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The Lunchin’ in
Bagdad Ride again proved to be a very popular event as 101
members signed up for the Saturday, February 20th Ride.
Ride Host, Jim Whiting had everything in place for a
picturesque ride to Bagdad and a delicious lunch at the
Circle Bar Steakhouse. Then, Mother Nature decided that it
was going to rain on Saturday and unfortunately, she was
correct.
With the weather forecast calling for rain in the Valley,
late morning, 76 hardy members met in dry weather at the
departure point hoping for a dry ride or at least a light
shower ride to Bagdad. Host, Jim Whiting quickly gathered
the members together for a pre-ride briefing, as weather
was rapidly deteriorating in the direction we were
heading. Jim advised the riders to get suited up in their
rain gear, and the first group departed for Wickenburg.
Just past Lake Pleasant, it started to rain on the first
group, and upon their arrival at the gas stop in
Wickenburg, it had become a down pour. A number of riders
decided that it was only going to get worse, and made the
decision to abort the balance of the ride and seek refuge
at one of the restaurants in Wickenburg for a late
breakfast and a chance to warm up and dry out.
The first group led by Jim Whiting with four riders
following headed up Yarnell Hill. About half way up the
hill, the rain turned to “SNOW”. The riders pulled off at
Yarnell and quickly made the decision to carefully turn
around and descend down the hill to Wickenburg.
Ride group #2, led by Randy Bierbaum also made it part way
up the hill, ran into the snow, and Randy made the
decision that it was not safe to continue, turned around
the group and led his group safely back down the hill.
With the weather rapidly deteriorating, the other groups
aborted in Wickenburg or prior to reaching Yarnell Hill.
However, there was one exception, one of the BMMC Ride
Captains continued onto Bagdad alone, selecting the route
up Highway # 93 and by passing the snow covered Yarnell
Hill. I am sure that you can all guess who this was, “our
marathon rider, Gene Adee! Gene made it to the restaurant
and enjoyed the challenge of trying to eat 80
hamburgers!!!!! (See Slideshow Photos).
We are fortunate as we live in one of the most desirable
motorcycle riding states in the country and there have
been very few BMMC rides that have been cancelled due to
inclement weather. BMMC would like to thank all of the
members who showed up at the departure point and endured
the rainy weather to Wickenburg. We are hopeful that we
will be able to reschedule the luncheon in Bagdad Ride
sometime later in the year. We would also like to
acknowledge our Ride Captain Group that safely led the
members to the first stop and made the right decision to
not continue when riding conditions deteriorated.
A very special thanks to Ride Host, Jim Whiting for all of
his effort and hard work, pulling together this very
popular 3rd Saturday Ride. Hopefully, we can talk Jim into
hosting the event at a later date.
We are sure that everyone was disappointed that we could
not take advantage of the ride to Bagdad; however, we are
hopeful that it was considered an adventure, and an
opportunity to enhance our wet weather riding skills.
Although, riding in the rain is not always desirable, you
should possess the skills and confidence to proceed if you
should encounter rainy weather.
3/3/2010
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