My First Desert Ride
Last year I had the opportunity to go to Las Vegas in the early spring (March) for a conference, so I decided to look into renting a motorcycle for a day and taking a ride in the desert. Coming from Ottawa, I thought that would be a very different riding experience – and was it ever!!
I started doing some online research into renting a motorcycle, and found out that most motorcycle rentals are about $150.00 per day, plus insurance, etc. I figured I owed it to myself, so I said “What the hell!” and decided to go for it. Just as a side note, if you ever decide to do something like this, check with your own motorcycle insurance company to see if you’re covered under your existing policy for rentals elsewhere – some policies do cover you. The actually daily rate for full insurance coverage was not too bad regardless – about $30.00 per day, if I remember correctly (don’t bet on this, though – check first).
I drive (and have always driven) Japanese bikes. As this was a one day affair, I decided to try out a Harley Davidson rental, just to see what they were all about. To my surprise, I found a rental for $90.00 per day for a Harley Davidson XL 1200 Custom Sportster® from Las Vegas Harley-Davidson, 2605 S. Eastern Ave., Las Vegas, NV. Not a bad deal, so I made a reservation and planned my drive in the desert.
There were a few options I had to choose from – Do I go West to Death Valley (always interested me as a destination spot), or down to Kingman South of Las Vegas to ride Route 66… Or perhaps over to the Grand Canyon (too far for a 1 day trip for me) or maybe down to the Mojave National Preserve. Mt Charleston is supposed to be quite nice as well. Hmmmmm…
I decided to stay closer to Las Vegas, and head North out of Vegas to “Valley of Fire State Park” and then down to Hoover Dam, and back to Vegas. I figured this would be about 3 ½ hours of riding time which would leave plenty of time for stopping to see the sites along the way.
On the day of the ride, I was up early and took a taxi from my hotel to the Harley Dealership. I brought my own helmet and riding jacket along with me, as I’m a creature of habit and like my own stuff. The dealership was really friendly and got me up and out of there in really good time. The Harley I got was in great shape with only about 1500 miles on the odometer, and I must say, it performed flawlessly throughout the day – with the exception of a cover on the right side of the bike that kept on coming loose and hanging. Thankfully it didn’t fall off or I would have ended up paying for it.
I headed North out of Vegas on Route 15 and had my first exposure to the dessert landscape. Real desolate and lonely – I could almost hear the tumbleweeds blowing by – but on the other hand it had a unique beauty all its own. The landscape is beige/white color with grasses everywhere sticking up – and lots and lots of rocks. Hilly and flat – go figure…
The 15 North is nothing spectacular. A lot of cars travelling at a very fast pace (75-90 Mph for most – I was doing a steady 70-75 Mph and getting passed by everything) and after about 1/2 hour I hit the exit for Valley of Fire Hwy. I pulled in to a little gas stop and went in for breakfast. Funny enough, while I was sitting in the desert having breakfast, a friend of mine texted me – she was in Puerto Rico at the time in a villa high in the mountains – funny that the two of us should connect when were both out of our normal environments in very remote areas.
I continued into Valley of Fire State Park (entrance fee of under $10.00). This place is actually known for its red rocks and formations of spectacular beauty. It is worth going to see. Many car companies actually use this area for shooting commercials. This is a spectacular state park, and the landscape will blow you away. If you get the chance, do yourself a favour and tour this park!!!
At about this time, my friendship with the Harley started to wane. The 1200 Sportster has the most uncomfortable seat I have ever ridden on and my derriere was protesting vigorously from the ride to the park. I was very much surprised by this, but as I said, the bike was performing very well. A bike known for its touring ability with a seat that left a lot to be desired! Go figure!!!!
After taking in the special attractions (The Beehives, Petrified Logs, Seven Sisters, and Elephant Rock – all very nice), I headed out of the park towards the Lake Mead Recreation area and headed South on Route 167 which runs along Lake Mead. I didn’t realize before making this trip that from this road(Route 167), you only get occasional glimpses of the lake.
The lake itself is mainly surrounded by low mountains, and you have to drive through them to get to the lake. I went into one of these coves (you see signs all along Route 167 pointing down little roads to cove’s) looking for gas at a place called Calville Bay. I wasn’t overly impressed by the shores of Lake Mead or the community of Calville Bay (stone, water and trailers – it looked like a trailer park. Not a tree in sight). I can only comment on what I saw, but considering the beautiful lakes and rivers in the Ottawa area, this was definitely a different type of shoreline.
I had lunch in Calville Bay, and then continued down Route 167 and switched to Route 147/166, and then continued down to Nevada Hwy 93, which would take me to Hoover Dam.
Route 167 and 146/166 follow the low mountains around the lake, and while the ride is pleasant, it’s not spectacular. More rocks, shale, grass, and low plants in beiges and browns. Bland. The day was warm (not overly) and the desert ride was different from my usual rides, so all in all, it was fine.
When I joined up with Nevada Hwy 93 to go on to Hoover, the traffic was backed up bumper to bumper heading towards the dam. As my derriere was screaming louder than a banshee by the minute, and the afternoon was moving on (around 3:00 pm by this time), I decided to forget the dam and head back to Vegas. Next time. I later found out that I should have reversed the route and gone to Hoover Dam early in the day as that’s the best time to get there traffic free. It was a quick ride back to Vegas on Hwy 93 onto the 515 and back to the dealership.
All in all, a great experience. I don’t think I could ride often in the dessert as there’s not a lot to see. You see the same thing over and over again with very little change, and very little colour. It was a unique experience, and one I’m glad I took advantage of. I was really surprised at how uncomfortable the Harley Sportster 1200 was, but it performed well, so I can’t complain.
Till next time…
