Arizona

Grand Canyon & Sedona, Arizona

         

We've been looking forward to taking this to Arizona for years. Having a new truck and trailer to haul the Harley was a perfect way to go there. The drive from our home to Arizona is not very scenic...in fact it's quite deserted.

But, it's an easy drive, and we stayed the night in Needles to break it up.
 Highly recommend the overnight break. 

GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA

  
1st ride in AZ:
    A visit to the Grand Canyon is a must DO....however, it's not the best route for a motorcycle. As the tourists are not as cautious drivers and are more interested in the scenery and moose than other vehicles....🤣

    Grand Canyon is a majestic site, and it is in a national park. Expect to pay your park fee and the lookouts are all off the road. Then you park and walk to the edge for these views. If you pick up a little 'attitude' it's because this was unexpected. I expected to see a little more views from the bike, but the views are mostly blocked by trees and shrubs. Now I know... lol


We just went to the South Rim. If we go into Utah some time for another vacation, we'll visit North Rim. It was a glorious site and we saw everything we wanted to see and were done by the afternoon.
We heard later from locals that it was an unusually busy day.

Quick dinner at the Yippee-Ei-O steakhouse. It was about a 3* meal, but 

a needed break and the bloody maries were a nice treat after our ride :) 

  Doesn't take us long to be in "Vacation Mode". 

We also took a quick ride through Williams.

 It's an older western town and quite a popular tourist stop.

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Let me take a moment to tell you about our motel Little America..... it blew me away. I chose it for the location, and the large parking lot. But, was so impressed by all the amenities and the customer service that it has a resort-feel to it.

Spacious Rooms

  We ate at the restaurant every morning and a few nights. I loved walking the paths around the lush green grass. It has a pool, spa, workout room, meeting rooms and playground...even it's own convenience store and gas station.

Rained the night we arrived. 

Rustic Lodge Decor all around

Plenty of room in the lot for our truck n' trailer

Beautiful  landscape at the motel

I was tempted to carve our names in the birch trees. 

Motel Lobby

And the best cappuccino...every day!

We're ready to ride!!!!

Next 2 days we went to Sedona....once from the west side and then the east side. Going through the Coconino National Forest and the first section of the Tonto National Forest were unexpected treats.

I couldn't get enough of the Red Rocks of Sedona, AZ.

 Took a recommendation from the wine expert at our motel and visited Page Springs Cellars..... It was very pleasant and the wines were surprisingly good. I say "surprisingly" because we hadn't heard of Arizona wines. But, it makes sense, their weather is similar to ours and the rocky soils of this area make for some full-bodied red wines. And they're reasonably priced. 
We also had a great snack on their patio and took home a few bottles.

Delicious Salmon Pate and fruit tray

Page Springs Cellars

Friends told us about a little winery, Caduceus, run by a band member of Tool. We love these little adventures. And it was in this historical copper mining town, Jerome. Wish we had more time to spend here, but we arrived a little late in the day.

Jerome, AZ

Quick tasting in the Caduceus wine bar.

Where he lined up 4 tasters and
left a sheet with tasting
notes.... not much presentation.
However, the wines were
 good and we enjoyed the area.
Cheers!

Caduceus Tasting Room in Jerome, AZ

Great day of Riding.....but, I wanted to see more....stay tuned. I'm gonna work on that. 😉

Tinderbox Kitchen...so YUMMY

Excellent Italian at Fat Olives

We found a couple great restaurants in Flagstaff ...separate nights, of course. 😃

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We drove through some rain showers on the 2nd day to Sedona. We took Lake Mary road from Flagstaff. This road takes you past Mary Lakes, Mormon Lake & Happy Jack. Really worth it to see the beautiful pine, meadows, and lake views. 

Lake Mary, AZ

Another great ride suggested on Motorcycle Roads Forum.

We took a break in Strawberry to dry off and warm up at the bar

with a Bloody Mary. They were good....she had her own mix recipe. 

Sportman's Chalet in Strawberry, AZ.

Back on the Road to the hwy 260 heading down long

 sweeping turns, mostly meadows into Campe Verde and

 Cottonwood then into Sedona....coming into Sedona from the

 south is even more wonderful. 

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We also spent a little time in downtown Flagstaff....Danny found a music store.

OH, my that's a pretty bike.
 Grand Canyon HD

On our last day in Flagstaff, AZ we spent going to the HD store....stocked up on Tee's for ourselves and others, checked out 
the Roundhouse Bar & Grill before heading back to Needles...then home. 

Infamous Old Richfield gas station on Route 66

Until next time.....it's been fun and you were good to us, Arizona. 

 

Bayliner Cabin Cruiser Maiden Voyage

June 23 & 24th

   We took our 1995 Bayliner, 2452 to Pine Flat for a test run. It was a small challenge to launch on such a busy day. But, honesty, it probably took us less than 15 minutes. We're just use to doing it in less than 5 with our other boat.

Initially, we felt like we were in a yacht....felt huge in comparison to others.But, we quickly got accustomed and enjoyed the ride.
   
   
     

Danny has made many improvements, and it was exciting to test out everything. 

Here's what he's done so far:

• Water Pump
• replace sink faucet
• hot water heater
• shower on back deck
• motor to keep out salt water from engine
• replace outside hull stickers and numbers
• install BBQ

      On the list:

• Freezer for fish on back deck
• nozzle for cleaning fish 
• generator 
• pole racks
• new bumpers and holders
• change prop

    

Making breakfast on an alcohol burner stove...never used. Cooked so fast and easy to use. 

