Cyclerides.com Weekly Update

9/25/13

Greetings Riders,

Well, I hope all of you in the Phoenix area are enjoying the break in weather that we have gotten for the last few days. And by break, I mean under 100 degrees. I personally had reached my breaking point on hot weather and am more than glad to trade in my sweat towel for a sweatshirt. Looks like it will be great for the Cyclerides.com Westgate Bike Night presented by Arrowhead Harley-Davidson and Ridenow Powersports with a high of only 92 on Thursday and evening low of 69. Stop by and say hi while enjoying live music by the Backstage Crew. If you were there for the Firefighter Appreciation night a couple of weeks ago, or if you were not, check out these excellent photos by Rusty Childress. Click Here to View.

In the newsletter last week I started my series on what I call our Nashville Ride 2013. It covers our first couple of days in the very cool city of Nashville, TN with photos from the area. If you missed it, Click Here to catch up. This week will cover our first day of riding that includes a stop in Franklin, TN, Lynchburg, TN to the Jack Daniel’s Distillery and on to Cleveland, TN.

We got an early start on Sunday to embark on 7 days of riding the Smoky and Appalachian mountains while touching 6 states along the way. As we left downtown Nashville early Sunday morning on Broadway, I couldn’t help but reflect on what only a few hours earlier was a neon lit, music filled street with thousands of partiers, was now a sleepy little town that you could feel was merely resting up for another exciting night in Music City. Our destination this morning was a short 20 mile ride to historic Franklin, TN, founded in 1799, for breakfast.

This entire area around Nashville is filled with Civil War history, but Franklin is where one of the biggest and bloodiest battles of the war took place. The Battle of Franklin was fought in the city on November 30, 1864, resulting in almost 10,000 casualties (killed, wounded, captured and missing) and turning forty-four buildings into field hospitals. After breakfast in downtown Franklin, we rode out to visit the historic Carnton Plantation. Carnton became the epicenter for tending the wounded and dying after the Battle of Franklin on November 30, 1864. The home was situated less than one mile from the location of the activity that took place on the far Union Eastern flank. It was on Carnton's back porch that four Confederate generals’ bodies were laid out for a few hours after the Battle of Franklin. If you are in the area, it is a beautiful ride out to this plantation and worth the visit.

From Franklin we took Hwy. 431 South to Hwy. 129 to Lynchburg, TN to visit the Jack Daniel’s Distillery. This was a very pretty ride across the Tennessee countryside on 431. And the smaller 129 meandering through the farming area into Lynchburg was even better. The town of Lynchburg is a one stop light town with a population of 5700 people. But it happens to also be home to one of the oldest and biggest whiskey distilleries in the world. Ironically, it also happens to be in a “Dry” county. Which made for a catchy tag line, “the wettest little dry county in Tennessee”.

We are not whiskey drinkers at all, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to tour the oldest registered distillery in the United States and hear the history behind one of our best known and iconic brands. Prohibition was a big part of our American history and Jack Daniel was a big part of that.

We rode into Lynchburg and parked in the old town square near the Harley dealership. There were probably 40-50 motorcycles parked around the square as this is a big stop for riders from around the world. We left our bikes there and took the 1/4 mile walk along a walkway through the trees to the welcome center of the distillery. This is a modern building that tells the story of Jack Daniel’s with displays around the room. At this point you pay for your tour and receive a ticket and armband that will allow you to take the next available tour. When your letter is called, your tour guide will gather you up in the projection room for a short video about Jack Daniel.

From there, you board a van that will take everyone about 1/2 mile up the hill to start the tour at where they burn the wood for the charcoal filtering process. Jack Daniel's whiskey is filtered through sugar maple charcoal in large wooden vats prior to aging, which is an extra step that is not used in making most Bourbon whiskey, and the company claims that this makes the product different from Bourbon.

