Canyon Views – AZM Newsletter
December 2019
December 2019 : Prescott Chapter Dinners Summary
Submitted by Steve Beer
So far in 2019 there have been four Prescott Chapter dinners, which were organized by our Social Co-Chairs, Bonnie Sue Miculinic, Jane O’Clair and Joe Cannon, Prescott Chapter Chair. The success of these dinners is evidenced by having 30-40 attendees at each one, with many new members being introduced to our club, and many different members attending based on their varying schedules.
A successful event takes a lot of behind the scenes work. Bonnie Sue, Jane and Joe worked together to identify restaurants that could handle a group of our size, preferably with a private room, and then found dates that would work. They negotiated special pricing and the guaranteed group size, and took into consideration happy hour timing, having dedicated waitstaff, and ample parking being available. Once all the details were set, the information for the Email Blast invitation and for registration on MSR was provided.
At the dinners, the room was decorated with Porsche and Arizona Mountain Region banners, thanks to Joe Cannon. Bonnie Sue handled check-in and raffle ticket sales, while Joe and Joel Miculinic greeted members and made everyone feel welcome. The sale of raffle tickets has brought in over $300 dollars for the club. During dinner, Bonnie Sue made sure we were well taken care of. The September dinner held at the Finn Restaurant, had the added attraction of participation by Porsche of Chandler and a complimentary drink coupon and music provided by the restaurant. Thank you to Bonnie Sue, Jane and Joe, and to all the volunteers that help make Arizona Mountain Region events happen.
Pictures are from the following dinners:
- May- Augie’s Restaurant
- June- Guacamaya’s Mexican Grill
- August- Limoncello Pizzeria Napolitana
- September- The Finn Restaurant
April 13, 2019 : Hopi Lands – LaPosada Driving Tour
Submitted by Maynard Goff
An early Saturday morning greeted Arizona Mountain Region members for the start of our first tour of Navajo and Hopi lands. Drivers and passengers from Prescott, Verde Valley and Flagstaff joined us for a beautiful day and drive. The drive started in Prescott with stops at Camp Verde and Flagstaff to gather all members.
We proceeded on Rt. 15 North, passing through a part of Navajo country. The early part of the tour featured beautiful views of the still snow-packed San Francisco Peaks to the West. As we drove North the view of mountains and pines was replaced with high desert, volcanic cones, buttes, and mesas that are each in their own way awe-inspiring and a hallmark of the native lands.
As we drove, we kept a leisurely pace out of respect for the conservative traditions of our Navajo and Hopi hosts, the original inhabitants of AZM region, with awareness that traffic enforcement was no longer Arizona’s but the tribal nations’ in which we were guests. Our destination was the Hopi Cultural Center in Second Mesa.
Most Hopis believe they are descendants of the ancestral Puebloans. Most live in pueblo villages on or near the three mesas, the heart of Hopi lands. The Cultural Center features a museum and artisan vendors. The Hopi are renowned for their intricately carved, spiritually significant Kachina dolls, and for their superb pottery, coiled baskets and overlay silver jewelry. We also enjoyed a delicious lunch where we had an array of options from Hopi traditional and contemporary cuisine.
From Second Mesa, we headed south toward the endpoint of our tour, Winslow – where some of us could not resist “Standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona……”. Accommodations were at the historic La Posada Hotel. Built in1929 for the Sante Fe Railroad, one of several hotels on the line, it is known as the “last great railroad hotel”. Full of history and its own museum, it is an elegant reminder of a time long past in travel history. Recently restored, we found it a great place to stay. The hotel has an award-winning restaurant, The Turquoise Room, where refreshments were enjoyed before a very fine dinner and conversation.
Sunday morning everyone headed out on their own schedule to welcome a new day and take their own route home. Thank you to everyone that participated and helped make it a great PCA tour.
June 14-16, 2019 : Alpine Driving Tour
Submitted by Steve and Debbie Beer
Friday morning everyone was up and ready to go on the Arizona Mountain Region’s first tour to Alpine to drive on some beautiful mountain roads and experience some truly twisty roads. Passengers who knew what was coming came prepared with Dramamine and amulets to ward off getting carsick. We had drivers from Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, and the AZ Region join us for the weekend. The route on Friday started in Prescott, and continued onto the familiar Hwy 260 for a mid-morning break in Payson. The next leg took us to Show Low for lunch at Licano’s Mexican restaurant, where we relaxed in a private dining room, and “fueled up” for the next leg to Alpine at over 8,000 feet. A club member from Pine Top recommended a very special paved road, which is closed during the winter, but had recently opened up. Highway 273 climbed up past a ski area and Big Lake, and then through alpine meadows, to (naturally) Alpine.
The Tal Wi Wi lodge could at best be called “rustic”, but it proved to be a fine location for our needs. Since the restaurant wasn’t open for the season, we got to enjoy a community picnic on the patio deck, overlooking the meadow. Throughout the weekend we saw Elk from the herd of about 200 that graze there. Everyone brought delicious food and drink; we had a soft sunset to end the day; and a special thank you to Betty for bringing frosted cupcakes that survived the drive!
Saturday’s main event would be driving, so naturally it was important to start off with a good breakfast in Alpine at the Foxfire Restaurant. Two of the favorites that were ordered were the pumpkin waffles and the Hatch Green Chile casserole. After breakfast we quickly crossed into New Mexico on Hwy 180, and drove to the Catwalk National Rec Area in Glenwood. We spent an hour exploring the park and the trails, especially the elevated “catwalks” that hug the canyon walls. The southern end of the day’s loop dropped to 3,000 feet and took us to Morenci for lunch. Michelle of Michelle’s Bar & Grill opened up on Saturday just to host our group. She has accommodated other car and motorcycle groups in the past, that were doing the same drive, and we really appreciated her hospitality.
After lunch we stopped at the copper mine overlook, and with the help of the work crew from Freeport-McMoRan Mining and their ladder, we got a great group picture. After leaving the mine, we were officially ready to take on the “Devil’s Highway”, so called from its original Rte. 666 designation. The road climbs back up to 8,000 feet with one set of switch-backs after another, mixed in with an endless series of “S” curves. We didn’t have another car on the road, so it was a chance to appreciate the handling and finesse of a Porsche at speed. Everyone had a safe and fun day and we were ready to relax with dinner at the Firefox, accompanied by the sounds from the 7th Annual Country Bluegrass Festival being held next door!
Sunday morning everyone headed out on their own schedule to have breakfast and take their own route home. I heard that the straight lines and cruise control on Interstate 40 looked pretty good after the previous two days! Thank you to everyone that participated on the tour, or helped with PCA forms and tour sweep requirements, and for sharing in a memorable tour.
