This whole story starts with an invitation to attend a meeting of the Scarabs Scooter Club ( www.scarabsc.com )steering committee this Saturday evening past at Dave and Vanessa's home in Phoenix. I hemmed and hawed about whether or not I'd go and my beloved Ski said "JUST GO!!" So I did. Friday, I begain experiencing a sore throat and some unpleasantly sore sinuses. I told Ski I may have to call the Scarabs and tell them I can't make it. She gave me "that look" and said, "Don't give me that! You KNOW you're going!" She knows me so well....
I was up at seven Saturday morning and had the Buddy packed in, oh, maybe 8 or 9 minutes. Now what? I didn't intend to leave until eight! So I stopped and had a MacBurrito and some MacCoffee, fueled up and set to! It was a beautiful, sunny morning in the seventies there in Cottonwood, so I coughed and hacked a little and commenced on my ride "Over the Hill" to Phoenix, some 150 miles away, by way of the back roads I was taking. The first place I came to was the old copper mining town of Jerome about 8 miles above Cottonwood. And when I say above, I mean above! Now, I'm from Colorado, and they build some towns on the side of mountains there, but Jerome is equal to the best of them! It's now kind of an "artsy-fartsy" kind of place except on Sunday afternoons when all the bikers show up on their Harleys (and Harley wannabes) and overtake the Spirit Room. I love parking my scooters in the midst of the Harleys and annoying them. So, anyway, the second picture in the previous posting is of Jerome from just below it. You will discover I haven't the foggiest idea of how to put the pictures in order.
So, I started up Mingus Mountain above Jerome to a pull off about 2 miles above town that overlooks the Verde Valley through a cut in the cliffs. A spectacular view! That particular photo is at the top of this posting. Don't know WHAT happened.
Then, I stopped about halfway up the mountain to take a picture of the surrounding country, that would be...let's see...the FIRST picture in the previous post. I also took a picture (the fourth one) of the road winding through the forest. And of course, what travelogue would be complete without a picture of the scooter at the top of the mountain under the elevation sign? Picture 5. Picture #3, in case you're wondering was a picture of the sign telling one that they have a quick (and fun) ride down through the curves, corners and hair-pins into Prescott Valley. I had a picture of the road leading into Prescott Valley, but it just didn't have enough pizzazz, so I left it out. Also, I ran out of room.
I headed out through Prescott Valley and Prescott proper to the west side of town where I picked up Hwy 89 heading south towards Peeples Valley, Yarnell, Congress (not the political entity) and Wickenburg. I was supposed to meet Jes' Jim (Scarab extrordinaire) somewhere around Peeples Valley. I was supposed to go straight down 89 to meet him. Somehow (I'm still a little hazy on this...) I ended up on the road to Skull Valley! That area is depicted in the seventh picture. The roads end up in the same place, but if Jim had been five minutes faster, I would have missed him since I met him about two miles south of where the Skull Valley road intersects 89. Clean livin' and righteous thought will bring about serendipitous events every time! Jes' Jim spun his Piaggio BV 500 around (more cautiously than I would have, I might add) and chased me on into Peeples Valley for my first fuel stop. We took a couple of pictures there, the scooters with Jim (picture # eight...with helmet) and the scooters with me (pic #9...without helmet). We swapped scooters there and rode into the little burg of Yarnell.
I discovered that 350 more cc's and about 260 more pounds makes for a rather substantial machine! The BV 500 had a fine write-up in the spring issue of Scoot! Quarterly. They really liked it! It's a big, touring machine capable of nimble handling, which most of the "Maxi-scooters" are not. It sports large diameter wheels, liquid cooling and a very comfortable seating position. I would guess, though, that if you are a tall guy, the quarters would be somewhat cramped. But, hey, this is a machine capable of almost a hundred miles per hour! You can put up with a little crampage! Anyway, the power was impressive to me...a fan of small scooters. You can tell from the pictures the discrepancy in size. Jes' Jim, however, was a gracious rider who didn't leave me in the dust.
We dined at a cafe in Yarnell called "the Buzzard's Roost" or something like that. Pleasant waitress, decent food. Jes' Jim had a big ol' breakfast and I had a cuppa joe and a biscuit. Dang cold was affecting my appetite!
We scooted out of Yarnell and over the edge of Yarnell Hill, a piece of road that is good asphalt, steep downhill, and corners of varying radii. Some sweepers, some tight ones. I just turned the Buddy loose and touched 75 mph in a couple of spots leaving Jes' Jim to try to catch me. Of course he did, when we hit to open road at the bottom. I would have taken pictures of this hill, but I was having too much fun to stop. You'll have to make the trip yourself if you want pictures.
