America's South West in 4 weeks
- Thread starter Jockser
- Start date
ghost
Registered user
excellent photos jockser
Jockser said:Just before Torrey we turned off Hwy 24 onto Hwy 12, another bikers road. Unfortunately the first part is badly affected by 'tar snakes' (overbanding) which Ruby absolutely hated
But even so it was a cracking road which just got better & better
I've no pics as I was too busy havin' fun....
Not quite accurate
In my befuddled brain I had a vague recollection of taking some pictures on Hwy 12 but when I went looking I couldn't find any. I downloaded everything again from both cameras and, hey presto, there they were
So here, for your entertainment, is a small selection
First viewpoint :
You can see some of the 'tar snakes' here although they were much more prevalent in the corners :
Still quite green in spots :
And rocky in others :
We stopped :
And stood in the shade :
To have a good look at this :
It's the Devil's Backbone (IIRC). Not much in the way of crash barriers. I love the way in America, although it's the most litigious society in the world, you're largely responsible for your own actions. "Sonny, you can try ride through there at 100 mph if you wanna, even though the sign says 45, but why should we put up barriers to stop you going over the drop-off ?"
Day 18 - Escalante, UT to Kanab, UT
The Prospector served tea & coffee which we supplemented with our own cereal bars to get the day started. We'd less than 50 miles to get to our 'destination' of the day, Bryce Canyon NP. I don't know if it's the hills that catch the rain & funnel it into reservoirs but there's a good few in the area and the land either side of the road is much greener & more productive than much of what we'd passed through previously :
But there were still plenty of rocky bits around :
The start of the red rock we'd be seeing lots of in Bryce :
Most of Bryce was done on the free shuttle bus, just to get off the bikes for a while, but we also did a good bit of walking. Compared to the likes of Grand Canyon, Bryce is relatively compact :
But it's no less stunning for that :
Liam & Naomi enjoying the view :
After Bryce the red rock gave way to more farm / ranch land :
In Kanab we chose the Parry Lodge for our accommodation which, although slightly more expensive than a grotty place up the road, was a nice place to stay & very central. And it had a swimming pool
Apparently the Parry brothers were instrumental in bringing the movie makers to Kanab for a lot of films & series' - John Wayne is supposed to have paid for at least half the pool ! - and the town bills itself as a kind of 'mini Hollywood'. All the rooms at the Lodge had a film stars name over the door too.
Dinner was in a place across the road and was so good I've forgotten what I had
.
The Prospector served tea & coffee which we supplemented with our own cereal bars to get the day started. We'd less than 50 miles to get to our 'destination' of the day, Bryce Canyon NP. I don't know if it's the hills that catch the rain & funnel it into reservoirs but there's a good few in the area and the land either side of the road is much greener & more productive than much of what we'd passed through previously :
But there were still plenty of rocky bits around :
The start of the red rock we'd be seeing lots of in Bryce :
Most of Bryce was done on the free shuttle bus, just to get off the bikes for a while, but we also did a good bit of walking. Compared to the likes of Grand Canyon, Bryce is relatively compact :
But it's no less stunning for that :
Liam & Naomi enjoying the view :
After Bryce the red rock gave way to more farm / ranch land :
In Kanab we chose the Parry Lodge for our accommodation which, although slightly more expensive than a grotty place up the road, was a nice place to stay & very central. And it had a swimming pool
Apparently the Parry brothers were instrumental in bringing the movie makers to Kanab for a lot of films & series' - John Wayne is supposed to have paid for at least half the pool ! - and the town bills itself as a kind of 'mini Hollywood'. All the rooms at the Lodge had a film stars name over the door too.
Dinner was in a place across the road and was so good I've forgotten what I had
.
(RIP) petcul
Registered user
Again some great shots Jochen
Again some great shots Jochen
Thanks Peter
I've Day 19 almost ready to go but things like a HU meeting & collecting teenagers from parties has delayed me
Hopefully tonight.....
Day 19 - Kanab, UT to Page, AZ
Breakfast this morning was included in the room charge so we wandered over to the dining room. It was one of the better spreads we'd had with a selection of cereals & juices as well as a hot food counter. Suitably fortified we were ready to head for the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
Nigel & Helen decided they'd seen enough "landfill sites" (canyons) to do them for one trip & would wander around Kanab this morning before taking the direct route to Page. In a way this suited everyone in that they'd be in Page much earlier than us & could find suitable accommodation As it turned out this was probably just as well cos Kanab, or at least the hotels in our price range, was quite busy. But more of that later.
