Viva Las Vegas

I arrived in Las Vegas early, so I had to wait for a while for a ground floor room to be available. I didn’t mind because I wanted the Wombat outside the room so I could keep a good eye on it. That afternoon I walked across the bridge and the one block down to the main strip.


This is just one Hotel!


Outside the front of the Hotel


Paris anyone??

It’s been twenty years since I was here last, and most of the Hotels and Casinos hadn’t been built then. It’s now a Disney type wonderland of themed Hotels built to amuse and amaze families and tourists from all over the world. But the underlying theme in all the bars, hotels and everywhere else for that matter is the gambling. There are even slot machines in the gas station opposite the motel where I am. The promise of quick riches always has a seedy side and in this respect Las Vegas hasn’t changed. There are still some very sad looking people around during the day. Although unlike last time I haven’t seen the “chain gang” cleaning the streets minded by a shotgun carrying officer. There are also the magazines advertising the working girls who are just a “phone call away” and the strip clubs.


This was what I remember. It's in a covered mall now!

The next day I set out to find the “old” strip. This is located downtown from where I was staying and was a good six or seven miles away. I walked a good half way down until I realised how far it was, then I bought a bus ticket that lasts all day for $7 and rode the bus the rest of the way. The old casinos from the original strip are now housed in a covered “mall” and Kind of preserved for prosperity. They still operate as casinos but with a different kind of atmosphere. I planned to go back into the strip after dark but as it rained heavily in the afternoon and there were some very dark clouds moving through as it got dark I decided that I would have an easy (and dry) night in my room.


The water show outside the Bellagio. Remember Oceans Eleven?

The rain had cleared the next day and I took the bike for a ride down the strip to get some video with the helmet cam. I also found the BMW dealership to try to find a replacement for the screen mount that has broken on one side. They didn’t and they also told me they now sell them in kits that cost $70. I’ll get the Touratech steel replacement ones hopefully in Seattle. So on the last night in town I walked back down to the strip in the late afternoon to get some final shots in the dark.


It's at night things start to get really spectacular


The bright lights and the drunk people


One last look back then bed

As I rode out of Sin City on the Wednesday I had the same feelings as I had twenty years ago. I had been there three nights. Two would have been enough!

The weather warmed up considerably as I started my ride through Death Valley. It continued to warm up all the way through and it turned into another long day in the saddle as I changed my plans as to where I would stay half way through and headed for Bakersfield. This would give me a better chance of seeing what I still consider to be my favourite American National Park, Sequoia.


Death Valley. It was already warm.


In the middle of summer one of the hottest places on earth


A long hot road

The forest in Sequoia is the attraction. Between the sequoia trees and the giant redwoods there are few other places on earth that compare, in my opinion. At 5000ft there was still plenty of snow around in the park, but the sunshine made it comfortable enough to ride.


The largest tree on Earth

General Sherman is a Giant Sequoia with a height of 83.8 metres (275 ft). As of 2002, the volume of its trunk measured about 1,487 cubic metres (52,513 cu ft), making it the largest known non-clonal tree by volume.


Still plenty of snow around


The giant redwoods


The riding here is glorious!

An Overnight stop in Clovis (California this time not New Mexico) had me still traveling north to see the final National Park for a while Yosemite. It was a quick run through the park which like all the others so far was very busy. It was a good time to visit as the snow is still melting and all the waterfalls are flowing splendidly.


The waterfalls in full flow


And another


They just keep coming


If you're coming to the park for lunch, don't forget to bring the BBQ!!

Again due to the road I wanted to take being closed due to the snow it turned into another 600km day. The last hundred km were freezing as I came over the top of the mountains at 8000ft and into South Lake Tahoe where I had booked a motel for a couple of nights online. So as I’m writing this the forecast tonight is for snow!! Which would spoil the Tour of California cycle race which is due to start here tomorrow, and also may extend my stay here by another day.