Az & NM brain trust?

[Vagrant]

and N.M. brain trust. I just looked at the next ten days weather. Wow! Maybe even 80's in Silver city NM. Based on if it truly might rain Tuesday I'm heading north either Monday or Wednesday for some different roads on the just serviced V85. I love Alpine Az. and the Silver city area roads and am pretty familiar with them. I see on the Butler maps some good looking roads near Prescott Az. If the whole week holds out I could do both areas. Is Prescott as good as it looks? Naturally Strawberry area will get covered too.

[kingoffleece]

Yarnell Hill is a total blast

[azccj]

Prescott to Jerome and Prescott to Bagdad are both nice rides. If you're willing to do dirt roads, Crown King is nice to ride to.

[guzzisteve]

Visit the dealer while in Prescott, a good one. I remember seeing him on the cover of Dealer News years back.

[JJ]

Visit the dealer while in Prescott, a good one. I remember seeing him on the cover of Dealer News years back.

Yes, go see Jim Knaupp at Powersports Outlet on Montezuma Street in downtown Prescott.  He has a nice shop and plenty of Guzzi's and other brands on the floor. 

Also, winter weather I believe is over....(See below)

[Vagrant]

So where is Yarnell hill?
Route #?
I had intended to stop and see Jim. I bought a used bike in 21 from him. Nice guy. I was surprised to see no 25-26 V7 bikes. Mostly 23-24. Things must be slow with Guzzi's for him. I really want to see the new Green special somewhere. Tucson has nothing pretty either!

[JJ]

So where is Yarnell hill?
Route #?
I had intended to stop and see Jim. I bought a used bike in 21 from him. Nice guy. I was surprised to see no 25-26 V7 bikes. Mostly 23-24. Things must be slow with Guzzi's for him. I really want to see the new Green special somewhere. Tucson has nothing pretty either!

Yarnell Hill starts just outside of Wickenburg....up the hill toward Congress and just south of Peoples Valley.

[Vagrant]

That's the one on the Butler map that originally convinced me to go to the Prescott area in the first place. I see there is a short run S. on Vulture mine rd I also plan on hitting. As much as I hate 4 lanes I think I will take 10 to Wickenburg rd then the fun should start. I'll find a motel in Prescott for a day or two and hit all the roads in the area on the Butler map. Then on to Payson then Alpine. If I don't make it to Silver city this year that will be OK.

[JJ]

That's the one on the Butler map that originally convinced me to go to the Prescott area in the first place. I see there is a short run S. on Vulture mine rd I also plan on hitting. As much as I hate 4 lanes I think I will take 10 to Wickenburg rd then the fun should start. I'll find a motel in Prescott for a day or two and hit all the roads in the area on the Butler map. Then on to Payson then Alpine. If I don't make it to Silver city this year that will be OK.

Plenty of cool little (affordable) motels in and around Prescott.   The road from Payson to Alpine is good and very scenic!

[Vagrant]

Sorry for not posting as I rode but I only had my phone and I hate using it.
My only plan was to leave Wednesday am and ride areas in Az I haven't spent any real time in so I went west to Prescott. I did Wickenburg road and Vulture mine rd on the way up. I stopped at the old Encore dealership and said hi to Jim and the guys. Really nice folks. I bought a set of rubber grommets for the V85 rocker covers from them. I stayed in town that night and had the best seafood chimichanga I've ever had. I spent Thursday riding all the roads on the Butler map. I had to do the road to Bagdad twice seeing as my map flew out of my pocket and did an excellent job of getting lost. On the second twenty mile loop back I found it. Great road to do twice. I stayed in Flagstaff on Thursday night. 
 

[Vagrant]

Some really cool places near Flagstaff. Like sunset crater national monument. Really wild lava formations and Indian ruins just north of them. I wound up in Payson Friday night. Lots of great Butler map roads around there. I headed towards Alpine Saturday am hopping to hit the back roads to Big Lake. 273 had a huge snow drift in about 14 miles so I went back and came in on 261. I made it all the way to Alpine on it. I was two weeks earlier than all the other times I've done this route and yet this was the only time the ice was off the lakes up there. Of course there is very little water anywhere as the drought continues.

[Vagrant]

Alpine has a small motel I've stayed at for years. Sportsman's Lodge. The owner has an old K75 BMW and the place is clean but small. There was a herd of Elk bedded down in the dry lakebed across the street. Alpine is about 8000 feet and it hit the low 30"s Saturday night. I waited until 8:40 to leave Sunday morning heading the front tire towards Green Valley. It was 49 when I left but at 9500 feet it was 44 and it stayed in the 50"s until I hit Morenci. That's a 90 mile run with nothing but great scenery in-between. I saw two vehicles heading the opposite way I was going and I only passed two going south in the whole 90 miles. I did see more than twice as many deer as cars. My kind of road. 191 was pretty free of the usual spring gravel in corners but there were a lot of fist to 3 foot in diameter rocks on the road. When I got into Clifton I stripped all the winter clothes off, ate a sandwich and put on the vented gear. I got home at 3pm after 5 days and a touch more than 1400 miles. Rear tire now depleted!

[azccj]

If you're willing to do well maintained 2 lane dirt roads, HWY 288 between Lake Roosevelt and Young is a fantastic road to ride.

[Vagrant]

I did a little bit of it maybe eight years ago. Beautiful road and scenery. But alas I'm too short and weak for dirt on a bike this big.