But first a quick aside - it's funny what you see when you look at a picture properly. I took the picture below for the rock outcrop. It's one of them 'left-hand picture while riding by" & it's only tonight selecting pics that I noticed it. See the white fence in front of the little house ? And the 'poodle' sculpture in front of it ?
Some people do the strangest things ! WHY ??
Anyway, on with the ride. Like the southern side there's no indication that (probably, but I'm sure someone will correct me) the world's biggest hole is just ahead of you. There's no mountains or even hills around, the whole thing is carved out of the plateau so it just suddenly appears in front of you. And that probably makes it even more spectacular, truth be told.
See, flat as a pancake over there :
And here, as you approach the National Park :
Must have been some fire. Not a single living pine tree for miles. But the aspens are coming back with a vengeance :
Lovely to see the different greens, especially after all the browns & reds :
And then suddenly there it is in front of you :
Does that look like an Easter Island head, dead centre ?
A closer look reveals another face on the chin of Mr Easter Island :
How cool is that ?
After visiting the various viewpoints at North Rim we went to the Visitor Centre / Lodge / Hotel where we had a bit of lunch before Dave paid a visit to the Ladies. He says it was by mistake but I'm not so sure...
Back up to US89-ALT (I reckon it must be the original road east before they built the dam that created Lake Powell) & away towards Page. Stopping at a viewpoint before the Vermilion Cliffs we came across a big group of Harleys with a support vehicle. It was kinda windy up there due to a storm coming in from the Pacific so we didn't dally. But when we got to Marble Canyon it was fairly calm so we stopped to explore the bridge & the Visitor Centre.
Some Marble Canyon info :
The bridge on the left is the original one, now closed to vehicular traffic. The new one was opened in 1995 (IIRC)
Crossing over the Colorado River yet again :
Saw this in the Visitor Centre and liked the sentiment
Then a quick 35 mile blast took us over the hill & into Page. We stopped at McD's on the way in so we could steal a bit of their wi-fi to find out where Nigel & Helen had found us a bed. Our short run to the hotel brought us past more than a dozen churches (apparently the town gave free land to various denominations so there's a church for every one you've ever heard of & then a few more !) before spotting Nigel standing in the carpark keeping an eye out for us. We'd hardly taken off our helmets before he was handing us a beer. We could get used to this sort of service
There was a couple of other Wings in the carpark, one a trike with a trailer & the owner came over for a chat after polishing his steed. Turns out there's a Wing Owners Club 'do' down the road (160 miles) in St George. He was from Texas & was a nice enough guy but after a few minutes he started on about the blue of Liam's 2005 bike & how it was called such & such but his 2007 bike had a fairly similar blue that was called something else & the following year Honda changed the name again without really changing the shade & it was very difficult with some bikes to know which color......
Jaysus, life's too frickin' short for that much detail. I don't think we'll be spending any time at that meet
Dinner was in a sort of Italian / Mexican place where I finally got a decent pasta dish
Breakfast this morning was included in the room charge so we wandered over to the dining room. It was one of the better spreads we'd had with a selection of cereals & juices as well as a hot food counter. Suitably fortified we were ready to head for the North Rim of Grand Canyon.
Nigel & Helen decided they'd seen enough "landfill sites" (canyons) to do them for one trip & would wander around Kanab this morning before taking the direct route to Page. In a way this suited everyone in that they'd be in Page much earlier than us & could find suitable accommodation
As it turned out this was probably just as well cos Kanab, or at least the hotels in our price range, was quite busy. But more of that later.But first a quick aside - it's funny what you see when you look at a picture properly. I took the picture below for the rock outcrop. It's one of them 'left-hand picture while riding by" & it's only tonight selecting pics that I noticed it. See the white fence in front of the little house ? And the 'poodle' sculpture in front of it ?
Some people do the strangest things ! WHY ??
Anyway, on with the ride. Like the southern side there's no indication that (probably, but I'm sure someone will correct me
) the world's biggest hole is just ahead of you. There's no mountains or even hills around, the whole thing is carved out of the plateau so it just suddenly appears in front of you. And that probably makes it even more spectacular, truth be told.See, flat as a pancake over there :
And here, as you approach the National Park :
Must have been some fire. Not a single living pine tree for miles. But the aspens are coming back with a vengeance :
Lovely to see the different greens, especially after all the browns & reds :
And then suddenly there it is in front of you :
Does that look like an Easter Island head, dead centre ?
A closer look reveals another face on the chin of Mr Easter Island :
How cool is that ?
