I'm leaving Indiana in the morning and headed to southern Arizona. Wish me luck! This will be a 10-11 day tour of the general area.

I plan on passing through Roswell NM on the way down (perhaps see an alien ?!?!?!). Should be there Friday sometime. From there I'll make my way towards Tombstone. Still haven't decided how I'm getting there from Roswell but hope to be in/through Tombstone area Saturday sometime.

Beyond that I"ve looked at several routes around and between Tuscon and Phoenix while making my way towards the Prescott and Sedona area. Still not sure how I'll be getting there since there are several interesting options. Any suggestions?

I'll have to wait and see when I get to the Sedona area before I decide if there is enough time to visit one more area before heading back to the Hoosier state.

What I really need for y'all in Arizona to do is make it stop raining!! LOL Looks like it will be a pretty wet weekend. Oh well.

Any suggestions on "must see" routes or stops along my general route would be greatly appreciated. The last two years I toured northern NM, AZ and southern UT so I'm concentrating this trip on places south of 40.


Thanks for listening.
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Watch out for flash floods

 

If you're heading to Prescott and Sedona, stay off the I-17.....

Head towards Wickenburg from Phoenix, then go North on the 89 to 89a, both Prescott & Sedona will be on those routes. I've driven from Flagstaff, South along the 89a/89, to Wickenburg passing through Sedona & Prescott along the way... .. great drive!!!


Funny about the rain.... In 2012 I rode my new Ultra Limited (that I bought in Rochester,NY) back to my home in San Diego. The bike got rained on twice, parked at night, along the route home. But it never rained on me while riding... that is, until I left Wickenburg!! Yep, all those miles and I got rained on in the desert!!!

 

this is monsoon season.

most storms will build in the late aft from the SE.

the cells will generally move by in 15 or 20 minutes, grab an underpass and wait.

if I were you I'd come in another month when it is very very nice.

89A is very good ride and can follow up past flagstaff and go to grand canyon...or take 160 to kayenta then loop monument valley



hwy 60 from NM ( stop at pie town) is good to globe, you can turn off to tucson there on 77

AZ has some of teh best riding in the USA.


with monsoon season, watch for flooded washes, flash floods and silt build up on the roads- take rt hand turns wide in the lane, silt builds up on the inside of corners

mike

 

Thanks for the quick responses!

Is the "monsoon season" just in the southern region? What is it's coverage area?

Would I be better off staying to the north? Southern to central Utah or perhaps Nevada?

Unfortunately, waiting another month would not be an option at this point


Thanks.

 

Hey last week they had a massive dust storm in Phoenix.

 

monsoon season will run about 3 more weeks- impacts AZ and NM up into the 4 corners area.

wunderground is the free app I use for radar and you can easy scan ahead

last nights storm played havoc...lost a couple of trees


2.) the desert is an extreme climate..temps peak at about 3pm- we are at about 105 these days with an overnight low of 85 at 6am. AZ has great variations in elevation, Northern areas may be 25º cooler

find a sunscreen that won;t sting your eyes
cover up! bare skin allows moisture to wick out
wear a light colored jacket ( I use a 3in1)
try to drink a quart of water an hour, 1/2 pedialyte or gatorade at fuel stops. cold fluids will help to lower body temps but are not as quickly absorbed by the stomach
signs of dehydration are confusion, slow response and poor balance- all bad on a bike.
if you find your self doing something stupid like blowing a stop sign. take a break

IF you are not peeing, you are not drinking enough water.

we have had ( and do every year) a great number of visitors who have died from the heat

3.) late afternoon is when the elk start moving in the high country...out of the shadows onto the roads- their eyes do not reflect much light, just a tawny patch on the behind...loud pipes do not scare them- I have seen a group walk right out in front of a logging truck

4.) dust storms- you will see it coming...get as far OFF the road as possible- turn all your lights off. move away from the bike. it will pass in a short while. the danger is a driver loosing visibility and trying to follow taillights...they run into stopped vehicles. the danger is being rear-ended not the dust.

mike

 

Flagstaff and Williams Az. are must see places. Esp. the west rim of the grand canyon.

 

My wife and I are leaving Saturday morning for AZ and NM as well. Gonna hit the Williams area and may even head up into UT as well. Hope it's not too wet of a ride.

 

Take the train ride to the west rim. You even get to be robbed by train robbers. One day round trip.