Coming to Prescott from Vegas

[Modit]

Hi folks.  Some of the guys down at the local hangout in Vegas were saying that Prescott, AZ was a good riding destination.  I haven't taken a spur of the moment trip in a while so I figured I'd go for it.  So I'm on here to see if you folks had some suggestions on roads and biker friendly lodging in the area.  We'll be riding during the day and partying at night so someplace within walking distance to the nightlife would be ideal. We're planning on getting there Thursday, the 20th and returning Sunday the 23rd in case any of you wanted to get together and ride.

Thanks in advance,
Chris

[Michael]

If it were me, I'd go down the old Route 66 to Flagstaff.


And then on the way back, loop down through Sedona, Cottonwood, and Prescott.


Flagstaff will have more variety for food and lodging. And it's a college town, so the nightlife will be a lot better.

Black Barts Steakhouse is a great place, I recommend eating dinner there.


But for a party nightlife, you'll want to go into town and find one of the college bars or nightclubs:
- Beaver Street Brewery
- Buster's
- Boardwalk
- Maloney's
- Mad Italian
- The Joint

[Modit]

Thanks for the tips, Michael. It's always nice to get a BTDT local perspective.
The idea for this trip was to find a hub where we could spend a few nights and try different roads every day.
I was leaning more toward Prescott because the map looks better down there.
The partying is definately lower on the priority list than the twisties.
Vegas has very little in the way of curves.    At least the kind I'm looking for on this trip.
I even considered slabbing it to Flagstaff just so I could get to a decent road quickly.

Mad Italian?  Sounds like a place to park a Duc for a while.

[Michael]

If you're going to do day trips from Prescott, try to go down the 260 to Payson. It's great this time of year, very green and cool.

[triangleforge]

Welcome (in advance) to Presskit! If you wind up here in town, there's a lot of good riding to be had; a couple of favorites:

Prescott to Flagstaff via Jerome, Sedona & Oak Creek Canyon (Michael has that one on his Google Maps Route and it's a good 'un!)

Motorcycle ride down highway 89A into Jerome, AZ

Prescott to Payson (or beyond) via 260 -- lots of nice White Mountains goodness -- green, cool & twisty.

Prescott to Bagdad (no "h") via Skull Valley & Kirkland -- it's a bit hot still, but should be cool enough by this weekend -- lots of twisties with the start of saguaro cactus forests into a cool little mining town. The road between Prescott & Skull Valley -- Iron Springs Road -- is mile on mile of  beautiful wide-open sweeper turns, but I've seen the sheriff vehicles out there a lot more lately, so keep an eye open.

Prescott Ride with Dan

Prescott loop via White Spar, Kirkland & Skull Valley -- 55 fun miles with the aforementioned open sweepers on Iron Springs over to 18 miles of tight mountain twisties up White Spar Road back into Prescott.

The Spars - 03.20.2008

My favorite variant on that one -- from Kirkland Junction down to Yarnell, and then down to Congress:

VFR 750 Yarnell  Hill

And then back up to Yarnell:

FZ1OA Phoenix Members Motorcycle Ride up Yarnell

A couple of good spots to stay include the Hotel St. Michael (a little rundown, but right on the end of Whiskey Row & near all the nightspots), and a couple of blocks up the road from there the Motor Lodge http://www.themotorlodge.com/

Some of my favorite bars in town include The Raven (fun, hippie arty place with a huge selection of quite expensive beers & great wines), Coyote Joe's (a whitewater paddler bar a block off Whiskey Row that usually has live music), The Palace (a fun, historic cowboy bar in the middle of Whiskey Row), The Jersey Lilly (upstairs from the Palace, especially worth it if Combo Deluxe is playing).

One thing to note -- monsoon season here (usually one of two times a year we get significant rain) has been a real bust this year, but there's rain in the forecast for this weekend. Given our luck this year, it's not gonna happen, but i figured I'd put it out there.

Don't know if I'll have a working motorcycle this weekend -- the ST2 is waiting on a regulator, and the Monster is off our insurance while my honey recovers from foot surgery -- but PM me if you wind up in town!

BRAD

[Michael]

Ya, let us know when your trip is.

 

[DG]

Tforge...love the film clips you posted for the LV brethren. I especially liked "the spars".
I sure wish I could ride that good! I'd like to think that I used to? Probobly never did as just watching it I left finger marks on my legs!  DG

[triangleforge]

Tforge...love the film clips you posted for the LV brethren. I especially liked "the spars".
I sure wish I could ride that good!

That makes two of us; I ride with folks sometimes who ARE that good, and they're nice enough to wait for me in Wilhoit.   

[pennyrobber]

Tforge...love the film clips you posted for the LV brethren. I especially liked "the spars".
I sure wish I could ride that good! I'd like to think that I used to? Probobly never did as just watching it I left finger marks on my legs!  DG

Are you just playing Innocent? 

[DG]

Yep, until film proves otherwise.