Two for the ta-tas
Lost Treasure links to Ladies, Lingerie and Learning
Mesa, Ariz., Apr. 10 and 15—Joeta Brozosky owns Joeta’s Leathers in Mesa and has been riding since she was 17. She currently rides a silver Road Glide and a Softail Deluxe. She has also been a breast cancer survivor for the last seven years.
The Arizona Ribbon Riders, a nonprofit group of riders whose goal it is to ride the wind and sponsor events to combat breast cancer, says that 55,000 Arizona women under 50 and 34,800 over the age of 50 will die of breast cancer. The mortality rate of women affected yearly is a staggering 24.8 percent.
As a survivor, Joeta wanted to do something to raise awareness and increase funding to fight breast cancer, so she set up two rides to that end during Arizona Bike Week, the Lost Treasure Ride on Saturday, April 10 and the Ladies, Lingerie and Learning Ride on Thursday, April 15.
The Lost Treasure Ride started at her shop in Mesa. From there we went to Jimbo’s Sports Bar in Glendale and then it was off to Campbell’s Mercantile in Peoria via the freeways. At each stop participants drew tickets and played a variety of games. As in any run with raffle tickets, you could buy more along the way.
Campbell’s Mercantile has a very rustic look with brown wood siding and a big front porch. It also has some history. In 1928 Grandmother Fern Campbell opened Campbell’s Mercantile in Rush Center, Kansas, and ran it until she died in 1945. JD Campbell and Uncle Bob continued to work there but JD joined the service in 1956 and ultimately moved to Peoria. In 1984 the original store was torn down and JD had the bricks from the original store shipped out to Arizona, where he was building a new store. The bricks were used to make the front walkway and porch area in front of the new store, which has been open since 1986. The locals all swear they make the best burgers around.
After Campbell’s we stayed on some very scenic two-lane roads and later stopped at Wild Horse West at the corner of Lake Pleasant Road and the Carefree Highway, who also claim to have the best burgers around. Interesting note—their highest priced burger was just six bucks, including fries. They also feature a nice little bait shop if you’re headed for the lake.
New River, Arizona, was the location of the next destination, the Gavilan Peak Sports Bar. This is not a place for ADD sufferers. They have 23 TV screens so you’re able to watch just about everything at once. After tickets were drawn, it was off to the final stop, Rock Springs Café.
Rock Springs is located in the beautiful Black Canyon region of the Sonoran Desert. For several hundred years it provided a year-round source of water, but after gold was discovered in the area in the 1860s it became a stagecoach stop for weary travelers. The restaurant, store and hotel were built in 1920 and are still standing today. They boast that they have the best pies anywhere. After trying a piece I was impressed enough to ship one home to my family, who agreed that it was a fantastic pie.
Live music was provided by Soul Candy, a local blues band with some really great sound. They had donated their time to the cause as well.
What was the incentive for buying more raffle tickets, you might ask? How about a first prize of $1,000 in gold coins and a second prize of $500 in silver coins? There were also numerous prizes donated by local businesses, not to mention a 50/50 drawing.
Ron and Deb Wigginton of Casa Grande won the gold coins and donated $500 back. Susan Prince of Apache Junction won the silver, donating $250 of it back. Jeff Boyd of Mesa won $332 in the 50/50 drawing.
On Thursday, the Triple L Ride (Ladies, Lingerie and Learning) started at West World and headed out with several hundred bikes. We combined with the T-Bar Ride, which was a tour of several of the gentlemen’s clubs in the area. We rode en masse to the lunch stop, I Love This Bar, in Mesa—a franchise owned by Toby Keith. Food was provided buffet-style for the hungry riders who paid the ride fee. Toby Keith never showed up so after lunch we split off from the main group for the rest of our part of the ride, saying, “Ta-tas for now.”
The next stop was the Fascinations Adult Sex Store at 2302 North Scottsdale Boulevard. Ever wonder what the girls do by themselves in a sex store? Statements like, “Everyone grab a penis,” “These are highly recommended,” and “Tickle his pickle” were heard as the ladies combed through the various toys.
Then it was off to the Scottsdale Health Care Center where we were informed of various issues regarding breast cancer. Dr. Jane Sohn, a radiologist, brought a breast image from a mammogram up on her screen and showed us what they look for in determining if a woman has breast cancer. In spite of recent claims by the federal government about mammograms, Dr. Sohn said, “A woman should have a mammogram every year after age 40 up until age 80.”
Cancer Care Coordinator Melanie O’Hara, RN, reinforced that point as well during her presentation at the conclusion of the ride. She said, “There are no means of preventing breast cancer. Early detection is the key to surviving it. Maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly and limit alcohol intake.” It all goes to saving the ta-tas.
