Celebrating 50 years while beating the heat...
My bride and I just returned yesterday from a great 9 day trip up to the White Mountains where we celebrated our 50th anniversary. {Yes, we got married when we were 12... we didn't want to but had to} :S
We'd planned a an elegant party for 25 of our closest friends and relatives last January but of course had to cancel to keep everyone safe. Instead we sat beneath our awning drinking a nice bottle of 2008 Dom Perignon {courtesy of my very generous BIL}. Filet Mignon accompanied by a nice baked potato with the works and Cheese Cake for dessert rounded out a great night.
We started out at the Heber RV Resort which is a nice facility about 30 miles west of show Low. The sites are a bit tight/close together but the amenities are very nice. We tow our cargo trailer hauling my motorcycle so we could ride the many great roads found in the White mountains. In six day of riding we logged 750+ miles over some of the most awesome bike roads in America.
After 4 days In Heber we moved 100 miles east to the Rainbow campground at Big Lake located at 9,150'. Here is a shot of our site at Rainbow:
Just 20 miles down a very twisty road from our site we reached the Devil's Highway {formerly AZ 666 but folks kept stealing the signs so AZ Dept of Transportation rebadged it AZ 191 - seriously, Google it}. We had ridden the DH from south to north a couple of years ago and the incoming Monsoon thunderstorms limited our rides to the northern half but it is still widely regarded as the finest motorcycle road in America... Over 1,100 curves in less than 120 miles and at least one quarter of those curves are first gear events. :E Most of the DH takes place at or well above 7 - 8000' and the views are nothing short of awesome. This was taken at the Blue Vista near the midpoint and one of the highest portions of the DH:
We had Elk wandering through the campground and the Black Bears are seen on a regular basis. Afternoons usually brought spectacular Monsoon thunderstorms and we usually get up to Rainbow a couple of times a summer as when you are 9,150' the heat of Tucson is all but forgotten.
Anywhere in Arizona {and probably most of the ret of the country} requires reservations this summer as all of the campgrounds are full or nearly so but we had no problems keeping our distance as did most of our fellow campers. Most of the sites at Rainbow are huge and very well dispersed. Out riding it is just my bride and I and we would pack a nice lunch for the longer rides as we do not eat anything that I have not prepared {that has been true for 4.5 months now but fortunately I love to cook}.
:B
We'd planned a an elegant party for 25 of our closest friends and relatives last January but of course had to cancel to keep everyone safe. Instead we sat beneath our awning drinking a nice bottle of 2008 Dom Perignon {courtesy of my very generous BIL}. Filet Mignon accompanied by a nice baked potato with the works and Cheese Cake for dessert rounded out a great night.
We started out at the Heber RV Resort which is a nice facility about 30 miles west of show Low. The sites are a bit tight/close together but the amenities are very nice. We tow our cargo trailer hauling my motorcycle so we could ride the many great roads found in the White mountains. In six day of riding we logged 750+ miles over some of the most awesome bike roads in America.
After 4 days In Heber we moved 100 miles east to the Rainbow campground at Big Lake located at 9,150'. Here is a shot of our site at Rainbow:
Just 20 miles down a very twisty road from our site we reached the Devil's Highway {formerly AZ 666 but folks kept stealing the signs so AZ Dept of Transportation rebadged it AZ 191 - seriously, Google it}. We had ridden the DH from south to north a couple of years ago and the incoming Monsoon thunderstorms limited our rides to the northern half but it is still widely regarded as the finest motorcycle road in America... Over 1,100 curves in less than 120 miles and at least one quarter of those curves are first gear events. :E Most of the DH takes place at or well above 7 - 8000' and the views are nothing short of awesome. This was taken at the Blue Vista near the midpoint and one of the highest portions of the DH:
We had Elk wandering through the campground and the Black Bears are seen on a regular basis. Afternoons usually brought spectacular Monsoon thunderstorms and we usually get up to Rainbow a couple of times a summer as when you are 9,150' the heat of Tucson is all but forgotten.
Anywhere in Arizona {and probably most of the ret of the country} requires reservations this summer as all of the campgrounds are full or nearly so but we had no problems keeping our distance as did most of our fellow campers. Most of the sites at Rainbow are huge and very well dispersed. Out riding it is just my bride and I and we would pack a nice lunch for the longer rides as we do not eat anything that I have not prepared {that has been true for 4.5 months now but fortunately I love to cook}.
:B