New stainless gas BBQ was a great addition. Steaks night before and sausage in the morning :) 

Pine Flat was warm, but we got a nice cool breeze at night. 

The stars ⭐✰⭐✩ were out in rare form....no way to photograph them with an Iphone. But, it was a magical night. 

HWY 33 to Ventura

DAY 1, May 17th. 2019

We have very little idea on what this ride will entail. I just know that I've seen the Hwy 33

 connection with Ventura, and it's a great way to avoid highways and busy areas.

We started our trip with Breakfast in Coalinga at Harris Ranch and then backtracked (10 minutes) to the Hwy 33 by Avenal. The beginning of the ride is quite flat and open. But, it's a great place to get some speed and enjoy the distant hills. We drove through miles of oil fields, through the towns of  Reef Station, McKittrick, but the scenery really begins to change when you reach Maricopa, as you enter the Los Padres National Forest. I could tell that had we been there just a few weeks earlier, the hills would've been in full bloom. 

Oil rigs in Lost Hills, Mc Kittrick area. 

Santa Margarita area

Maricopa

Can't quite describe or photograph these views..... so pretty. 

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We arrived in the late afternoon at the Clocktower Inn. 

Great downtown location. 

They let us park the bike in the entrance with camera security. 

Isn't this a pretty view with the fountain and the San Buena Mission in the background?

Time to go next door and get a few essentials 🙂

Paradise Pantry

 Rested a bit, opened some wine and then met Danielle for a late dinner.

Just a random pic of a cool truck. 

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DAY 2, May 18th

Santa Barbara County Loop

From Ventura we headed NE up the 33, then West on the 150 around Lake Casitas. Beautiful, lush, green landscape hills. Looks like some nice areas for camping, hikers and horseback riding. This area is known as the Casitas Pass....which takes you into the backside (east-side) of Santa Barbara.

East side of Santa Barbara. Ca

We stopped for a break in Summerland, CA. 

Had drinks and lunch at a great bar called The Nugget. 

Check out the Christmas lights strung on the deer head behind us.... in May! 🤣

  When we arrived in downtown Los Olivos and we noticed it to be very busy, we decided not to stay. It's a very popular area for Beer and Wine tasting rooms. Just too busy for us to stop, this time.

So, back on the road to look for some winery on the outskirts of town.

Stopped at the Brander winery. 

Which proved to be a cute, friendly Italian based winery.

 We liked it and the price point is very good, too. Pouring 

very young wines, imagine they would develop wonderfully if laid down.  

The weather is getting overcast, and starting to drizzle....again!

 So, back to Ventura.

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Dinner at Capriccio, Italian restaurant, downtown. With so many

 great places to eat just down the street from the motel, 

why would we drive anywhere else? 

  

Italian way to serve wine. 

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                                                               DAY 3, May 19th. 

      We are staying in town today....it's been raining and it's a good day to chill. It's quiet downtown, as I go for a walk. I decide to stay on the street, to get the occasional shelter from the rain. Also, a good time to scope out some places when all the streets are 'empty'. 

My Favorite clothing store in downtown Ventura.

I peeked in Oak & Main....new bar. Offering a "build-Your-Own-Bloody-Marie-Bar".

Getting a little leg workout with these steep walkways.

 

Bloody Mary Bar at Oak & Main..... lots of goodies 

with loads of bacon.   And would you check out that amazing bar!

 Local custom drum maker Thump Drums made it for the bar.

We had their breakfast pizza and then walked

 around town with our day buzz. :)

Danny played a few guitars at the Guitar 48

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Lazy afternoon :) I take a walk downtown and did some shopping.

 Find a cute chambray top for tomorrow night. 

Dinner at Rumfish Y Vino.

We took our Brander Cab with us. 

Danny had their coffee-rubbed Steak and 

    I had their Caribbean Fish Stew

Not my usual choice, but it was delicious. 

Had an amazing broth with come orange seasoning. 

I would highly recommend it. 

 Rumfish Y Vino.

Nice chill in the air....so I sat by the lobby fire and relaxed. 

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DAY 4, May 20th

  Tonight is the Artist's Brew event that Danielle created. So, we plan to take it slower during the day, to have some energy tonight. 

I love going for walks on the beach and the walkways. So, while Danny took his morning slow, I took in the gorgeous coastal scenery. I never grow tired of this view.

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We plan a short ride to Santa Paula, via Ojai.  The

 views seemed to flow from horse

 ranches to volcanic rocks and palm trees.....making me feel

 like we were in tropical Hawaii. 

Lots of beautiful views and turns throughout the hwy 150.

Another storm seemed to be coming in.... glad
we're not far from our motel.

This is a lighthouse, used as some kind of teaching facility. 

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ARTIST'S BREW 

AT 

THE SALOON

DOWNTOWN VENTURA

                                                           

 Getting Cozy at the Artist's Brew Event at The Saloon. 

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DAY 5, May 21st

The storm is giving us a small window to drive home today....but, we know we'll still get wet.

but 1st CHEESE!

Paradise Pantry is a must stop for wine & cheese lovers. 

We take the same route home, but it's just as breathtaking....maybe better. We felt the mist from the rain, and we did get a little chilled....but, didn't dare to stop along the way since the clouds seemed to be coming in darker. 

Near Wheeler Springs on the 33

Started off pleasant enough and then.......

                                                                                     BOOM!

But, look at these views. 

Safely home in record time.....!!!! won't say how fast Danny was going at times. 👀

Until next time.....what a quick, but beautiful trip.