You now start your trek down the hill to the Cave Spring where the cool iron free water used to make the whiskey comes from and supposedly is what makes it so good. This is also where there is a life sized bronze statue of Jack guarding his precious spring. Well, actually a little more than life sized. Jack only stood 5 feet 2 inches tall, but somewhere along the line, the maker of the bronze added another 4 inches and Jack now stands 5’6” in bronze. The story goes, and you could hear a few versions, that at the age of 13, Jack started watching how to make moonshine from a local man. He learned the trade well and started making his own and running it. The man who owned the spring, which was crucial to this premium whiskey, wanted to get out of the business and sold it, and the land to Jack in 1866, at the age of 16 years old, for $25. Not a bad investment. It sold to Brown Forman in the 1950’s for over $25 million.

From there we walked to Mr. Jack’s small office where he came to do his daily business. In this office was a safe that holds great significance to the well being of Jack Daniel. The story goes that Jack came to work early one day and couldn’t remember the combination to the safe. He tried but could not get it open. Being frustrated by not being able to get into his safe, he kicked it and broke his big toe. Not being one who liked to go to a doctor, he ignored the problem that eventually turned into gangrene. He died from that in 1911 at the age of 62 years. A common joke that is told during the tour of the distillery is that all Jack had to do to cure his infection was to dip his toe in a glass of his own whiskey to clean it.

From there, the tours takes you to several different buildings that include a walk through where they heat the mash and mix it in huge containers. You are allowed to look into the giant vat and even smell it. You won’t want to leave your nose down there long as it will clean out your sinuses immediately. You then go to the still house where you see the whiskey being distilled into a clear liquid that looks like water. The next area shows the whiskey being sprinkled over the charcoal that gives Jack Daniel’s whiskey the special flavor that it has. Once again, you are allowed to look into the vat of this process and smell the whiskey.

The last stop is the bottling building that hand bottles the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel whiskey. These are barrels that are aged, hand picked, tested and deemed to be the best Jack Daniel’s whiskey that you can buy. They are individually bottled right there at the distillery. You can even buy an entire barrel of it if you like. So why did Jack call his whiskey Old No. 7? Was it simply his lucky number? Some say that Jack Daniel had seven girlfriends or the #7 train carried his barrels. Only Mr. Jack knows the real reason. But ironically, it was 1907 when he got ill and gave the distillery to his Nephew before he died.

You end the tour back at the welcome center where, even though this is a dry county, you can buy a bottle of their special bottled whiskey that includes Gentlemen Jack and Single Barrel that they will engrave for you. As I said before, we don’t even drink whiskey, but we couldn’t pass up buying a bottle for a souvenir from our visit to a piece of American history that was engraved with a motorcycle on top, followed by:

Barry & Tammy

Nashville Ride

August 25, 2013

Click Here to see Photo of it.

This was a very interesting tour full of history that I would recommend to anyone that happens to be in the area, or even close. You will not be disappointed. The grounds of the distillery are beautiful and the ride to Lynchburg is excellent. From there, our next destination was to be the Cherohala Skyway that would take us to the Tail of the Dragon. So we made our way on the back roads out of Lynchburg toward I-24 winding our way through a small piece of Georgia before going through Chattanooga and catching I-75 to Cleveland where we would end our 250 mile day primed to start the Cherohala Skyway the next morning.

Check out some of the video’s on the Jack Daniel’s web page. Very interesting. www.jackdaniels.com

Come back next week where I will give you my review on the infamous Tail of the Dragon. You might be surprised by my what I have to say. Will it be a myth buster?

Click Here for Photos of Jack Daniel’s and Franklin.

Keep in mind, Jack Daniel’s does not allow photos inside the buildings. But there a plenty from outside.

Click Here for Map.

Tidbits and Updates

**Saturday morning I had the chance to take a ride up to Cottonwood to check out the Thunder Valley Rally. I wasn’t able to stay for the concert, but I could see that the event was well organized and improved from past years. Congrats to Jim Moore and all those involved for a job well done. And to Cottonwood for opening up their town as a destination for motorcyclists to ride to and party in their streets for the weekend. Being that close, I couldn’t pass up a ride up to Jerome. There were a lot of bikes up there as well. It was a nice little 220 mile round trip. Always glad to sneak in one of those.

Bike Nights

New Fall Season!

