Review
10th Annual Bulldog Kliffs Rennen, April 28-30, 2017
Arizona weather can be tricky and we had a dose of that on our 2017 spring event. Friday was a beautiful sunny day as our caravan drove from Phoenix to Winslow and the popular La Posada Hotel. When we got to Winslow the scene changed. The wind was really up and it was cold.
At La Posada we were joined by seven cars from the ZIA club in New Mexico and we were ready for a party. Unfortunately the wind didn’t cooperate and our wind-down party set for an outdoor patio was instead wind-blown. Most stayed in a cramped indoor room for survival. Then after a great dinner at the Turquoise Room at the La Posada we were ready for the Saturday drive.
At 8:45 Saturday morning our 18 car caravan hit the road. We drove 90 miles west on I-40 to Williams, Arizona, an early waypoint on Route 66 which goes right through the middle of town. This is also Grand Canyon country where a train from Williams runs regularly to the Canyon.
After another 25 miles on I-40 we reached the beginning of the longest remaining continuous stretch of Route 66. We passed slowly through the tiny town of Seligman which is a historic waypoint on the Route and goes back to early railroad and mining days, and is now a place of western kitch. About 50 miles further we stopped at Grand Canyon Caverns for lunch. Surprise! Who do we bump into during lunch? Chuck House from Bermuda Dunes on a biker's tour with his brother. Chuck’s a 356 a guy who has done more than most for the 356 scene and among other things is a past president of The Registry.
We then continued west for 50 miles to Kingman, Arizona for a gas stop and also provide the option for anyone who doesn’t want to drive another 100 miles round trip to and back from Oatman to just take it easy, check in to the motel, and enjoy the casual ambiance of Kingman.
About half the group went on to Oatman. The town of Oatman is an old mining town now known for tourists, roaming wild but tame burros and more western kitch. We got there over a section of twisty 356 roads through a mountain range only to be stopped by a deputy sheriff at the town entrance. She wanted to warn us that there was a large crowd in town, including a lot of bikers, and it would take up to an hour to get through. It normally takes 5 minutes. That was a delay we didn’t want to endure so we turned around in a dust storm and returned along the twisty route back to Kingman. Oh well.
After a wind-down party we headed for the Dambar Steakhouse for dinner. A great time was had that day by all. Except maybe a little less great for Mark and Judy Lauver whose ‘60 coupe developed a failure in the gearshift linkage and ultimately had to be towed.
After a full weekend about thirty Outlaws and ZIAs are now seasoned Route 66 travelers. All returned home with souvenir pint glasses bearing the Arizona 356 Outlaws logo.
by Roy Pederson