Featured The Meteor Crater Ride + More Kicks On Route 66

Yes, @learningtofly, Meteor Crater and Barringer Space Museum is a privately owned family business. Actually, it seems really weird to us, too. Such types of natural attractions are typically designated some type of park or monument and overseen by the federal government or the state government where the attraction is located.

Thanks for your kind and positive comments on my trip report.

 

Thanks, @roadrider! Yes, we are incredibly blessed with the great riding all around us. In fact, our little foursome was talking about just that--and how we could probably just limit the remainder of our riding days to Arizona and be quite content. Of course then we said we might have to add New Mexico. And Colorado. And perhaps Utah.

 

Thanks, @Bikerman! I'm really glad that you and others enjoy my write ups. As I've mentioned before, I enjoy putting them together because I think it solidifies memories and also helps me to get to do the trip all over again!

What I really noticed this time around is that I've become more mindful and more observant on our trips knowing that I'll share adventures and experiences here on the forum. I find myself thinking, "Oh, cool! I'll bet my forum friends would like that or find that interesting or get a kick out of that". I also really enjoy and appreciate reading about and seeing photos from others on here about their trips and tours. It's a way to travel vicariously and learn about new places that I've not experienced in person.

 

Beautiful photos, @Vulpes! I'd not heard of this crater before. There was information at the Visitor Center about various types of craters including those from collapsed volcanos. There is a smaller volcanic crater in Arizona called Sunset Crater and it's not that far from Flagstaff, one of the towns that we rode through on this trip. We'll have to put that one on the itinerary for next time.

We definitely didn't see any of the type of wildlife at the Ngorongoro crater in Meteor Crater. Or any wildlife for that matter. I guess Bighorn Sheep might be able to scale the sides but other than that I think maybe only birds could get down in there--and back out again.

 

Thanks for your positive feedback, @Wessa. Motorcycling brings so much joy and adventure into our lives for sure. But sometimes even I am amazed at the unexpected delights that it can hold, a prime example being running across the "Motor Palace" and meeting Lori and Brian. Perhaps it's motorcycling itself that somehow makes us more open to seeing or finding those unexpected delights.

 

@joe mc donald
Joe, I should be posting the next and final installment of this trip sometime this evening, Joe. It will be short and sweet since it was our day to ride home. But we did ride through some spectacular countryside on our way back to Tucson!

 

Yes, @Dartplayer! One of the absolute highlights of our three day trip was meeting and getting to know Lori and Brian a bit and having them share their "treasure room" with us. Steve and I are looking forward to hopefully being able to host them for dinner in the near future when they make their way down to Tucson for some house hunting. And I'd LOVE to have the opportunity to ride with Lori!

 

Day #3: Old Town Cottonwood to Tucson 259 miles



We awoke on Sunday morning to another beautiful sunny, crisp day. And extremely quiet streets. Today was Halloween and, since Halloween fell on a Sunday this year, everyone seemed to celebrate last night...and sleep in this morning. So Main Street in Old Town Cottonwood was nearly deserted when we packed up our bikes and walked up the street to get breakfast.



Russ had previously eaten at and highly recommended a restaurant called Crema. Since he'd nailed yesterdays recommendations about Meteor Crater and Oak Creek Canyon, we figured we should listen to him. He was right. It was excellent! And when Steve looked up TripAdvisor reviews for Old Town Cottonwood, Crema came in at #1.

It does seem like we eat like kings (and queens) when we travel not only in quality (most of the time) but also in quantity. So, having done that for the past two days we thought, "Why stop now?!" The place was reasonably busy when we arrived at about 8AM but by the time we left people were waiting in line out the door.


I didn't take photos of my actual breakfast which was a delightful "American" breakfast of scrambled eggs with cheese, seasoned home fries, and bacon. They typically serve that with bread but I happily accepted the uncharge for a sticky bun. Our waitress offered to slather it with the icing that comes on the cinnamon rolls when I waffled between the two types of pastries and I happily accepted that, too. I nearly always opt for a cinnamon roll but was very pleased with my choice. I think I'd probably have been just as happy with the cinnamon roll. Here are photos of both. I'd ride back to Cottonwood just for these delicious baked goods!





After breakfast we waddled back down the street to the Iron Horse Inn to pack up our remaining items and check out of the hotel.

Our Motorcycle Only parking spots right by the hotel. It was really nice that both of the two hotels where we stayed had designated motorcycle parking. A nice touch and it says a lot about the number of bikes that must come through both Winslow and Old Town Cottonwood.


The courtyard at Iron Horse Inn


We'd previously ridden all of the roads that would comprise our route home today. And none of us was disappointed in that fact because these are some of the best riding roads in Arizona. Today's route started us out in Coconino National Forest and as we headed south to Payson would transition us into the Tonto National Forest. On our first day up through Show Low we rode through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. So three national forests in three days!

The area around Cottonwood is called the Verde Valley and the Verde River runs through the valley. Verde means "green" in Spanish. And when I looked that up to double check that fact, I learned that verde also means green in Portuguese, Italian and Romanian, too! The Verde Valley is quite beautiful and especially so in autumn and after the rains we had this past summer. In some ways the landscape near Cottonwood and the Verde River reminds me of northern New Mexico which I love.

As we rode towards the central Arizona town of Payson, we entered the Tonto National Forest and an area known as the Mogollon Rim. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, "the Mogollon Rim is a rugged escarpment that forms the southern limit of the Colorado Plateau. It extends across the entire forest and provides excellent views within Plateau Country and Desert Canyon Country as well. Dropping as much as 2,000 feet in some areas, the Rim provides some of the most far-reaching scenery in Arizona." The Rim itself is at an altitude of about 7,000'--8,000' and the elevation of Payson is 5,000'.

Google Image


Tonto and "the Rim" as it's called for short are stunningly beautiful. Here's a YouTube video to give you a sense of what the Tonto National Forest and Mogollon Rim area around Payson look like. Payson itself is a town of about 15,000 but that can swell to 30,000 in the summers as people escape to the higher elevations in this area.



From Payson we rode down the Beeline Highway to the eastern edge of the Phoenix metro area. This road is a joy to ride with big vistas and wide, sweeping turns with speed limits between 45mph--65mph. Or maybe 75 in some places. After dropping down into the suburb of Apache Junction we stopped at our usual Shell station to make one last gas stop and to thank each other face-to-face (sans helmets) for a great trip before the final 100 mile stretch back home to Tucson.

At the Shell station, this sweet ride pulled up right as we finished topping off our tanks. I just had to take a photo to share here as I know many on the forum appreciate not only motorcycles but cool cars, too. Check out this Dodge "Super Bee". I'd have sworn the owner said it was a 1967 but when I did a little research, it seems the "Super Bee" of that era was produced from 1968--1971. Can anyone here identify what year this one is?



I had texted our new dog sitter from the Shell station to let her know to expect us home around 2:30pm or so. I should have played the lottery today. We pulled into our cul-de-sac at 2:30pm on the nose.

It was a wonderful three days and two nights. Just like Baby Bear's Porridge in "Goldilocks and the Three Bears", our trip was not too hot (long), not too cold (short), but just right! Looking back over our trip as I've written this report, I'm amazed at how much adventure and wonder we packed into just three days and 659 miles! I hope you've enjoyed vicariously riding along with us on our Meteor Crater Ride.

 

You are welcome very much, Markus! It's nice to know how much you enjoyed my trip report and photos and I appreciate your kind comments. I always enjoy your ride reports, too. Do you have any trip plans for the near future?