Vegas Baby

Minneapolis to Las Vegas. I rode to Vegas two and a half years ago zigzagging and camping there and back for three weeks...Fabulous! I’m was hooked.

Heidi and I always talk about doing Las Vegas again, we really like the Hard Rock Casino. Broke the pig and booked her a flight. I’m giving myself 6 days to go out, plenty of time to explore and get into trouble.............. Took off a week and a half ago Thursday. It was raining steady all morning and temperatures in the mid thirties. The plan was to take off at 2:00 PM with two buddies of mine that would go half way. Looking at the radar loop from work it looked like the rain should pass by around noon, cool. But cool is right, the temperature at 11:00 AM was 39 Degrees. My buddies canceled and I knew they would, neither had touring equipment for cool temperatures. So I booked, I wasn’t going to wait for 2:00 PM for the temperature to drop. I headed out from Minneapolis on I35, wanting to fly south down the freeway to warmer weather in Iowa and Kansas. I just put on two new tires, Metsler ME880’s. What a difference from the dual sport nobbies I had been running, my Sporty doesn’t vibrate any more(ha ha)and cornering is a dream. If I’m going on mostly a road trip I should have road tires, and I’m sure the Metslers will do just fine off road.

The clouds were gray and heavy with winds at about 25 out of the north. 85 to 95, I’m making good time stopping just long enough to gas and stretch. Coming into De Moines the clouds are looking a lot darker ahead. So far I had zero rain and it was still cold, I didn’t want to get wet. The radar I looked at before shoving off showed a lot of activity near Kansas city, just where I was planning on heading. This is where I feel like cavebiker meets the Jetsons, I call up my buddy in Minneapolis and ask him to take a look at the NOAA regional radar loop for Kansas city and for Omaha, my two possible routes, South or West. Cool!, rain and heavy activity near Kansas city and only thin fingers of rain near Omaha. West I Go. ………….

Had a little bike trouble the first day, my battery post bolt came loose and she wouldn’t start unless I pressed on the post. I always pack a lot of tools. This job calls for loosening the battery and moving it so you can stick a long screwdriver through the bike frame to the battery. Ya gotsta have a steady hand and not slip. I waited for the last minute and did it just before it started getting dark. It would have been stupid to try to do it in the dark.

...... I made it as far as Omaha till I hit my first light rain. It’s been dark for about an hour so took the first exit about two miles up and pulled her into a Motel 8. Nice little bar across the street, “Leisure Lounge” recommended. ............... Next morning I had a clear sky and calm seas, super! Singing South down Kansas doing 90, 100,

The state highways are great here, they don’t ‘T’, they swoop, with the merging highway ramping on. Nobody around but me, liken life. Cruised Hwy. 83 south to Hwy. 50 West and into Colorado. I crossed the border just about dusk and pulled into the first rest stop. I couldn’t believe it, a dirt service road twisting back behind numerous sand mounds. Perfect primitive camping where no one will ever see me or know I’m there. The sand was deep and tough going but I got back behind a big mound in tall grass, paradise. The night was clear with a billion stars, and best of all, WARM.
Woke up to around 60 Degrees, clear sky and calm. I’m packing light this trip so no stove. For my coffee fix I carry a bottle of cold coffee. I’m lucky, I like it cold. For food, I do nuts, dried fruit and a protein bar. When I’m cruising, all I want to do is cruise or hike or swim; eating ranks way low. But I recognize the need for proper nutrition and hydration for safe riding. A breakfast like this is perfect for slamming down, packing up the tent and hitting the road for some serious cruising, when I’m at my freshest. I really shudder at the thought for the need to find a restaurant first thing in the morning to fill your gut instead of getting on the road and doing what your out here to do, cruise. But everyone is different, I know sitting down to eat is a big part of it for a lot of bikers.

........ I’m still trying to make good time wanting to spend most of my exploration time in south western Colorado and Utah. Blasting across south eastern Colorado, vast desert and open road with the snow covered mountain peaks in the distance.
Liken it!

What a blast, taking the cafe racer position and scrapping the kick stand on left turns. I can see the thrill you guys on Crotch Rockets must have and wonder what it would be like to be driving one now, cool. .... From La Junta Co. I took Hwy. 10 west to Walsenburg then on to Hwy. 160. The atlas shows 160 is scenic route. I plan to stay on that all the way across Colorado to Cortez. I tool into Alamosa and hit some planed roadway surface in town at about 35 MPH. After a couple of blocks something feels squirrelly. I pull into the first gas station. F-ing rear Flat, it was all the way flat. I’m feeling around for the nail, I do the whole tire and don’t feel a thing so I start looking real close. I couldn’t believe what I see, the flipping thing was split wide open right down the center of the tire for about 5 inches. I just touch the rubber and the split opened wide, I could see right down to the cords. Well I guess I can’t save this tire. My options are limited: New Tire. My mind is racing with thoughts of all the fast cruising I’ve been doing and I’ve been in the middle of nowhere. I’m thanking God for my good fortune and at the same time cursing Metsler ME880’s. I had less then 20 miles on this tire before starting the trip, 1200 miles it splits! ME880’s SUCK! Us bikers depend our life on our tires, we can’t have new tires split! I had about 70 lb. of gear and I go about a buck eighty, 33lbs in the tire-> No Way was I over loaded. Any way, I asked for a phone book at the gas station and call up the only bike shop in town, Mark’s Outdoor Sports. Mark had a Maxims something tire in my size. He sent over his truck with trailer to pick me up and in less then an hour and a half I was back on the road. Thank you God and Mark from Alamosa!

.... The scenery is really getting great now and I’m getting into a more of a exploration cruise mode, stopping at rest stops more, scenic over looks and cruising secondary out of the way side roads. Somewhere north of Mancos CO. I pulled into a state park camp area just to relax and chill for a bit. While I was chillen a guy came to ask me to pay for the night. I looked at the great spot I had, over looking a valley, tons of trees hiking all around. Gave the Man $12 and set up the tent. A key to successful cycle camping is getting food and hydration supplies before you stop and pitch the tent. The camp is set, I lay back in a nest of pine needles over looking the valley and crack a beer (hydration supplies), Ya!