2022 M-B.E.A.T. Recap
A total of 20 members and friends in 11 assorted BE (British/European) and other vehicles gathered at Denny’s in North Phoenix for an adventure on the back roads to Flagstaff! The roads were in excellent shape; only one short delay in Oak Creek Canyon was encountered. Even going through Sedona was pleasant and without delay.
The temperature was high enough for at least a couple of the of the cars to have their convertible tops down! Our first stop was at Coffinger Park in Wickenburg for a group photo and an “exhaust noise” contest, the winner being Bob Yoder in his GT at 112db, enough to beat out Mike Goodwins XKE at 108db!
Then we were off to the back country heading out of Wickenburg and points North starting out on Arizona Route 89 through the town of Congress, Glen Ilah, and then up the long winding White Spar Highway to the small town of Yarnell
At this point in our journey, we were driving in the high desert through the small villages/wide-spots-in-the-road of Peeples Valley, Kirkland Junction, Kirkland and then to Skull Valley where we stopped for a short break. The ancient gas station and the store are again open! If you are in the area any Saturday mornings this summer, don’t hesitate to stop; just throw a couple of dollars in the tip jar and enjoy a cinnamon roll or a delicious Boston Cream! After the break we were again on the back road heading toward “Preskitt” (that’s the way they like you to pronounce it!!)
On arrival, a few of us were able to find parking on Whiskey Row which is the main thoroughfare through the downtown. Our destination for lunch was The Palace Saloon (circa 1877) where they had a table in the main dining room set up for us. After lunch, many of the group window-shopped or walked through the display tents around Courthouse Square.
Our afternoon drive took us past the Northern Arizona Veterans Administration health care facility, through the Granite Dells, past Watson Lake and the Phippen Western Art Museum and onto the Pioneer Highway (Arizona Route 89 Alternate) heading along the twisty, curvy road over Mingus Mountain toward the once great city of Jerome. In Jerome our first objective was to visit the Gold King Mine & Ghost Town to see the Dodge Brothers sedan with 15 “simulated” bullet holes, a fully operable 1902 Studebaker Electric Car with a 40-mile range, the Saw Mill, the Arizona Power Company 10,154 Cubic Inch power generation motor, the 9-seat school house with three typewriters, the animals and the other past wonders of the road now rusting away in the Arizona wilderness!! Note that if you are 80+, entry is FREE; it was a treasure chest of answers for the Challenge Quiz that all entrants were asked to complete before getting to the hotel.
From Jerome we followed the road down the hill to Clarkdale, through Old Town Cottonwood and through Sedona into Oak Creek Canyon to Flagstaff. After checking in at Little America, we all had our pictures taken next to our cars, freshened up in our rooms and headed to Happy Hour, again hosted by Bob Yoder, and then to an excellent dinner in the hotel restaurant!! The Challenge Question winners: Desert Stars Member David Cesal and Rich Leamon and Yvonne Lazear from the CA Central Coast MBCA chapter.
After a comfortable night in the totally refurbished Little America rooms, and breakfast in the hotel restaurant in the morning, everyone headed back to the Valley of the Sun in a variety of different directions.
M-B.E.A.T 23 is tentatively scheduled for the weekend of April 22/23