Every Thursday, Sept. 12th – Nov. 14th

Cyclerides.com Westgate Bike Night this Fall being presented by Arrowhead Harley-Davidson and Ridenow Powersports. Bike Night began Thursday night, September 12th with a HUGE crowd and will continue for a total of 10 nights ending on November 14th from 5 pm – 9 pm. This Thursday, you will once again be able to enjoy a party every Thursday night with Live Music, Vendors, Restaurants, parking on Coyote Blvd. next to the fountains and Hundreds of motorcycles to look at as they cruise by. This is the place to be on Thursday nights for sure.

Attractions this week:

Live Music this week with “Backstage Crew” 6-9 PM.

Grab your riding buddies and stop by to enjoy Live Music, Restaurant specials and other special events along the way. Click Here for Photos from the first night. For excellent photos from Rusty Childress of the Firefighter Appreciation night Click Here.

Here are the details for the Cyclerides.com Westgate Bike Night presented by Arrowhead HD and Ridenow Powersports:

Where: Westgate City Center, Loop 101 and Glendale Ave. SE Corner. Next to Jobing.com Arena.

When: Thursday nights beginning March 28th – June 27th

Time: 5 PM – 9 PM

What: Bike Night. Live Music, Food, Fun, Vendors, Motorcycles and Sturgis Style Cruising down Coyote Blvd.

Click Here for Flyer.

Thanks to our Presenting Sponsors Arrowhead Harley-Davidson and Ridenow Powersports:

Arrowhead HD

Your local Harley-Davidson dealership and proud sponsor of the Cyclerides.com/Westgate Bike Night. Stop by and see the latest in what Harley-Davidson has to offer. Speak to one of our trained sales staff about what Harley-Davidson motorcycle would be right for you. We are located just South of 83rd Ave. and Bell Rd. 623-247-5542.

Ridenow Powersports

Stop by and talk to our staff at bike night or at one of our many valley locations. We feature many brands including Polaris, Yamaha, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Honda, Can-Am, BMW, Victory, KTM, Spyder, and Ski-doo. Click Here for a list of our locations.

And to our Associate Sponsor Curly’s Customs

Curly's Customs. Curly's Customs is a full service Custom Paint & Body Shop for the motorcycle enthusiast. 623- 977-0339. Stop by and see them at Bike Night.

Scottsdale Victory and Indian Motorcycles. Scottsdale, Arizona NOW has it's own INDIAN & VICTORY Motorcycle Dealership! The New 2014 Indian Motorcycles revealed at Sturgis on August 3rd are NOW AVAILABLE for PRE-ORDERING! Be the First to OWN a NEW INDIAN MOTORCYCLE that will revolutionize the Motorcycle Industry! Stop by and See us at Bike Night.

Bike Night Restaurant Specials.

I have worked very hard to get the restaurants to come up with some consistent bike night specials. I think they have stepped up very well this year to offer some good deals. There will be restaurant specials all season long that include offers from:

McFadden’s - 10% discount on your bill when you show your M-class license on Bike Night. Plus, bikers can enjoy regular happy hour specials, including $2 domestic Drafts, $3 Wells and $5 Appetizers from 4-7pm.

Calico Jack’s Cantina - $19.99 Bike Night Platters with Nacho chips, mini-chimis, onion rings and jalapeno poppers, plus a pitcher of domestic draft beer. Enjoy 10% off your bill when you show your M-class license on Bike Night.

The Shout! House - $9 Natural Black Angus Burger, Fries, and Beer special ($15 value) and a FREE cover for 2 card to come back on the weekend ($10 value) when you show your M-class license on Bike Night.

Kabuki - Take 15% off when you show your motorcycle license during Westgate Bike Night. Valid only during Westgate Bike Night events. Dine-in only. Valid only at Westgate City Center location. One offer per table per party. Not valid during Happy Hour and Reverse Happy Hour. Cannot be combined with any other offers or rewards. Excludes alcohol, tax, gratuity and gift card purchases.

Saddle Ranch - 2 chicken tacos for $5.50*. Classic pints of draft beer for only $3.75 when showing M class on license. Plus, bikers can enjoy regular happy hour specials from 4-6:30pm with 50% off all appetizers and drinks. *Valid from 6:30pm to 10:00pm on all Bike Nights, excluding event days when there are concerts, sporting or other events at the Center, Stadium or Arena.

