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Cyclerides.com Weekly Update
8/8/12
 
Greetings Riders,
 
Well, I trust you are all enjoying what will hopefully be our last major heat wave of the summer here in Phoenix. I saw as high as 119 on my car mirror yesterday before it settled on 117. That is HOT! The good news is that when it cools down to 105 next week we will all be feeling like that isn’t so bad any more. Good news is September is not that far away and moderation in our high temps should come with that.
 
Last week I gave you Day 3 of our Road Trip 2012 that covered Feather River Scenic Byway and surprise of the trip Lassen Volcanic National Park. If you missed that letter and the pictures, Click Here to View.
 
This week I will be covering Days 4 & 5 from Road Trip 2012. As with any road trip that you do, it is not awesome scenery the entire way, there are always what I call travel days to get you from one destination to the next. You just try and pick some back roads that will make the transition a little more interesting. That would be the case on Day 4 as we left the Shasta Motel and small town of Burney, CA. Our destination this day was to be Boise, ID so that we could launch on Hwy. 21, the Ponderosa Scenic Byway through the Boise National Forest on Day 5. The first 140 miles leaving Burney took us through some pine trees to start and then farm land with views of Lassen Peak and Mt. Shasta for several miles along the way on Hwy. 299. Here is a cool picture I took with Mt. Shasta in my rear view mirror and Lassen Peak over the top of the mirror. Click Here to view.
 
Our first gas stop was 140 miles away in Lakeview, OR on Hwy. 395 just North of Goose Lake. One of the things that we do on these trips is to mail dirty clothes back to ourselves every 3 days to lighten the load in the saddle bags and to make room for the new shirts we pick up along the way. The post office at Lakeview was the perfect place to do this. A medium Flat Rate box from the P.O. holds everything we need to ship and only costs $11.50. Not bad to clear out the bags a bit.
 
From Lakeview we followed Hwy. 395 past Lake Albert to Burns, OR. This has to be one of the loneliest and desolate roads that we have ever been on. Landscape looks a lot like the moon and I don’t think we passed more than 20 cars in 100 miles on this section. Amazing there is even a road there at all. But roads like that do make for adding more miles in a shorter amount of time. Just don’t take this road for the scenic value. The next stop was after another 140 miles in Burns before taking Hwy. 20 for another 130 miles to the Idaho border at Ontario. Just for the record, Hwy. 20 is actually a pretty enjoyable road to ride on. Much better than the tire eating 395. After gas again at Ontario, we headed South on I-84 to find a motel for the night after taking a quick ride through downtown Boise. This is a beautiful old town with one of the more majestic capital buildings that I have ever personally seen. Click Here to View.
 
After a 480 mile day we were finally checking into our Best Western Timber lodge at exit 57 of I-84, the start of Hwy. 21. Idaho State Highway 21 is the Ponderosa Pine Scenic Byway, primarily a two-lane highway from Boise to Stanley. It passes by historic Idaho City and the village of Lowman to the western edge of the Sawtooth Mountain Range, part of the Rocky Mountains, then along their northern boundary to Stanley. The road is designated as one of Idaho's scenic byways and provides access to Sawtooth National Recreation Area from Boise. It starts at 3000 feet in elevation primarily following the Boise River and its tributary Mores Creek to the Boise Basin and beyond, and then the upper South Fork of the Payette River and a tributary from Lowman to its highest point at Banner Creek Summit, elevation 7056 feet. At this point you enter the Challis National Forest.
 
Idaho State Hwy. 21 is 125 miles of an absolutely great motorcycle ride and is a “must do” if you are in Idaho, or to even make it a destination ride. The road is in great condition, beautiful scenery through the pines and a visit to the old town of Idaho City is well worth the stop to absorb the history that it has to offer. Idaho City was founded in 1862 amidst the Boise Basin Gold Rush during the Civil War. At its peak during the mid-1860's, there were more than 200 businesses in town, including three dozen saloons and two dozen law offices. Its 1864 population of 7,000 made it the largest city in the Northwest, bigger than Portland. Wood was the prime source of both shelter and heat, which caused Idaho City to burn four times: 1865, 1867, 1868, and 1871. You can see some pictures of Idaho City in the photo gallery below.
 
The last 15 miles heading South into Stanley will give you outstanding views of the snow covered Sawtooth Mountain Range which is where we got our beautiful photo op of the trip. In Stanley, Hwy. 21 terminates at 6250 feet at the junction with Hwy. 75. This is where you will begin the Sawtooth Scenic Byway that will take you over the Galena Summit at 8700 feet and then into the beautiful towns of Ketchum and the famous Sun Valley, ID. Sun Valley is famous for their ski resorts, Robert Redford’s film festivals and homes to several famous people including Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffett, Clint Eastwood, Bruce Willis, Opera Winfrey and Bill Gates to just name a few. It is worth a stop in Ketchum and Sun Valley to take a ride around to explore this beautiful area.
 
