Blatherings From The Editor

Roads I’d Like to See Paved

(March 2006) 

I know this is blasphemy to you dirt bike riders out there, but there are a couple of southern Arizona dirt roads that would really be neat if they were paved.  A few of us just can’t seem to get the hang of riding dirt roads.  It’s really a shame because there is so much to see off the paved path.  Just can’t get the fun factor to over shadow the fear factor when riding on dirt.

     For example, most maps of Arizona show Hwy 289, Ruby Road West that runs west from I-19 just above Nogales through Ruby, into Arivaca and dead ending at Hwy 286, as a dark red line fooling you into believing it is paved.  It was a real let down when we passed Pena Blanca Lake and the road turned to C.R.A.P. – Country Road Absent Pavement.  I was really looking forward to a cup of java at the Gadsden Coffee Company in Arivaca.  Wouldn’t it be nice if our County Fathers put paving Ruby Road in the budget?  What a loop that would be.

     Those of us living South of I-10 in the southeast corner of Arizona long for an easier way to ride north that didn’t involve Tucson or Safford.  Take a look at Pomerene Road heading north out of Benson.  Depending on your map, it turns to Cascabel Road, then to Redington Road, and comes into the mining town of San Manuel.  Paving this road would create the ultimate shortcut to Globe, opening up all of north central Arizona.  Unfortunately, this is one tough dirt road not for the faint-of-heart pavement rider who cringes at the sight of sand traps and deep, never ending washboard.

     The road over the Chiricahua Mountains to Portal would be an excellent ride…if it wasn’t C.R.A.P.  You could loop around the Chiricahuas to Rodeo and back down to Douglas in a day, easy.  It would even be better if you could cut across Rucker Canyon Road over to Hwy 191.  It took us 2 hours to do the 40 miles of bad road known as Rucker Canyon Road.

     Ever ride Hwy 62?  I’ll bet that unless you are an accomplished back road, dirt bike rider, you probably don’t know where Hwy 62 is.  Next time you take Hwy 83 south from I-10 look for the Greaterville turn off.  Only a few miles are paved and the rest is…you guessed it…C.R.A.P.  So is Madera Canyon Road, another great loop just looking to be paved.

     Hwy 83 from I-10 down to Sonoita is a great motorcycle road.  Actually, it continues on to Parker Canyon Lake, over Montezuma Pass and to the Coronado National Monument, ending at Hwy 92.  Too bad it turns to C.R.A.P. about 3 miles from Parker Canyon Lake.  Just another let down for the street rider who can’t do the sandy, rutty, dusty, flakey dirt roads that run along the Arizona and Mexico border.

     For those of us hungry for some new Arizona back roads, these are but a few of the many dirt roads that go off into the land that we street-only-riders will never see.  It will take the march of time and the ever expanding population to make it worth while for the big machines to come in and lay the pavement down.  Hope I’m still out there looking for those new back roads when it happens.  Deryle and Wanda, dirt – tired it – didn’t get it.