Welcome !

This is our forum to aid in planning the 2006 Route 66 Classic #2, or Sun Devil Classic, or Arizona whatever we are gonna call it. This restricted thread is for us to use to bounce ideas, post links and maps and pictures. You can even start more new threads under this topic for specific parts of the event, like . . . . awards, hotel, t-shirts . . . . whatever.

The projected dates for the event is around the end of April.
Everything is still up in the air except our only rule: You gotta have FUN!

Post away. Let's get this thang rollin'.

Thanks Aaron!

Option #1.)

Out of towners arrive in Flagstaff on Friday evening.
Dinner if you are early enough. Party whenever you get there.

Sat 9:14 AM Breakfast.

After breakfast head south to Sedona. Then west to Cottonwood and Jerome. Check into a Motel in Prescott. Un-pack, re-group and drive south to Yarnell / Congress and then back.
Dinner - Awards Banquet someplace in Prescott. (8 pm ?)
Then hang out in the parking lot until we run out of beer.

Sunday --> scenic drive --> group lunch --> good bye --> home.

I can arrange for embroidered shirts. The only thing I would need is the vector artwork of an old design. With that, I can get with my friend who ownes the ebroidery shop and hammer out a custom t-shirt for the run.

let me know...

Kool Keith. We have had screen printed shirts in the past. Embroidered ones would be nice. Jereon is our graphics guy. He will work his magic once we have more info to give him.

Excellent!

just supply me with the vector artwork, and whalla! We will have embroidered stuffs... hats, shirts, boxers whatever you want. The embroidery will be stitched here in Vegas, so if you would like to preview the garments before offering them for sale, you can.

Just got off of the phone with my painter, the car should have color on it by next weekend! Looking very good to have it done for this event.

Keith

QUOTE (VegasRacer @ Jan 3 2006, 12:45 AM)

Out of towners arrive in Flagstaff on Friday evening. Dinner if you are early enough. Party whenever you get there.

Gretel's Black Forest House in Flagstaff is a must!

it's fairly small, but the food is excellent and authentic german!
Andy

QUOTE (SirAndy @ Jan 3 2006, 05:54 PM)

Gretel's Black Forest House in Flagstaff is a must! it's fairly small, but the food is excellent and authentic german! Andy

Sorry Andy - I agree about Gretel's, but it is now an Oregano's pizza place. Gretel had been saying for years that she was going to move back to Germany and one day she really did. We really miss it!

If you are ever in Dolores, Colorado there's a similar place there that is run by 2 sisters who came to the U.S. from Germany about 20 years ago. Well worth the trip!

QUOTE (VegasRacer @ Jan 3 2006, 01:45 AM)

Option #1.) Out of towners arrive in Flagstaff on Friday evening. Dinner if you are early enough. Party whenever you get there. Sat 9:14 AM Breakfast. After breakfast head south to Sedona. Then west to Cottonwood and Jerome. Check into a Motel in Prescott. Un-pack, re-group and drive south to Yarnell / Congress and then back. Dinner - Awards Banquet someplace in Prescott. (8 pm ?) Then hang out in the parking lot until we run out of beer. Sunday --> scenic drive --> group lunch --> good bye --> home.

I like this idea a lot, but I'm wondering where else we would drive to as a scenic drive. Doing Sedona, Jerome and Yarnell all on Saturday sort of takes in all the stuff in that area all at once. Then again, we could go back to Jerome on Sunday for a lunch/farewell and to let folks wander around. We'd be doing the road the opposite direction so that might not be too bad.

I'm gonna sit down with the map and a calculator and see what the distances and approximate driving times look like.

now here is my only concern....

and a few others in socal voiced it also... we may be the minority tho


its a long drive...just to drive some more.....and then drive back home.....

any other features planned other than a long scenic drive and party?

just askin. any excuse to get together is a good one....

That's a valid concern, Aaron. Last year some folks came all the way from Southern CA and Albuquerque just for a one day drive. I'd like to see the event have more than that to make it worth the drive, but something less than a West Coast Classic style event. I'm not quite sure what that happy medium is.

Who else is here on this Planning Forum that has not posted yet?

Well Ernie - and others,

Let's make some choices and take some action.

When: April 21-22-23, April 28-29-30, May 5-6-7, other?

