The Gold Wing Chapter copied me on email and advised they were meeting at the Buffalo Soldier Trail (Circle K) gas station at 8AM Wednesday morning to discuss where to go on the weekly breakfast/luncheon ride. Sometimes this group rides further than I normally do - and they stop at distant restaurants for breakfast or lunch; and while I like breakfast (hot oatmeal, with sliced peaches, and a slice of toast), I usually have it at home before I go on a ride. On the road, with the bike, I usually take a half tuna salad sandwich, perhaps a few nuts or maybe sliced oranges (courtesy of the wife), plus a bottle of water, and then stop off along the roadside for a snack. Sometime later I may stop off at a Burger King (or some such place) for an ice cream, on the way home.

Today, I struggled with whether or not to go on the breakfast ride, due to hot weather this time of year, but since they were starting early I thought it would be an opportunity to get out of the house and back before it got too hot. Decided I'd stop off and see what they had in mind. I arrived at Circle K about 8:20, and as I was pulling in, the group was mounted up and pulling out.......so decided to join them and see what direction they were headed - I could always drop out. They headed north on Hwy 90, toward Huachuca City and probably on toward Benson, so I figured the destination might be the Wilcox truck stop - wrong, as they turned eastbound, at Whetstone, onto Hwy 82. Highway 82 east takes you to a dead end at the intersection of Hwy 80, near a Border Patrol checkpoint, where the choices are north to St David, or south to Tombstone. I could always peel off and go through Tombstone and on to Bisbee, if they turned toward St David. After all, there is a Burger King with good ice cream just outside of Bisbee.

The group turned towards Tombstone, so I continued on still not knowing the final destination. Arriving at Tombstone I discovered they had decided to stop off on historic Allen Street at the Crystal Palace Saloon, an old west style pub with a long history, for the breakfast. All parked, there were about 8 or 9 bikes, we walked to the Crystal Palace. Problem - it was a little after 9, and all the saloons/pubs were closed. One would surely think, on Allen Street, in Tombstone, Arizona, where the infamous Gun Fight at The OK Corral still takes place daily that a hot breakfast could be found. Following a discussion for alternative stops, it was decided to continue on to Naco, USA, a little town on the Mexican Border, at Naco, Mexico. There was a golf course club there with a restaurant open for breakfast. So off we went heading toward, and through Bisbee, then on to Naco - passing right by that Burger King, I mentioned earlier. I thought of leaving the group as we passed the Burger King, but decided, since I'd never been to the golf course restaurant, I'd tag along and see what was there. Turned out it was a nice place with reasonable prices, and even though I had thought about having only coffee, I wound up ordering a (big) pancake with an ‘over easy’ egg on top, later to be covered with butter and hot maple syrup. Good round table discussion about motorcycle stuff; Africanized bees; in home swamp coolers; fingerless gloves; (due to us older guys having skin problems from the sun), and other older retired ‘guy’ small talk. The coffee was great and the service was courteous and quick.

Arriving back in Sierra Vista just before noon, I stopped off at the same Circle K for gasoline (always filling up before arriving home so as to have a full tank ready for the next ride), and to check my mileage. The tripometer showed 99.0 miles as I arrived at the gas pump, and once filled up (have to use premium gasoline due to the air cooled engine), determined I was still getting 43 miles per gallon. The Gold Wings use regular gasoline, as they are water cooled. Another 1.8 miles to my garage stall - and I was home. Boy was it getting hot!
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Welcome to the forum from Mesa, AZ. Sounds like a great ride! Glad you had a good time and are adventurous! Getting a little hot for me to be riding (been a heat casualty before). This time of year we meet at 7pm and head towards Superior/Globe or Colidge usually. Stay hydrated!

 

Yes, welcome! My wife and I have been down to Tombstone/Bisbee/Sierra Vista many times on my Road King. Never to Naco, however. Will put that one on my bucket list for sure. It always ends up being about the food somehow.

 

Man ya gotta start carrying a camera, sounds like a great ride.

 

Great read. Sounds like a great day. How'd you meet the Goldwingers? Nice of them to invite you.

 

Had a great weekend and put on some good miles on the highways in the pines near Flagstaff, AZ. ABATE put on a dang good party with some good adult type entertainment as well as the people games and a couple thousand bikes to look at. My pics suck, but you get the idea....

Seems it would be a hoot to get a few forum folks to join in next year as plenty of camping room. Doing the run in June avoids the monsoon storms that soaked us year after year in July.

 

Met one while on my morning walk. He told me he walks regularly to keep the legs working so he can hold that Goldwing up. He's a nice fellow who, when he found out I ride, invited me to join in with some of their weekly rides. Next thing I know, I'm being copied on the weekly emails. He's 78 years old. I thought I was the granddaddy at 75 - just goes to show you.

I guess the lesson here is it matters not what you ride, but keep those legs working so you can ride.

 

Ah yes...good ol' Too Broke For Sturgis. This was the first year in the last 7 that we didn't go. Glad the weather was nice and you had a good time.