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Prescott for Lunch - 11/1/08
Updates:
You may not know this but this trip was planned for this past May. We could only muster 3 cars for the drive so it was cancelled. I pretty much copied all that original tour info and just changed the dates for this tour. I just read it over again and I'll add a few more changes in addition to the change in the lunch arrangements that I emailed to you moments ago.
1) I can pretty much guarantee that allowing 2 hours from Phoenix to Prescott on this route will NOT get us there before noon. I think we should just plan on refueling at the Shell station as a group after lunch since we have to drive right past it anyway as we begin the Skull Valley tour.
2) I mentioned the club cell phone list attachment but I didn't attach it in the original email. It is attached to this email (I promise)
3) The overpass and construction at Carefree Hwy and I 17 is almost completed and there is no longer a congestion issue. Please forget all the chatter about us getting separated at that point. Some of us may catch a red light but that's no problem.
Thx
Paul
I changed our lunch accommodations so we could have checks by couples. This means we will NOT be in the private room upstairs but they will put a long table together for us on the patio. It also means we can order off the regular menu rather than being restricted to 4 choices on the sandwich menu. I think this will work better for our group.
ARIZONA BMW Z SERIES CLUB Newsletter of Oct 20th, 2008
There will be a club tour on Saturday, Nov 1st , 2008. The destination is Prescott for lunch at the Gurley Street Grill and after lunch we will be driving the Skull Valley tour in reverse.
THE START
We'll meet at the Albertson's market on Carefree Highway, ¼ mile East of Interstate 17 near the East end where the bank is. There are rest room facilities and coffee available in Albertson's.
Please have a full fuel tank when starting the trip and remember to bring your club radio. We do need your RSVP so we will have an accurate count for the restaurant. I have to provide this to them ahead of time so please, let's hear from you right away.
We will meet at 9:45 AM depart at 10:00 AM and head west on Carefree Hwy toward Wickenburg which is about a 40 minute drive. Right now, there is congestion at the intersection of I 17 and Carefree Hwy as they build the overpass. The last time we were there, we got separated and it took a while for the rear enders to catch up. We will ask the front runners to moderate their speed and allow the rear enders to catch up. We don't like to see a fragmented caravan on our tours. If we are really separated badly, the caravan can stop about I mile west of I 17 at the Arizona Game and Fish facility on the right hand side of the road. They have a big parking lot and that would be a great place to get everyone together if needed. Let's communicate by radio so we will know what action to take to get the caravan back together.
DO NOT SPEED IN THE VICINITY OF LAKE PLEASANT the Peoria police have "bracelets" that fit the wrists of all speeders. We will have a 15 minute stop at McDonalds in Wickenburg. Our approximate ETA at the Gurley Street Grill is set at 12:00.
When departing Wickenburg, we'll pick up Hwy 89 and head north to Yarnell Hill. There is a fork in the road about 10 miles out of Wickenburg. The left fork is Hwy 93 and will take you to Las Vegas, not Prescott. At this fork, you want to bear right and get on Hwy 89 North, it is plainly marked, just pay attention and you will be OK. From this point all the way to Prescott, the road is quite entertaining and most of the scenery is beautiful as we drive through the Prescott National Forest.
Previous trips on this route usually have a promise of cooler weather once we hit the town of Yarnell at an elevation of 4779 ft. If your top is up and you want to lower it, this is a good place to do it and we'll stop the caravan to accommodate this. Please keep your club radio tuned in for instructions.
The balance of the drive is pretty straight forward until we arrive at the outskirts of Prescott. Simply stay on Hwy 89. We will be entering the town from Hwy 89 which becomes White Spar Rd for a short distance and then becomes Montezuma Street. Stay on Montezuma Street past Goodwin St and Whiskey row, on your left and the Courthouse will be on your right. At this point, we're headed to the Shell station but see the additional note below. The next street is Gurley, turn left and drive to Grove Street which is about 5 streets west of Montezuma St. Turn right on Grove and go past Western St and Sheldon St. continue on approximately ½ block and you will see a Shell station dead ahead. We will use this same route when we depart the Grill after lunch and head for Skull Valley.
Here is the detailed info on refueling go to this site and print out the map and bring it with you.
