Randy Ride – The Road to Nowhere

This is going to be a pretty easy and relaxing ride.  I think we should do this at a relaxed pace with KSU at 10:00 am.  This will still get us done before dark.  I staged this ride so that we can be heading towards Steve and Sandy’s house in case they have to be home early.  The entire route should be around 4 hours.

The Route Map

Waypoint A – Valero, 16794 W Bell Rd, Surprise, AZ 85374

OK so maybe the 10:00 KSU is not so late after all.  This northern starting point will mean that for the rest of the ride, most people will be heading towards home.  No nasty long ride home after the Randy Ride!  From here we will head west on Bell which will turn into Sun Valley Parkway, once known as the “Road to nowhere”.  We will be riding around the White Tank Mountains.  This is a nice 4-lane divided highway with more bicycle traffic than anything else during the weekends.  Sun Valley Parkway was built to handle traffic for an expansion of Buckeye.  Several large housing developments were planned.  So far the only developments I know of are Sun City Festival (retirement community) and Tartesso (waypoint B).  The fact that Buckeye decided they did not have enough revenue to maintain the road and left the costs to the developers, may have slowed down the other developments.  Our nice economy may also be a factor.  The speed limit is 55 mph for most of the stretch of SVP.  This seems very slow on this nice road, but I do not want to contribute to any speed ticket revenues so I usually set the cruise to 60 – 62 along this route (you do have cruise control right?). So we will be in “cruise” mode for about 30 miles doing laid-back Harley waves to other motorcycles and chin wags to the bicycles.

Waypoint C

What happened to Waypoint B?  That was Tartesso, weren’t you paying attention?  Waypoint C is I-10.  We decide to take I-10 for a couple of miles to waypoint D, US 85 (road to Rocky Point/ I-8) or we take the back roads.  Either way we need to get to waypoint E, Maricopa 85 (MC 85).  We will take a short ride through downtown Buckeye to get to…

Waypoint F

A big old statue of Hobo Joe.  When MC 85 takes a sweeping left turn we will continue straight along a beat up old road, dodging parked semis and hotel maid carts.  At the end of this road is a fine statue left over from the Hobo Joes restaurant chain.

Hobo Joes was an Arizona restaurant chain in the 70’s and 80’s.  They had statues of Hobo Joe in the front much like the Big Boy hamburger chain.  Most of the statues were about 5 foot tall with a plaque describing Hobo Joe as a world traveler and connoisseur of fine food.  You could go to a Hobo Joes and eat fine things like a Hoboburger and other nice items.  If kids finished their plate they could pick a prize from the treasure chest.  Not sure what hobos and treasure chests have in common.  The restaurant chain was owned by Barry Goldwater’s brother, Robert; Robert’s longtime partner, Joseph F. Martori; and a third man, Herbert Applegate.  These guys also spun off the Humpty Dumpty restaurants which morphed later into Denny’s.  During the Hobo Joes days an investment company named Southwestern Research was made a partner after they guaranteed a loan of $3 million from a bank in which Goldwater was a director.  Goldwater and Martori sold about a third of their stock to Southwestern, and Applegate kept his making him the primary investor and president.  The loan was to go into building new restaurants and to fund a distribution center for the restaurant food supply.  However, most of the money was funneled into a house for Applegate, and a remodel of a duplex in Mesa that Applegate used for a sex cabin.  His Playboy playmate girlfriend lived in the Mesa house and helped throw several sex parties with influential Phoenix businessmen and judges, many who were not aware that the mirrors in the house were two-way, and secret passages where built throughout the house.  Applegate was also paying his friend, Peter “Horseface” Licavoli, the former boss of Detroit’s old Purple Gang, now a resident of Tucson a nice sum of about $40K a month in return for cheap paintings.  Licavoli was one of several suspicious characters who was under investigation by Don Bolles who was an investigative journalist  (yes, back then Arizona journalist actually investigated stories).  Bolles did investigate up to the point he was blown up in his Datsun in the parking lot of a Phoenix hotel.

Licavoli was also cashing in on scams from the restaurant food orders coming from the newly built distribution center.  Restaurant managers were told to double their orders.  The restaurant supply will arrive with the other half loaded on a truck to Tucson.  Shrimp orders that would last the chain several years would also be shipped to Tucson.  By the time the loan money was drying up, Goldwater and Martori were paid off their share.  Goldwater’s bank was also paid off by Southwestern via the loan guarantee.  The only party hurt in the deal was Southwestern Research who had to pay off the loan.  Goldwater also received some lucrative land deals that Southwestern was holding in exchange for some of his shares.

