Motorcycle Rescue and Recovery in Arizona

My Rug Road motorcycle recovery was a success. Eva and I were able to get my Husqvarna 701 long range motorcycle out of the desert after my adventure on the Rug Road near the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness. It wasn’t easy but we managed to make it happen. In a previous episode I had to leave my motorcycle behind on the Rug Road and walk back to my van about 10 miles away.

The Rug Road | Arizona

Details

  • Distance: 7 miles
  • Location: Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness, Arizona
  • Start: Turkey Creek
  • End: Parsons Grove
  • Roads: Rug Road
  • Conditions: dirt road, graded, steep, loos, rocky, extremely difficult
  • Cities: Wilcox, Arizona (80 miles)
Sterling Noren with primitive road sign

I’m heading back into the Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness to retrieve my motorcycle from the Rug Road. I wasn’t able to ride the bike back to my van yesterday and had to walk out. I suffered from extreme dehydration along the way but fortunately I found some spring water in order to survive.

Aravaipa Canyon Wilderness

Chevrolet 4x4 van driving through creek in Arivaipa Canyon

The Rug Road travels along the southern edge of the Aravaipa canyon Wilderness. Getting to the start of this road is a journey in itself as it lies approximately 80 miles north of Wilcox, Arizona. There are several creek crossings along the way. I previously I drove my van into this remote area with my Husqvarna 701 motorcycle on the rear bumper.

Eva to the Rescue

Tacoma truck driving through creek in Airivaipa Canyon

Fortunately my girlfriend Eva drove up in her Toyota Tacoma to help me get my bike out.

Eva and Sprocket

Eva Rupert and her dog Sprocket

Her new dog Sprocket is helping out on this mission. Sprocket showed up at our motel a month ago after wandering the streets of Bisbee for several months. Now he has a great home with us.

My Abandoned Motorcycle on the Rug Road

Husqvarna motorcycle crash on Rug Road

The day before, I became exhausted on this challenging road and also ran out of water. I was about 12 miles away from where I started when I decided to turn around. I only made it back about 4 miles before I fell over for the umpteenth time and decided to walk out. This was the last time I saw my motorcycle in the spot where I left it the day before. I knew I didn’t have enough energy to continue riding and was afraid of injuring myself. I was also extremely dehydrated by this point and on the verge of heatstroke.

Finding my Bike on the Rug Road

Eva Rupert on Rug Road

After driving to Parsons Grove we parked our vehicles and hiked about 2 miles to where I left my motorcycle and found that somebody had stood the bike upright. We met the couple who did this as they were driving out of the Rug Road that morning in their Toyota FJ. It was a difficult drive for them but they made it through, unlike me.

Getting My Bike Out

Sterling Noren and motorcycle on Rug Road

Getting the bike out required riding it out as much as I could. Much of my strength was regained after a good night of sleep. In this instance we had to push the bike up several ledges I had ridden down the day previously.

Successful Bike Recovery Mission from the Rug Road

Chevy 4x4 Quigley van on Rug Road

We were able to make it back to our vehicles before sunset and my Rug Road motorcycle recovery was a success.