VROC - AZ Bike Week Mar 07

2007-04-03T17:11:00.000-07:00

The blog runs from bottom to top. The text for a pic is below the pic. Click on a pic for a much larger pic.

Thanks Jack!!!!!!!! Folks that arrange these events do us all a favor, I got to ride places, do things that I would never have done without the help of VROC'r's!!! GBG

And of course as a result of being lost most of the time, I got to see a lot more than everyone else!!!

Overnited in Needles again, at the rootin' tootin' Motel 6, hey, the price was right, under $4o bucks!! Monday, I stayed on 146 and went over to Pasa Robles, and up 101, it added another 50 miles, but it was a different way home.

I did push the gas tank too far, and had to pull over and use one of my 1.5 L bottles of gas coming into Barstow. The head winds really cut the gas mileage down. But that's why I carry 2 of 'um, I can use my entire tank and not worry. A tad bit of pain to use / refill them, but better than the alternative!!!

Next time I'll remember the afternoon wind from King City to Gilroy, that is a fog trough, and high winds, worse that the Mojave Desert winds!!!

Hell, I even missed the stage!!!!!!!!!! &#!_%#$*!#)$* GBG

I actually missed a saloon!!!

The Sheriff!!!

A few of us stopped into the Crystal Palace, they had some REAL FINE hiring practices for the ladies!!! GBG

More Tombstone.... Hey, you gotta stop, it's a touristy thang!!! GBG

Well, now guess where we are now???!!!!

If you click on this pic, I think you can read the writing....

More Bisbee.....

An outside patio off the bar.

Lunch time!!! At the Copper Queen.... We almost filled the place.

More Bisbee.....

The old Stock Exchange, now a bar, an improvement, I think!!! GBG

I think Copper had a play in Bisbee!!! GBG We ate at the Copper Queen.

Welcome to Bisbee!!!

The gang pulled into Bisbee.

An unscheduled stop, someone had a leak in their tire, so they, Jack and Barb headed back to town. All made it OK!!!

Somewhere out in the desert on the way to Bisbee.... Saturday AM.

Friday night driving the staff crazy again!!!

Next 4 pics is a panorama of Tucson at a lower level

I think that stream actually had a bit of water in it...

You can see the road winding down the mountain below.

More................

Notice the face image in the shadow on the left side of the rock.

A view from the top!!!!

One more shot.....

So on to the afternoon ride!!! Well, I got lost on the AM ride, so what's new? Yup, we got cut off by lights, and I remember Jack saying just stay on Tanka Verde, it turns into the road you want....

Well, I was making good time right up to where the road ended out in the desert.... and I said to myself, This Ain't Right!!!!

Out with the map, screaming up Catalina, I actually got to the top not much later than the group, and here we are out on the patio at a stop at the top of Mt Lemon!!!!

If I only had a nose....

Another fighter plane.

I liked this one, it had 2 props, the rear one spun the opposite direction as the front one.

Talk about 0 ground clearance!!!

So it's not a plane with gas... It was used to fly rocket engines, the whole front pivoted open.

This thing actually had seating in the bottom for passengers, now how would you like to ride in that thing???!!!

Another story on size...

A old fighter plane, the smallness of these things was amazing!!!

A B25, I think, looked real nice.

An old Presidential plane.....

Friday AM ride was to Pima Air Museum.

Donna and I, hey!! I get editor rights!!!!!!!!! GBG

Don's view!!!

This is POOR Don VSP from the outside looking in with his nose pressed to the glass!!! GBG A smokers purge....

More, and I'm NOT gonna try names....

Back to AZ Bike WEEK!!!!!!!! First night at the hotel, we took over the "back room" and
had a great time!!! The food was good, price was right and the service was bang up great!!! So we reserved it for the next 2 nights too!!! Our servers, well, just can't say enough, the did a great job and I think they got tips that they will remember for a long time!!!

From the other side....

My Wed evening visit with some IBM friends. Right is Dick, Max, wife Peggy, my wife Donna,Watach, Bill, a pair of Julie's and Jim. Absent was a very sick Christine, next time Christine, get well!!!!

I really have to apologize for the interior pic quality, it stinks, don't know why... sigh
They are dark and just not good quality...

We were at Electric Park!!! Whew!!!!!!! GBG

AZ Diamond Backs are looking great, they won both their games!!! More of the action!!!

The boys in action....

Reason 2 of my trip, the boys of spring at play.... We went to 3 preseason BB games...

Max and I about to say goodbye for the evening. He had a thick gravel driveway, with great trepidation I proceeded!!! GBG

Here he's pointing out the transmission and steering work....

This my buddy Max, he's building a bucket T, got a whooping 4 cyl Pinto in it!!! GBG
But he's doing it piece by piece, heckofa job!!!

The thing that is mind boggling is the vast nothing from the eastern slope of the Tehachapi range. Hundreds of miles, hour after hour, of barren waste. Amazing

Looking the other way from below

If you look real close, right in the middle, you'll see a tad piece of blue, that's lake Havasu, AZ. It's kinda interesting, looking at city signs, I don't think I've ever seen a sign that said Founded in 1966 (best I can remember). Home of the London Bridge, last time I saw it was in London.

Well, where should I start.... How about San Jose, CalEfornYa???!!! GBG

So Jack 4E is having a AZ Bike week in Tucson... how could I refuse? I know friends down there, and have been looking to take an extended ride. I tend to ride more than look around so my pics aren't real touristy.

I'll start by showing you the back and front view of Motel 6 at Needles.... now be still your heart!!! GBG