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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | NOVEMBER 2016 59 At 5 am on Aug. 31, I departed Four Seasons to start the "Three Flags Classic" motorcycle ride. The ride is an annual event which goes from Mexico to Canada (or the reverse) in four days. This year's ride started in Tombstone, AZ and ended in Kimberley, BC. I rode 500 miles and arrived in Tombstone at 2:15 pm. This allowed time to settle into the hotel, get my registration packet and socialize with other riders as they arrived from across the country. The next day was the Club Banquet and pre-ride meeting. The actual ride started at 5 pm Friday in downtown Tombstone. The mayor and the Chamber of Commerce had made special arrangements to allow our 250 plus entrants to queue up pre-dawn on the main street. This event allows everyone to plan and execute their own route as long as you make three "Checkpoints" and arrive at the "Finish" by 9 pm on the fourth day. My first day route took me up through eastern Arizona and into New Mexico to make Checkpoint #1 in Aztec. I then continued up to Durango, Colorado for the night. Day two took me through the Rockies and then northwest into Utah around Flaming Gorge, into Wyoming to Checkpoint #2 at Green River and up to Pinedale for the night. The ride organizers at Checkpoint #2 were warning riders to stay on the west side of the Rockies because of a major storm expected on the eastern side. Therefore, I crossed over into Idaho, then north over the Continental Divide into Montana and up to Helena for Checkpoint #3 and the night's lodging. The next day, I stayed on the western side of the Rockies up into Canada. I arrived at the finish at 4:30, wet and tired from the rain, but happy to have accomplished the challenge. There were 188 finishers. Trip Stats: • 3780 total miles with high mile day from Tombstone to Durango of 585 • Nine states and Canada • Two time zones • Below sea level to over two miles high • 35 degrees to 105 degrees • From bright sunshine to dark days with rain and lightning and wind • Crossed the Continental Divide three times All told, it was just the grand adventure I had imagined. I'm glad I did it and grateful that I was able to do it. This was my fourth entry and third finish. ~ Howard Lyon Motorcycle Club Rolling through Tombstone

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