Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef)  > The Journey in States... > Arizona > The Devil's Back Bone... Arizona
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Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > I still envy the ones that can say "I have known him since third grade... look... this use to be the local Soda Fountain we use to hang out...". There is none of that in my own life... just the desire to explore this vast country... the World which I have been fortunate enough to see most of it... and none of it at the same time! I have done it over and over in the past... but most of us never have had the time besides going from point A to point B... ride the well known roads... click on the shutter and go on!
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > There is a feel each region gives us... a sense of being... it is all from the inside... the excitement of seeing it all for the first time... taking it all in... and some time later invariably it dwindles and personally I am ready again to move on! Maybe some day... maybe... my being will want to settle down on those 1000 acres that I will stumble on in the middle of nowhere...  I am low maintenance!... no need for power, TV or anything else for that matter... only water... the rest can just be created through solar power, batteries, generator, wind mill... a couple Tee Pees linked with a covered walkway... and I will be done. Who knows when that will happen!... warning... you will need an off road vehicle to come and visit me!... and get in good terms with the many dogs that I will have...
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > I literally had to grid Arizona. So many Mountain tops  I wanted to visit, everyone separated by deserts. I decided to try one per week, knowing already that I would go back to some. When exploring in depth the days go by so fast, the clock moves ahead at an incredible speed and night fall arrives for the well deserved rest
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > Apache National Forest is north of Portal. Back to Hwy 10 one can take Hwy 70 north to Duncan, and 75 to Clifton which is at his base and one of the biggest copper mining town. 

The mining went on for miles, and as I stopped often to observe the different layers being lifted I never ceased to be amazed by the giant trucks rolling up and down the roads built for the mining!
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > The vision that there use to be a mountain right in front of me not too long ago was of a strange one... I remember even making a comment regarding its destruction, and quickly the answer was... "you just rode through many miles of beautiful land...  what is a few miles dedicated to the economy of the country...". I still think about it, right or wrong, who am I to have an opinion on this... just wish it could have been different!
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > My road of interest, which I had heard many times already, was "The Devil&#8217;s Back Bone"... 99 miles of twisties... equaling Deal&#8217;s Gap, the Georgia Mountains, a break in the middle for one to catch their breath and again an incredible combination of right and left handers with many elevation changes.  The final destination is Alpine, all starting in the Valley and up and down passing Rose Peak nested at 8786 feet!
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > There was not going to be any off roading today... my first outing was on the weekend and I was told right! No traffic... I might have seen maybe less than 10 motorcycles all day... only had to pass a couple cars... no blue light special... Was this a secret road untold to no one but me and a few others? Must have... The views again were spectacular... riding the pavement in such surroundings is so hard... the mind is divided between such choices of having tunnel vision to excel in the riding or a peripheral vision to admire the scenery...
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > A slight off course would mean the end of it on these roads... I generally will make a scenic pass... a picture pass as I call it and then another pass... a technical one... the GS, named rightly so the "Sport Bike" of the year a couple years ago is more than perfect for that kind of fun and riding... if you know what I mean!
Ara Gureghian (Beemerchef) > It was lunch at Alpine... a biker&#8217;s hangout... with only 3 of them parked in front of the Restaurant! 

The Hwy ridden by the way is 191... a must when you are in Arizona...

And then of course... there is the return trip!... I assure you that by the time you are back in Clifton, which by the way has great camping at the City Park, you are done for the day!

Well, I am not twenty anymore... I was done! 

I think I went back 2 more times... hard to memorize all the turns for any kind of better technical riding... and know that soon... well, it will be a different ride with the sidecar... I will do it again... and maybe again! One of the most challenging road I have experienced!

The ride back to Portal does not have to be on paved roads... many trails exists cutting through and bordering private land! But a GPS is a must... the bread crumb trails have saved me so many times... you will not find a single gas station, getting lost to deeply will cost you sometimes a couple days of wait till some local rancher passes by to gas you up! 

All I can say is... don&#8217;t miss that ride if you have the chance!... take a detour... give it a couple of days... there will not be any regrets!
I still envy the ones that can say "I have known him since third grade... look... this use to be the local Soda Fountain we use to hang out...". There is none of that in my own life... just the desire to explore this vast country... the World which I have been fortunate enough to see most of it... and none of it at the same time! I have done it over and over in the past... but most of us never have had the time besides going from point A to point B... ride the well known roads... click on the shutter and go on!
 > I still envy the ones that can say "I have known him since third grade... look... this use to be the local Soda Fountain we use to hang out...". There is none of that in my own life... just the desire to explore this vast country... the World which I have been fortunate enough to see most of it... and none of it at the same time! I have done it over and over in the past... but most of us never have had the time besides going from point A to point B... ride the well known roads... click on the shutter and go on!
I still envy the ones that can say "I have known him since third grade... look... this use to be the local Soda Fountain we use to hang out...". There is none of that in my own life... just the desire to explore this vast country... the World which I have been fortunate enough to see most of it... and none of it at the same time! I have done it over and over in the past... but most of us never have had the time besides going from point A to point B... ride the well known roads... click on the shutter and go on!
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