Mama Gia’s – Enjoy $3 domestic beer and $.50 cent wings with an order of 24 or more when showing M class on license.

Shane’s Rib Shack – Free 10 piece traditional chicken wings with the purchase of 20 traditional chicken wings when you show your M class license. Plus, domestic beer for $2 per bottle.

Whiskey Rose Bar & Grill. Take 10% off your bill when you show your M class on license. Excludes Alcohol.

This Week

Saturday, September 28th

Arrowhead Harley-Davidson Bikes and Bikinis. Join Arrowhead Harley-Davidson for a day full of fun.

Don’t miss this always popular event at Arrowhead HD. Clean out the garage, make some money for new chrome.

SWAP MEET: 6 AM – 1 PM. Bring those old parts sitting around the garage and sell enough of them to buy some new chrome! Used parts only. No competitive items or bike sales. Space is limited so call 623-247-5542 or email ahdebay@ridenow.com to reserve your spot.

FREE Lunch: Hot Dogs served 11 AM – 1 PM. While supplies last.

FREE Bikini Bike Wash by the Arrowhead HD Girls from 11 AM – 3 PM.

Arrowhead HD is located at 16130 N. Arrowhead Ftn. Ctr. Dr. in Peoria, AZ.

Saturday & Sunday

September 28th & 29th

Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson Open House and Factory Demo Rides! You’ve seen the new 2014 Harley-Davidson lineup and you are ready to test ride? Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson is hosting FREE Factory Demo Rides September 28th from 9am to 5pm and September 29th from 10am to 4pm. Bring your gear or borrow some from us and see what the most technologically advanced Harley ever built is like! All the while, join the crew at Buddy Stubbs AZ H-D for a Wide Open House Harley style with FREE lunch (while supplies last), a bikini bike wash, museum tours and much more on Saturday September 28th from 11am-2pm. The weather is beginning to break and riding weather will only get better so ride on over to Buddy Stubbs Arizona Harley-Davidson. AZ H-D is located at 13850 N. Cave Creek Rd. Phoenix, AZ 85022. Or catch them on the web at www.buddystubbs.com.

Saturday, September 28th

Gatekeepers Points Ride. Benefiting the Arizona Burn Center Pediatric Trauma Unit. Check-In at HD of Scottsdale from 9AM – 11AM located at 15600 N. Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ. 4 Stops include Cocomo Joe’s, Greasewood Flat, Rio Verde Fire District and Hooter’s of Scottsdale for a Wing Lunch. Last bike in at Hooter’s 2PM. Games at each location for points. Goodie Bags, Drawings & More. Live Music by Whiskey Dogz. $20 per person or $35 per pair. Double Points Day. Receive double points on all purchases at Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale.

Saturday, September 28th

Knight Games and Bike Show. Hosted by the Green Knights from Luke AFB. Benefits Mary Ellen’s Place and Sallie’s Place. Event time 9:00 AM to 3 PM. Come out and play Biker Games while enjoying Live Music, Great Food, Raffles, Skills Challenges, Vendors and Biker Kids Area. Event location Coyote Honda, 10555 Papago FWY, Avondale, AZ. 85323. $10 Donation to participate in the bike games. $10 donation to enter the Bike Show. See flyer for more details.

Next Week

10/1/13 – 10/31/13

Arrowhead Harley-Davidson H-D Sunglasses by Viva Sale. For the month of October we are having a 20% OFF sunglass sale on all of our Harley-Davidson Viva Sunglasses. Fantastic selections of goggles, day/night sunglasses and Pink Label styles. All Harley-Davidson Viva sunglasses comes with a 3 year warranty. And best of all, they won’t break the bank. Average price is around $40. The Harley-Davidson Collection is revved up for Spring 2013! The Spring Collection draws its inspiration from the iconic brand itself. With an eclectic range of colorations, intricate details, and materials, the collection features styles that are both classic and contemporary in design. Highlights of the collection include details such as the iconic bar and shield logo on branded chrome temple tips, sleek cut out temples, stone accents, and leather accented temples. Click Here for more details and styles. Arrowhead HD is located at 16130 N. Arrowhead Ftn. Ctr. Dr. in Peoria, AZ.

