We had been watching the weather for the last few days at Jill’s and Garry’s and all roads south of Fort Collins which crossed the Rockies were still covered in snow. The only route through was to head north again into Wyoming and down through Utah. This route added several hundred miles to our next destination, Las Vegas, but it was the only way to go. This route was still several degrees below freezing but the roads were clear of snow and ice.
So, fully kitted out with 7 layers on our top including the heated clothing and newspapers down the front thigh area of our trousers we set off.
Scenery was beautiful. Heated clothing did it’s job of keeping us fairly warm, as were the newspapers we put down the front of our trousers to keep our thighs warm, but we were both struggling with strong cross wind that reduced our speeds to 40mph at places on the Interstate. Mike who has been riding for a long time had never encountered winds that were so strong! The wind literally tried to whipped the front wheel away from you hands. It was a fight to hold onto the bike let alone leaning into the wind to keep the bike straight!
After about 150/160 miles and with the light failing we saw sign off Interstate for Elk Mountain Hotel. We were both cold and as the sun drops very quickly in the mountains we followed the sign. We seemed to be riding for ages and were getting closer and closer to the mountain with no hotel to be seen, then snow started to appear on the road, and finally a sign for the hotel appeared off to the left a half mile or so ahead. As we approached the entrance to the Hotel, an old snow and ice covered wooden bridge appeared in the way to our abode for the night. There seemed to be some lights on, but neither of us were sure it was open and as we tentively crossed the bridge a number of elk calves and their mothers skitter across the snow covered hotel lawn and into the woods. Most of the time this would have been an impressive sight to stop and admire. Not this evening with our ice encrusted extremities.
The hotel was open and the rooms were really nice and warm with coffee. Exactly what we needed!!
With the ice and snow about and the temperatures below zero we asked if we could store the bikes in a garage if they had one. They were only too willing to help and the bikes were wrapped up as warm as possible for the night and we settled down to a good hot meal.
The next morning we had a nice relaxing breakfast before entering out into the cold. We tried to start the bikes but no joy. With a combination of a hairdryer and towels soaked in hot water we were able to warm the engine blocks up enough to get them started and were left running whilst we packed them.
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Mike with a hair dryer.. Looks like he tested it on himself first... Note to self.. Need to keep an eye on him...
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Me with Hairdryer. As you can see it hasn't been anywhere near that barnet...
The scenery around the hotel was beautiful and it was a treat to the eyes to see the snow covered hills and mountains from the Interstate.
Photo's of Elk Mountain....
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The bridge in daylight...
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And from the otherside...
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When we left the hotel we were both short of fuel so we had to turn the engines off pretty soon after leaving and both of us were nervous but the bikes restarted without any problems.
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Elk Mountain petrol station..
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A very cold John...
We stopped for lunch at a Subway and daren’t leave the engines off for too long, so after about 30 mins we re-started them and let them idle whilst we had a final coffee. As we started so late, we only covered about 160 miles before it was getting too cold and dark. We found a Motel at Rock Springs and that was us settled for the day. Another hot dinner in the evening, and a bit of planning to make sure we were on schedule for all that we wanted/needed to achieve.
Even through it was warmer than Elk mountain the bikes were having none of our optimism and it took two hair dryers and a few wet towels, and 50 mins to get them started. Still, we had started earlier at 8 and as a result managed to finally leave by 10:15. We’d decided on riding for periods of 70-80 miles per session to keep ourselves warmer. It worked well and we managed to cover 300 miles despite being slowed down on in places by towns and traffic lights. It also made the whole day a lot more pleasant. Great ride through a pretty canyon in Utah except for the air pollution which was visible. We were cruising most of the day at 80 plus and it was a great feeling riding through the mountains overtaking nearly everything in sight.
Another cold start the next day as well. This time the Motel 8 we are staying at did not have any power or hair dryers we could use so we just had hot towels. The big problem was that these froze to the engine after just a few minutes although the outside of the towels were still warm. The engine blocks had cooled down more than we had ever imagined. We persisted with the towels and after a 30 mins and several hot towel changes Mikes bike started with mine soon after.
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Towel therepy...
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The water dripping from the towels was freezing into icicles on the side stand...
