Join us any Sunday - Gary, Esther, Regina, Marie, Tim, Peggy, Jamie, Deborah, Debby, Eugene and Bobbi for a ride and a nosh.
The Granada Chapter of Phoenix Metro Bicycle Club meets every Sunday at 6:30 AM April thru September, 7:30 AM October thru March, at Granada Park in Phoenix AZ (20th St. and Maryland). Helmets are required, don't forget to bring water!
There's a group for every riders speed- TubbyAZ leads the Pacer 3 group, which averages 15-16 MPH over flat terrain.
Richard and the 4's are heading to The Cracked Egg this week, while Gary sent me this suggestion for breakfast- Ollie Vaughn's, picked best breakfast in Phoenix by New Times. It is a somewhat smaller place, so it is entirely possible we won't be able to get in. Then again, the Sunday after New Year's it is possible people will be sleeping in.
One thing for sure, it is going to be COLD. 35 degrees at sunrise. That might keep people at home too. In any case, we can hop over to Panera Bread at Central and Thomas if we can't get into Ollie's.
If the rain is done by Sunday morning, it looks like it could be a warmish Sunday morning at 50 degrees, but it doesn't look like it will get much warmer during the day.
Richard and the 4's are heading to Irma's Kitchen, and the 3's will be off to Moon Valley Cafe this week. At least it looks like we'll be warming up some by Sunday.
Richard and the 4's are going to Oink this Sunday, and I've planned an outing for the 3's to Scramble at Scottsdale and Lincoln. It's looking like a cool 42 degrees Sunday morning, so dress warmly.
Here's the greatest Christmas song ever. Rock on...
For the first time in, lo these many years of leading the 3's, absolutely no one from our group showed up. How embarrassing. Is it my deodorant? Lack of deodorant? My route planning that frequently ends up with the sudden realization that "huh, I guess we can't go this way"? I'm betting that seeing that "4" in the first digit of the temperature scared everyone off.
Was not a total loss, as Gary indicated he would meet me on the route, and we met Debbie and Bryan for breakfast.
I managed to do Tour de Tucson 57 mile route with a time of 3:58. Not bad for an old fat man. Alexis was supposed to ride with me, but a couple days before she blew up her ankle on a hike. We did connect for dinner Friday night, and had such a good time we never noticed that we were the LAST occupied table in the place.
Hope everyone had a great holiday, my week in the Midwest went without any problems, including the dreaded TSA line- Phoenix (and also Omaha) has been installing some advanced xray technology, seems like they can go layer by layer looking at your bag. When this machine is running, you don't have to empty your bag of laptops, tablets, food, liquids, etc. Really speeds things up.
Richard will also be leading some Christmas light rides, see below:
It's time for magical* bonus rides! On Friday, December 17th and Sunday, December 26th, I'll be leading a Christmas lights ride through Moon Valley and its award-winning displays. We'll meet at the shopping center on the northwest corner of 7th Street and Coral Gables (1 mile south of Bell, 1 1/4 miles north of Thunderbird) and start at 6:30 PM on a relaxed-pace ride amid the lights, with stops at some of the more impressive displays. Bring a working headlight & taillight (or tell me in advance if you need to borrow one), and dress somewhat warmly (but not too warm). I'll bring the tunes. Should be about 14 miles or so in about 2 hours. Optional dinner afterward at one of the eateries in the shopping center (Moon Valley Grill or Barro's Pizza). This ride got rave reviews in 2020 - don't miss it in 2021!
* Magic is reasonably anticipated but not guaranteed. Note that some magic is evil and should be avoided. Leader will attempt to provide an enjoyable event, but some settling may occur during shipping. Please ride in accordance with traffic laws and the bounds of human decency. No warranty on fun quantity or light performance, but we hope it all works. Do not taunt the elves - Santa (and the FBI & CIA) are watching.
