Nevada
Vegas Baby Vegas!
So we’re off.
Vegas- well need I say more… It was a trip to Vegas. All the craziness trips to Vegas should be. Except- No gambling- no buffets- no shows- no Barry Manilow- Just pure unadulterated physical activity. 100 miles through the hills and on the Vegas strip.
It was definitely a challenging 2 days as I took the wheel of vantasauras from Arizona to Vegas, then made dinner and got some sleep while in between setting up a ride route and getting things ready for the trip to Portland. Scot fell asleep on the drive from Arizona to Vegas and was out for the rest of the night. I guess he was tired from our long 32 days on the road and he has been working hard. Needless to say- we had to make sure we continue to keep our grueling pace and get to the next state. So I tried my hand at the wheel again. I noticed 100 miles by car is a lot faster than the bike. Scot worked hard while I rode in Arizona to set up lodging with Penny at the La Quinta Inn in Vegas. Thanks!! What a team we have!
On the way to Vegas we passed awesome rock vistas, saw the beautiful sunset and drove over the Hoover Dam. These things are what make America so awesome! What a great drive and a great day despite back to back centuries and a 3 hour drive. The splendor can make me forget about the soreness for a while. The things in this country are amazing and getting to see them has made me very grateful to be alive.
The Vegas ride was great- we headed out around 6:00 AM and it was still dark. We headed down
Las Vegas Boulevard and it was surreal being on a bicycle with limos passing us at 6:00 in the morning. Scot even looked like he wanted to be driving one of the limos again every time they went by. I tried to convince him that a mini van was cooler. After we finally got off the strip the wind was howling as we climbed into the mountains. Scot came with me on this one with the van just in case anything happened. We didn’t have any time to waste- we had a flight to catch. Thank God- nothing happened –the ride went well and it was about a 5 hour ride. Due to the early start we even got to beat the heat! We have been blessed so far and I hope it continues on the next “crazy” leg of the trip to the Pacific Northwest.The highlight of the day was the bright red of Red Rock Canyon as the sun rose in the East. It made me think of a line from a Travis Tritt song- It’s a Great Day to be alive- the sun’s still shining when I close my eyes…
What made the day even better was when the Manager from Johnny Rockets in Las Vegas heard about what we are doing and donated us lunch. Thanks Mykel Lawson! You provided the fuel to keep up tomorrow.
That said- I am going to get some zzz’s as we fly to Portland for the Livestrong Challenge tomorrow. Maybe I will be able to keep up with Lance.
Onto Portland and the single digit rides… Here's wher eit gets tricky with flights.....
Gary G