Wednesday, October 2nd

Westgate Hot Rod Night. Westgate City Center will be hosting a Hot Rod Night at Westgate on Wednesday nights starting on October 2nd for 6 weeks through November 13th from 5-9 PM. Live Music. Come down and check out the hot rods hosted by Nancy Perry Productions.

Saturday and Sunday

October 5th & 6th

Chandler Harley-Davidson Ride The 2014’s Demo Days. The Harley-Davidson factory demo truck will be on-site at Chandler Harley-Davidson, fully-loaded with 2014 H-D Motorcycles for you to test ride for FREE!! Saturday and Sunday 9AM – 4PM. Just for coming by you can also enjoy a FREE Lunch from 11am – 1pm both days while supplies last, Raffles throughout the day and a Bikini Bike Wash by the Chandler Harley-Davidson Girls. PLUS! The DRAG Specialties truck will be on-site both days. Purchase any item from the DRAG Specialties truck (in stock or order) and receive 10% Off. Have it installed Saturday or Sunday and receive 15% off your purchase. Come out and see and ride the new 2014 HD Motorcycles for yourself. Chandler HD is located at 6895 W. Chandler Blvd. in Chandler, AZ. 480-496-6800.

Saturday, October 5th

Choir Boys C.U.F.F.S. Run. This is the 18th Annual Fallen Officers Run. Rain or Shine, Open to all Bikes. Registration at Bass Pro Shops located at 1133 N. Dobson, Mesa, AZ from 8:30 AM – 10:30 AM. Ride Fee $15 per bike, $5 per passenger. Finishing point is Superstition Harley-Davidson located at 2910 W. Apache Trail in Apache Junction, AZ. Live Music, Food Vendors, Car Show, AR-15 Raffle, KDKB’s NeanderPaul Live Remote. End of ride party is open to the public.

Upcoming Events

October 11th – 13th

BOB’S Biker Blast 2013! This year enjoy 3 Days of Activities at Bob’s Biker Blast taking place at Harley-Davidson of Scottsdale. This year Bob’s Biker Blast features SOA Bobby autograph signing and Headliner’s Grand Funk Railroad and Country Music Star Gary Allan on Saturday night. Free admission for all riders with motorcycle endorsement. Goof for 1 rider and 1 passenger. $20 donation for all others. HD of Scottsdale is located at 15600 N. Hayden Rd. in Scottsdale, AZ. 480-905-1903.

Friday

Featured Events start at 4PM:

Food & Drink, Mechanical Bull, Live Band-Aero Train, Fashion Show.

Saturday

Featured Events start at 10AM:

Vendor Expo, Cardinals Cheerleaders, Burritos & Bloody Marys, Food Trucks,

Twin Peaks Bikini Contest 5:15 PM, Live Music all day starting at 11AM.

SOA Bobby Autograph Signing 11AM – 1PM.

Bob Parsons welcome and bike giveaway at 9 PM.

Headliner Grand Funk Railroad at 7:30 PM.

Headliner Gary Allan at 9:30 PM.

Sunday

1-Stop Poker Run to benefit PCH. 7AM

Concessions and Beer Garden with Sunday Football 10AM – 4PM

Stunt Riders show every 20 minutes 11AM – 4PM.

Events will take place at HD of Scottsdale, GoAZ Motorcycles and the Demo Track. Click Here for Details and Times.

Extras

Mid Week Updates will be made on the Cyclerides.com Facebook. New Easy to remember Facebook address. Go to Cyclerides.com Facebook. Over 4400 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!

Some old Johnny Carson clips are the best. Here is Dom DeLouise performing an egg trick. Click Here to View.

Jeff Dunham is a great ventriloquist. Here is his blooper video that has gotten over 4 million views. Click Here to View.

Video of the Week. This is a great commercial for the Ultra HD TV from LG. A real “gotcha”. 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