Where: ? ? ?




Aaron: We have proven by past successful events that any excuse is a good one. We will have fun as long as we are together. We don't have to be doing something every minute. After every event I always think "I wish there was more time to just talk to everyone". What will it take to get a few more Cal people to show up? I know we can count on Joe, Linda, Toast and Slits regardless. An Auto-X or Track thing are not likely. (well . . . . maybe we could do something at P.I.R. or Firebird one year .? .? .?)

Would a half day drive be better? Flagstaff - Sedona - Jerome - Prescott - Hang out and Party. The drive on Route 66 last year was fun, but it did take the entire day. Several people stayed the night at the Avi before they drove home the next day.

On the dates of the event don't forget about the Hershey Show. While I know its on the other side of the country, the magazine is one of the sponsors and I fly out to cover the event. The dates are April 24th and 25th. Not sure how many will fly or drive out from here...

I know there is a indy Porsche shop in Flagstaff (Frankies Euro), maybe some tech info?

I agree about making it a 100% driving event, but then again don't want a 100% car show sitting... What about making the drive into what I did with my Route 66 Show a few years ago in Gallup, NM... we handing out playing cards at five stops along the tour... best hand won some gift certificates from like Pelican or Mid-America.

As soon as we have the details down am running a comp 1/2 page ad in the magazine and running a banner on the website.

Brian Minson
9 Magazine
http://www.9magazine.com

LAKESIDE, AZ

I just got a PM from a Club member who suggested that we might want to keep the Route 66 theme and do the section in New Mexico from Sante Fe - Albuquerque - Gallup. He thought we might have a better chance of attracting people from Texas and Colorado (since the California people probably won't show up no matter what we do).

QUOTE (9magazine @ Jan 6 2006, 10:10 AM)

I know there is a indy Porsche shop in Flagstaff (Frankies Euro), maybe some tech info?

I would not describe this as a Porsche shop, but a general Euro repair shop. Berkhardt Franke (the father) ran a very well respected indy Porsche shop for many years. His son Chris owns the current shop and does not enjoy a very good reputation. I did business with him once and won't go back. I've also run into many other people who have not had a good experience there.

QUOTE (VegasRacer @ Jan 6 2006, 05:16 PM)

(since the California people probably won't show up no matter what we do).

QUOTE (Aaron Cox @ Jan 8 2006, 07:25 PM)

QUOTE (VegasRacer @ Jan 6 2006, 05:16 PM) (since the California people probably won't show up no matter what we do).

Sad but true. Correct Mr. Admin, thread starter, SoCal dude?!?

Is there anything we could do to get more Cali peeps to attend out of state events?

QUOTE (VegasRacer @ Jan 9 2006, 01:51 AM)

QUOTE (Aaron Cox @ Jan 8 2006, 07:25 PM) QUOTE (VegasRacer @ Jan 6 2006, 05:16 PM) (since the California people probably won't show up no matter what we do). Sad but true. Correct Mr. Admin, thread starter, SoCal dude?!? Is there anything we could do to get more Cali peeps to attend out of state events?

i hate to admit it but your right....

Anybody out there?

yup! I'm here John...

I'm still here. I've had quite a bit on my plate lately and haven't had any chance to try to put together a real plan to propose to the group. I'm sorry to have left the rest of you hanging like this.

I'm in Phoenix every third weekend to see family because my father-in-law is under hospice care. We thought we were going to lose him after the last few days, but he's rallied again.

Between his situation and some work insanity it has made it hard to concentrate on figuring out something to propose or go get out and scout anything. I'll try to put something together this week.

If we go thru Gallup (I used to live there), there are some pretty good back roads for driving. But its 3 hours east of Flagstaff.

I would still think a small to mid size route of driving then head to a meeting place for fun, door give-a-ways, tech, car show etc. Time to talk to people!

Brian Minson
9 Magazine
http://www.9magazine.com

Something that just crossed my mind... am sure the magazine would love to sponsor say a Saturday night social hour! Bring lots adult kool-aid and kiddie drinks for everyone.

Brian Minson
9 Magazine
http://www.9magazine.com

I was talking to a guy at work today who told be about a great trip he had taken recently. He said the highlight was the drive into Jerome.

What is the status of this event?

