Wednesday, November 9, 2005 - Las Vegas, NV
Time to pick up Gold Wing at Escape Eagles. We had some difficulty getting there due to cab driver. If you go, Escape Eagles is only a short trip from the strip - should be a $10 to $12 fare. I'll take a moment to tell you a little about Escape Eagles. Everyone at Escape Eagles was very friendly and helpful - from the first phone call a couple of weeks in advance to turning in the second bike on Friday night. Their prices for rental were very good - approximately $174 per day (24 hr) and included insurance and taxes. Also included was the gear you would need. However, we always travel with our gear so we didn't use any of theirs. (Escape Eagles, Phone: 877-321-8687, website: www.escapeeagles.com) We would highly recommend them if you are in the Las Vegas area and want to rent a bike. (Most of their bikes are Harley Davidson models but they also have the Honda Gold Wing.)
Thursday, November 10, 2005 - Nevada, Arizona, California
We left Las Vegas to head out to Hoover Dam. Initial plans were to go to Hoover Dam and circle back to Las Vegas from the north. However, plans are subject to change. In Boulder City, we stopped to fuel up. We ran into a man waiting for his buddy to meet him and started a conversation. They were headed to Rosie's in Arizona for breakfast. When his friend arrived, they invited us to ride along. So, we crossed Hoover Dam but didn't stop. The road was too good to waste time on a dam tour.
Rosie's is an old café approximately 28 miles from Hoover Dam. If you head out from Hoover Dam, it's on the right - the only building in the area. GREAT food! Hand-hewn plank floors, customers & employees wear their side arms, souvenirs sold outside. One pancake will fill you up so be careful what you order; take the advice of the waitress.
Over breakfast, our 2 new friends gave us info on good places to ride. Both retired, they spend a lot of time exploring the side roads in the area. They suggested we go to Kingman, AZ, and catch Route 66 to Oatman.
Took a wrong turn in Kingman but turned around in about 2 blocks. Route 66 was a great ride through desert and mountains. We stopped in Cool Springs for some water. Cool Springs is one building (a rebuilt service station serving as a tourist stop) and a travel trailer. Two retired ladies live there and operate the museum/gift shop. When they're open, they're open. Otherwise, no stop available.
Oatman, AZ, is the town where wild burros roam the street. The burros have the right of way so you must be careful. We stopped and walked around a bit. It's basically a one-street old mining town. It would probably be a ghost town except the burros bring in tourists. Burros can be quite aggressive if they think you have food.
From Oatman, we continued south. We crossed back into Nevada at Laughlin. We didn't stop; the road and scenery were more interesting. When we stopped to fuel up, we realized we were just a few miles from California. It seemed like a good idea at the time so we drove to Needles, CA. Just had time to fuel up and head back to Las Vegas. We turned in the Gold Wing (very nice bike) and picked up an Electra Glide for Friday.
Friday, November 11, 2005
It was immediately obvious that the Electra Glide didn't handle as well as the Gold Wing. So, we tried a shorter ride. We started with Red Rock Canyon. Bike coughed and sneezed above 3000 ft. so a journey like the previous day was definitely out. (Mike managed to dump Amelia in the parking lot; he's trying for all 50 states now.) It's a beautiful ride and close if you don't have time for a lot of riding.
After Red Rock Canyon and lunch, we headed for the Valley of Fire. On the freeway, the HD performed much better; it seems to be designed for this type ride. We started in to the Valley of Fire. Nice winding road with great scenery. However, we noticed the time when we got to the entrance; it was time to head back! So, we will visit the Valley of Fire on our next trip to Nevada.
Amelia