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The Third Saturday Ride for November had 37 motorcycles and 44 riders meeting at the Chevron station on the (West!) side of Loop 101 and Via de Ventura. Most riders were ready and eager for the briefing that began on the dot at 8:15 a.m. The weather was perfect, starting cool but warming into the low 80s by the time of our return to the Valley.

Tom Clements, ride host, gave a briefing to the Leads and Sweeps of the four groups and passed out directions and some maps of the few tricky places. (As it turned out, the construction he had discovered on Friday in Casa Grande had been completed overnight so the detour there was unnecessary.) Dennis Manning, co-host, had to cancel at the last moment due to a minor medical condition as did another planned Lead rider. However, due to the abundance of RCs willing to serve, replacements were quickly arranged and all went well. A big Thank You goes to all of the Lead and Sweep Ride Captains: Tom and Ed Graham for Group 1, Gene Adee and John Logsdon for Group 2, Glenn Murray and Pam Donner for Group 3, and Todd Gerber and Jim Boomer for Group 4. Well done! It is obvious that the Riders Guide is being read and followed by our members!

We had one mechanical. Bob Cannon had a clutch cable break, was unable to shift our of high gear, so he pulled off at an exit ramp from I-10 shortly after the ride began. With such a big group, we were happy that no other problems arose.

All groups made the planned pit stop in Casa Grande before continuing south onto the Tohono O’Odham Nation. There is a lot of gorgeous desert out there! It seemed that the most common sights, after the desert vistas, were (1) lots and lots of Border Patrol vehicles, and (2) lots and lots of roadside crosses/monuments. Wow! Why do so many souls meet their Maker on this highway?

Marcela’s Café in Ajo surprised us all by how well they seated and served our large group. The wait staff was friendly and efficient, the food was zesty, and the prices were reasonable…it don’t get much better than that!

Although some participants chose to return on their own, a large number stayed with their groups for the homeward bound leg, with a gas/bio break stop in Maricopa before re-entering I-10 for points north.

Thanks also go to Ron Small and Sue Siegel for taking these pictures.

A great day with good friends and a safe, fun, ride…just another typically superb BMMC event!