After visiting the various viewpoints at North Rim we went to the Visitor Centre / Lodge / Hotel where we had a bit of lunch before Dave paid a visit to the Ladies. He says it was by mistake but I'm not so sure...
Back up to US89-ALT (I reckon it must be the original road east before they built the dam that created Lake Powell) & away towards Page. Stopping at a viewpoint before the Vermilion Cliffs we came across a big group of Harleys with a support vehicle. It was kinda windy up there due to a storm coming in from the Pacific so we didn't dally. But when we got to Marble Canyon it was fairly calm so we stopped to explore the bridge & the Visitor Centre.
Some Marble Canyon info :
The bridge on the left is the original one, now closed to vehicular traffic. The new one was opened in 1995 (IIRC)
Crossing over the Colorado River yet again :
Saw this in the Visitor Centre and liked the sentiment
Then a quick 35 mile blast took us over the hill & into Page. We stopped at McD's on the way in so we could steal a bit of their wi-fi to find out where Nigel & Helen had found us a bed. Our short run to the hotel brought us past more than a dozen churches (apparently the town gave free land to various denominations so there's a church for every one you've ever heard of & then a few more !) before spotting Nigel standing in the carpark keeping an eye out for us. We'd hardly taken off our helmets before he was handing us a beer. We could get used to this sort of service
There was a couple of other Wings in the carpark, one a trike with a trailer & the owner came over for a chat after polishing his steed. Turns out there's a Wing Owners Club 'do' down the road (160 miles) in St George. He was from Texas & was a nice enough guy but after a few minutes he started on about the blue of Liam's 2005 bike & how it was called such & such but his 2007 bike had a fairly similar blue that was called something else & the following year Honda changed the name again without really changing the shade & it was very difficult with some bikes to know which color......
Jaysus, life's too frickin' short for that much detail. I don't think we'll be spending any time at that meet
Dinner was in a sort of Italian / Mexican place where I finally got a decent pasta dish
Day 20 - Page, AZ to Page, AZ
Today is our first completely 'bike free' day. We were booked in for 2 nights as Nigel had suggested we do a boat trip down the Colorado this afternoon. But after a bit of a lie-in the day went a bit pear shaped. Liam's Mum had been unwell & it had gotten to the stage where he felt he had to return home as soon as he could. While he & Naomi packed up the rest of us set about booking a flight from Vegas, a hotel with parking near the airport, getting the bike picked up there, etc. Eventually we had to say our goodbyes & walk across to the boat place.
After getting checked in (there must have been 60 or 70 people) they bussed us across town & down a long tunnel to the base of the dam where our raft-type boats were waiting. For the next couple of hours we alternately motored & floated down the Colorado in a very loose convoy of 5 or 6 boats. It was a very peaceful afternoon with some stunning views
The dam :
Our transport :
The journey downstream :
Our one & only landfall was at a petroglyph site :
And then it was back on the water :
You can just make out the tiny blue boat at the base of the cliff
And, to finish off, a few wild horses
We got to Lee's Ferry just after this. From there we were bussed back to Page.
Dinner was at a Texas BBQ place under the canopy of an old petrol station followed by probably the thickest shake I've ever had
Today is our first completely 'bike free' day. We were booked in for 2 nights as Nigel had suggested we do a boat trip down the Colorado this afternoon. But after a bit of a lie-in the day went a bit pear shaped. Liam's Mum had been unwell & it had gotten to the stage where he felt he had to return home as soon as he could. While he & Naomi packed up the rest of us set about booking a flight from Vegas, a hotel with parking near the airport, getting the bike picked up there, etc. Eventually we had to say our goodbyes & walk across to the boat place.
After getting checked in (there must have been 60 or 70 people) they bussed us across town & down a long tunnel to the base of the dam where our raft-type boats were waiting. For the next couple of hours we alternately motored & floated down the Colorado in a very loose convoy of 5 or 6 boats. It was a very peaceful afternoon with some stunning views
The dam :
Our transport :
The journey downstream :
Our one & only landfall was at a petroglyph site :
And then it was back on the water :
You can just make out the tiny blue boat at the base of the cliff
And, to finish off, a few wild horses
We got to Lee's Ferry just after this. From there we were bussed back to Page.
Dinner was at a Texas BBQ place under the canopy of an old petrol station followed by probably the thickest shake I've ever had
Day 21 - Page, AZ to St George, UT
Although we didn't have a very long run planned, St George only being 160 miles from Page, we still set off reasonably early (for us) as the route included Zion NP. We'd a few bits left over from yesterday - juice, yogurt & cereal bars - so that, along with a cuppa from reception, served as breakfast.