We even ran into a couple of Cyclerides fans while we were there. I have always said if you see us out on one of our road trips, and stop to say Hi, you will get your picture in the newsletter. Mike and Laura Rogers did just that in Ketchum, ID. They are from the Phoenix area and were on their way to Yellowstone. In fact they had printed off some of our routes on Cyclerides.com. Laura recognized me in the restaurant while we were getting our drinks. We ended up eating lunch with them and sharing ride stories. Here is our Group Shot. Thanks to Mike and Laura. Glad you had a safe trip.
 
After about 2 1/2 hours in the Ketchum/Sun Valley area, we headed on South to Hwy. 93 to Arco. Our original plan was to go to Jackson, WY for the night. But by the time we got to Arco it was already 5:30 PM and we had 170 miles to go to get there and a lot of it would have been through major deer country in the evening hours, so we decided to go North from Arco on Hwy. 93 and head toward Missoula, MT where we would prepare to ride the famous Lolo Pass. After 220 miles of riding from Ketchum, we found a really nice motel on the Salmon River in Salmon, ID. It was the perfect place to stop to cap off a 420 mile day. Hwy. 93 is a really nice ride from Arco to Missoula, especially past Challis. It gets better the farther North you go.
 
Next week I will review our eventful ride down LoLo Pass in Idaho.
 
Click Here for Map of Day 4 & 5
Click Here for Photos of Day 4 & 5.
 
Useful Links:
 

 
This Week
 
Month of August!
For the month of August, Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale is offering a special financing rate as low as 2.74% with approved credit. This rate is only at Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale. Call 480-905-1903 for details. Also, celebrate the Dog Days of Summer with all Sirius/XM Radio’s as well as Garmin/GPS on Sale. See flyer for details. Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale is located at 15600 N. Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ. 480-905-1903.
 
Next Week
 
Friday, August 17th
Arrowhead Harley-Davidson “Hot August Nights”. Don’t miss what has become a very popular and well attended event. Arrowhead HD Hot August Nights Car and Bike Show and Bikini Contest. Ride in, Drive in or bring the family to one of the best Car and Bike Shows in the West Valley. It all takes place Friday, August 17th from 5 PM – 9 PM. There will be Live Music, Free T-Shirts for the first 100 Car or Bike entries, Trophies for various categories including Best of Show for Car, Bike and Bikini. Register NOW to display your Car, Bike or Bikini. Email Mhains@ridenow.com or call 623-247-5542 to enter. Arrowhead HD is located at 16130 N. Arrowhead Ftn. Blvd. in Peoria, AZ, just South of 83rd Ave. and Bell Rd. See you there!
 
Saturday, August 18th
Buddy Stubbs Anthem Hogs & Dogs. Ride up to Buddy Stubbs Anthem Harley-Davidson on Saturday, August 18th, where they are serving up a healthy dose of SAVINGS along with FREE food and drinks! Enjoy up to huge savings off select hats, gloves, hydration vests and functional riding jackets from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.! Enjoy these great discounts and relax on their misted patio while the bikini bike wash girls give your motorcycle a much needed cleaning. These deals won’t last, so be sure to stop in and grab them before they are gone! For more information regarding this event go to www.anthemhd.com or call (623) 465-1122. Buddy Stubbs Anthem H-D is located at 41715 N. 41st Drive, Anthem, AZ.
 
Saturday, August 18th
Omega Academy Fundraiser. Omega Academy is a k-12 non-profit charter school that had their A/C units stolen over Christmas break. They have very little funds for anything especially A/C units. Instant Barter is sponsoring a charity event to bring public awareness to their plight and help raise funds to pay for A/C. Their biggest need right now is the fact that teachers will be in their classrooms this coming Monday and school starts on Aug 20th. We are working diligently to find anyone willing to donate or help us pay for 25 portable 1200sq' capacity A/C units for the classrooms to make it through the rest of the summer until we can get the entire A/C job completed. Fundraising event Saturday, August 18th, 10 AM - 4 PM, 8632 W. Northern Ave., Glendale, AZ. Please contact laurashorb@instantbarter.com for more information.
 
Extras

Mid Week Updates will be made on the Cyclerides.com Facebook. New Easy to remember Facebook address. Go to Cyclerides.com Facebook. Over 3900 FANS! Take a look at all the new photos posted on the wall. If you are not on Facebook, you can still view the page, but you will not be able to post. There will be a link there for you to sign up for Facebook if you are inclined. Click the LIKE button!

Check out this hovercraft plane. Great little invention. Click Here to View

Here is a funny video that fits right in with the Olympics. Click Here to View.
 
Video of the Week: Here is a great animal story that shows a man helping ducklings from a building. Good one. Click Here to View. Click on the Video of the Week graphic on the page.
 
If you would like to sign up for the Cyclerides.com Weekly Update Click Here.

Until Next Week,
Blessings and Safe Riding To All,

Barry Caraway
"The Road Is Yours - Take The Ride"
www.cyclerides.com

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