Richard and the 4's are heading to Daily Dose this Sunday (well, maybe not Richard, he is volunteering for Bike Patrol duties at Tour de Tucson on Saturday). In any case, Steve will be there.
The 3's will be taking the Mummy Mountain 54th St. route to Paradise Valley and the new Chompie's. I will be riding Tour de Tucson on Saturday, so I doubt I'll be lighting the road on fire Sunday.
One other housekeeping note, I will not be here to lead on the following weekend, November 28. You're on your own!
Let's give Matt's Big Breakfast a try this week. They get busy, so we might have to split into two tables, depending on how many people show up.
I'll leave you with the latest installment of redneck Texas a$$holes who hate us cyclists. ESPECIALLY if you're black. Read the story here, and this is local TV news coverage that didn't quite give the whole story (as is the case with most local news).
Richard and the 4's are going to the Moon Valley Cafe (they were great last week, service a little slow, but these days its to be expected everywhere). The 3's group will go East this week and visit Luci's At The Grove in North Scottsdale.
On November 14, Richard and the 4's will not be at the park, but instead motoring with bikes down to the Old Pueblo for the Tucson Bike swap and a pleasant ride in one of America's most bike-friendly cities. See Richard soon if you are so inclined to join them.
The Desert Classic ride that was scheduled for this Saturday November 6th has been cancelled, as the club was unable to meet our rider and volunteer participation targets, which would have meant operating the event at a significant loss.
And just so you know, the new Chompie's at 32nd St. and Cactus has opened! Expect that as a destination in the near future.
I love this song from Cake, and someone made it into an homage to Emma Peele. Rock on...
The bike club has a long history of bringing folks together for the pure enjoyment of biking. As members we have seen many changes as well as people coming and going.
The past 2 years have brought on the passing of some close members to the organization. Of these, the 3 that come to mind are John Martin, Richard Utterback and more recently, Ron Miller. All 3 of these individuals contributed to and brought joy to the many members on the joys of bicycling. I’m sure there are others we may not have heard about, and our thoughts are with them as well. May they all rest in peace.
A few of us recently met with Ron’s brother offering our assistance in determining the value of the many bikes, as well as countless components, for him to settle Ron’s account. Until the process of probate resolves itself, these assets will not be published until that time.
Until then,
· “Life is like riding a bicycle. ...
· “It never gets easier, you just go faster” ...
· “Crashing is part of cycling as crying is part of love” ...
· “A bicycle ride around the world begins with a single pedal stroke”
Sunday promises to be a BOO-tiful day! Richard and the 4's are going to The Burg Sports Grill, and the 3's destination is the Moon Valley Cafe for a spooktacular breakfast.
What's more appropriate for Halloween than The Zombies? Rock on...
Sunday is likely to be an easy ride day, as I have a wedding to attend Saturday afternoon/evening. I'll try to keep a lid on the partying, but chances are I'll be at least slightly hung over. The 4's are headed to Mel's Diner on Grand Avenue (make sure you tell the waitress to "Kiss my grits!"). The 3's will be wandering around until we get to Scramble on 7th St.
This summer was the 50th anniversary of George Harrison's eponymous record "All Things Must Pass", featuring one of his best compositions. Rock on...
I am otherwise engaged this upcoming Sunday, and will not be at the park to lead. So any 3's that show up can either join Richard and gang to Scramble at 7th St. and Mountain View, or figure out their own destination.
This is from one of my favorite DVDs, Roy Orbison - "A Black and White Night". Roy's voice kept getting better over the years, and was at his peak just before he passed. And the supporting artists are a who's who of the best around- Elvis Costello, Bruuuce, kd lang, Bonnie Raitt and more. Rock on...
This week, the 4's are off to Country Boys Restaurant. I've got an itch to go see if we can get into Biscuits Cafe- they have a great shaded outdoor patio, and good food.
Here's a single from John Mellencamp's new record, with Bruuuuce. Rock on...