Sometimes the fuel stop can be an element that unintentionally splits the group and someone gets lost or separated from the main body. However, you have detailed directions in this newsletter so you should be able to find the Grill. When you leave the gas station.
If you go to this link you can zoom in on the map and print it out as it shows the exact location of the Grill and surrounding streets. Navigation will be easy if you print this out and have it with you. It is easy to get confused and turned around in downtown Prescott if you are not familiar with it. The easiest way to get to the Gurley Street Grill from the station is to back track the same route and go back to Gurley St east to Granite Street. The grill is at Granite St and Gurley St. Make a left turn off Gurley St on to Granite and you will see a bank parking lot dead ahead of you to your left, the Grill uses this for parking on days when the bank is closed. If you get lost phone the Grill at 928 445 3388 or try to call up another club member on the club radio or cell phone. I have attached the cell phone list of the members to this email.
In the event we are late for our arrival at the Grill, as we enter Prescott, we'll go directly to the Grill and delay the fueling until after lunch since we have to drive right by the Shell station on our way out of town. This decision will be called out on the radio. It is important we hit the arrival time at the Grill accurately since they are setting up the buffet for us. If we are ahead of schedule, in order to kill some time, we'll fuel first according to the directions provided in this newsletter.
AT THE RESTAURANT
We have reserved the room upstairs toward the front of the building, we have been there previously. They will have a sandwich buffet set up for us that includes a selection of cold cuts, cheeses, breads, sliced tomato, lettuce, cold slaw, etc. Eat as much as you like. The price per head is $13 and includes everything. They require one check so we will pay with a club check and each of us will pay the club $13 per person. It would be very helpful if you actually bring $13 in cash per person or $26 per couple, so we don't have to mess around trying to make change. The head count is important because they will charge us for the head count we give them in advance, even if the attendance is less, we don't want to throw away club money.
After lunch we will form up together in a caravan at the parking lot and go West on Gurley St back to Grove St., turn right and head back toward the Shell gas station and then bear slightly left which will put you on Miller Valley Rd. (Unless we are refueling after lunch in which case, we will stop and fill the tanks) This becomes Iron Springs Rd and begins the reverse route of the Skull Valley tour.
I have entered some approximate distances that were taken from a road map, I don't know how accurate these distances are but they are probably pretty close.
Skull Valley is the first community on the return trip and Kirkland is the second community. Somewhere in there, the name Iron Springs Rd is dropped and it becomes Hwy 96. The next community is Hillside and there will probably be signs along the way but since we have never driven this in reverse, I really don't know. In any case, remain on Hwy 96 West and it will eventually intersect with Hwy 97. At that junction, 96 will take you to Bagdad, AZ so you want to turn left on Hwy 97 which will take you to Hwy 93. Turn Left on Hwy 93 (South) and head toward Wickenburg. As I recall, this is approximately 40 miles but it doesn't matter, you can't possibly get lost at this point.
We will stop in Wickenburg for a comfort break and fuel if need (probably not) There is a gas station and Quick Stop on Hwy 89 on the right side of the road as we approach town from the North, If we can spot it, that would be a good place for the stop, otherwise, we'll go to McDonalds. We will call this out on the radio one way or the other so everyone will know where we are stopping.
After Wickenburg, we head South on Hwy 93 to Hwy 74, the Carefree Hwy, and turn east and then head for home. This should be a great drive and something a bit different for a change. It will be helpful if someone with navigation can program this route so we will have it handy. The trip from Phoenix to Prescott is a "no brainer" but doing Skull Valley backwards may require some assistance.
WE WILL NEED YOUR RSVP ASAP FOR A HEAD COUNT
These are the names we currently have on the list
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BTW………using the radio properly. Hold the microphone of the radio about 4 or 5 inches from your face, press the talk button and pause about 2 seconds before speaking. Otherwise your first few words get cut off. Speak SLOWLY and try to apply proper diction. Many of the messages come through at 2000 miles an hour are garbled, and are impossible to understand. Slowing down the rate of speech helps a lot for old geezers like me who are losing their hearing. In addition, there is wind noise entering the microphone and further confusing the transmission. If you have a voice activated system, please turn off that feature because wind noise opens the microphone and prevents anyone else from transmitting until your microphone is closed again.
Stuff
Paul Ebeyer, President
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