Sky-Sol Arizona - New Years Run to Bryce Thompson Arboretum

[richm]

Click here to RSVP the Sky-Sol Arizona New Years Day Ride and Hangover Cure

If you live in or near Arizona, please add "HAVE MORE FUN IN MY ROADSTER" to your list of 2008 New Year's resolutions, and get started early this year by joining us on January 1st.

According to the most renowned medical authorities, the BEST thing for a New Years Eve hangover is... Fresh Fish and Fresh Air. We will start at the Islamorada Fish House, a new restaurant inside the amazing new Bass Pro Shop at Dobson and 202 in Mesa. After lunch, we'll drive to the shooting location of a new movie to be released in 2008, and then take a walk through the world's largest desert arboretum. After some fresh air, we will head back to Phoenix and stop for a quick dinner at a family farm complex in Gilbert.

11:00 AM - Lunch at Bass Pro Shops: For fish-fans and non-fish fans alike, you will love the menu at Ilsamorada Fish Company restaurant inside Bass Pro Shops. The manager said that he will reserve a space for us in the center of the restaurant around the circlular fireplace. Plan to arrive at about 11:00AM as we need to be seating and have our orders taken by 11:30AM to beat the lunch rush. For more info and a menu, visit www.fishcompany.com

12:30 PM - Drive up Beeline Highway: For those who stayed up way too late on New Years Eve and need to sleep in a bit longer, please meet us after lunch at Bass Pro Shop at the Riverwalk Mall in Mesa. We will park in front of the store for a quick photo and then head North on 87A/Beeline Highway for about 60 miles, turning right at Highway 188 and stopping at Jakes Corner Bar (a soon-to-be more famous biker bar in the middle of the desert).

1:45 PM - Photo at Jakes Corner Bar: What better way to begin the New Year than to stop by Jakes Corner, which is the name AND location of a movie to be released later in 2008. From the Internet Movie Database, "Set in the real town of Jake's Corner, Arizona, it is a rest stop for travelers making their way through the Arizona desert, but for the people who live there, it's a rest stop for life." Click on one of the links below to learn more:
www.jakescornerthemovie.com or www.imdb.com/title/tt1024746/

2:30 PM - Photo at Rosevelt Lake Bridge Overlook: After a photo/bathroom/drink stop at Jake's Corner Bar, we will drive about 30 miles East to the blue bridge overlook at the intersection of Routes 188 and 88 for yet another group photo. From Rosevelt Lake, we will continue East to Globe, where we will connect to 60 West and follow it through the Canyon toward Superior.

3:30 PM - Walk in Bryce Thompson Arboretum. Just four miles beyond Superior, we will turn left into Bryce Thompson Arboretum, which is the largest arboretum in Arizona. We will park in the picnic area INSIDE the park, and then go on a short walk through the park, mostly just to stretch our legs. The entire loop through the park is 1.5 miles, and a walk will just give you a taste for the wonderful desert we live in, so if you haven't been here before, you will definitely want to return some day when you can spend more than an hour. The arboretum is at higher elevations, at least 10 degrees cooler than Phoenix, so bring a jacket (and maybe even hat/gloves if you tend to get cold on walks). The cost for entry is $5.50 per person (group discount rate). For more info on the park, visit www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/boyce.html

5:15 PM - Drive through Queen Valley: From Bryce Thompson, we will continue 12 miles on 60 before turning right on Queen Valley Road. This 15 minute loop includes some fun curves and twists.

Martin and one or two other cars in the back of the pack will not be doing this loop and will instead continue on to our dinner spot to hold some tables for the rest of us.

6:00 PM - Dinner at Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert: If you have ever been to Joe's BBQ in Gilbert you are going to love this place. Joe Johnston took his parent's 12 acre farm in Gilbert next to the new 202 freeway and converted it into a country farm and restaurant complex called Agritopia. The restaurant incorporates the best of Joe's BBQ plus fresh ingredients from the farm. For menu and more information, visit www.joesfarmgrill.com

Below is a map of the route, which is about 194 miles of driving.

Click link below for detailed turn-by-turn driving directions:

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&hl=e...70801&z=9&om=1

[007]

How many are attending?

[richm]

Originally Posted by 007

How many are attending?

It looks like 19 (scratch that, now 21) cars so far, at least one coming from a neighboring state. It was really cold when we did a dry run on this yesterday, but the temperature is supposed to be 15 degrees warmer on New Years Day. It should be a lot of fun.