And then we backtracked slightly to get to the viewpoint over Horseshoe Bend which we'd floated around yesterday. The small gravel carpark was already full when we got there so we parked up & started up the hill to the overlook. Not wanting to spend ages packing away jackets & stuff and with only a short but steep hill to climb we set off. How wrong we were - the hill seemed to go on forever & we were all panting by the time we reached the summit. So imagine our joy when we realised we weren't still a long way away & although downhill we knew we'd have to come back up. And then it turned to soft sand, which was really easy to traverse in bike boots
But it was worth it for the view. I'm sure if I spent time learning Photoshop I could stitch these two pics together but you'll just have to use you're imagination. I can't do everything for you ferchrissakes
It's too freakin' big to get into one shot properly :
By the time we got back to the bikes I was perspiring like a turkey at Christmas (or Thanksgiving for our Merkin friends) & badly needed a lie down. Or a defibrilator, I wasn't sure which. And then some dickhead had abandoned his heap'oshite car right beside me so I couldn't execute the graceful turn & exit I had planned when I'd parked
So of course I dropped the feckin' Wing
By this stage the others were nearly outta the carpark but help was at hand - a tall guy & his girlfriend were heading in my direction......only to walk right by me with a look that was the facial equivalent of kicking sand in my face
Me old mucker Dave then came running (I use the term loosely as both of us were breathing as if it was our last
) over & helped me right Ruby & wobble out of the carpark. My breathing had almost returned to normal by lunchtime so all was right with the world
Back through Page & past the dam :
Past the bottom of Lake Powell :
And away west :
It really was like the Wild West when we came across these guys :
We stopped in Kanab for a cuppa & a sandwich and then continued on to :
The main road west (Hwy 9) goes straight across the southern part of the park, via a tunnel, and the views are spectacular :
The road along the valley formed by the North Fork Virgin River is accessible only by the free shuttle bus (unless you're staying in Zion Lodge) so we parked the bikes & became proper tourists for an hour or two
It was difficult enough to take decent pics from the bus cos the windows only opened half way, just in case you were inclined to throw yourself out as the bus hurtled along :
At the end of the road we walked along the river to the end of the track :
Met this little fella :
As it was getting late enough we headed to St George & booked into an average motel before walking 3 blocks, big blocks, for a really good Thai & then walking back. I've never walked as much on a biking holiday
On the way home Dave stopped for dessert :
Although we didn't have a very long run planned, St George only being 160 miles from Page, we still set off reasonably early (for us) as the route included Zion NP. We'd a few bits left over from yesterday - juice, yogurt & cereal bars - so that, along with a cuppa from reception, served as breakfast.
And then we backtracked slightly to get to the viewpoint over Horseshoe Bend which we'd floated around yesterday. The small gravel carpark was already full when we got there so we parked up & started up the hill to the overlook. Not wanting to spend ages packing away jackets & stuff and with only a short but steep hill to climb we set off. How wrong we were - the hill seemed to go on forever & we were all panting by the time we reached the summit. So imagine our joy when we realised we weren't still a long way away & although downhill we knew we'd have to come back up. And then it turned to soft sand, which was really easy to traverse in bike boots
But it was worth it for the view. I'm sure if I spent time learning Photoshop I could stitch these two pics together but you'll just have to use you're imagination. I can't do everything for you ferchrissakes
It's too freakin' big to get into one shot properly :
By the time we got back to the bikes I was perspiring like a turkey at Christmas (or Thanksgiving for our Merkin friends) & badly needed a lie down. Or a defibrilator, I wasn't sure which. And then some dickhead had abandoned his heap'oshite car right beside me so I couldn't execute the graceful turn & exit I had planned when I'd parked
So of course I dropped the feckin' Wing By this stage the others were nearly outta the carpark but help was at hand - a tall guy & his girlfriend were heading in my direction......only to walk right by me with a look that was the facial equivalent of kicking sand in my face
Me old mucker Dave then came running (I use the term loosely as both of us were breathing as if it was our last
) over & helped me right Ruby & wobble out of the carpark. My breathing had almost returned to normal by lunchtime so all was right with the world Back through Page & past the dam :
Past the bottom of Lake Powell :
And away west :
It really was like the Wild West when we came across these guys :
We stopped in Kanab for a cuppa & a sandwich and then continued on to :