Brian Minson
9 magazine
http://www.9magazine.com

Take a look here: Proposal for this year

At this point I'm leaning towards April 29 & 30.

If we are going to make this happen, we need to do it NOW! We are running out of time. There are several of us who are willing to help, but we need a local guy (that means you Ernie) to take the lead.

We seem to be in agreement for the most part. We just need to work out enough of the details so we can go public and give people a chance to make plans.

April 29 - 30 or May 6 - 7. I don't care. Pick a weekend.
Start in Flagstaff on Saturday morning.
(we need to find a motel for out of town travelers on Friday night)
Saturday = FUN
Saturday night motel in Prescott.
I did some research and recommend Forest Villas Hotel, 3645 Lee Circle, Prescott 86301
Sunday just a half day of activities before the long drive home.

I started a poll in The Garage regarding the date for this event. The results seem clear. May 6 - 7 works better for more people. I think the response has been positive enough to show that the Route 66 Classic will be a success. Let's go forward and make it happen.

There are several hotels on West Route 66 in Flagstaff. I think that would be a good place for Friday night. They are just down the street from the Historic District.

Can we find a place for breakfast (at 9:14 AM) that is convenient for the people that are joining the party on Saturday morning? I hope there will be a group caravan up from Phoenix.

The drive on Hwy 89 is planned for Saturday. A good look at a detailed map will help us plan our stops along the way. Sedona, Cottonwood, Jerome. I am sure there is more to see than we can cram into 1 day.

We also need to block off a few rooms at a hotel in Prescott. Dinner reservations might not be a bad idea if we are going to have a group of 10 - 15 (or more).

The plans for Sunday are not as refined. A drive to Congress and a picnic lunch in Yarnell, and then home.

Who is with me on this?

I'm in.

I'll make some inquiries in Flagstaff to arrange for Saturday breakfast and to identify a hotel. I'll ask on the AZ 914 email list if anyone has any recommendations for hotels & restaurants in Prescott for Saturday evening. As well as places that might be able to handle putting together Saturday lunch for us.

I know we've talked about the idea of awards, and maybe we can do something like farthest drive or "Spirit of the West" (for having the guts to come or doing your 914 in a very individual way, or some other show of individualness), but I'm not the one to put that together and unless we've got someone who can take that on I'd rather we just forget it and look to next year.

I'm out of town this weekend to Phoenix so nothing will happen until next week, but I'll make it happen as fast as I can. I've got some ideas on hotel & breakfast places.

I think we really need to get most of the details nailed down and go public with an 'official' thread sometime this week.

Keith - are you still willing to do the shirts?

I liked the non-traditional / fun awards classes we had at the RRC. Does anybody have the tools and talent to make something for us? Steve?

** EXECUTIVE DECISSION **
The 2006 Route 66 will happen on May 6 - 7.
I will make a public 'official' post on Thurs or Friday.
I am begging for your input. Please.

The basic format and route are posted above.
Here is my proposal for some of the other details.
I spoke with some Flag natives today and got some good suggestions.

Out of town participants arrive in Flagstaff on Friday May 5, 2006. My recommendations for a host hotel are on Route 66 in the Historic Downtown area, near the Train Station. There are also 3 Breweries within walking distance. The best is the Beaver Street Brewery. There is a Days Inn or a Motel 8 a few blocks up for about $60. My source from the area suggested the Monte Vista Hotel. It is a historic hotel in the heart of the action. A few of the on-line reviews complained about the noise from the bar on the main floor that is open until 2 AM. I have not been able to check on rates or availability.

My friends from Flagstaff said that The Little America would be a nice place for our group to have our 9:14 AM breakfast and start our cruise. They agreed that our planned route of Sedona - Jerome - Prescott is an excellent drive.
We can work out the specifics of where we might want to stop along our way.
Last year nobody wanted to eat lunch after a big breakfast.
An ice cream cone snack was enough to hold us until dinner.

I suggested a motel in Prescott a few post above. I will check again to see if I can find a better option. Any ideas are welcome. The same for dinner on Saturday night.

Sunday is a cruise to Yarnell and Congress.
A picnic lunch sounds like a good idea.
After lunch everybody will head home.

I would like to have some sort of awards classes.

I think we still have time to do shirts also.

