I don't even know where to start this post. Okay, I'll go back to the beginning. When I was a child, I loved animals more than ANYthing. Even scooters (I didn't know any better back then). I wanted to become a zoologist and be a zoo keeper. Well, my chance has come. I start the academy on the second of July to become a detention officer in Yavapai County here in Arizona.
What in the heck does THAT have to do with scooters, you may ask. Well, I had to get uniforms and that meant a rousing romp to Phoenix once again on my Buddy, heretofore known as the Red Baron. Any excuse, you know... Also, fellow Scarab Hump and his lovely wife Lee had posted an invitation for any and all Scarabs to join them at the Dubliner, the Irish pub where Hot Tomato works as a chef. They were featuring a soul/blues band that night called (I think...) Night Shift. And they were moderately acceptable. Back to the trip, now.
I packed my newly aquired S/X rear bag and a sleeping bag on the scooter and blew out of town at about 3 p.m. on the evening of June the 15th. I headed east on Hwy 260 towards the town of Camp Verde and the previously mentioned "Goat Trail" up to Hwy 87. I took a couple of pictures of the trip up the Goat Trail...they are the first and second pictures in the previous post entitled "In The Beginning". The second one shows the mountains off to the south that I would eventually have to cross.
It was a nice uneventful, though laborious trip up to Hwy 87. Laborious because of the stiff headwind I had to buck. I've mentioned before that Hwy 87 (also known as the Beeline Highway) goes north towards Winslow or south through Payson into Mesa, an eastern suburb of Phoenix. I happily slowed traffic down all the way up to the Beeline. Once on 87, though, it goes downhill for a while into Strawberry and Pine, where I got to show the cars the proper way to negotiate a hairpin curve. Outside of Pine the hills began again and the cars all had the opportunity (which they took) to blow by me as the road briefly offers a turnout situation for slower traffic...ie; overloaded Buddys bucking headwinds.
Nothing else really was an issue. I rolled into Payson where I topped off the fuel tank with .94 gallons. Only 77 mpg. What a gas hog!!
I hit Fountain Hills just before dusk and turned westward onto Shea Blvd where I once again began searching for a gas station. I found one and topped off again, taking the moment to call Hump for the address to the Dubliner. I have a 52 year old memory and things have a tendancy to fall out... Hump clued me in and I headed west again to Hayden where I went north to whatever road it is that the pub is on. Once again, I forget. West again to the little strip mall where sits the Dubliner in all it's glory! I know I was at the right place because Hot Tomato's new Stella was sitting on the sidewalk in front. I slipped my scratched up, dirty, hot Buddy up next to her shiney Stella and went in. I was surprised to see as many Scarabs and friends there as I saw since nobody had really commited to come. In picture 3 in the "In The Beginning" post are, from the left, Hump's wife, Lee, Hump, Sandy V. and Cristian. In number four, again from the left nearest me are Tryg, Cris, Sandy, Lee's friend Karen, Lee, Hump and with her back to me (I can NEVER get a good picture of her...) is Hot Tomato, chef extrordinaire. In fact, she sent us out a dish she concocted that was steamed scallops with candied bacon in an orange sauce that was FANTASTIC!! I truly became a pig for awhile.
Later, Hot Tomato led me to Hump's place where I was spending the night. Hump and Lee stayed out longer than I was able to, so with an apartment key and their blessing I headed for bed. HT's Stella used to belong the Skimch, the founder of the Scarabs and that boy knows how to tune a scooter! She and I blasted through the desert night in the city at high rates of speed for, I'm guessing about 30 miles. It was in the mid-seventies out at around midnight and it was scooter heaven!! What a fabulous ride. We'll both be grinning about that for a long time! I'd be proud to ride with that girl any time!
I stuffed the Red Baron into the cubbyhole where Hump keeps his Bajaj and went to bed. I'd gotten up at 1:30 that morning to go to work and I was toasted! Up early and packed for my sojourn to the uniform store. I got what I needed after first hanging around a little coffee shop clubmate Isaac had recommended. They had a nice breakfast coffee with cream and dark chocolate that just hit the spot. Believe it or not, I was able to pack my overnight clothes, sleeping bag, two pairs of trousers, seven shirts, a belt, a pair of handcuffs and case, a tie and a pair of boots onto that little scooter. Good thing I didn't have to cross any interstate scale stations!
Back out Shea to the Beeline, I went. North on the Beeline, stopping for fuel at Ft. McDowell casino. Sorry, no slots...just gas. I rumbled up the hills toward Payson, some 75-80 miles away. About 15 miles south of Payson, though, is a little town called Rye. In Rye is a big motorcycle boneyard. He also has a number of older cars and trucks, but the majority of the stuff is two and three wheeled. I have to admit to confusing myself with the next 3 posts. The next one to look at is actually the fourth one, entitled; "At The Boneyard". The first picture shows the loaded up Red Baron in front of a dwarf racer and a chopped Honda 360 (I think...). The second is the 3-wheeled truck from Lord only knows where that you have to pass to enter the yard. The third pic shows the poor lonely scooters on the other side of the fence. Four and five are two of the Lambrettas I found languishing there.
Go back up to the 3rd post titled "More", where in order are pics of a P200E Vespa, two more Lambrettas, a Fuji Rabbit (kinda rare in these parts) and a picture of an actual World War II Army Cushman. The Army commissioned these to be built for the express purpose of airlifting them into combat situations. They were tough and easy to use, making them ideal for military use. I have NO idea how it ended up in Rye, Arizona.
The last post from the boneyard is the one entitled; "Off The Wall". There were a number of unusual vehicles there that (in order of pic placement) show two DKW motorcycles. Really odd looking devices, but way cool anyway. Then there was an actual factory built 3-wheeled Tote Goat. Most of you are probably not old enough to know what a Tote Goat is, but essentially, it was the for-runner to the modern Honda Ruckus. You can just barely see one of the rear wheels on the right side of the vehicle. I'd never seen one before. Then there is a picture of a carnival ride motorcycle. Hmmm...a scooter engine...hmmm... Anyway, the final pic is of a couple of the Isettas he had sitting there.
The final post, entitled; "On The Way Home" had a scenic picture of me topping the hill before the descent into Camp Verde, some 30 miles away. Beautiful! This is why I love my long rides! The next picture is proof that a Genuine Buddy can top 70 miles per hour! I have to admit to seeing 80 on the speedo in the past, but not this trip. Three and four are just scenic pictures taken from the Beeline Highway just north of Ft. McDowell casino.
Well, there it is. Another long trip on the Red Baron. 376 miles, 5.08 gallons of gas for an average of 74.60 mpg. Not the best I've seen, but the little scoot was WAY loaded down and I was bucking a headwind all the way down and SERIOUS hills on the way up. From about a thousand foot elevation in Phoenix (maybe) to over 7000 feet at the top of the Beeline. Tough going for anything in 90-some degree weather and my little 125 cc scooter passed up all kinds of broken down vehicle from SUV's to a couple of Harleys. $2500 well spent, I'd say...
C-ya...ride on!
--Keys