The 25 foot statue we are visiting was made my Marvin Ransdell who had a fiberglass company and made the statues and booths for the restaurant.  His company also made fiberglass/plastic swimming pools.  Ransdell was never paid for this statue, which may have been ordered for a Las Vegas Hobo Joes.  For a while it was located at this pool company until Ramon Gillum convinced Ransdell to sell the statue to him for his Buckeye meat packing company.  After a battle with some locals, Gillum was eventually given the OK to assemble the statue in this spot.  It is in relatively good shape with only a cigar missing that was on a toothpick in his hand.

Waypoint G

We will double back from Hobo Joe towards the old US Hwy 80.  This highway was built in the 20’s as an all-weather highway going coast to coast.  It was decommissioned after the interstate system was built.  As we start to head south through Arlington, keep a watch out on the right.  In the distance you can see the 3 containment towers for the Paulo Verde Nuclear Power Station. 

Speaking of Paulo Verde Nuclear Power Station, did you know it is the only nuclear power station that is not located next to a large body of water?  Nuclear power stations need lots of water to keep the cores cool and Paulo Verde is no exception.  They have made a deal with surrounding cities, including Phoenix to buy their waste water. Think about that the next time you are doing your business.  Flush… ka-ching, for the water company!  So why is Paulo Verde located in Tonopah and is the middle of nowhere, has no water supply, and because of the prevailing westerly winds, puts the Phoenix-Metro area into jeopardy in the event of a major accident?  I guess that location is as good as any, I am sure it has nothing to do with the fact the site was selected over alternatives because it was owned by a relative of Keith Turley, who received almost $2 million for the land. Keith Turley was the president of APS.

About 22 miles from Hobo Joe we will come to the Gillespie Bridge and Dam.  The dam was built by a rancher named Frank Gillespie as a water source for his Paloma Ranch.  Gillespie created the Paloma in the early 20’s by purchasing the land from the railroad and other sources.  The Paloma was a big spread along the river until it was sold in parcels around 2001.  The dam was actually used as part of the highway until the bridge was built a few years later.  Part of the dam washed away during a flood in 1993.  In 2006 a sheriff deputy took a picture of a ghost like object on the bridge, the object looked similar to the Predator in the Schwarzenegger movie (when he was in transparent mode).  Later it was discovered that a man committed suicide by hanging himself off the bridge under the spot where the picture was taken.

 

Waypoint H

We head south from the Gillespie bridge along old US 80 towards Gila Bend.  About 2.5 miles from the bridge, on the right, is a development with gated fence in the middle of nowhere.  This is the Spring Mountain Ski Ranch, or what was going to be the Ski Ranch.  Two side-by-side lakes where dug out for water skiing in the middle of the desert.  They had plans to sell lots for houses or cabins along the lake.  From what I see, it appears that only the boat docks were built.  The rest appears to be neglected.

Waypoint I

Back on old US 80 towards Gila Bend in about 17 miles we come to the Paloma Solar Plant.  I wonder where they got the name “Paloma”?  Gila Bend will soon be known as the solar capital.  This solar plant is one of 3 that will be located here.  With Paloma, APS’s total renewable energy portfolio is 875 megawatts, counting projects online and in development. Of that total, 288 megawatts are in service today, providing enough electricity to meet the needs of 72,000 Arizona homes.  This plant was built by First Solar out of Tempe.  The second solar plan was built by Solon out of Tucson.  The third plant is a result of a $1.45 billion loan guarantee from Obama to Abengoa Solar out of Spain.  Just a little farther up the road is Desert Sweet BioFuels.  You will see a sign for Desert Sweet Shrimp.  The company started by raising nice shrimp in a series of large ponds fed by mineral-rich waters pumped from deep undergrounds wells. The shrimp are raised free from the hormones, antibiotics, chemicals or mercury that can be found in ocean-raised shrimp, while the naturally low salt content of the water gives the shrimp a surprisingly sweet taste.  Unfortunately, low cost shrimp from China made this venture unprofitable.  The company used their knowledge of algae to create bio fuels which is now the main product.