The main road west (Hwy 9) goes straight across the southern part of the park, via a tunnel, and the views are spectacular :
The road along the valley formed by the North Fork Virgin River is accessible only by the free shuttle bus (unless you're staying in Zion Lodge) so we parked the bikes & became proper tourists for an hour or two
It was difficult enough to take decent pics from the bus cos the windows only opened half way, just in case you were inclined to throw yourself out as the bus hurtled along
:
At the end of the road we walked along the river to the end of the track :
Met this little fella :
As it was getting late enough we headed to St George & booked into an average motel before walking 3 blocks, big blocks, for a really good Thai & then walking back. I've never walked as much on a biking holiday
On the way home Dave stopped for dessert
:
that looks like precursor to dessert
pics and a half boiy
bryce
pics and a half boiy
bryce
bryce
All the National Parks, Monuments & State Parks were stunning
It's just a shame that you can't portray that properly with a 'snap'
You just have to go & see them for yourself
sven
Registered user
Looks like we missed a really interesting part of Zion NP on our whirlwind tour
We bought an $80 annual pass for the parks and I think it paid for itself as we visited Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Natural Bridges, Mesa Verde, Arches (missed Canyonlands, although we visited Dead Horse Point), Bryce Canyon, Zion and Yosemite. I also got the impression that you were supposed to pay for Death Valley at the visitor centre, although we never stopped as we had the pass
Bryce Canyon was definitely my favourite, closely followed by Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon. Yosemite was beautiful from the Tioga Pass side, but a bit of a disappointment from inside the valley as the trees spoilt the view and we didn't have time to ride up to Glacier Point
We bought an $80 annual pass for the parks and I think it paid for itself as we visited Joshua Tree, Grand Canyon, Natural Bridges, Mesa Verde, Arches (missed Canyonlands, although we visited Dead Horse Point), Bryce Canyon, Zion and Yosemite. I also got the impression that you were supposed to pay for Death Valley at the visitor centre, although we never stopped as we had the pass
Bryce Canyon was definitely my favourite, closely followed by Mesa Verde and the Grand Canyon. Yosemite was beautiful from the Tioga Pass side, but a bit of a disappointment from inside the valley as the trees spoilt the view and we didn't have time to ride up to Glacier Point
It was very good but it did take a bit of time. The bus was 45 mins each way & we walked for probably close on an hour & a half. With waiting time, etc that's half a day.Looks like we missed a really interesting part of Zion NP on our whirlwind tour
Definitely did for us. We bought 2 between the 6 people / 4 bikes. I think each of the 2 people named on the card can bring 3 or 4 'guests' in but they charged for the third bike at Grand Canyon North Rim when Dave forgot to get the card off Nigel & Helen before they went to Pagesven said:
Really ? We didn't stop at the centre but as you say we had the card.sven said:
Shame. It was a lovely road, especially near the end, and the views were stunningsven said:
Stay tuned for another couple of updates & you'll see the pics
Day 22 - St George, UT to Las Vegas, NV
Again we had a fairly short day planned, just 150 miles to Vegas. It was Memorial Day Weekend so everyone was out & about and we figured we'd have the better chance of scoring rooms in Vegas than elsewhere. And rather than take I-15 all the way down we jumped off just before Glendale & rode through Glen Canyon NP along the western side of Lake Mead. I thought it'd be more scenic than the Interstate, and I'm sure it was, but I had expected to see more of the lake. Ah well.....
First glimpse :
Then we had a bit of this :
And then we saw the lake again briefly :
Shortly after you come out of the park you ride over a crest and suddenly there's Vegas below you :
The tall tower you see on the right is the Stratosphere Hotel. The black bit on top is apparently a restaurant & I think the 'spike' is some sort of fairground ride :
We stopped at the Travelodge (nothing but the best for us) but they were full. They did however allow us use their (very slow) wifi to try & find somewhere. Because of the weekend that was in it beds for Saturday night were expensive but Sunday night was much more reasonable even though Monday was a holiday & there seemed to be just as many people around. Go figure. But it evened out to a reasonable rate across the 2 nights. We eventually settled on Circus Circus which was right next door. However getting in, getting checked in & getting to our room was a bit of a faff and even though we'd gotten into town at a reasonable time the afternoon was now nearly done.
A shower & change into civvies was affected fairly quickly & then we had a late lunch in the hotel before heading down the strip. The heat had abated a bit by then so walking around was pleasant enough.