Speak now or forever hold your peace.
More input would be greatly appreciated.
Please help plan this fun 914 event.

Flagstaff Hotel - The Monte Vista's cheap rooms are $65 for a room with a shared bathroom, $75 with private bathroom (Monte Visa Hotel Rate Page) Another similar option is The Historic Weatherford Hotel. I stopped by the Weatherford this afternoon and just barely missed the hotel reservation person so I'm going to call tomorrow to find out about availability. If the criteria is to be within walking distance of the downtown bars, then either will work, but I personally favor the Weatherford. The one difference between the two is that the Weatherford does not have TV or phone in the rooms, but these rates are for rooms with either private or shared bath (depending upon availability) whereas the MV is for shared bathroom at the same price. One advantage to the Weatherford is that it is 1/2 block from the quilt shop where my wife works. I could probably make arrangements with the owner for overnight 914 parking and having them all in one place would make it easier for Flagstaff's finest to keep an eye on our rides. BTW, I love Beaver Street Brewery and eat there often.

Prescott Hotel - I checked the web site for Forest Villas Hotel and it looks pretty good. I don't know hotels in Prescott very well, but I knew they had a Holiday Inn Express (which has the advantage of included continental breakfast). According to their web site the rate is about $120! - although they also say they have group rates so I'm going to call tomorrow and see what they can do. The Comfort Inn has similar rates to Forest Villas and also has continental breakfast included.

Saturday Breakfast - I can't say that I'm fond of Little America. Expensive and stuffy. I'll have info on a more down-home alternative tomorrow.

Sunday Lunch - Gregg Robbins emailed me about the picnic area near Yarnell not being very good and suggested that we eat in Congress. When I was in Phoenix this weekend I ran into someone from Congress, who said there are no good eating places in Congress. He said lots of bikers like to do the round trip on Yarnell hill and they all seem to stop at Bufford's Buzzard Roost Cafe in Yarnell. He highly recommended it. My feeling is that we do lunch after there after the run to Congress & back.

Awards & such - I emailed the Arizona 914 Yahoo group asking for ideas on hotels, dinner places and asking for volunteers to work on some kind of awards. Other than Gregg's response, I got zip. Unless we just go visit the 99cent store and find some goofy things to use for awards, I don't see me getting awards together. I don't know where we should go with that. I'm going to ask tomorrow about Saturday night restaurant ideas when I talk with the Prescott hotels. I sure wish we knew someone who knew Prescott better!

The Poll for R66Classic showed 12 people that will likely come. I'm sure we won't really know without some kind of registration. Is anyone set up with PayPal to receive funds for registration?

If we do advanced regsitration with a registration fee I would think that we would look to include Saturday dinner and perhaps Sunday lunch in the package. I would guess that shirts would be an individual expense just like hotel arrangements.

Thanks for the reply Ernie. It is good to have your local input. The Weatherford would be great if we can get reservations. I don't think they have very many rooms. Walking distance to the Beaver Brewery is not a priority. Somewhere close to The Historic Disctict and Route 66 is good enough. Another concern is that I expect Joe Sharp will be bringing the Neverland Express. I want to be sure we stay at a place that has room for him to park.

I have no clue about another option for a breakfast place on Saturday. Expensive and stuffy is not our style. I'll be thrilled if you can come up with something half as good as last year.

My suggestion for the Forest Villas in Prescott was just a shot in the dark. I only have the internet for information. Any leads you can get from locals is much better. A free continental breakfast is a good thing.

We still need to find a place for dinner in Prescott for Saturday night.

Bufford's Buzzard Roost Cafe sounds perfect for lunch on Sunday.

T-shirts I can handle. I am not an awards guy. Maybe we can get LvSteveH to create some. I will start a separate planning thread to bounce around some ideas for classes and trophys.

I had dismissed the idea of a registration fee. It is a bit of a PITA to collect plus there is always a last minute add on or cancellation. I thought since we are running late with the planning it might be easier to have the event 'pay as you go'. I think we will be a small enough group that this should not be a problem. My guess is we will have at least 10, probably 15, and maybe 20 people.

Ernie
If we are going to have this event we need to make our choices and go public.
People need time to make plans. PLEASE! We need to do this NOW!

Hey guys! I can do the awards if you want. I will call around and see if we can get some prices. The magazine will sponsor the awards.