Waypoint J

Old US 80 terminates at US85 in Gila Bend, we will turn right into Gila bend.  On the right as we head down 85 is the Knights Inn.  Back in the 1973 a movie called “The Man Who Loved Cat Dancing” starring Burt Reynolds and Sarah Miles was filmed in Gila Bend.  This hotel was called the Traveler’s Inn at the time.  Check out this story:

Sarah Miles’ business manager-boyfriend David Whiting was found by her dead in her Gila Bend, Arizona motel room during production of this movie. The death made headlines around the world. Time magazine on 26 March 1973 reported: “Pills and bottles were scattered around his body, and bruises and a bloody cut were found on his head.” The night prior to the discovery of his body, Whiting had allegedly assaulted Miles after she had come back late at night from a birthday party for Burt Reynolds. Reynolds let Miles stay in his room for protection. Miles testified that Whiting had “got ahold of me and began throwing me about the room”. Reynolds, when he saw Miles after her nanny, overhearing the confrontation, had called him, was quoted as saying, “Christ Almighty, you’re a mess!” Miles’ injuries allegedly included a bloody nose, a bruised forehead and a cut lip. The official cause of Whiting’s death as ruled by the coroner / county medical examiner was suicide by overdose of the drugs Methaqualone, Benadryl and a Librium-type drug. Reportedly, Miles and Reynolds did not wish to testify at the inquest one month after the incident but were forced to when Whiting’s mother, Mrs. Louise Campbell, successfully obtained a court order for them to testify. According to the Time magazine article, " . . . a pharmacologist hired by Whiting’s mother said that the amount of methaqualone in Whiting’s bloodstream need not have been fatal. Left unexplained was how Whiting’s blood came to be on a pillowcase, towel, tissues and the washbasin in his own room, as well as on a blue sweater he had apparently been wearing. Also unaccounted for were the severe cut on the back of his head and scratches on his stomach, chest and knuckles."  

Let’s don’t stop there. 

Instead we will head down to the Space Age Lodge.  This hotel/restaurant was built during the space race.  Hence the theme complete with flying saucer on the roof. The Space Age Restaurant is not too bad, pretty typical.  The service was good, and the burger was tasty.  They have a salad bar, but I did not check it out.

After Space Age we head towards Maricopa.  We will cruise along Maricopa road (238) through the Sonoran Desert National Monument.  This is a nice ride through some great desert scenery as we pass through the Maricopa Mountains.  This reserve is managed by the BLM so it was not designed for tourists, but rather to preserve the environment.  As a result, they did not level the roads or blast mountains to avoid curves.  The road has some gentle dips and nice sweeping curves.  Not twisty by any means, the curves are rated at around 45 mph, but a nice 60 mph along this 55 limit is a nice ride.

Waypoint L

We enter Maricopa and fill up at the Circle K at Basha’s.  I would imagine that somewhere along here we will lose Steve and Sandy, although they are welcome to continue if schedules are not pressing.  However, most of the good ride is over and we have the nasty stretch of 347 ahead.  This road goes from Maricopa to the Firebird raceway.  The speed limit is increased to around 65mph, but they have stop lights!  This is very annoying, maybe it’s just me.  Once we get to I-10 we head back home.  I like to stop off at Chandler Harley Davidson.  This is not the biggest dealer in the valley, but it is one of my favorites.  Do a little looking around,. stretch the legs before we head HOME.

Turn – By – Turn Directions

·         Leaving Valero turn right (west) on Bell

·         Continue Bell, it will turn into Sun Valley Parkway and eventually head south to …

·         I – 10.  Turn left (east) on I-10 to US-85 (Oglesby Rd) to

·         Turn Left (east) on Maricopa 85 (MC 85) to

·         The point MC 85 curves left and splits with Monroe.  Go straight on Monroe (this is a bad paved road, but we are only going a block or two) to…

·         Hobo Joe.  Then turn around back down MC 85 west to …

·         Turner road where MC 85 ends.  Turn left (south) on Turner to …

·         The point where Turner ends (Hazen).  Turn left (west) on Hazen to ..

·         The point where Hazen pavement ends, turn left (south) to …

·         Old US 80 (Palo Verde) turn right (west) on old US 80.  Continue old US 80 to …

·         The point it ends at Pima Street (85).  Turn right (west) to …

·         The Space Age Hotel.  Turn back down Pima (east) to …

·         238 Maricopa Road.  Continue east to …

·         Basha’s / Circle K at corner of 238 and 347 (John Wayne Highway/North Maricopa).

·         Turn left (north) on 347 to …

·         I – 10.  Go North to …

·         Chandler Blvd.  Go east on Chandler Blvd to …

·         56 Street.  Turn right to Chandler Harley Davison

·          Go home.