On a sad note, one of our own, Ron Miller passed away in his sleep Monday, and was found by neighbors and police. That's all the information I have at this point, but Debby Brown has talked to his tenant, and Ron's brother will be coming to town Sunday and Debby will find out more, like will there be a funeral of some sort. .
Richard and the 4's are heading to the Golden Corral at 57th Ave. and Northern. However I am not available to lead the 3's, and there are a number of the regular crowd that are also otherwise engaged. Dennis and Deborah are planning a Luci's visit.
The 4's are heading off to Biscuits Cafe, and for the 3's I have a route planned down 40th St. to Van Buren, then hop on the Grand Canal path going northwest and loop back around to Scramble at 24th St. and Camelback- they have a nice big patio area in the shade for a cup of coffee.
Forecast is for a high of 107 for Sunday. Hopefully it's the last of the nasty heat for the year.
The 4's will be heading to the Ranch House Grille this Sunday. See the schedule over there on the left to see the rest of their September destinations.
And as for the 3's, I'm running out of ideas (and parks) with the Dreamy Draw closed, so how about we ride around Arcadia for awhile and then stop at the AJ's at 44th St. and Camelback for a rest and maybe a cup of coffee. There's a nice outside patio that is mostly vacant in the early morning. I know I've been missing my mid-ride java fix. Bring a snack, or buy one at AJ's.
As a follow up to last week's Youtube comedy bit, welcome to Quarantine Kitchen!
The 4's are off to Whataburger, but not the usual one. I'll be leading a circuitous route to a break at Moon Valley Park. Again, bring a snack with you.
While in Illinois, my friend Dean showed me this. He's recently purchased a vacation/retirement home in Wisconsin, and hoo boy they all sound like this...
I am back from the Hoosier state, visiting family there and friends in the Champaign-Urbana metroplex. After being off the bike for a week, I am going a little stir-crazy, and the rain deluge today is NOT helping.
The 4's are headed off to Oink for breakfast, so we're going to wander Arcadia and end up at Echo Canyon for a break (bring something with you to graze on). The weather promises to be back to sunny and hot, sez the talking heads on the TV.
The 4's are heading to Irma's Kitchen, and I am unavailable to lead this Sunday the 15th. So you all can tag along with Richard and crew, or converse and confer among yourselves and come up with a plan.
This week, it's east into Arcadia, and looping around and stopping at Arcadia Park. Remember, bring water and a Clif bar or something similar. Don't forget water!
Richard sent out the schedule for August, and the 4's will be trekking to Joe's Diner Sunday
The 3's will be taking a trip through Arcadia, then north on 64th St. to McDonald, then back to Echo Canyon for our snack stop (bring something with you). .
That is, if its not raining. Forecast looks monsoonie thru Saturday, so if that bleeds into Sunday morning, sleep in!
I am buried at work this week, and have not had time to even think about Sunday and a route, nor a stopping place. I have had to skip my morning ride the last two days, and tomorrow doesn't look promising either.
I'll come up with something by Sunday, unless the work issues keep snowballing into an avalanche. But if you have an idea, bring it.
My friend Dean sent me this, an 18-year old guitar virtuoso, with an acoustic version of "Time". Take a listen, it's amazing. One of the commenters wrote "The door just slammed downstairs. It was my guitar leaving me."
While the 4's will be going to The Cracked Egg, the 3's will again be forgoing a restaurant stop due to the oppressive heat and stop at Mountain View Park for a short break. Bring along a Clif bar or something similar. The low Sunday morning will be 91 degrees, and headed to 114. Same as it ever was...
The past three Sundays have been brutal, the heat is getting oppressive, and now that the Dreamy Draw is closed, it's a longer, hotter ride home. Those long breakfast stops really make that ride home a killer.
So, for the time being, I propose we change to a no-breakfast-stop ride. Instead of a restaurant, let's stop for a few minutes at Encanto Park. Just pop a Lara Bar, Clif Bar, Twinkie, or other snack into your jersey pocket.
