Mo Board of Directors Meeting

Now for those of you who are not familiar with Alpine, it is truly a rural town in the mountains. There is one tackle and bait stop that also serves as the only gas station for miles, a couple of small restaurants and a small grocery store with the basics. So, once you arrive at Tal-Wi-Wi, there is not much around for 20 miles or so. The country nature of the area, however, allows one to enjoy the scenery of lakes, mountains, streams, wildlife and the quiet.

The driving tour, which left Tal-Wi-Wi the next morning, headed east into New Mexico on Route 180 and continued south on 180 in New Mexico. It started off through a little rain which passed quickly. The weather generally improved as the drive progressed through the Apache National Forest with many nice views and spirited driving. First stop was a small general store, the Alma Store, in the not so big town of Alma, NM with the second stop about 12 miles south at the Leopold Vista Picnic Area. The picnic area was well kept and clean, with several shaded picnic tables and great views. This stop allowed everyone the opportunity to stretch their legs and eat lunch, as for the most part, there are no restaurants along the route.

After lunch, a few drivers including Cheryl and I reversed course and made the drive back to Alpine. Most drivers continued, returning to Arizona near Three Way and Morenci, turning backNorth on the Coronado Trail (U.S. Highway 191), probably But all was not well that day as the weather again interfered. The strong storms had caused at least one tree to fall partially across the road and washed dirt and rocks across the road in several locations resulting in an interesting and stressful drive back to Alpine. In one case, a rock caused a flat tire on Jim Bultema’s car. Now in most areas this would be a minor nuisance, but in this part of Arizona it was a major headache.*

The Alpine Tour ended Saturday evening with dinner at Avery’s BBQ restaurant in Springerville. They advertise they are one of the top ten BBQ restaurants in Arizona. In my book they are pretty good. Top ten, I am not so sure.

Traveling back home on Sunday was on your own with no organized drive. Most people left relatively early. Some folks drove South on the Coronado Trail and then West towards Phoenix. Many others, Cheryl and I included, took the faster path home through Show Low, Payson and Fountain Hills. But again, the weather did not cooperate. With some exceptions, we drove through heavy to moderate showers most of the way home. It was not until we were well south of Payson that the rain ended,the sun came out and the temperature skyrocketed.

All-in-all, this XXI Alpine Tour lived up to its promise of cooler weather, provided a great opportunity to meet and get to know other club members and to drive your Porsche on some great Arizona and New Mexico roads. Yes, the weather was not as nice as previous years, and yes, it caused some changes in driving plans, but it is also gave all of us an opportunity to experience Arizona in the summer away from the heat and bustle most of us live in daily.

If you have not participated in an Alpine Tour yet, you should definitely consider it in the future. It is great fun all around.

Sidenote… What happened to Jim, as mentioned above, and the difficulties two other club members had after flats on a recent drive to Prescott, made Cheryl and I realize we should have a plan for how to handle this and other problems that might occur with our Porsche when we are not in an urban area. Remember, most Porsches do not come with a spare. A five-mile tow provided by a standard AAA membership does not cut it. So, this was an important lesson for us and should be for you. Our solution: add unlimited towing to our car insurance policy. It cost us less than $10/year/car. We recommend you make a plan that makes sense to you to handle emergency situations should they arise. Don’t let lack of planning ruin your next trip. What would you do, for example, if you had a flat or mechanical issue when driving between Quartzite and Palm Springs?

*Editor’s note: Please read Jim Bultema’s article, “The Real Meaning of Friends” for all the details of his and Carole’s adventure!

More pictures at:

https://azpcaphotos.smugmug.com/Driving-Tours/ Alpine-2022/