The largest group of REALTORS®, their guests, and friends to ever hit the road with the annual RAPAC Rally Ride gathered at West Maricopa Association of REALTORS®’ office in Peoria to kick off the Columbus Day weekend. Nearly 50 riders set out on motorcycles, in convertibles, and other cars for a 2-day journey across western Arizona.

The first stop was just under an hour after departure in downtown Wickenburg, where three generations of family chefs greeted us with breakfast at El Ranchero. The meal really set the tone for the ride as it is an excursion with old and new friends while enjoying the different treasures of Arizona. After the relaxing breakfast, the caravan headed out to make its way to Lake Havasu.

The drive along the Colorado River is gorgeous, with red rock formations dropping down to a cobalt blue body of water flowing through the heart of the Arizona landscape. After a quick stop for fuel in Parker, the ride on AZ-95 was beset with some of the strongest winds to come through the state. Even a boating competition in Lake Havasu had to be postponed because of the 50 mph gusts, which made tough work for the motorcyclists coming through the mountains to our next stop.

Everyone made it safely though as we crossed the historic London Bridge to have lunch at Shugrue’s along the river, where a handful of Major Investors from Lake Havasu joined the group. During lunch, historian Jan Kassies told the story of the London Bridge and how it wound up being rebuilt in a remote part of Arizona. The Lake Havasu Association of REALTORS® also arranged for every rider to receive a small piece of the original bridge stone and a London Bridge coin. This was all capped off with a rare tour of the inside of the bridge, something very few people ever get to do as it isn’t open for tours.

The group then crossed the bridge once more as everyone followed the river out of town to visit the wild, roaming donkeys of Oatman. Once everyone had parked and gathered together, every rider was given a bag of donkey feed to offer the animals. The donkeys are familiar with tourists and love having new people come through ready to feed them. The donkeys often engage in different tricks with visitors, performing for more treats. Although they’re still wild animals and can get a bit testy with each other, fortunately no REALTORS® were harmed in the feeding and everyone was able to enjoy milling about the old mining town.

The route took everyone on a winding climb and descent out of Oatman as the sun was setting and we rolled into our overnight stop at Kingman as night was falling. Kingman is a wonderful stop along the historic Route 66, and their downtown has a vibrant but retro feel. Dinner and drinks were enjoyed in a private loft at the Rickety Cricket brewing company, a microbrewery offering casual fare and a great atmosphere to relax in.

The following morning started early, with cool temps in the 50’s as everyone headed to Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner for breakfast. A couple of the riders had been to Mr. D’z many times before and decided to have some of their famous milkshakes and chili dogs to start their day, but everyone enjoyed the historic cars and classic diner setting.

From there the ride followed Route 66 to Peach Springs, where we stopped for a tour of the Grand Canyon Caverns. Everyone was able to go 20 stories below ground to explore the unique underground rock formations. Things are preserved there by the lack of moisture in the air and a constant temperature in the 60’s year-round. The massive caverns, which can serve as an emergency shelter for 2,000 people, also boasts an underground restaurant and the world’s most private hotel room. The tour takes a ¾ mile trek around various chambers of the caverns, with a wide range of rock and crystal elements to be enjoyed.

After rising back to the surface, the road trip carried on, heading down scenic AZ-89 to an afternoon lunch at the famous Murphy’s in Prescott. Everyone was able to relax and just enjoy unwinding with the rest of the riders as this was our final stop. It had been a fun ride covering hundreds of miles, and this was the perfect place to take a long break and just share stories and chat while having amazing food.

From there riders returned home, with many people already asking, “Where are we going next year?”

We hope you will be able to join us for our 5^th Annual RAPAC Rally Ride Oct. 8-9, 2020, which is free to all RAPAC Major Investors. We look forward to seeing you there!