Sonja carried me up Hwy 260 past the town yesterday to turn off onto Arizona 89A and climb up into the Black Hills to the west.
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| *Climbing 89A toward Jerome, Arizona* |
A few miles of Arizona two lane takes you to the one time copper mining town of Jerome.
Time it right and it'd be a good place for a late breakfast, lunch or you could put up for the night in the Jerome Hotel which sits just about the highest building on the hill.
Take care riding through the town. I was standing on the dirt, taking this pic of the town when an impatient scooter driver goosed his worn Honda to squirt around a slow car. Trouble is... he crossed the solid yellow two stripe die-rectly in front of the town's Black and White that lay hidden behind a collection of parked cars along the shoulder... OOPS
They've got a "noise ordinance" too... so keep your rpm down and you'll have no difficulties.
The streets are narrow and busy with cagers throwing doors open, tight corners and roads coming in from odd angles all over... don't be in a hurry... best to stop and take a stroll around anyhoo. ;)
Up above town as you leave going west rises the Black Hills and Mingus Mtn. A sweet ride.
In the summer there's a campground up on top. Keep going and you come down into Prescott and its storied whiskey row.
I had to turn around at the top and roll back to camp for an appointment to do some 4 wheel tourista stuff in the afternoon with herself.
On the way back down... I tried to do some video hand holding my Nikon...
... uh... rolling along that winding road, twisting the throttle with one hand and gripping the camera with the other does NOT make for good video! :) I REALLY need to get that stolen helmet cam replaced!
Arizona 89A would be a fine road to film a ride over.
If you're riding from Phoenix to Flagstaff... I'd recommend you get off of that damned four lane slab. Cut over to the west on 169 at Cordes Junction. Turn right onto 69 at Dewey and roll up through Prescott. Find 89A and come over the mountain from the SW.
After you come down through Jerome and Cottonwood, stay on 89A up through Sedona and Oak Creek Canyon and on to Flagstaff. A whole lot better ride than the tedium of an interstate.
Fact is, I'd stay in the area a few days. There's roads to ride, and sights to see for several day trips using Prescott, Jerome, Cottonwood, or Sedona as a base.
If I'm ever able to wrangle the thing together... this is an area I'd really like to consider for a comfortable camp for drifting bikers...
Grab Your Handles and Ride
Brian
5 comments:
I love the 89A! But I never rode the 169, I'll have to try that next time I'm in N.AZ.
169 is nothing special... mostly just gets you over to Prescott from the interstate so you can pick up 89A.
If I was coming out of Phoenix the best way would actually be to roll up Grand NW to Wickenburg then up through Congress and up the "hill" to Yarnell and on to Prescott... and then through Jerome and Sedona to get to Flagstaff ;)
Brian:
I've always wanted to go to Jerome. It's been on the back of my mind for years. I hope to make it there next year
those roads look very nice.
I'm not sure which helmetcam you have but I just bought the new GoPro Hero3 because it had the wireless remote control
bob
Riding the Wet Coast
Bob; The roads through there and farther over across the Mogollon Rim and then from Alpine down to Clifton Arizon's answer to the "Dragon" are all pretty nice riding.
I had the Drift HD170 cam. It's the one that got stolen. I'm likely to go with their newest version the Ghost. They have always had the wireless remote, but mostly I like 'em for their compact and streamlined design that carries the camera tight to my helmet and the lens that rotates to adjust to any mounting angle of the camera.
I took the pics for this post handholding my Nikon P510. Kind of an awkward arrangement. ;) I really need to scrape the beans together to replace my Drift! :)
Looks like a great day for a ride. Jerome also looks like an interesting town to wander through for a spell.
I like the pics of you going down the twisty road. I wouldn't be adventurous enough to do it one handed and take a pic.
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