CG Riders

What a fantastic way to keep the CGR momentum going! The combination of rugged mountain riding and great authentic Mexican food is hard to beat. Join CGR's with a trip to Chiricahua National Monument. The Chiricahua's are a ''wonderland of rocks" in southeastern Arizona, renowned for its unique volcanic rock formations (hoodoos), extensive hiking trails, and rich cultural history. The ride up Bonita Canyon Drive is a motorcyclist’s dream—with sweeping curves paired with the ascent to Massai Point that offers some of the best views in the Southwest. This is an 8-mile paved scenic route that climbs from the valley floor up to almost 7000'. Let's explore the balanced rocks and formations by motorcycle and then end the trip in Wilcox at La Unica Restaurant & Tortilleria for dinner. The following morning breakfast will be at Fe Skillet and afterwards we can head to Apple Annie's Country Store for some AMAZING PIE!! before venturing back home. This will be an overnight trip, come join CGR on another great adventure!!

Get ready for the twisties! We’re heading through the Salt River Canyon for our overnight trip to Pinetop-Lakeside. The ride through Salt River Canyon is legendary for its twisties and breathtaking views, and the transition from the high desert mining towns to the pine trees of Pinetop is one of the best route changes in Arizona. First we will head towards Superior and have breakfast at Porters Saloon and Grill. From there will continue on to Pinetop-Lakeside and hopefully have an early check-in and possibly have time to take a small siesta before dinner at The Pasta House, known for great food and excellent margarita's!!. Pack your layers, temperature swings are possible and can be significant from the valley floor from what we're used too. Depending on the group size planning to attend, a RSVP for the dinner reservation is a must and I will need to know the count the day before.

Join CGR for AZ Bike week!! We will be doing a 3 night-4 day trip to the small towns of Bisbee, Silver City, Kingston and Clifton. 'Emory Pass' and the run through 'Mule Creek' are still some of the best-kept secrets for riders in the Southwest. The transition from the high desert of Sonoita to the rugged mining cliffs of Clifton is going to be a visual feast. The ride from Silver City to Kingston over Emory Pass will definitely be the "star" of the ride. Kingston is a small Podunk town with a population of maybe 100 residents. For those who have not ventured this stretch of HWY 152, it is a very picturesque and windy road with a few switch-backs taking us to 6200' in elevation. We will leave Casa Grande heading southeast towards Sonoita, via scenic route 83 until we get to Bisbee. Where we will stay for our first night. That following day will make way through the old HWY 80 and into Silver City where our second nights stay will be. The following morning we will ride to Kingston via 'Emory Pass' , then back through Mule Creek, a sweeping beauty of a road that drops us right into the heart of mining country and into Clifton, AZ, where we will stay for our third and final night. Before we leave that following morning, one of our own will take us on a small brief tour of some of Clifton's points of interest, such as:

1. The Clifton Cliff Jail: Literally blasted into the side of a mountain. Legend says the man who built it was its first prisoner. Pretty cool, I think?
2. The "Copperhead" Locomotive: A tiny, historic narrow-gauge engine sitting right by the jail.
3. Chase Creek Street: A row of historic buildings that feels like a movie set.
4. The Morenci Mine Overlook: Just a few miles up the hill, you can see one of the largest open-pit copper mines in the world—the scale is hard to believe. Afterwards we will continue the remainder of our ride back to Casa Grande.

Thus, finishing the trip through the mining corridor of Globe, Miami, and Superior.

Come join CGR for a Memorial Day weekend of riding, great conversations and the 191. For motorcyclists and driving enthusiasts, this isn't just a road; it’s a marathon. The Coronado Trail Scenic Byway offers over 460 curves across its length! Some sections have no guardrails with thousand-foot drops, meaning your eyes need to be glued to the apex, not just the abundance of wildlife you might encounter, such as elk, deer, turkey, bighorn sheep or black bear. It is arguably one of the most demanding and beautiful stretches of asphalt in the United States. Before it was renumbered to US 191 in 1992, this was US 666, the "Devil’s Highway." Between the dizzying number of switchbacks and the old highway number, it earned a reputation for being as treacherous as it is beautiful. We will navigate from the heat of the Sonoran Desert to the world's largest stand of Ponderosa Pine Forest. As we climb from 3,500 feet in the copper-mining desert of Clifton to over 9,000 feet near Hannagan Meadow. The temperature drop alone is enough to make you feel like you've traveled from Mexico to Canada in a single afternoon This is the trail used by Spanish explorer Francisco Vasquez de Coronado as he searched for the fabled “Seven Cities of Cibola.” in 1540. The 123-mile section between Clifton and Springerville is named as the Coronado Trail to commemorate the exploration, though as with the national memorial there is no visible trace of the expedition. Instead, the route, or indeed all of US 191, is a showcase for the varied and spectacular scenery of eastern Arizona. Some riders choose to opt out the trail and either head to Pie Town for delicious PIE or lunch in Silver City, NM. Come join CGR as we attend yet another year on the trail. We will be staying in Alpine on Saturday and Sunday at Sportsman Lodge. Rooms are limited and book fast.