North from Wickenburg

Running on the original pavement of HWY 93 leaving Wickenburg this morning.  From Nogales to Wickenburg the old road has been buried under an interstate.  A few miles down the road survey crews are measuring and marking the roadway.  New signs ahead.  "Future corridor of Interstate 11."  HWY 93 will soon become extant.  Replaced with a high speed multi-lane interstate running border to border.  Good to be experiencing the old road as its known today.

Morning light illuminates the ancient Joshua trees along the road.  A forest of prehistoric beauty.  The Joshua tree is a yucca that grows as a tree and has clusters of spiky leaves, native to arid regions of southwestern North America.  Mile after mile they stand as sentinels across the desert plains.

Late morning breakfast at the Wikleup Trading Post.  Spanish explorers, padres, and miners came to the area as early as 1550.  Indian encampments  are dated much earlier.  Flo and Milo Morgan came to the area, gathered up discarded materials, surplus ammunition crates from WWII, discarded railroad ties, and river sand from the Big Sandy River to build their restaurant.  Flo soon became famous for her tasty family meals and delicious pies.  It is easy to say their proud history and tradition for good food and service lives on.

North of Kingman a short detour from HWY 93 leads to the town of Chloride.  Following the discovery of silver in 1860, Chloride became the oldest mining camp in Arizona.  Dedicated residents preserve the once booming mining camp.  Digger Dave's Biker Bar is the classic spot in town.

Digger Dave came to Chloride to dig over 350 holes and trench a ditch for a water line.  He decided to stay when the water line was completed.  Dave is a biker, family man, lover of all mankind, and owner/operator of DIGGER DAVE'S BIKER BAR.  In less than five minutes we were like a couple of long lost friends sharing and working out all the problems of the world.

Dave is proud of his bar, his home, his Harley, and the special lowrider bike he is building for his grandson.  The world needs more people like Dave.

Back on HWY 93 fingers of Lake Mead began to appear in the canyons.  Mountains rapidly pop up from the plains.  Lake Mead is the largest man-made lake in the western hemisphere, contains 30 million acre-feet of water, just over nine trillion gallons.  It irrigates some 2.5 million acres of land in the US and Mexico.  Hoover Dam just around the corner.  

Kickstand down near the dam.  Looking for the big wedge of concrete in the morning. 

be strong, be safe, Carlan 

Whoa...what a day

Ever had a day when the sun goes down you can't believe where you have been and what you have seen?  Today was that kind of a day for me.  Sun up having breakfast in Nogales in a small family cafe.  As William Heat Moon would say.."a three calendar type of place".  Eggs cooked perfect with chorizro, beans melt in your mouth, rich black Mexican coffee.  Pay the bill, leave a tip, the waiter thanks me, blesses it and puts it into a coffee can.  Two other individuals in the cafe.  Both look up and wish me a good day and a safe trip.  Fire up the bike.  Ride half a mile and hit the border.  Looks like a war zone.  Makes you wonder.

Few short miles north from Nogales is Tumacacori.  In 1691 Eusebio Francisco Kino and his party approached the Pima settlement of  Tumacacori.  It was the beginning of Spain's northward expansion along the west coast corridor home of the Piman Indians.  In 1751 some Pimas attacked the Spanish settlement. The Spanish were driven out for a short time.  By 1786 only a hundred Pima Indians remained at Tumacacori.  Disease, encroaching settlers, and lack of government support changed their homeland.

The original HWY 93 is buried under Interstate I10 from Nogales to Wickenburg.  Temperatures reached upward of 106 degrees.  Ride 40 miles.  Stop drink a bottle of water.  Ride 40 miles.  Stop drink another bottle of water.  Yet, through the heat and burning sun the beauty of the desert continued to create a sense of wonder and beauty.

Checking into a motel in Wickenburg tonight I am greeted with a bag..."Thanks for braking with us...Yahoo".  A special "thank you" for bikers on HWY 93.

Wickenburg: A town that grew up as a gold mining camp in the 1860's.  Cowboys are often seen riding through town.  A few crusty prospectors still search for a strike.

Dinner at the Rancho Bar 7 in Wickenburg.  Ellsie shared local stories.  Met a retired art director from LA.  She told me how she only hired photographers who were free spirited and willing to take a risk.

Good to have the kickstand down in a biker friendly place.  Yea...it's a Mecca.  Another hidden paradise along the Blue HIghways of America.

Whoa...it was a very good day.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

Packin' the gear

Pack in' up the gear. Headed out at o dark hundred for a flight to Tucson. Pickin' up a bike there. Road story for HD HOG magazine. Nogales,Az to Canada via US HWY 93. If you are along the route give me a shout out.

Flyin' back and forth across the southwest just to get to Tuscon.  So much for travelin' through the skies.  Looking for the the black strip of highway with the yellow line. Tucson HD had the bike polished and ready to go.  Harley dealers are unique.  It really is all about family.  Travel to a new destination, pick up a bike, be greeted like family.  Doesn't get any better.  Roll on the throttle, ridin' south toward the Mexico border.  First stop San Xavier Mission, the white castle of the desert.  

