Crown King, AZ (The back way from Lake Pleasant)

A great day trip from the Phoenix, AZ area.

We went up the back side of Crown King from Lake Pleasant yesterday. It was a beautiful, challenging ride. I’ve only been up that way once before. As I was riding the terrain got more challenging, I kept recalling the last ride. I was with a group of BMW 1200GS riders. Many of them were over their heads and the leader of the group had to shuttle bikes up all the challenging parts. That memory made me happy to be on a DR. It’s amazing how well she climbs anything I put in front of her. There were lots of loose rocks and bumpy, rutted climbs.

Shea on her Honda XR400

We had a great mix of riders on bikes like: DR650, KLR650 F800GS, XR400 and a Husky 449. The husky led the pack but everyone else held strong.

Motley Crew of dual sport riders

It was a fast moving group so I have very few pictures. Sometimes I opt to enjoy the view more than I document it. Some of the best views were on a narrow, rocky two track with a wall on one side and a huge drop on the other. I missed a lot of those views because I was “white knuckling” it up the hill.

Martin on his Husqvarna TE449

I’ve been riding dual sports for about four years. I got my first flat on this ride. It was much easier to fix than I expected. It was also surprisingly fun to work on the bike together on the side of the trail. I love the comradery in the MC world.

First flat tire on Suzuki DR650

We arrived in Crown King for lunch and headed for the traditional CK Saloon. It was packed with quad and side by side traffic so we rode up the hill to another restaurant I have never seen. It was fantastic. I think I have a new eatery in CK.

It was a great day in the mountains. Thanks for the ride folks.