Rim Ride in AZ

[Backmarker]

Got up this morning and it was such a nice day I decided I couldn't let you guys have all the fun! So I got out the Mille and headed for them thar hills. It was nice and cool when I left the house, and had the new iPod mini with ER6 Isolator earplugs. Unfortunately where I live in the middle of Hell, you have to ride for at least an hour to get to anywhere good. Ok, except for the one local ride of Tortilla Flat. Pick the wrong time there and it's RV city. So I hit this for about an hour on the way toward The Rim. It's a really beautiful area that runs from around Flagstaff way to the eastern part of the state. It's a great place to go to get away from the summer heat in PHX. This road is called the Beeline. It used to be a nice 2 lane twisty fun road from PHX to Payson. But it got too busy and congested so now, it's almost a super slab...

Next slide please...

[Backmarker]

On the way up to Payson is the "town" of Rye. There's a diner and a few other businesses. Including this one. This guy has so much stuff. Is it for sale? Who knows. He calls it a "museum" but you can see what he considers museum quality. From what I hear, if you do try to buy, it's really tough for him to part with his treasures so bring your Visa card with the big limit.

[Backmarker]

Once you finally get up past Payson and on to the Rim, that's when the trees finally happen. It got quite a bit cooler too. There was still a little snow tucked away here and there. I closed the vents at this time. You go thru the (very) small towns of Pine and Strawberry. It's nice and twisty and 2 lanes but unfortunately, there is also lots of traffic. I had to wait to take photos to make sure there were no cages in them. Keep in mind I take snapshots, not photos like you folks. I really do need to learn how to use this fancy camera!

Next slide...

[Backmarker]

There's a couple of nice side roads that link over to I-17. One of them is Lake Mary Rd. I like this one. It's very scenic and there's also a little gas station (that was cheaper than PHX!!) and a diner near the turn off. It's called Clints Well. For me, it's the perfect spot to fill up. The range on the Mille is not all that great. I'm not heavy into the throttle either. Although today for some reason I got into a groove and pushed myself a little more. I did good! Lake Mary Rd only has 2 cops that patrol too. One near Flagstaff and one near Clints Well. So once you see one, you're good to go to the county line. This area is our version of the Sierras but not quite as pretty.

[Backmarker]

Last ones. I know, yea!! On the way back home, there's a nice short section of the old hwy that's left. It doesn't really go any where except back to a couple of homes and a dirt biking area. It's a good dirt bike area too. I rarely ever see anyone on this stretch either. Too bad for them, good for me!!

All in all, it was a nice day despite the ick of getting to the good part. But the iPod worked perfect and the earplugs were really good too. They will take a little getting use to though. It was fairly warm by the time I got home around 2:30. A little over 90. But with the Cool Skins, the leathers slide right off.

Hope y'all had a chance to get out and ride without any mishaps.

Renee

[zrx12rider]

Very nice!

[xs400]

Nice pics, thanks for posting. Those look like great roads. I have to get out to AZ someday.

[that_guy_you_know]

great pics

[Hypnos]

The sweeper in your penultimate photo is sick.

[Warrior]

Where is that last section of hwy that you have pictured?