Road trip from Bismarck, ND to Yuma, AZ

[Art Franz]

On Sept 10, I’m leaving my home to go to Brandon, MB to visit my Dad, and then crossing the border near Dunseith, ND and heading for Yuma. Other than the mountains of Colorado, there is no route planned, the planning part will be determined by which roads and which areas I decide to visit. Priority will be given to recommendations received about favourite roads, and favourite sites to see.

What say you? Which of these areas have you ridden before that were memorable and why were they memorable? And/or would you go out of your way to traverse these roads again? And if you happen to live along this route, I’ll always have time to meet for a cup of coffee or a meal.

I’m looking forward to your responses. Thank you so much everyone for making this such a great forum!

 

[Bush]

If the old west interests you, you should swing by Tombstone.

 

[NMSTrider]

You didn't say how much time you are going to spend on this trip, a week (or two) would not be enough since there are many great roads and sights between you and Yuma. An old joke only because of where you are starting: The best thing to come out of North Dakota is I-94 East and West.

After that commentary, some places and roads that could fall on your path that I have been as many as six times and would do again would include:
Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore
Beartooth Pass from Red Lodge, MT to Cooke City
Chief Joseph Highway between Cody, WY and Cooke City, MT
Yellowstone National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park
Zion National Park
Grand Canyon National Park
US Highway 89 from Flagstaff, AZ to Sedona, a great short section of highway

As you may be able to tell, I enjoy to travelling on the secondary roads because the sights have more of a local flavor.

Good luck. Have fun. Be careful.

 

[Mophead]

One of my very favorite roads of all time is Hwy 191 from Alpine, AZ to Morenci/Clifton, AZ. 90 miles and Google maps will tell you 2.5 hours to ride it. No loads over 40 feet long allowed and very little traffic. You won't spend much time on the center of your tires. If you like twisties you can't beat it. The Bear Wallow cafe in Alpine is OK to eat. No cellphones allowed in the restaurant. Owner says enjoy your meal and stay off the phone. Cool place.
Morenci will present a huge strip mine. Its either a scar on the planet or an engineering marvel that provides jobs. Your choice.

 

[tjhiggin]

Wyoming State Hwy 487 through the Laramie Mountains was one of the highlights of my Rocky Mountain trip in summer 2018.

 

[Art Franz]

So far I’ve taken 487 thro the Laramie Mountains as per suggestion of tjhiggin.

Now looking for the Alpine AZ to Morenci AZ road. Love those twisties.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. I talked to a rider that went thro the Beartooth pass a while back and he said at the top there were a few snowflakes falling. When he saw the weather report the next AM, they had 3 ft of snow at the top. Yikes! Glad I missed that. I’ve done that pass a few times before, plus it would have been a ways out of my way. But thanks again for the responses! You guys are great!

 

[Igofar]

So when will you be arriving at OCD Enterprises?
Just finished up a job that rode in from Oregon today.
The table lift is empty and awaiting your arrival.
Igofar

 

[Gizmo]

The Mt. Lemmon Highway near Tucson is a very nice road (and very close to OCD Enterprises). I visited Tucson almost 2 years ago and drove it with my dad, wishing most of the way up and down that I was on 2 wheels instead of of 4. Simply zoom in on Google Maps and you will see part of the appeal - the scenery is nice too.

 

[Igofar]

Update:
Art's bike has been taken Hostage!
He's been dropped off at a flea bag Motel, has no transportation, and I was up all night chewing Rolaids
Will our weary traveler get his bike back? Will he be able to continue his journey and make it home safe?
Stay tuned for the next episode of "why did I leave my bike with him?"

 

[SupraSabre]

Update:
Art's bike has been taken Hostage!
He's been dropped off at a flea bag Motel, has no transportation, and I was up all night chewing Rolaids
Will our weary traveler get his bike back? Will he be able to continue his journey and make it home safe?
Stay tuned for the next episode of "why did I leave my bike with him?"

Dang, I hate it when I hear that!

Mainly because it ain't one of my bikes!

Hey Art, tell Larry to loan you one of his so you can "tour" the area!

 

[Art Franz]

Larry is going sooo far above and beyond that I don’t dare ask for anything. What a memorable experience; and nothing’s even back together yet.

Here’s how she looks right now.

 

[paulcb]

That can't be Larry's garage, I don't see any snakes.

I think he's trained them to hide when customers show up.

 

[Igofar]

I rounded the two Kings up before Art arrived and have them in holding containers in the spare bedroom...
I couldn't find the large 6 foot gopher snake in time, but it did peek its head out from under my job site box to see what we were doing....
Poor Art was pretty distracted after that and I kept finding him looking over his shoulder all day
I just dropped him back off at his flea bag motel, and went back home to continue working for a while longer.
Finished the drive shaft oil change, Engine oil change, Pre-load adjuster service, and a couple other assorted things.
If all goes well, I may release his bike back to him tomorrow night....I'd say we're about half way through what I want done.
Lets see all we have left is the TB sync, CB Adjustment, Air filter, New vacuum lines, clean the 5 way tee, flush the coolant system, replace the T-stat, tighten hoses, inspect the critical fasteners, repair wiring, etc. Its like we haven't really done anything yet, and we've been at it from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

 

[Art Franz]

Yeah Larry did a lot yesterday. Unbeknownst to me, one of the forks had recently started leaking in the last day or so, so we did fork seals, rear splines, rear Caliper mounting bracket. I know there was lots of other stuff done but I’m still amazed at how meticulous this guy’s work is - and he scorns anything less. This is the kind of work that most people including me don’t do on their own bike, and he’s doing it to mine! He is really amazing to watch.

But those snakes - - -

 

[SupraSabre]

It still has the tupperware on...what's up with that?

Oh, nevermind, Larry is just leaving it on so the snakes have a place to hide!

 

[Igofar]

It still has the tupperware on...what's up with that?

Oh, nevermind, Larry is just leaving it on so the snakes have a place to hid!

Bob my snakes don't HID.....the bright lights scare 'em.