We cruised along at about 65 miles per hour for a while and stopped at a rest area just north of Wickenburg. I got a pic of Jes' Jim on the phone to his beloved, Carol...another long-suffering wife of scooter trash. That would be the sixth, and I think, final picture..
South of Wickenburg (a haven of speed traps) we caught State Highway 60 south to Hwy 74 (also known as the Carefree Highway, of rock and roll fame). That was a little hairier for my little bike. The speed limit is 65 so everyone does only 80. I put my chin down on the speedometer to cut the wind and again saw about 75 a time or two with a good average of just over 65. Jes' Jim, of course, just cruised...sitting straight up and with what could have been a slight smirk on his face. A vulgar display of power. We jumped on 99th Avenue south to...well, how should I know? Jes' Jim was leading! Anyway, he was able to find his home where we downed a few gallons of water (it was quite hot out), listened to a couple CD's by the band I'm in; "Dry Heat" www.dryheatbluesband.com, and he chatted with a pleasant young lady who called and asked him to participate in a phone survey. Eventually we got back on the scooters and hit the Loop 101 Hwy that kind of circles Phoenix from the northwest to the northeast and then south. It's also known in the Scottsdale area as the East Valley Raceway. There have been motorists clocked at speeds over 140 mph there. Fortunately, they stayed home Saturday.
We moseyed on into Scottsdale to Scottsdale Vespa where Jes' Jim will be starting as a mechanic in a couple of weeks. They were closed, so we had Kung Pao Chicken at Panda Express. Then we called Scooter Invasion, since they are the local Buddy dealer and I'm trying to find an oil filter. They, too, were closed. So we went the a freindly Kymco dealer named Gary at Az Desert Sports. I'd give you his web address, but I lost his card. Great guy! If you live in the Phoenix area and are looking for a quality scooter dealer, he's the man! Though neither Jes' Jim nor I currently ride Kymcos, Gary was more than happy to spend about 45 minutes visiting with us. He is VERY Scarab friendly and hopes to be able to go to one of our rides soon. We would be honored to have him ride with us.
We left Gary's and headed towards Dave and Vanessa's through urban traffic. Since I don't live in a city, I found this to be a great adventure. Jes' Jim and I were on ultimate Urban Assault Vehicles! What a great time! At Dave and Vanessa's home, Dave brought out the feed bag and we dined on BBQ chicken, beans, coleslaw, rolls, etc. Had to get the best stuff before the rest of the steering committee showed up! We had a fine visit, then Vanessa got home from work. More dining. Then Damn Dirty Dave showed up followed by Cheese and Potatoes Rubio...also known as Irving and Cristian. We met and what we talked about is none of your business. You want to know, you have to join the Scarabs. Nanner-nanner-nanner.
Finally everyone left. During the course of the meeting, it had been raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock. Dave estimated the water level in his pool rose and inch and a half. Well, due to my cold, I had promised Ski I wouldn't ride home if it was raining and I always keep my promises to her. She's worth it. So the dogs (Max and Wiley) and I shared an air mattress until about 4:30 a.m. when they decided I was taking up altogether too much room and booted me off. I dragged on my clothes, wrote a note to Sir Dave and Lady Vanessa thanking them for their hospitality and headed home. The roads were still damp, but it wasn't raining. This time I headed straight up I-17 to the north. I figured that it would be relatively safe to take a scooter on a rural freeway at 5:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning. I was right. I annoyed nobody much and they pretty much left me alone. I stopped about 35 miles from home at a MacDonalds in Cordes Jct. where I again had a MacBurrito and some MacJava. Then, uneventfully, I scooted home. From Deer Valley Road in north Phoenix, where I gassed up, to Camp Verde...12 miles from home...I used .911 gallons of gas and averaged over 65 mph. It was about 90 miles. I went home with a cold in my head (still) and grin on my face. What a fabulous time! A trip of about 320 miles (including running around Phoenix) on a 125 cc scooter. I loved it and hope to do it again soon.
Hmmm. We are riding on our Fall Classic ride in November...I'd have to ride from Cottonwood to Phoenix, to Tucson, spend the night, then on to Nogales where we'll camp, then back to Phoenix and ultimately back to Cottonwood. I'd tell you how many miles, but I can't count that high....
C-ya. Ride on!
--Keys
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