At Amado hit the brakes for the worlds largest concrete cow skull.  Big Horn Grill.  Closed.  For sale.  Sign reads: "Don't stop here if you are trying to sell us anything.  We are broke.  Keep moving on.  If you have any extra beer you can share with us, please come on in."  What a time not to have a cooler of cold ones with me.  Keep moving.

Nogales tonight.  Real Mexican food.  Only the cook and waitress working.  Know I am close to the border.  Make the turn at wall in the morning and head north to run HWY 93 border to border.  A good day to be on the road.

be strong, be safe, Carlan 

Holy Hail Storm

The story goes something like this.  Beautiful August day in New Mexico.  Blue sky, few clouds floating around, 78 degrees, no wind, current weather forecast...dry.  Perfect ridin' day.  Talk to one of my ridin' buddies.  Let's run some two lane about 35 miles, stop get a coffee, hang out a bit and catch up on local news.  Good plan.  

Nice ride to Madrid.  Park right in front of the coffee shop.  Order up some strong brew.  Find a table in the shade.  Doesn't get any better.  Thirty minutes into that laid back catch up conversation...BIG rumbling sounds.  Sun disappears.  Sky gets coal black.  First some light sprinkles.  Turns to hard rain, turns to BIG hail.  Oh...HOLY HAIL!  Grab the rain gear out of the bike bag (oh yes...always carry rain gear..always).  Use the rain jacket to cover the tank to soften the hail pounding down on the bike.  No place to run, no place to hide.  Wait it out.

Highway is running wild with 6" of water.  Arroyos creating new channels.  Need to find a new direction home.  Not hitting the back roads on this one.  Running slow and easy.  Wet ride home.  Temp drops to about 60.  Only in New Mexico.  You know what....doesn't get any better.

BTW: ALWAYS carry rain gear.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

Sturgis Motorcycle Rally

The 76^th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally is coming up fast--August 8-14, as a matter of fact.  For those of you who always wanted to go or for those of you who haven’t been in a while, you can experience Sturgis from the seat of your sofa with my new eBook, Freedom of Expression - Portrait of Sturgis.

 The book is 4 years of work shot in classic black and white documentary style.  It celebrates the men and women who rally together every year to immerse themselves in motorcycle culture, meet up with old friends, and to enjoy a little uncensored Freedom Of Expression.

Portrait of Sturgis is available as an interactive iBook from iTunes, for Kindle from Amazon, or as a PDF.  The book is $4.99 and can be purchased through my website: Carlan Tapp Photography.  Proceeds from the book support Project Sidecar, a program to offer sidecar rides for veterans suffering from PTSD or physical handicaps, preventing them from being able to ride a motorcycle again.

Saddle up and enjoy a piece of the Sturgis action.  Thanks for your support!

be strong, be safe, Carlan 

Highway 14 - Turquoise Trail National Scenic Highway

New Mexico State Highway 14 is a 54-mile-long state road located in northern New Mexico. The highway connects Albuquerque to Santa Fe and comprises most of the Turquoise Trail, a National Scenic Byway.  This two lane beauty climbs, dips, and turns through some of the most stunning landscape of northern New Mexico.  Historically, the Cerrillos Hills provided turquoise for the people of Chaco Canyon to the north in 900 AD.

Wild Hogs, the movie that is, was filmed along HWY 14 and in the classic old mining village of Madrid.  A two laner just waiting for a motorcycle.  Wind on your back,  sun on your face, pressing and leaning into the curves, putting the kickstand down in Madrid at the Mine Shaft for a burger and music.  Just doesn't get any better.

be strong, be safe, Carlan

US HWY 550 The Million Dollar Highway

U.S. Highway 550 is the official name for the 70-mile ribbon of asphalt connecting Ouray and Durango, CO.  But it goes by several other names, as well.  The best known name for U.S. 550 as it crosses the San Juan Mountains in Colorado is “Million Dollar Highway”.  242 turns, 71 miles, three passes over 10,000 feet, mountain rivers and lakes, jaw dropping views.  One great motorcycle ride!

 An original origin myth holds that the highway is buttressed by fill dirt that contains a million dollars in gold ore. Others maintain that the name comes from a phrase used to describe a common reaction to the road’s perilous twists and turns, especially in winter: “You’d have to pay me a million dollars to drive that stretch in the snow.”

Riding the Million Dollar Highway is to have your head on a swivel.  The road soars high in the San Juans, summiting three passes: Red Mountain (11,018 feet), Coal Bank (10,640) and Molas (10,970 feet).  Everywhere are stunning alpine panoramas.  At 1.5 million acres, the San Juan National Forest is the largest national forest in Colorado. The hillsides fronting U.S. 550 contain 23 varieties of evergreens.  Shoulders are limited and no guard rails are just part of the ride.

Stopping at Molas Pass Nancy and I met two couples on Harleys.  In less than a minute we were sharing stories of the road.  They were from Oklahoma.  Making a big loop up into the Rockies and then back to the flat lands.  Brothers and sisters of the road.  It wasn't hard for all of us to have big smiles on our faces as we turned in circles taking in the grand landscape and beauty of our country.  Sharing it.  That's what it's all about.

be strong, be safe, Carlan