Also I would be willing to donate some of our show bags, cd-roms and is Sean Lee can get the new 9 magazines shirts ready I will bring those as well for everyone.

Email me directly guys or call me on my cell 928-221-1052. We have to take the daughter back to school this weekend so I will be away from my computer.

Brian Minson
9 magazine

PS: our magazine car won't be ready in time Might have to bring the ole 944 unless someone wants to rent their car and get it on the cover of a future issue HINT HINT. LOL

Excellent Brian. Thanks.

Flagstaff Hotel - Parking for Joe means that anything downtown is out. I've found an EconoLodge at 914 S. Milton which is a bit of a walk, but still within walking distance of downtown. The rate is $54.95 per room for Friday night and they have plenty of availability. Several other places that I contacted in the same area were sold out. I think this would work well.

Prescott Hotel - Colony Inn This is a somewhat older hotel, but not old (as in historic). I've been by it many times and it always seems clean. Prices can't be beat. Group rates are $49 for King and $59 for 2-Doubles. It's right next to the local Village Inn restaurant and just a couple of miles from downtown Prescott. FYI, there is also a biker group staying there at the same time. I figure this is a pretty good endorsement of the place. I need to call them back and confirm that we'll be staying there. They have us down as "Porsche 914 Group".

I need to call back and confirm if we want this. A check of most of the other possibilities shows they are sold out or they don't answer their phone.

Saturday breakfast in Flagstaff - There are two "Route 66 diner" type restaurants here that I've contacted. My preferred one is can't handle us because they have too many regulars and Saturday morning is packed. My second choice is "Mike & Rhonda's" aka "The Place". It doesn't have quite the charm, but it's good basic diner fare with good prices. I've not been able to match up with the contact to confirm that they can handle us, but the initial inquiry said yes so I think it's safe to assume we can do it. This is the place that the local car club (Flagstaff Cruisers) calls their own and they have a whole wall of their pictures. I think it will do well.

I still don't know about Saturday night restaurant in Prescott. A Search of Online Yellow Pages shows lots of possibilities and I'm sure we can come up with something. I don't think we need to wait for this before making an announcement.

Work has turned into a madhouse this week so it's taken me longer than expected to be able to contact folks. My granddaughter is due to be born on Monday (if not before then) so I don't know for sure what my schedule will be. I'll try tomorrow morning to contact "The Place" about Saturday breakfast. If Ellie doesn't arrive before Sunday I'll be heading for Phoenix on Sunday and then probably be there all week, but I'll be checking in here and will have my cell on (928-853-7754).

Thanks Ernie. I knew you would come through.
This is gonna be GREAT!


The Official Thread has been posted in The Garage Forum. I guess we will soon know how many we can expect to join us for the fun.

The only thing we still need to nail down is a place for dinner in Prescott on Saturday.

Thanks soooo much for the prizes Brian. Your 944 is more than welcome. Please send me your logo by e-mail. I think your contribution merits having it on the t-shirt.

Jeroen - once again can you please create another graphic masterpiece for us to print on the t-shirts.

There is a separate planning thread about Awards Classes.
Please post your ideas and comments.

*(I think this thing is really gonna fly.) :giddyasaschoolgirlsmilie:

What are we forgetting?

John -

One correction to the official thread: There are 2 locations for "The Place", downtown and Eastside. We will be at the Eastside location because it is larger. The downtown location is quite small. The correct address is 3518 E. Route 66 (behind the Burger King). I'll try my contact again tomorrow morning to confirm this, otherwise the confirmation will have to wait until Monday.

Oh, and folks need to mention that they are with the "Porsche 914 Group" when they call the Colony Inn. I'll call them tomorrow also since I said I'd confirm the arrangement with them.

I'll work on some maps for folks to make sure that people know how to get from point A to point B.

Good job on the official thread!

Got it. Correction made to the *official* thread.

Hotel in Prescott is confirmed so they are expecting to get calls for reservations.

My contact at Mike & Rhonda's doesn't work weekends so I won't be able to confirm that until Monday (depending upon what's happening with the granddaughter's birth).

I just got off the phone with an old contact I forgot I had who lives in Cottonwood.
He had a few great suggestions for stops along our drive from Flagstaff to Prescott.