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A rather apt piece of newspaper Mike used as extra padding...
We were on the road by 10;30 and for the next 200 miles the road was dead straight and boring. The weather was still cold but the snow was getting less and less until we reached Arizona where the snow stopped and the scenery changed dramatically and we were driving through a big canyon with twisty roads. As soon as we were out of the canyon we had crossed another state boarder and were in Nevada and the temperature had noticeably risen. We had pre-booked a room for a change and stated the night in Mesquite. This was a short day as we wanted time to order spares and bits to pick up in Phoenix before we headed across the border into Mexico.
We only had a short ride from Mesquite to Las Vegas. It was nice for a change to ride in relative warmth and the journey to Las Vegas was fairly uneventful until we reached the outskirts of Vegas. The environment was flat scrub land but the last three miles was just strewn with rubbish . This was quite a shock given Vegas’s myth of escapism. As we reached the centre of town the driving standards deteriorated rapidly and we had to be on our guard more than once!
The Motel was only ¾ mile away from the strip so we booked in early and was back out by 18:30 to take in the sights. The buildings along the strip were phenomenal. The styling on each one is unique but the size of these building is impossible to convey. So much effort has gone into the design and finish of each building it really did have the feeling of the buildings being something special. (Apologies for the lack of photos as most we took came out blurred.)
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Guess the name of the restaurant
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The imfamous water fountain display
As part of the evening plan we had booked in to see the Cirque de Soleil but before that we needed some food so after looking at a number of guides and web reviews we found that the Rio Buffet was meant to be the best in town so we headed over to the restaurant. Sadly this turned out to be a big disappointment as the food was average as best. Topped up on food we headed back for the show. The show was amazing with the level of gymnastic ability of the cast and the whole stage production. The whole stage moved and rotates through 360 in the horizontal plan and 90 in the vertical. The gymnasts where performing most of their tumbling on a stage that sloped one way or another. We had a great time at the show then headed into the casinos for some night life. When we were in the bars earlier they were full but by the time the show was over, around 11:30, a lot the bars were shut and those that were open only had a few people so we called time in the night.
John
So, fully kitted out with 7 layers on our top including the heated clothing and newspapers down the front thigh area of our trousers we set off.
Scenery was beautiful. Heated clothing did it’s job of keeping us fairly warm, as were the newspapers we put down the front of our trousers to keep our thighs warm, but we were both struggling with strong cross wind that reduced our speeds to 40mph at places on the Interstate. Mike who has been riding for a long time had never encountered winds that were so strong! The wind literally tried to whipped the front wheel away from you hands. It was a fight to hold onto the bike let alone leaning into the wind to keep the bike straight!
After about 150/160 miles and with the light failing we saw sign off Interstate for Elk Mountain Hotel. We were both cold and as the sun drops very quickly in the mountains we followed the sign. We seemed to be riding for ages and were getting closer and closer to the mountain with no hotel to be seen, then snow started to appear on the road, and finally a sign for the hotel appeared off to the left a half mile or so ahead. As we approached the entrance to the Hotel, an old snow and ice covered wooden bridge appeared in the way to our abode for the night. There seemed to be some lights on, but neither of us were sure it was open and as we tentively crossed the bridge a number of elk calves and their mothers skitter across the snow covered hotel lawn and into the woods. Most of the time this would have been an impressive sight to stop and admire. Not this evening with our ice encrusted extremities.
The hotel was open and the rooms were really nice and warm with coffee. Exactly what we needed!!
With the ice and snow about and the temperatures below zero we asked if we could store the bikes in a garage if they had one. They were only too willing to help and the bikes were wrapped up as warm as possible for the night and we settled down to a good hot meal.
The next morning we had a nice relaxing breakfast before entering out into the cold. We tried to start the bikes but no joy. With a combination of a hairdryer and towels soaked in hot water we were able to warm the engine blocks up enough to get them started and were left running whilst we packed them.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945165.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Mike with a hair dryer.. Looks like he tested it on himself first... Note to self.. Need to keep an eye on him...
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Me with Hairdryer. As you can see it hasn't been anywhere near that barnet...
