Prescott, AZ

Prescott is, in this writers opinion, one of the "old-west" towns which has retained a modicum of authenticity. It is also a destination amenable to taking a guest, it is a nice ride and there is something interesting to do when you get there.



Mixed company at the saloon.

Whiskey Row is where most of the action happens in old-town. Oddly, it is only a two block or so long piece of AZ 89. On weekends and holidays lots of bikes, and other vehicles, congregate in the area. The west side of the street sports a variety of motorcycle friendly saloons and interesting, odd shops. Along the east side of the street runs one side of the court house park which is quite pleasant.






Most of the action in Old Town takes place on Whiskey Row
.

I happened to arrive in Prescott on Memorial day and there was an art fair set up along the park. I get the feeling from the looks of it that it is a regular event, Prescott being known for commitment to the arts as well as its western heritage.



Street fair at the courthouse park, Prescott, AZ

To make a loop out of the ride from Phoenix take I-17 north to AZ 74/Carefree Hwy. and turn west. Pass Lake Pleasant and then continue north-west on US 60 to Wickenburg. At Wickenburg catch AZ 89 north taking you directly to downtown Prescott. When you are ready to leave head west on Gurley St. which will take you to AZ 69 and


After having a pleasant afternoon in Prescott the ride home is somewhat boring, but quick. A turn to the east on Gurley Street will put you on AZ 69. And on the subject of AZ 69, with no disrespect to the fine citizens of Prescott Valley, riding east through the valley is like riding along the longest and most remote strip mall know to man.

Before too long you can catch I-17 south where you can make REALLY good time back to Phoenix. The speed limit on the open freeway is 75MPH which means real traffic speed is 85MPH and they will run you down if you do not go with the flow of traffic, so be prepared for a speedy run down the hill.

Be aware of brake lights and slowing traffic as you approach Anthem just north of entering Phoenix metro. It is a big city and there is big city traffic to contend with.

Salt River Canyon

This article really is just a preliminary report, but should be useful to other riders not having been through Salt River Canyon from the west side. As I wrote about in a previous article we got significant part of the way there when we visited Miami, AZ Recently. However, to go into more detail, just past Superior, AZ US 60 passes through Queen Creek Tunnel





The eastern end of the Queen Creek Tunnel

There is a turn out and day parking spot on the southern edge of the road just past the tunnel where one can pull over for a photo op or descend the rather steep and primitive trails to the bottom of the canyon for some hiking or rock climbing.



Rock Climbing in Queen Creek Canyon, AZ



Water, wind and time have created and enormous 3-D panorama of spires and other fascinating shapes here.



Interesting working on a photo job with the Wrench Wench...she sees small things, such as the lizard above who makes his home nearby, and I see the bigger, more dramatic scenes.



Beyond Queen creek stretches 15 miles of sweet canyon riding towards Miami heading toward Salt River Canyon. The road here is in excellent shape and this part of the ride consists mostly of back to back high speed sweepers. US60 then takes you through some more twisties and sweeper into Globe. Globe is a fairly large town for being in the middle of the desert and, most interestingly, still boasts a working drive in movie theater.





Great pillion (passenger) shot by Patti Weckerley.

Just past Globe pick up AZ 77 and ride north into Salt River Canyon. The road into the canyon continues to be of excellent quality and because it is cut out of parts of the mountain that are largely granitic, there is little danger of accidently washing out on a sand hazard or something of that nature. The road continues to get more interesting as one gets higher in the canyon. The aforementioned sweepers then become mixed up with an interesting assortment of twisties and switchbacks.



Another great pillion shot by Patti.

Our exploration of Salt Creek Canyon was unfortunately cut short by a mechanical failure which occurred at the Becker Butte Outlook. The view from which you see pictured. To our good fortune the machine was able to be restarted and ridden back to homebase. Which brings me back to what I said at the beginning of the article, this is really just a preliminary report because we were not able to finish exploring it.

However, what we did get to ride was outstanding and as you can see there are some breathtaking views. During the next couple of weeks or so a full report should be available. In the meantime, if you have a chance to head out that way it is a great ride and will take you about 300-350 miles round-trip give or take depending on where you start from in Phoenix. There is a Google map here, which will show you how to get there from the outskirts of metro. Some of the pins on the map are interactive and some are not, but it will point you in the right direction.

Back soon with a full report. In the meantime shiny side up!