Viva! Las Vegas
 

I know this column is called "Favorite Rides Through The Northern Sierra Nevada" but man cannot live on bread alone
nor can I do all my riding in the same mountain range. Sometimes, I just gotta hit the road for an extended ride and get
out of Dodge so to speak. Besides, I had to see how my new Buell Ulysses would do on a longer trip, two up and in a
variety of conditions. Margie and I loaded up the touring pack the night before leaving town. Friday morning I cooked
breakfast and waited on our friends Rene' and Deanne to ride up from Stockton. We left Pioneer about 10:30 AM and
headed East on Hwy 88 towards South Lake Tahoe and turned right on Hwy 89 to Markleeville. We stopped for a few
to stretch and grab some pictures before continuing on to Hwy 395. We took a right on 395 South and made a stop in
Bridgeport for gas and burgers at the Jolly Cone. After some lunch we got back on the road heading to Bishop where
we re-fueled and turned East on Hwy 168 into Nevada. A sudden change in scenery and topography...the ride south on
395 was full of breathtaking mountain scenery and wide, sweeping curves. A stark contrast to the 20 MPH hairpins on168 and desert climate. Footnote: Hwy 168 is great for a sportbike going solo but I would not reccomend this route
riding two-up on a Harley bagger. The road straightened out on Hwy 266 East as we headed to 95 South. After what
seemed like an eternity, we came in to Beatty for gas and cold beverages. After getting back on the road and another
long leg of highway, the sun went down and in the distance we could see the lights of Las Vegas. We got on Hwy 15
South and off at Flamingo Road East to our hotel, the Meridian Luxury Suites. The Meridian is like a compound, with
gated entryway and gated parking garage. No chains or padlocks required here. After checking into our rooms and
a hot shower and clean clothes, we walked about a block to Cozymels for a Mexican dinner. After some well deserved
grub, we hit the closest gas station mini-mart and stocked up on drinks and snacks for our kitchenette equipped rooms.
 
Saturday morning, Margie and I walked into town for some sight-seeing. We walked through the Flamingo, the Bellagio,
MGM Grand and took pictures along the way of Excalibur, New York New York and the Diablo Cantina before having
lunch at The Harley-Davidson Cafe. Then we went on to Caesars Palace to check out the high-end shops before going
back to our rooms to get the bikes and head out to Red Rocks. It was about 103 degrees Saturday so we decided to
ride in Tank Tops and sneakers, leaving our bug splattered riding suits and boots back at the hotel. We took Hwy 15
south to 160 west and 159 into Red Rocks for more photos and hiking. Then we looped back into town and went by
Las Vegas Harley only to find it had just closed for the evening. We got back to the hotel and nuked some left-overs in
the microwave for dinner. 
 
Sunday morning we travelled south on the strip to the infamous Las Vegas sign, took some pictures before gassing up
to head to Hoover Dam. We took the deluxe tour and it was very informative and also a break from the 108 degree heat
in the Lake Mead area that day. Going back to Vegas, we stopped in Boulder City for lunch at the Brew Pub. This little
micro-brewery had a great assortment of beer, from Hefewiesen to Stout and everything in between. After sandwiches
and beer we rode back to town and stopped at Las Vegas Harley to get a T-shirt before going back to the hotel to hose
off and get ready for dinner. We walked to the Westin and took a cab to the Luxor to have dinner at "Fusia", an Asian
fusion restaurant inside the pyramid. I had the Kobe short-ribs and Duck wraps and Margie had Lamb. It was an exquisite
dining experience...then we went out on the town at night, taking in the lights of the city, exploring the Excalibur and New York
New York before ending the evening in Paris and riding up to the top of the Eiffel Tower to photograph the city at night
and the magnificent fountains of the Bellagio.
 
The next morning we checked out and rode to the Westin to have breakfast at Starbucks. After a quick jaunt down the strip
we jumped on Hwy 15 North and began the journey home. We made a stop at Nevada Joe's to stretch before continuing
on to Beatty for gas. We took Hwy 95 up to Tonopah for lunch and to re-fuel before heading West on Hwy 6 to Hwy 120
rounding Mono Lake to Bridgeport to re-fuel again and up through Topaz, Coleville and Walker before turning West on 89
to Markleeville. We got to Woodfords at Junction 88 and said our good-byes before the last leg of out trip home. We arrived
in Pioneer around 7:30 PM and had dinner before resting our weary bones.