As we come out of Flagstaff going south to Sedona via the Oak Creek Canyon highway there is an Indian Encampment on the left side of the road. He said it is worth a stop. They sell genuine hand made jewlery and crafts. Not the Chinese crap you find at most other places.

According to him an absolute don't miss stop is 2 miles west on the main road in Jerome. He said to go up the hill on the gravel road to the Gold King Mine. There is lots and lots of stuff to see up there. Allow at least 1 - 2 hours. Talk to Don Robertson who runs the saw mill. If you pay him $5 he will fire up 'Big Bertha'. It is an antique 3 cyl Fairbanks Morris motor. (10,154-cubic-inch engine. The flywheel alone weighs 13,000 pounds) He added that when he shuts it off it backfires through the huge exhaust pipes and you can hear it for 15 miles.

I think this sounds a lot better than spending much time in Sedona. From Jerome it is a 45 min drive to Prescott. Also, I have been to Sedona a few times. It is nice, but it is an overly commercial tourist trap. Jerome and Prescott both should have more than enough tourist and antique shops to fill the void.

Here are some photos I found of Jerome.
http://www.pbase.com/glassgarden/jerome

My plan for the trip south was for a quick stop at the overlook at the top of Oak Creek Canyon, then head down the switchbacks. The place you are talking about is calle Indian Gardens - It's a little bit like Hackberry. There should be plenty of parking and folks can cross the highway to see the creek if they want to.

I figured we could skip downtown Sedona, but we should make some kind of stop to look at the red rocks. I have to look at the maps to figure it out for sure, but I like the idea of "Chavez Crossing" if we don't have to pay for parking. It's right on Oak Creek on the south side of Sedona and it's sort of the classic "Calendar Photo" view of the creek with "Cathedral Rocks".

After that I figure we'd head straight for Jerome. I'm quite familiar with Don and the Gold King mine. We go to the Arizona Bus Club Jerome Jamboree each September and camp at the mine so I've heard "Big Bertha" a lot! I've never actually done the mine tour. Don is quite a character - he collects old trucks (like Freightliners & such) and he like VWs as well.

As for going to the mine - I was thinking that Jerome might be just a "wander around town" kind of thing with folks shopping, getting an ice cream cone, etc. I think a lot depends on the timing. Doing the Gold King mine is good as long as we have time. It's about 2 miles outside of Jerome and up a pretty steep dirt road so it's not like we'll be able to park in one place and do downtown Jerome and the mine without moving cars.

That photo you found is an overlook when you are leaving Jerome. It's a pretty cool view. I usually see this when I'm coming into Jerome with the Bus club, but a stop here on the way out might be good.

I should have the menu for Saturday dinner finalized on Monday. My week has been nuts and I just haven't been able to call them again at the right time. I learned that the sample menu that I saw isn't necessarily what we are tied into for pricing. We can pick chicken, salmon & prime rib at menu prices for each and then decide whether we want to include a drink in our price or leave folks on their own for that. If we can have bar drinks be charged individually I'm wondering if we should leave drinks out of the menu price and leave folks on their own. Then again maybe we should include a non-alcoholic drink and ask them to do individual charges for those who want alchololic beverages.

All Right Ernie. I like it. I think we have a great plan. There are enough details to keep us on track, and enough freedom to give us some options along the way.

I did not intend to do the *official* mine tour in Jerome. A visit with Don and 'Big Bertha' plus a walk around town should be good enough. Is there anything in Congress to see or do? A short stop in Sedona for photos sounds perfect. Last year we seemed to have the right pace and number of stops. I think we are on track with a similar agenda again.

Whatever you decide on for a menu for dinner in Prescott will be fine. At the Red Rocks Classic we had a separate bar tab. It was surprisingly low. Everybody saved the serious for back at the hotel parking lot in Neverland.

Did we ever set a time for dinner on Friday night at the Beaver Street Brewery? If so, I don't know what it is. I think everything else is set. I will be leaving Vegas on Thursday morning. I am making a detour to visit a friend in Carefree and spend the night there. I should be in Flagstaff sometime on Friday afternoon. I have Ernie's and Brian's cell numbers. If you need to get in contact with me, mine is (702) 340-3405.

Let's Rock.

I posted a suggestion for 7 p.m. in the official thread.