Featured Rideout 3 Days, 3 Rideouts, 3 Bikes...and 4 Good Friends

This past weekend was wonderfully filled with "Moto Therapy". Arizona is in the throes of a COVID spike...but we are not in a lockdown. At least not yet. So Mr. Sandi and I planned three rides over three days and rode to a couple of favorite little restaurants that offer outdoor seating. It was nice to ride with several of our riding buddies whom we've not seen in quite some time.

This photo was from our Day #2 ride and shows my Speed Triple and our buddy's "new" (to him) 1991 H-D FXR. That's our buddy with the mask and Mr. Sandi checking out his bike.


Day 1: Friday
Route: Tucson to Oracle and the Oracle Patio Cafe
Motorcycle: H-D Low Rider S

Today we met up with a ride buddy with whom we ride nearly every week and also another friend who recently traded his Harley touring bike and KTM adventure bike for a 2020 BMW R1250RS. He has had some health problems this year so has only been out on his new bike a few times. We rode up to the small town of Oracle, which I've posted about before. Oracle is about 35 miles to the north of us and about 2,000 feet higher in elevation...which also means that it's lower in temperature! Today we woke up to temperatures in the 30'sºF. So we planned a leisurely start time of 11:00am and had lunch at the Oracle Patio Cafe rather than our usual breakfast.


Though the cafe has lovely indoor seating, because of COVID they are only serving on their back patio. The cafe itself is in an old house and the indoor seating is distributed among many smaller rooms which were various rooms when it was a home. The cafe also has a small market with local offerings that's just inside the front door. With a mask, one can go in that part of the cafe to make purchases.


Our (now) BMW riding buddy had the meatball sub and loved it.


I opted for something called Chile Rellenos that was sort of breakfast / sort of lunch. Oracle Patio Cafe's rendition of this iconic Mexican dish happens to be Mr. Sandi's favorite version in all of Tucson! I'd not had it before today and now I know why it's his favorite. Yum! I'll certainly order it here again. The chile rellenos at this cafe is served with two eggs made to order. This is actually a fairly common variation of the dish, at least here in Arizona. That "red sauce" on my eggs is NOT ketchup. It's a hot sauce called Cholula, which just sold to a larger parent company about a week ago for $800 million!




We parked across the street from the cafe in front of the Oracle Inn. Sadly, Oracle Inn is a casualty of COVID and is closed for good. One of the servers at the Oracle Patio Cafe said that the owners of the building will try to find operators to reopen it when the pandemic has subsided. We were very sad to see it closed as it has also been a place we've enjoyed over the years.

From left to right:
2020 H-D Street Glide Special (ride buddy)
My H-D 2020 Low Rider S
Mr. Sandi's 2017 Street Glide
2020 BMW R1250R (ride buddy)


I peeled off from the group on the ride home to swing by our local H-D dealership. I'm ordering different handlebars for my touring Harley that will put me in a better riding position (a little higher with some pullback). Plus it was an excuse to extend my ride. Here's my bike in the H-D motorcycle parking lot. Not too busy, as you can see. Good for me--fewer people milling about in COVID times--but not good for the dealership. You can also see that we actually do have a tree here and there that turns colors in the fall.


Days #2 and #3 in next post...

 

Day 2: Saturday
Route: Tucson to Oracle and the Oracle Patio Cafe (yes, again)
Motorcycle: Speed Triple RS

Today we met up with a couple at a local coffee shop not far from their house. After chatting for 45 minutes or so we decided it was time to get on the bikes and head to lunch. They had never been to the Oracle Patio Cafe before so that's where we pointed the bikes even though Mr. Sandi and I were just there yesterday. But, hey, we love the place plus we were with different friends and I was on a different bike. And it was another beautiful, though quite chilly, day.

The cafe was very quiet today and we are hoping that they can hang in there until COVID is in our rear view mirrors. In the meantime we'll do our part to support them. It was nice to ride with these two friends and it's one of the rare times that I get to ride with another woman it seems. In the past couple of years the women friends with whom I used to ride regularly don't seem to ride much anymore.


