Primm, at the Nevada border
At Primm I fill my tank again and then I start for the final part of
today's trip, to Las Vegas.
When I arrived in Las Vegas I was thirsty from the long ride so I parked
the BMW at the parking of the macDonalds in las vegas for a cold drink.
First stop in Las Vegas
I stay in the Nevada Palace Hotel on Boulder Highway. I check in the hotel
(I had made a reservation over the Internet) and bring my luggage to my
room. The reservation area was inside the casino with flashing lights and
lots of noise. Mostly elderly people were playing at the slotmachines.
Nevada Palace Hotel on Boulder Highway in Las Vegas
When I had my luggage in the room I got on the bike again to get some
dinner. On the way to the Strip, on Tropicana Ave. I found a Kentuky Fried
Chicken to have dinner. After dinner it was getting darker so it's a
perfect time to look at the lights on the Strip.
The Strip by night
Las Vegas is a madhouse but a nice one! They build a life size sphinx and
piramide at the Luxor Casino, an Eifel tower, a Statue of Liberty, a
rollercoaster, it's all there in Las Vegas!
In LA and Boston, I saw newspaper stands with free newspapers and leaflets
advertising for real estate and cars. In Las Vegas they had those stands
too but now with a different kind of advertising......
Leaflets advertising Las Vegas specialities......
Along the strip are also several wedding chapels and some shops. I stopped
at a BIG souvenire shop to get some presents for the family back home in
Holland.
After driving up and down the strip it was getting late and I went back to
the hotel to go to the casino. Well, I think I'm not that much a gambler
because I think it is boring. After spending about $7 in the slot machines
I decived it would be better to spend my money on something more usefull, a
cold Budweiser and after that I went to bed because I wanted to leave early
in the morning
Sunday, October 13 2002
It was about 7 PM when I went to the hoteldesk to check out. In the casino
lots of people where gambling, at 7 PM !
A drove to a McDonalds at Tropicana Ave. and after breakfast I got back on
the BMW to drive to the Strip. I wanted to have a look at daylight before I
left.
The piramide and sphinx at the Luxor casino
Then I filled my tank at an "environmental friendly" gas station so I had
to wrestle to get some gas in the tank. Fortunately a friendly black biker
on a black Yamaha helped me. Then I entered Interstate 15 North in the
direction of Utah. A good running bike, perfect weather, beautuifull
mountains and deserts and a road to the horizon. What more can a biker
wish for. (OK I know, beside that......)
Interstate 15 goes through this desert landscape
From Interstate 15 I took the exit to Highway 169 to the Valley of Fire
State Park, a nice two lane road.
On Highway 169 I drive East. The desert is gone now and the landscape is
much greener with some small villages along the roads. In one of those
villages I see a gas station with three bikes parked outside and the riders
drinking a soda in the sun. I'm thirsty to so I park the BMW next to the
other bikes, get a Coca-Cola and join them. The are from Las Vegas and
enjoying a Sunday morning biketrip. We chat a bit and then we get on the
bikes again. Larry warns me about the twisty road ahead and I tell him that
that is just the way I like it.
Lou, Larry and Bill with their bikes
After a while the landscape turns into desert again and I am surprised that
people live here, just in the middle of nowhere, sometimes in a caravan or
a camper but I even saw a boat.
Noachs ark in the desert ?
Finaly I arrived at the entrance of the Valley of Fire State Park. At the
entrance was a small parking with a sign that you had to put money in an
enveloppe with your cars licence number on it and take a part as the
enveloppe as a receipt and put the enveloppe with the money in a
letterbox. I changed a $10 bill with a American couple in a camper and put
the money in the enveloppe and entered the park.
Entrance of the Valley of Fire State Park
First I went to the visitors center to get a map and some information and
then I drove into the mountains on a newly paved road. It is a joy to ride
here. The road is perfect, the views are spectaculair and the weather is
sunny and warm.
I drove until the end of the road and then I drove back and stopped to park
the bike and walk to some paintings on the rocks, made by ancient Indians
who lived here 1000 to 3000 years ago. At the parkinglot I talked to a
couple on a Harley Electra Glide. They rented it too and where on a
vacation here. We walked together to the paintings and then they walked on
to see more and I went back because walking in the desert heat in a full
leather bike outfit is not something you like to do for a long time.
In the Valley of Fire State Park
Back at the bike I drank a bottle of water and got on the bike again. it
is important to drink a lot in this warm climate so I always carry a few
bottles of water with me on the bike.
The landscape is just like the landscape you see in a Western movie. very
impressive. After I left the park, I went to Interstate 15 but before I
reached Interstate 15 I stopped at an Indian bar/shop/casino. I looked
around a bit and then I got in the saddle again to drive to Mesquite, 75
miles North of Las Vegas at exit 120 of Interstate 15.
My original plan was to stay in the Oasis resort in Mesquite, recomended to
me by John. The had the GWRRA Rally in the Valley here. Unfortunately there
was a golf tournament going on and all rooms were booked. I left the Oasis
Resort and only a few hundred meters down the road I found a nice little
motel, the Valley Inn Motel on 773 W. Mesquite Blvd.
The bike and my room in the Valley Inn Motel in Mesquite
I carried my lugage to my room and drove to a supermarket to buy some food
and drinks and then I stopped for dinner at a Mexican restaurant, Cafe
Silvestre in Mesquite.
Cafe Silvestre in Mesquite
I know nothing about mexican food so I asked the waitress for advice and
she recommended me a "Smothered Burrito Cheese". It tasted great and after
this dinner, a Coca-Cola and an icewater I feld good.
I went back to the hotel and wanted to watch TV but firts I had to pay $20
deposit to get a remote control for the TV set. A well, I'll get it back so
who cares.
On the way to the Oasis Resort I passed another hotel with a nice pont with
palmtrees and waterfalls, and this is in the middle of the desert !
I wanted to go for a walk so I walked to that hotel to look at that
beautifull garden.
Waterfalls in the desert!
It was very hot now and in fact a little too hot for me. I felt dizzy so I
went to the McDonald to cool a little and to get a big Coca-Cola. That
helped and after a short walk to the motel, I went to bed and watched TV
until I wanted to sleep.
I like the BMW R850R very much. It's comfortable on long trips. The bags
are nice and detachable so it's easy to bring them to the hotel room. It
has a windscreen that adds to the comfort on long trips and its 21 liter
tank gives it an actionradius of more then 200 miles.
Today I drove + 200 miles.
Monday, October 14 2002
Today I'm driving to Utah to visit the Bryce Canyon and Zion National
Parks. I will be back in Mesquite tonight so I can leave my clothes and
other things at the motelroom.
I leave just after 7 PM and drive through Mesquite to Interstate 15 North.
A truck on Interstate 15 to Salt Lake City
Just before 9 PM I stop at a Burger King restaurant for breakfast, a bagel
with egg and ham and ofcourse a coffee.
I follow Interstate 15 North untill I get to exit 16 to Highway 9, to Zion
National Park.
In a front yard of one of the houses I saw a collection of old cars. I guess
the owner never sold a car but just bought a new one when the old one was
worn out and parked the old car in his yard.
Wooden houses and old cars
This road reminds me of the wild West with it's small villages with wooden
houses. It's beautifull to drive here on a bike. It it just like having a
tour in an old Western movie with even an old fort along the road.
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