Remember it's July 4 this Sunday, so wear your Yankee-Doodlest jersey and I'll see ya Sunday.
As Eugene lamented earlier this week, the heat is getting ridiculous. So as long as Phoenix is set to "Broil", we're gonna try to go for a longer ride before our breakfast stop, and make the return short.
On another topic, recently turn number 1 at the Nurburgring was officially named for Sabine Schmitz after her untimely death in March at the age of 51. Sabine was the Queen of the Nordschleif, having grown up on the 'Ring, and the first woman to win the Nurburgring 24 Hours race. Take a look at this episode of Top Gear featuring her trying to beat Jeremy's 10:00 time in a Jaguar, in of all things, a Ford Transit van.
Well, it's here. Monday the park shuts down, and the Dreamy Draw bike path closes on the 10th. Losing that route is really going to suck- I am wondering how many times I will ride to it on auto-pilot, as it's been such a major part of my bike life for the last 34 years.
The 4's this week are heading to Golden Corral at 5679 W. Northern, but the 3's will be heading up the Draw and circle around PV for a bit and retire to 32 Shea and cry into our coffee.
It's finally coming... the closure of the Dreamy Draw bike path is set for Thursday June 10, per the latest Drought Pipeline Construction Update. So with two Sundays left before the shutdown, you can all be certain that we're doing the Dreamy Draw both days..
So this week, it's Biscuits Cafe at 7th St. and Bell Rd. for the 3's. Richard and the 4's will be going to Panera at Metrocenter. See ya Sunday, oh and rock on...
On our way home Sunday, Deb was using Jedi mind tricks to send us to The Henry this Sunday. Well it worked, we'll be heading up the Dreamy Draw and over Mummy Mountain to The Henry, while the 4's are going to Moon Valley Cafe.
One note about The Henry- we used to sit at the large picnic tables and order at the coffee bar. That is no longer possible, as that room is now only available to reserve. I have instead made reservations for two tables of five, as they can't accommodate a single table of 10.
The 4's are headed up to Country Boys Restaurant at 32nd St.and Greenway, and the 3's will take Horace Greeley's advise and go west to Kiss The Cook at 49th Ave. and Glendale Ave. Eugene came up with the idea and notified the management, so if you don't like the food, blame Eugene. And if you don't like the route, well then blame me!
The 4's are heading off to Irma's Kitchen, and at Eugene's suggestion, let's hit up the Ranch House Grille this week. Last visit was in October, but I know I wasn't there (we were still doing high-availability testing I believe).
I have had Randy's in the back of my mind for a visit, and then Richard sent his May destinations, and right there at the top is Randy's.
As they have a big patio, and we are starting early these days, I thought we could join the 4's this week. Doesn't hurt that they seem to get your food order telepathically in the kitchen, and to your table before your second sip of coffee.
Don't forget they are CASH ONLY still, so no computification machines at the table for us to scratch our heads to figure out.
This week, I got an email from The El Tour de Tucson people for a new event scheduled for March 25-27 of next year called El Tour de Zona- looks interesting, check it out here...
The 4's are heading off to Wildflower Bread Co. at 42nd St. and Indian School, and by request I've got 32 Shea as a destination. Route will be Mummy Mountain, but in reverse (i.e. south to north). Looks like another nice day, see you there.
Rock on with one of my favorite unappreciated UK bands from the 70's...
Let's head back to Biscuits Cafe at 7th St. and Bell, that we tried last month. Should be easy-peasy to get a table outside now that we're starting earlier.
As I mentioned previously, I am not available to lead this Sunday, so you are on your own. Previously Regina was proposing a short ride for the 3's to Oink, as many need to get home for their holiday plans. This plan is toast from reading the emails.
Eugene has offered to lead a ride via the Palm Lane Art Alley to 5th Avenue Cafe. So there you go.