I saw this article on the front door of the cafe and was happy to see this place get some nice recognition. They deserve it!


I didn't think to snap a pic of my lunch today but it was delicious! I had a smoked turkey with bacon and tomato croissant sandwich served with homemade potato chips which were some of the best potato chips I've ever had. Our buddy had a funny combo--the french toast special with a side of...potato chips. Sweet and salty. He certainly loved the combo!

Today's bikes from left to right:
1991 H-D FXR (ride buddy)
My 2019 Speed Triple RS
Mr. Sandi's 2017 Street Glide
2003 H-D Softail Standard (ride buddy) She had it custom painted when she bought it. No, that pink is not a stock Harley color.



Here's Mr. Sandi checking out our buddy's new purchase. He just bought this H-D FXR about a week ago from a guy in Phoenix. It has about 40K original miles on it and much of it is stock and in great condition. For our buddy, this is one of the newest Harley's he has owned! He loves the vintage bikes--and is a major fan of the FXR line in particular. So he's a happy camper. And his wife is even happier because this is one of the most reliable bikes that her hubby has owned since they've been together.



Day 3: Sunday
Route: Tucson over Gates Pass and out to Coyote Pause Cafe then around Saguaro National Park West
Motorcycle: H-D Street Glide Special

There were only three of us die-hards out today. Two of our buddies had planned to go but texted their regrets. One guy was taking his granddaughter to the zoo and another was quarantining at home with his wife in anticipation of traveling to Los Angeles in a week to spend several weeks with their son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter. But we soldiered on and rode anyway. Our group was small but mighty. Well, not that mighty. But we did enjoy ourselves.

Again we left later than usual since the temperatures continue to be on the chilly side for us desert rats. The temperature after we had our breakfast and continued our ride through Saguaro National Park West was 54ºF. I had on my battery-operated heated vest set on 25% and it was perfect.

Today we rode to Coyote Pause, another restaurant that we've been frequenting in The Age of COVID. They have a great courtyard patio seating area and you can order your food then they'll bring it to the backdoor for you or sometimes deliver it to your table. Today is was very quiet and we had the courtyard all to ourselves. This restaurant does offer some indoor seating but at greatly reduced capacity. Mr. Sandi and I have decided that the one thing we'll NOT do during COVID is eat indoors at a restaurant. We feel lucky to live in a climate where we have numerous outdoor dining options...which we appreciate now more than ever.




Not the most flattering photo, but this is my favorite breakfast at this place--a mesquite flour pancake with maple syrup and their "Southwest Scramble" which included cheese and nopalitos (prickly pear cactus pads). Restaurants who are mostly serving food (especially outdoors) on paper plates--another COVID thing.




Today's bikes from left to right:

Mr. Sandi's 2017 H-D Street Glide
My 2020 H-D Street Glide Special
Our buddy's 2020 H-D Street Glide Special

Yep, all three Street Glides!


Three days, three rideouts, three bikes--and good friends. Life is good. And three cheers for MOTO THERAPY!

 

Chile rellenos is a wonderful Mexican dish, @roadrider! There are multiple places in Tucson that made a great version of it. And that is "red sauce" on those eggs--just not the "red sauce" that you'd call "red sauce". Glad you enjoyed my write up.

 

It feels good to get out and ride, @Ducatitotriumph, but I do have to say that Mr. Sandi and I along with a few of our riding buddies have had conversations in the past week about whether or not to ride. Although we're not in lockdown, the situation in hospitals isn't looking good. So it hasn't been a no-brainer to just hop on the bikes. We've chosen distances and routes accordingly and are trying to be smart and safe as best we can but still live our lives and do things that improve our mental health and keep a semblance of normalcy in our lives. If we do into lockdown again (which our governor swears he won't do no matter what the circumstances), we won't have a choice and will abide by the lockdown requirements.

