Featured Rideout Happy New Year! Riding Out Of 2024 And Into 2025

Happy New Year everyone! Wishing each of you a year filled with riding (and wrenching), fun, good health, happiness, and love.

Speaking of love, I love to end each year with a ride and begin the new year with...yep, a ride! This year I was able to do both under sunny, blue skies. Farewell 2024 and welcome 2025!

Farewell 2024!

On December 31st I did a solo ride on my 2019 Speed Triple RS. Everyone else was busy with one thing or another so off I went by myself. That turned out to be rather lovely as I was able to chose my route, pace, and stopping points. My chose was Gates Pass, a beautiful ride up the pass through the Tucson Mountains. I did a little stop at the Tucson Mountain Park sign which is on the road up to the pass then another more leisurely stop at the summit of Gates Pass which sits at 3,172 feet. The temperature on this New Year's Eve afternoon was a perfect 70ºF.




The little overlook ramada at the Gates Pass visitor area



Looking to the east back towards Tucson



And to the west from just on the other side of the ramada



In all the times I've stopped at Gates Pass, I never noticed this plaque indicating that "Bushmaster Peak" was named for and dedicated too all who served as Bushmasters.





30 miles on the clock. A satisfying way to ring out the old year.



Welcome 2025!

And this afternoon to ring in the new year, Steve, Russell, and I did a little ride up to the Oracle Patio Cafe, one of our favorite group ride breakfast haunts. It was another beautiful day--sunny with high wispy clouds, the kind my dad used to call "mares tales". Temperatures were 70ºF in Tucson and 65º in Oracle.Today I opted to ride my Harley Low Rider ST.

Many places were closed today for New Year's but the Oracle Patio Cafe was open until 3pm. We arrived at right around 2pm for a late lunch. Steve's and my "breakfast" a few hours earlier was one of his famous Bloody Mary's. It's a veritable meal in a glass with skewered pickles and olives and a huge celery stalk as a stir stick. The Bloody Mary is a little New Year's Day tradition with Steve and me.





We saw scores of motorcyclists out on the road today. Evidently we're not the only bikers who think it's a great idea to usher in a new year with a motorcycle ride! Hello 2025!

 

@joe mc donald
Thanks, Joe! Sorry your were a bit off but glad you're feeling back to normal now. Ugh...snow and frost. I lived with that growing up in Minnesota and don't miss it. It would be grand to be neighbors! Maybe you and Tracy can move in next door if one of the houses next to us goes up for sale.