The scenery around the hotel was beautiful and it was a treat to the eyes to see the snow covered hills and mountains from the Interstate.
Photo's of Elk Mountain....
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<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945248.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The bridge in daylight...
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And from the otherside...
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When we left the hotel we were both short of fuel so we had to turn the engines off pretty soon after leaving and both of us were nervous but the bikes restarted without any problems.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945468.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Elk Mountain petrol station..
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945087.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A very cold John...
We stopped for lunch at a Subway and daren’t leave the engines off for too long, so after about 30 mins we re-started them and let them idle whilst we had a final coffee. As we started so late, we only covered about 160 miles before it was getting too cold and dark. We found a Motel at Rock Springs and that was us settled for the day. Another hot dinner in the evening, and a bit of planning to make sure we were on schedule for all that we wanted/needed to achieve.
Even through it was warmer than Elk mountain the bikes were having none of our optimism and it took two hair dryers and a few wet towels, and 50 mins to get them started. Still, we had started earlier at 8 and as a result managed to finally leave by 10:15. We’d decided on riding for periods of 70-80 miles per session to keep ourselves warmer. It worked well and we managed to cover 300 miles despite being slowed down on in places by towns and traffic lights. It also made the whole day a lot more pleasant. Great ride through a pretty canyon in Utah except for the air pollution which was visible. We were cruising most of the day at 80 plus and it was a great feeling riding through the mountains overtaking nearly everything in sight.
Another cold start the next day as well. This time the Motel 8 we are staying at did not have any power or hair dryers we could use so we just had hot towels. The big problem was that these froze to the engine after just a few minutes although the outside of the towels were still warm. The engine blocks had cooled down more than we had ever imagined. We persisted with the towels and after a 30 mins and several hot towel changes Mikes bike started with mine soon after.
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945047.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Towel therepy...
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945079.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The water dripping from the towels was freezing into icicles on the side stand...
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945120.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
A rather apt piece of newspaper Mike used as extra padding...
We were on the road by 10;30 and for the next 200 miles the road was dead straight and boring. The weather was still cold but the snow was getting less and less until we reached Arizona where the snow stopped and the scenery changed dramatically and we were driving through a big canyon with twisty roads. As soon as we were out of the canyon we had crossed another state boarder and were in Nevada and the temperature had noticeably risen. We had pre-booked a room for a change and stated the night in Mesquite. This was a short day as we wanted time to order spares and bits to pick up in Phoenix before we headed across the border into Mexico.
We only had a short ride from Mesquite to Las Vegas. It was nice for a change to ride in relative warmth and the journey to Las Vegas was fairly uneventful until we reached the outskirts of Vegas. The environment was flat scrub land but the last three miles was just strewn with rubbish . This was quite a shock given Vegas’s myth of escapism. As we reached the centre of town the driving standards deteriorated rapidly and we had to be on our guard more than once!
The Motel was only ¾ mile away from the strip so we booked in early and was back out by 18:30 to take in the sights. The buildings along the strip were phenomenal. The styling on each one is unique but the size of these building is impossible to convey. So much effort has gone into the design and finish of each building it really did have the feeling of the buildings being something special. (Apologies for the lack of photos as most we took came out blurred.)
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945131.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
Guess the name of the restaurant
<IMG SRC="http://pic4.picturetrail.com/VOL784/4062504/8448420/127945035.jpg" border="0" alt="Image Hosting by PictureTrail.com">
The imfamous water fountain display
As part of the evening plan we had booked in to see the Cirque de Soleil but before that we needed some food so after looking at a number of guides and web reviews we found that the Rio Buffet was meant to be the best in town so we headed over to the restaurant. Sadly this turned out to be a big disappointment as the food was average as best. Topped up on food we headed back for the show. The show was amazing with the level of gymnastic ability of the cast and the whole stage production. The whole stage moved and rotates through 360 in the horizontal plan and 90 in the vertical. The gymnasts where performing most of their tumbling on a stage that sloped one way or another. We had a great time at the show then headed into the casinos for some night life. When we were in the bars earlier they were full but by the time the show was over, around 11:30, a lot the bars were shut and those that were open only had a few people so we called time in the night.
John
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