This Sunday is the very LAST day of our 7:30 AM start. Next week, the Easter Sunday ride will start at 6:30. Which I regret to tell you I will be unable to lead on Easter as I am otherwise engaged. So I'll let you all figure out where the 3's will be going.
The 4's will be going to Joe's Diner on 7th Ave this week, and the 3's will be taking an excursion on the Grand Canal to take a look at the project that has put up 65 murals along the way, then off to Luci's at the Orchard.
New schedules for March are finally up. This first Sunday of March the 4's will be heading to the IHOP on Central. The 3's will be stealing from Richard's February schedule, and heading to Biscuits Cafe.
Remember this is the last month of the winter start time of 7:30, so enjoy that extra hour of sleep now while you can.
I forgot to take a poll on Sunday to see where we wanted to go this week, so let's give New York Bagels 'n Bialys a try. Lots of outdoor seating, and who could possibly resist the Egg-A-Bagel Pile Up?
Gary sent me this, a new flat-prevention tire liner product, along with a solid tire solution. Not so sure about the solid tires (various manufacturers have introduced them over the years, with questionable ride quality).
However, the tire inserts that wrap around the tube may yield a more compliant ride. Take a look at Tannus tire solutions if you use a wider tire setup (narrowest size available is 700x28).
This just hit the internets today, some NASA video from the landing of Perseverance on Mars last week. They really loaded up on the cameras on the vehicle- hope nobody steals them overnight...
The 3's will be heading to Wildflower Bread Co. in Scottsdale on Indian Bend Rd. I was pondering Kiss The Cook, but I think that's better suited to our summer hours, so we can get a seat without waiting. So look for that destination in April for sure.
This week's video annoyance is my favorite Beach Boys song. Legend has it that Brian Wilson wrote it just after JFK was shot.
The Richard and the 4's will be heading off to Scramble on Camelback. Last week, there were a couple suggestions from the group for future rides, so this week the 3's will be heading off to the 5th Avenue Cafe. According to Yelp and the cafe's website, they have been closed for a bit, but opened back up this morning.
But what I'm really looking forward to is the weekly phone calls to the Midwest, where the Sunday night low temp is predicted to be -16 degrees.
This first week of February, the 4's are heading to The Cracked Egg on the west side. I received requests to go to Luci's at the Grove this Sunday, so that's where the 3's will be going.
You may have seen the SpaceX Starship SN9 test flight crash this week, but if not, here it is in slow-motion, blowing up real good.
The 4's are heading to Daily Dose this Sunday, though right now the forecast does not look very promising. So if the skies somehow clear, the 3's will be off to Scramble in Sunnyslope.
Speaking of rain, there's a great app for your smartphone that shows live weather radar, and is great for tracking a storm. Check it out at myradar.com and download it for iOS and Android.
If you would like to speak, email kelly.cairo@phoenix.gov by noon on Thursday (the day of the meeting) with your first and last name, and we will email you the pre-registration instructions. Or, call the project hotline at 623-825-3444 to supply us with your name and email address.
An informational presentation will also be given at the Encanto VPC meeting on Monday, February 1st
I have included both Encanto and Alhambra VPC members to respect the linear nature of bikeways and to draw your attention to several complementary planning and implementation projects underway.
The suggestion was made this past weekend for the 3's to try Randy's. Sunday is promising to be a much nicer morning than last week, so maybe we can even sit outside.
By the way, don't plan on riding on the ACDC canal path for the next month or so. It's all closed for the annual cleaning and grocery basket removal (thanks for spotting that in the paper, Eugene).
At some point, you're all going to get annoyed by my inflicting music on you, but... I really like this song. See ya Sunday!
I've been wondering how much Sunday traffic that The Henry has, so let's try that this Sunday. Yes, I hear those groans from all of you "Up the Dreamy Draw?". Yes. Yes we will. So there.
This song has been rolling around in my head the last couple days...
