captainsteve
New member
Celebrated my 64th birthday with a nice 200 mile ride. Winter may be creeping in early but here in southern Arizona it is not a problem. We left at 0900 with the temp hovering in the low 40's. Highway 77 took us from Catalina (25 miles north of Tucson), past Oracle, through Mammoth and on to Winkleman where we stopped for coffee. From Winkleman to Globe is where 77 really starts being a lot of fun. Two lane twisty following the Gila River and then some serious climbing up the 12 mile 6 to 8% grade topping out at 5,000' then dropping like a stone down to Globe. Breakfast at the Apache Gold Casino with a little time to pull a couple of slots and some video poker.
We rode through Globe and southwest past the huge copper mines outside of Miami, over "Top of the World" and down into Superior where we picked up 177 and headed east back to Winkleman to close your earlier loop. This stretch of 2 lane twisty includes three 10% grades and takes you past one of the largest copper mines in the country. By the time we passed through Hayden and Kearny it had warmed up to a very pleasant 62 degrees and we began to un layer. My riding buddy is a retired motor officer having spent 27 years with the CHP in northern California. He bought his BMW when he retired and with 134,000+ miles on it he has it pretty well dialed in though he does miss the blue lights and siren. I cannot imagine a better instructor, mentor or friend to go riding with and since he lives across the street we have no problem finding lots of time to ride together. We are often joined by my next door neighbor on his Harley who brings 50 years of BMW/Harley riding/mechanic experience to the equation (from who I bought my 87 R80 RT following his thorough restoration).
It will be a little chilly this winter but after riding in our 100+ degree summers it nice to be able to just add a couple of layers and get out on the road. I feel sorry for the folks who live where winter riding is more of an adventure than I would ever pursue. It must be a serious bummer to have to put riding on hold for months at a time. I think the next ride will be an overnighter down through Tombstone and on to Bisbee. Lots of Arizona we have yet to thoroughly explore.
We rode through Globe and southwest past the huge copper mines outside of Miami, over "Top of the World" and down into Superior where we picked up 177 and headed east back to Winkleman to close your earlier loop. This stretch of 2 lane twisty includes three 10% grades and takes you past one of the largest copper mines in the country. By the time we passed through Hayden and Kearny it had warmed up to a very pleasant 62 degrees and we began to un layer. My riding buddy is a retired motor officer having spent 27 years with the CHP in northern California. He bought his BMW when he retired and with 134,000+ miles on it he has it pretty well dialed in though he does miss the blue lights and siren. I cannot imagine a better instructor, mentor or friend to go riding with and since he lives across the street we have no problem finding lots of time to ride together. We are often joined by my next door neighbor on his Harley who brings 50 years of BMW/Harley riding/mechanic experience to the equation (from who I bought my 87 R80 RT following his thorough restoration).
It will be a little chilly this winter but after riding in our 100+ degree summers it nice to be able to just add a couple of layers and get out on the road. I feel sorry for the folks who live where winter riding is more of an adventure than I would ever pursue. It must be a serious bummer to have to put riding on hold for months at a time. I think the next ride will be an overnighter down through Tombstone and on to Bisbee. Lots of Arizona we have yet to thoroughly explore.