There's some amazing looking hotels along the Strip :
Only in America ! This is inside the Venetian Hotel & that's a painted ceiling not the sky :
After 3 weeks in small towns with barely any street lighting that closed down (or 'rolled up the pavements' as the song goes) by 9pm Vegas was a shock to the system. Everything, and I mean every single thing, had a bright light or a neon sign on it. It was almost brighter after the sun set
I loved the way this was a bit out of the ordinary :
We had dinner in the Hardley Cafe (not my idea). As the late lunch hadn't been fully digested I only had the Buffalo Shrimp (hot & spicy like Buffalo Wings but with shrimp, or prawns as everyone else calls them) and very good it was too.
And then we'd to walk all the way back down the strip..
Again we had a fairly short day planned, just 150 miles to Vegas. It was Memorial Day Weekend so everyone was out & about and we figured we'd have the better chance of scoring rooms in Vegas than elsewhere. And rather than take I-15 all the way down we jumped off just before Glendale & rode through Glen Canyon NP along the western side of Lake Mead. I thought it'd be more scenic than the Interstate, and I'm sure it was, but I had expected to see more of the lake. Ah well.....
First glimpse :
Then we had a bit of this :
And then we saw the lake again briefly :
Shortly after you come out of the park you ride over a crest and suddenly there's Vegas below you :
The tall tower you see on the right is the Stratosphere Hotel. The black bit on top is apparently a restaurant & I think the 'spike' is some sort of fairground ride
:
We stopped at the Travelodge (nothing but the best for us
) but they were full. They did however allow us use their (very slow) wifi to try & find somewhere. Because of the weekend that was in it beds for Saturday night were expensive but Sunday night was much more reasonable even though Monday was a holiday & there seemed to be just as many people around. Go figure. But it evened out to a reasonable rate across the 2 nights. We eventually settled on Circus Circus which was right next door. However getting in, getting checked in & getting to our room was a bit of a faff and even though we'd gotten into town at a reasonable time the afternoon was now nearly done. A shower & change into civvies was affected fairly quickly & then we had a late lunch in the hotel before heading down the strip. The heat had abated a bit by then so walking around was pleasant enough.
There's some amazing looking hotels along the Strip :
Only in America ! This is inside the Venetian Hotel & that's a painted ceiling not the sky
:
After 3 weeks in small towns with barely any street lighting that closed down (or 'rolled up the pavements' as the song goes) by 9pm Vegas was a shock to the system. Everything, and I mean every single thing, had a bright light or a neon sign on it. It was almost brighter after the sun set
I loved the way this was a bit out of the ordinary :
We had dinner in the Hardley Cafe (not my idea
). As the late lunch hadn't been fully digested I only had the Buffalo Shrimp (hot & spicy like Buffalo Wings but with shrimp, or prawns as everyone else calls them) and very good it was too.
And then we'd to walk all the way back down the strip..
Day 23 - Las Vegas, NV
Mike came to collect Liams bike today. Actually, he arrived last night but didn't phone Dave's mobile as arranged so when we got back to the hotel there was a message to say he'd be back in the morning. The previous evening Nigel had decided he'd 'upgrade' to the Wing from his V-Star so he went to the airport early to collect it & we then gave Mike the V-Star to ride back to LA
Once all that was done we had breakfast & a wander around the hotel. If you were so inclined you could spend your entire Vegas vacation without ever leaving your chosen hotel. There's bars & restaurants, gift shops & entertainment plus slots by the hundred and roulette & card tables galore.
Just a sample of the delights inside our hotel :
Haven't seen one of these in years :
It was a bit early to go for a wander up the Strip so we went back to our rooms for a while & caught up on posts, pics & emails. Late afternoon we headed out again. We caught a bus to where we'd turned around last night & continued on.
That's all one hotel
I thought the Luxor was one of the most interesting looking hotels, pure kitsch of course but how cool must it be have a room near the top. I imagine the room windows are the outside of the pyramid. The view must be brill
Eventually we'd had enough of the Strip and Nigel & Helen decided to head home. Dave & I stayed on the bus as far as Fremont St which is sorta the antidote to all the glitz of the Strip. It's much more 'raw' & happening. It's the only street I've ever been on that has a 'roof' onto which are projected images / videos while music blares out all over the place every hour on the hour.
We still hadn't eaten & it was now almost midnight so we found a decent 24 hr place and had a chicken pie (Dave) & a steak (me). We spent a bit longer wandering around looking at the performance artists, hawkers & wierdos
Sweet jaysus...
We caught the bus back to the hotel & spent a short while playing roulette before turning in.
