|
We were greeted
with a beautiful sunrise as we rolled our motorcycle out
of the garage with the promise of a gorgeous day for
riding motorcycles in Arizona in January. It was a crisp
morning but the weatherman promised warmer temperatures as
the day progressed. In the meantime, those of us with
electric vests or jackets were planning to plug in and
turn on!
Forty-seven excited members riding 40 motorcycles met at
the Chevron station on Via de Ventura and the 101 where we
were enthusiastically greeted by Ride Hosts Don and Judy
Walton. Members were excited to see one another and
anxious to kick off the 2010 riding season and were
looking forward to dining at Marcela’s. Several of the
ladies who had signed up for the ride decided to wait for
warmer weather before joining their mates on a club ride.
Don gathered the Ride Captains together and went over the
route and the two/gas bio stops and set up the staging
areas for the 3 ride groups. At 8:30, Group 1 departed led
by Host Don Walton and swept by Dan Wood. Ten minutes
later, Group 2 left led by Ray Williams and swept by Ed
Graham. Following up 10 minutes later was Group 3 led by
Tom Clements and swept by Christian Belzunce.
The temperatures seemed to drop as we headed south towards
Casa Grande and our first gas/bio stop. Getting out of
Casa Grande posed somewhat of a challenge for some of us,
including Ray Williams, who was leading group 2. As Ed
Graham said, “What’s a BMMC ride without at least one
U-turn?”
Heading south out of Casa Grande on BIA-15, (Bureau of
Indian Affairs) we were all amazed and fascinated by the
many roadside memorials (Brent counted 61!), particularly
on a road that was fairly straight with light traffic (75%
of traffic was Border Patrol SUV’s). We went through
one Border Checkpoint on the way down and one on the way
home, both who just waved us through. Hardly a mile
passed without seeing at least one memorial and many were
quite elaborate and decorated with items that must have
been significant in the lives of the departed. We saw
everything from teddy bears to baseball bats. These
roadside memorials are called “Descansos”, which in
Spanish means “Place of Rest”. Per our Internet research,
these memorials can be decorated for the holidays and
special occasions in the person’s life.
The scenery on the way down was typical lower Sonoran
desert with a mix of flat desert floor and a smattering of
low mountains thrown in. Some felt the scenery was *utt
ugly; others find beauty wherever they look. Take your
pick; we do live in Arizona. Did anyone else see the large
Cristate Saguaro on your right hand side of the Tucson-Ajo
Hi-way?
Our groups took their time at our second gas/bio stop as
we were running just a bit early and Ride Host Don Walton
advised Marcella’s would not be ready for us until about
12:30. As we entered the outskirts of Ajo, we were greeted
by tall hills of mining tailings from the abandoned copper
mine that closed in 1985. Most of us parked in a spacious
gravel parking lot across the street from Marcella’s. BMMC
rapidly filled every seat and booth even spilling out onto
the patio and the air was filled with the happy chatter of
hungry motorcycle riders. Marcella’s did not disappoint
and the Mexican cuisine was hot and flavorful. The toasted
burritos were delicious and lived up to their advance
billing.
Marcela, the founder of the restaurant, passed away a
couple of years ago and her daughter, Artamisa, is now the
proprietor. She proudly told us all of the food is fresh and
homemade. The slideshow has a photo of Artamisa who is
standing next to the portrait of her mother.
Don Walton led a group back to the valley while others
rode back in their own groups. Others toured the very
pretty town square before heading back to the valley.
Most of us rode at least 300 miles...it was a very good
day.
We wish to thank our Ride Host, Don & Judy Walton for
organizing and leading this fun and delicious ride to Ajo.
Thanks also to our dedicated Ride Captains who led and
swept our groups leading them safely to our destination.
What a great start for the 2010 Black Mountain Motorcycle
Club riding year!!! Next month is Lunchin' in
Bagdad...stay tuned!
1/17/2010
|