Yes, food. I do love to eat (and drink, but that's for the What You Drinking Tonight? thread). Mostly I think I have my father to thank for my genetics. He was a quite wiry, active, and fit farmer most all of his life who also could eat a lot and never seem to be the heavier for it. So I know I'm very lucky for that. The one other thing that's helping these days is my daily (or nearly daily) walks. In addition to riding that's my other form of "therapy" during COVID. My walks get me out of the house for a chunk of time--and although Mr. Sandi and I love one another dearly, people were not designed to spend 24/7 together!

 

Thanks, @learningtofly. I do love my Street Glide Special. Mr. Sandi and I are looking forward to the day that we can pack up the bikes and do a proper long road trip.

We are trying our best to support local businesses even just in our own small way. But more and more we are reading about or seeing the ramifications of COVID on small businesses, particularly but not only the restaurant industry. The fallout from COVID already is absolutely tragic--and we're still in the thick of it. The deaths are the biggest tragedy of all. But there's also people's livelihoods and so many other aspects of life that are negatively impacted.

 

Thanks, @steve lovatt. We are having some lovely winter weather. Rather brisk temperatures but dry roads and sunny blue skies. Even the chilly weather is fine, even quite "refreshing", especially compared to 100º+ temperatures we experience for five months of the year. As Mr. Sandi always says, "There's no such thing as bad weather--just inadequate gear".

 

Thanks, @Bikerman! And it's always a pleasure to do the write ups for members like yourself. As I've said, I get to enjoy my rideouts again after the fact when I go through photos and describe our adventures.

 

Hi, Daniel.

I am so sorry to read about your curfew, your weather, your short and dark days, and--most of all--how trapped and crazed you feel. I would certainly have my ride bells eat the virus if I had that power. If they had that power. Maybe if I add more bells to my bikes??

Although it's not the same thing, I think felt some of those same hemmed in and trapped feelings you are describing back when I was injured after my bicycle accident. I was helpless and completely dependent on my husband to do everything for me and for our dog and for our home. I couldn't really go anywhere or do much of anything. But I knew there was a light at the end of the tunnel and that it was just me feeling that way at the time, not an entire planet.

I can emphasize with your feelings about "the grey and the cold and the murk" having grown up in Minnesota. I clearly remember how, even as a teen, I loathed winter and I left for California at my earliest opportunity. That winter bleakness adds even more to the feeling of claustrophobia that COVID and lockdowns and curfews bring. Tucson actually is under a curfew as of about a week ago. It starts at 10:00pm each evening and ends at 5:00am. Because Mr. Sandi and I haven't been doing much in the evenings during the pandemic, the curfew has had little direct effect on us. But for some--including many of those who own or work in businesses such as your friends--it has a severe negative impact and may even mean the demise of their business.

I definitely don't take our weather or our outdoor dining opportunities or our ability to ride our motorcycles for granted In fact, I realize how lucky I truly am. As you said, there are so many who are worse off than we are. So many have lost loved ones this past year to CVOD--some on this very forum. There are others who have lost their jobs or their homes. No one has been left untouched.

As long as we're not under a stay-at-home order I will most likely continue riding my motorcycles. However, I'm finding that most everything these days is a day by day decision as long as COVID continues to wreak havoc. I will continue to post as well so perhaps those who can't ride can ride and see blue skies vicariously at least. I am encouraged by the distribution of COVID vaccines which has begun. Today was the first day that people in the U.S. got vaccinated. The number of doses we currently have available is small in the grade scheme of things but more is on the way.

Hang in there, Daniel! And I hope your friends can hang onto their businesses.

Love back atcha,
Sandi

 

Sounds like we're on the same plan for 2020 (and into 2021 it appears), @ColoradoManny.

And you're right about the chili rellenos. Not health food...but definitely comfort food!

 

I'm glad to send a little vicarious sun your way, @Hubaxe! I'm also glad you're out of lockdown and hopefully you'll get a break on the weather soon, too.