Mike came to collect Liams bike today. Actually, he arrived last night but didn't phone Dave's mobile as arranged so when we got back to the hotel there was a message to say he'd be back in the morning. The previous evening Nigel had decided he'd 'upgrade' to the Wing from his V-Star so he went to the airport early to collect it & we then gave Mike the V-Star to ride back to LA
Once all that was done we had breakfast & a wander around the hotel. If you were so inclined you could spend your entire Vegas vacation without ever leaving your chosen hotel. There's bars & restaurants, gift shops & entertainment plus slots by the hundred and roulette & card tables galore.
Just a sample of the delights inside our hotel :
Haven't seen one of these in years :
It was a bit early to go for a wander up the Strip so we went back to our rooms for a while & caught up on posts, pics & emails. Late afternoon we headed out again. We caught a bus to where we'd turned around last night & continued on.
That's all one hotel
I thought the Luxor was one of the most interesting looking hotels, pure kitsch of course but how cool must it be have a room near the top. I imagine the room windows are the outside of the pyramid. The view must be brill
Eventually we'd had enough of the Strip and Nigel & Helen decided to head home. Dave & I stayed on the bus as far as Fremont St which is sorta the antidote to all the glitz of the Strip. It's much more 'raw' & happening. It's the only street I've ever been on that has a 'roof' onto which are projected images / videos while music blares out all over the place every hour on the hour.
We still hadn't eaten & it was now almost midnight so we found a decent 24 hr place and had a chicken pie (Dave) & a steak (me). We spent a bit longer wandering around looking at the performance artists, hawkers & wierdos
Sweet jaysus...
We caught the bus back to the hotel & spent a short while playing roulette before turning in.
(RIP) petcul
Registered user
Wow
How fantastic
Remind me never to go there I'm just a country boy and me heart would never stand it
How fantastic
Remind me never to go there
I'm just a country boy and me heart would never stand it
Vegas;
looks like a different planet not a different country!
looks like a different planet not a different country!
bryce
All the National Parks, Monuments & State Parks were stunning
It's just a shame that you can't portray that properly with a 'snap'
You just have to go & see them for yourself
you mikeo mike allen and andrew earnshaw have a lot to answer for :aurelius
vegas looks insane
murrica (or bits of it) are on the list (have been for years)
Remind me never to go there
It had to be done. But 2 nights was plentyVegas;
looks like a different planet not a different country!
Okay. If you say so............
Day 24 - Las Vegas, NV to Beatty, NV
Today, Monday, was a holiday. Our plan was to rise fairly early, follow the advice of Sgt Bilko & head for Shoshone, through Death Valley before it got too hot & finish up in Lone Pine. But like many good plans it all turned to sh1t even before we got up. That is to say it would have turned to sh1t after we'd got up if, in fact, we'd got up at the time agreed with Nigel & Helen the night before. But because we'd been out in the fresh air most of the evening, walked miles & stayed up waaay past our normal bedtime both Dave & I overslept. The others were fully ATGATTed while we were still wandering around in our jocks, scratching the dangly bits
By the time we hit the Strip the temperature was already climbing but, undeterred, we set off as planned with the option of bugging out & heading around DV & up Hwy 395 if things got too hot. But we weren't planning on hiccup # 2. We were riding down a very busy I 15 and had covered less than 30 miles when the traffic suddenly ground to a halt & didn't move at all for a while before moving slightly & then stopping again. Now hot weather in bike gear is bad enough when you're moving but sat in the desert not moving was decidedly unpleasant & I started to overheat. After a while of minor progress, major halt we got far enough to exit the Interstate & pull into a gas station where we fuelled up and replenished our water supplies. Deciding we didn't want to spend any more time in traffic we back-tracked to the outskirts of Vegas & took the more easterly road (Hwy 160) northwards.
