By Rusty Childress

Photos by Rusty Childress

Hon-Dah Resort Casino & Conference Center held their 9th Annual White Mountain Bike Rally on June 22 & 23, 2018 in Pinetop, Arizona. Hon-Dah Resort Casino & Conference Center is owned and operated by the White Mountain Apache Tribe.

With elevations climbing to more than 11,000 feet, the White Mountains of northeastern Arizona are home to the largest stand of Ponderosa pines in the world, making for some of the most picture-perfect riding in Arizona.

If riding in the cool pines with blue skies wasn’t enough incentive for some, maybe the $3,000 in prize money for the Saturday Poker Run and another $3,000 for the Bike Show was the reason nearly 1,500 riders and their families came up from the flatlands to ride in the mountains for the weekend.

For only a $20 registration fee, Hon-Dah Resort offered two dinners, an event t-shirt, beer garden, vendors and entertainment by Tommy James & the Shondells, as well as a performance by the Apache Crown Dancers.  Poker Run stops included Greer, Eager, Alpine, Hannagan Meadows, Big Lake and then a return to the casino for a steak dinner and music under the stars.