AZPCA Drives - 3 Lakes Fun Run

STORY BY Bill Stubbs

It was a cold and rainy morning, and being as this was my first time as Lead Driver on an AZPCA group run, I took my role very seriously. Determined not to make a wrong turn and lead the group astray, I decided to pre-run the day before. Rook sent a well detailed Google map, which was fortunate because the run was complicated (for me at least) due to the three separate lakes we would visit. But I completed the pre-run, and was glad I did because there were lots of turns, road construction, many miles and most importantly…I confuse easily…

The next day we were excited but worried about the weather because it had just rained, and it looked like more on the way. Then Audre’s phone rang… “the run is RAINED OUT!”

Well, that was THEN (February 22nd), and this is NOW (May 24th). The weather was beautiful - warm, sunny and clear, so game on! Starting at Porsche Chandler then onto 3 different lakes…Canyon, Saguaro and Bartlett with the Fountain Hills Lake thrown in as a bonus…so technically that makes it 4 lakes, right?

AZPCA Run to Canyon, Saguaro and Bartlett Lakes, May 24, 2023

8:00 AM We met at Porsche Chandler, and what a nice dealership it is! They had quite the layout for uspastries, bagels, juice, coffee and plenty of everything; good thing too because we had a large group - 43 cars and 62+ folks. Besides a great showroom with many new cars, they featured a fully restored 1982 911 SC (one of my favorites). Turns out Porsche Chandler is among a few dealerships that has a specialty shop, Porsche, Classic Partner Chandler where they do full restorations on older Porsches, including paint/body, interior and drivetrain. They also have a 1969 911T they plan to restore and give to charity in 2024 (hmmm any chance I can become a 501c3 charity by then??) So, MUCH thanks to Porsche Chandler and especially Renee Delgado who did a fantastic job setting everything up and making us feel so welcome. Thanks again Renee!

After the liability signoffs (thanks Debbie!) and drivers meeting, Rook organized us into three groups of approx. 14 cars each, leaving at 10-minute intervals: Group 1 (Rook/Debbie Lead, Larry/Diego Sweep), Group 2 (Bill/Audre Lead & David/Cynthia Sweep), then Group 3 (Jim/Carole Lead & Bob/Susan Sweep).

9:10 AM Group 2 (13 Porches) is off to Canyon Lake. Mostly freeway until beautiful downtown Apache Junction, then into the hills. The topography through the Superstition Mountains is great with many turns, switchbacks and canyons climbing over 1000’ to Canyon Lake. This is definitely a Porsche-friendly road… two lane, tight, twisty and very scenic! There’s a lot of vertical going through multiple canyons, which (unfortunately) we actually got to see because we soon found ourselves crawling behind a diesel-smokebelching-beater towing a bass boat going (seemingly) 0.1 miles-per hour, grrrr.... Once stuck behind this good ole boy I thought we may fall behind Group 1, which came to fruition when we spotted Group 1 blasting their way past us on their way out to the next stop. But slow as it was, the drive to Canyon Lake was beautiful, as green as I’ve ever seen Arizona, and the lake was completely full! Driving past both of the 1-way bridges, past the Canyon Lake, then downhill to Tortilla Flat for the first stop, I knew we had fallen behind Group 1, especially when I heard someone say “felt like a funeral procession pace” - that hurt, but unfortunately true words. So, we tightened up our spacing on the next leg and that helped to keep up with the group ahead of us.

10:00 AM After a quick bio break we’re off to Saguaro Lake. Only this time the road is clear sailing! Great scenery through the canyons back to Apache Junction, then into the hills on Bush Hwy. This is an easy, fun drive especially when clear of traffic like it was. Nice scenery too although not as vertical as Canyon Lake. And then Saguaro Lake comes up - it too is filled to capacity, and very beautiful! Another quick stop at the turn-around then we’re off to the next lake.

11:00 AM Leaving Saguaro Lake for Bartlett Lake. Back through the hills and into town. Note: at the drivers meeting one of our members (who must have a special relationship with Arizona’s finest?) warned us of speed traps on Shea Blvd and sure enough a State Trooper was waiting right where we thought. The Trooper looked up just long enough to let our Porsches cruise by unmolested on the way to Fountain Hills. I slowed the group down hoping to get a glimpse of said World Famous Fountain, but realizing it goes off only once per hour I feared falling behind again…so we picked up the pace and quickly circled on Panorama Drive (no relation to the magazine), then onto McDowell Mountain Rd.

12:00 Noon Toward Bartlett Lake, more beautiful Arizona scenery through Pinnacle Peak, then over to my stomping grounds, Cave Creek. Or at least that’s what I thought as Rook’s path took us up Lone Mountain Pkwy on roads new to Audre and me (nice, thanks Rook!) Then Bartlett Dam Road is wide open, no Amish carriages or bass boats so we could at least meet the posted speed. And as usual, the scenery is great with open, sweeping turns and slight ups & downs. By now Debbie/Rook had contacted us to go direct to The Cove Restaurant at Bartlett Lake as Group 1 was already there plowing through the buffet. No surprise that Barlett Lake was also at 100% capacity; and being from California I can say I’ve never seen this much water in 20 years! When we finally arrived at the Cove Restaurant, the official drive was over, so we parked it and regrouped for a great lunch and even better conversation. The weather couldn’t have been better, you could sit comfortably inside or outside if you want to work on your tan. The buffet was great - good food and lots of it; we were hungry. With plenty of room everyone sat around talking about the run and had a great time. Finally, much thanks to Rook and Debbie for setting everything up, they do such a great job putting together the stops, road guidance and maps that even a rookie like me can’t get lost!

Actual run was 146 miles, so a total of 272 miles for our 2018 Panamera Turbo. What great fun, we’d definitely do it again!