By J. JOSHUA PLACA {phocagallery view=categories|categoryid=855|imagecategories=0|}

The old mining town of Jerome, Arizona, was once declared by the New York Sun to be, “The wickedest town in the West,” for its lewd public drunkenness, barroom brawls, gambling, general lawlessness, and wanton women. We couldn’t think of a better place to hold a motorcycle rally.
The “Billion Dollar Copper Camp” is long past its boomtown hellfire heyday, although a patina of mischief shines on. The Run to the Hills, held on a perfect Saturday this May 14th, was an Old School kind of gathering.
In a large expanse of gravel and slag that served as the parking lot and party grounds to Jerome’s Gold King Mine, vendors gathered in a circle, as if circling the wagons for an impending biker invasion. This was not your typical pretty bike Sunday putt type of event; this was a rally for bikers by bikers.
The Run to the Hills attracted a relatively small but hail and hearty crowd. This was a refreshing change from the over-chromed, over-painted, underdressed, young, fun and full-of-dumb throngs who puff their chest out, crack the throttle, and generally act like boobies, all too commonly found at larger events.
Real bikers don’t have to act tough; they just are. For those who have nothing to prove and no need to show off, it’s easier to just be themselves. At heart, bikers are friendly, free-spirited and hospitable, and so it was at the Run to the Hills.
Set in the shadow of long-closed copper mines, clapboard shacks, fossilized trucks, cars, buses, and rusted-frozen digging equipment are scattered about the hills like ancient artifacts, tended only by stubborn ghosts scraping at the rock and dirt, still searching for the mother lode.
The Yavapai (Arizona) Chapter of ABATE sponsored the event, which featured the traditional bike games, a free poker walk through Jerome (about a mile from the venue), bike show, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, and Grateful Dead tribute bands, a dusk “psychedelic” light show, a fashion show and, of course, a wet T-shirt contest.
The best part of this rally, however, was the people. The hardest of the hardcore rode in, from grizzled veteran bikers to patch holders to rough old timers, who brought authenticity to a biker world gone soft, mushy and vanilla. Among the bona fide were Nick Mason and friends, who came to honor their fallen friend, spreading his ashes to the winds of the peaceful Verde Valley.
There were the usual locals, including Nate Capp, who scavenges backyards, dumpsters, and junkyards for parts whenever he needs to cobble together another bike. They stood or danced side-by-side with members of the VietnamVets/Legacy Vets-Mountain Chapter (Arizona) Motorcycle Club, and The Americans MC, known for their work with children’s hospitals. The Run to the Hills is a homegrown, homemade, remember-our-roots kind of mountain hootenanny.
The price of admission for the 21-and-over only event was $10 ($15 per couple), which included overnight camping. A free shuttle was available for event goers who wanted to enjoy the goods and amenities of town, including the popular and colorful Spirit Room, likely the best biker bar in northern Arizona; many boutiques, art galleries, a biker apparel and accessory shop called Scooter Trash (ask for Buddy), and economical but tasty eateries, such as the Haunted Hamburger, Bobby D’s Barbeque Pit, and the Mile High Grill, which dishes up some of the best burgers found anywhere.
The whimsical village of Jerome has been called a cross between Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure and The X-Files. At one time, population topped 15,000, an unimaginable number for a town a little more than a half-mile in area and now the residence of only 348 living souls by the last census, and a few not so living. The old ghost town has been a motorcycle mecca for decades.
For more information on next year’s Run to the Hills, expected to be held again on or about May 14, call 928-830-6356; email longhair@northernarizonaproductions.com; visit www.northernarizonaproductions.com.