temperature warmed up quickly, and by the time we reached Hon Dah we were
able to shed our insulating layers. The ride through the White Mountain Apache
Reservation was beautiful. We first felt real heat in the twisties heading down
into the Salt River Canyon. Fortunately, once we climbed out of the canyon the
temperature moderated. A few miles later we came upon an awesome sight. About
200 feet above us we saw 70-80 vultures circling. I can only speculate as to
what delicious carrion they were eyeing.
After topping off in Globe, where I donned my cooling vest, we headed back to
the valley. It was damn hot for my final 160 miles to Wittmann. My total
mileage for this trip was 726. What a great ride we all had! If you have not
yet experienced motorcycling on the Devil’s Highway, or if you are ready for a
repeat, just post an announcement for this ride. You’ll have no shortage of
takers.
Greg, Robert, Chris and anyone else who took pictures, please post these as a “reply”
this story.
You can view the full announcement by following this link:
https://www.azbeemers.org/forum/index.php?topic=1070.0
Regards,
The AZBeemers.org Forum Team. and Arizona FJR Forum
Here's AZB Ride Report from SkooterG, FJRobert and Don's friend Uri Schumm. Uri rode Andalusia, Spain with beemerdons.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sunday, September 14, 2008 was finally here. Seven O'clock in the morning saw
fifteen BMWs and Yamahas, primarily FJRs, gather at the Chevron Station on
Goldfield Road and U.S. 60 for the much anticipated Devil’s Highway Ride. About
fifteen years ago the former US 666, in another example of political correctness
gone awry, was dubbed Arizona 191 for our brilliant legislature. Whatever the
name, this 95 mile road allegedly has over 500 turns. It has earned a special
place in the heart of AZ Beemers and Arizona FJR Forum Members.
I had spent the previous night at the home of AZ Beemer Chuy Medina - beemerdons, the trip’s
organizer. This saved me 80 miles of driving on Saturday from my home in
Wittmann. We rode the first 150 miles to Safford without a break in perfect
weather. There we topped off our tanks and proceeded toward Morenci, the site of
deepest open pit copper mine in Arizona. Unfortunately for Cooleyman, he had to
turn back toward Phoenix because of severe back pain. Dave could teach many a
biker a few things about negotiating the challenging Devil’s Highway. The rest
of us took off in small groups with a sense of anticipation.
Everyone rode solo except for Henry who had as his passenger Dawn. I rode with
Jordan our “Club Attorney” and my riding buddy Dr. Bob. Iron Butt Greg and his
FJR compadres, blasted off not to be seen again until lunch. The three of us
drove past the mine and turned off to an overlook where we gazed in awe at the
incredibly deep excavation. There Jordan informed us that his new BMW F800S was
again acting up. The new engine management computer installed by BMW did not fix
the vexing and dangerous problem that this motorcycle had. The engine would die
at unpredictable times for no discernable reason. Jordan called BMW Motorrad and
arranged to have his bike transported back to Phoenix. For the half hour or more
that it took to make this arrangement, Bob and I stayed with him.
Finally Bob and I began a reprise of a ride we had first done together in 2005.
Once away from the mine area and a number of patches of gravel in the road, we
were able to get into a comfortable pattern negotiating the countless twisties
on this two lane highway. Traffic was light and we passed the occasional
obstructing vehicle at will. 666 requires full concentration as it is possibly
the most technically challenging route in Arizona. It climbs from an altitude of
4700 feet at Morenci to 9100 feet in Hannagan Meadow. Then it drops to 8200
feet at its terminus in Alpine. There are no shoulders and no guard rails, and
the drop-off along most of the road is many hundreds of feet. In fact we heard
later in the day a Harley rider went over the side last week and did not
survive.
We had little time to gaze upon the beautiful mountain scenery. Occasional quick
glances at the mountainsides treed in Ponderosa pine, oak, aspen and juniper
under a ceiling of bright blue sky was all we dared. Today was a day to relish
the skill and art of motorcycling, not for sightseeing. Shifting up and down,
leaning left and right, using the engine to decelerate into and power out of
turns was both a chore and a joy. The road was mostly in good condition but
there were some rough patches. At higher elevations we drove through gently
sloping meadows, and were able to get out of second and third gear where we had
spent most of our time. Bob’s R1200RT and my R1150RT performed beautifully.
By the time we arrived in Alpine we were more than ready for the greasy but
delicious burger and fries at the Bear Wallow Inn. There we met our companions
most of whom continued the circuit back to the valley for a 500 mile day. Bob,
Don, Tom, Jim, Chris and I spent the night in Alpine. We awoke the next day to a
clear but chilly 38 degree day. I found it ironic as I was packing, that I
needed to presoak my cooling vest in a Ziplock bag for later in the day. After a
hearty breakfast at the Bear Wallow Bob, Jim, Chris and I took off. Don had left
at first light, and Tom headed out to see a friend in New Mexico.
The temperature warmed up quickly, and by the time we reached Hon Dah we were
able to shed our insulating layers. The ride through the White Mountain Apache
Reservation was beautiful. We first felt real heat in the twisties heading down
into the Salt River Canyon. Fortunately, once we climbed out of the canyon the
temperature moderated. A few miles later we came upon an awesome sight. About
200 feet above us we saw 70-80 vultures circling. I can only speculate as to
what delicious carrion they were eyeing.
After topping off in Globe, where I donned my cooling vest, we headed back to
the valley. It was damn hot for my final 160 miles to Wittmann. My total
mileage for this trip was 726. What a great ride we all had! If you have not
yet experienced motorcycling on the Devil’s Highway, or if you are ready for a
repeat, just post an announcement for this ride. You’ll have no shortage of
takers.
Greg, Robert, Chris and anyone else who took pictures, please post these as a “reply”
this story.
You can view the full announcement by following this link:
https://www.azbeemers.org/forum/index.php?topic=1070.0
Regards,
The AZBeemers.org Forum Team. and Arizona FJR Forum