The scenery wasn't terribly inspiring today :
You could almost set the cruise control & lean back for a wee snooze
Lunch, or more accurately liquids, were taken in Pahrump in a beautifully airconditioned McD's - I've really developed a liking for their mango smoothies
Eventually though we had to leave this lovely place & brave once more the desert heat. Both it & the lack of sleep were taking their toll on me and all I wanted was a swimming pool. Not much hope of that out here :
After about half an hour of nothingness I spotted a dark shape on the horizon. With nothing else to entertain me I fixated on it. It didn't appear to be getting any closer. Alternately I thought it was a broken down car, a cow / horse & a person. As I got closer I noticed part of the shape moving while part of it didn't. I was beginning to fear I was hallucinating but as we got closer I finally recognised a motorcycle & rider, apparently in difficulty. And thus we had hiccup #3 of the day
Turned out to be a Canadian of Irish extraction who was on his way home after 4 months riding around South America on his airhead (lucky bastid) But it had chosen out here to let him down ! Turns out he was having charging issues and despite having charged the battery last night it had given up the ghost. We had nothing to jump the bike with so decided to push it. It started but wouldn't run. This happened several times before we decided different tactics were needed 
We swapped batteries with the V-Star as that seemed easier to get the battery out of than the Wing. With a push we got Dave started and he charged Dermot's battery but unfortunately the V-star battery wouldn't fit into the allocated space under the GS seat so we had to unearth the Wing battery. This got Dermot running but his battery wouldn't fit into the ope on the Wing Eventually we rigged up the GS battery to the Wing by using a couple of bits of wire & a metal strip to extend the cables and finally a Roc Strap to tie it onto my pillion peg. Thus mobile again we set off with Dermot following along.
Luckily the road wasn't too twisty :
We stopped for the night in Beatty where Dermot bought an ATV battery & a load of beer by way of thanks while we 'undid' all our modifications and put the Wing battery back where it was supposed to be. Dinner was a slab of ribs in the BBQ place across the road before sleeping like the dead.....
Today, Monday, was a holiday. Our plan was to rise fairly early, follow the advice of Sgt Bilko & head for Shoshone, through Death Valley before it got too hot & finish up in Lone Pine. But like many good plans it all turned to sh1t even before we got up. That is to say it would have turned to sh1t after we'd got up if, in fact, we'd got up at the time agreed with Nigel & Helen the night before. But because we'd been out in the fresh air most of the evening, walked miles & stayed up waaay past our normal bedtime both Dave & I overslept. The others were fully ATGATTed while we were still wandering around in our jocks, scratching the dangly bits
By the time we hit the Strip the temperature was already climbing but, undeterred, we set off as planned with the option of bugging out & heading around DV & up Hwy 395 if things got too hot. But we weren't planning on hiccup # 2. We were riding down a very busy I 15 and had covered less than 30 miles when the traffic suddenly ground to a halt & didn't move at all for a while before moving slightly & then stopping again. Now hot weather in bike gear is bad enough when you're moving but sat in the desert not moving was decidedly unpleasant & I started to overheat. After a while of minor progress, major halt we got far enough to exit the Interstate & pull into a gas station where we fuelled up and replenished our water supplies. Deciding we didn't want to spend any more time in traffic we back-tracked to the outskirts of Vegas & took the more easterly road (Hwy 160) northwards.
The scenery wasn't terribly inspiring today
:
You could almost set the cruise control & lean back for a wee snooze
Lunch, or more accurately liquids, were taken in Pahrump in a beautifully airconditioned McD's - I've really developed a liking for their mango smoothies
Eventually though we had to leave this lovely place & brave once more the desert heat. Both it & the lack of sleep were taking their toll on me and all I wanted was a swimming pool. Not much hope of that out here :
After about half an hour of nothingness I spotted a dark shape on the horizon. With nothing else to entertain me I fixated on it. It didn't appear to be getting any closer. Alternately I thought it was a broken down car, a cow / horse & a person. As I got closer I noticed part of the shape moving while part of it didn't. I was beginning to fear I was hallucinating but as we got closer I finally recognised a motorcycle & rider, apparently in difficulty. And thus we had hiccup #3 of the day
Turned out to be a Canadian of Irish extraction who was on his way home after 4 months riding around South America on his airhead (lucky bastid
) But it had chosen out here to let him down ! Turns out he was having charging issues and despite having charged the battery last night it had given up the ghost. We had nothing to jump the bike with so decided to push it. It started but wouldn't run. This happened several times before we decided different tactics were needed We swapped batteries with the V-Star as that seemed easier to get the battery out of than the Wing. With a push we got Dave started and he charged Dermot's battery but unfortunately the V-star battery wouldn't fit into the allocated space under the GS seat so we had to unearth the Wing battery. This got Dermot running but his battery wouldn't fit into the ope on the Wing
Eventually we rigged up the GS battery to the Wing by using a couple of bits of wire & a metal strip to extend the cables and finally a Roc Strap to tie it onto my pillion peg. Thus mobile again we set off with Dermot following along.Luckily the road wasn't too twisty
:
We stopped for the night in Beatty where Dermot bought an ATV battery & a load of beer by way of thanks while we 'undid' all our modifications and put the Wing battery back where it was supposed to be. Dinner was a slab of ribs in the BBQ place across the road before sleeping like the dead.....
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