And that's when it got crazy...

6th Aug 2011

Good morning lovely morning…ok sometimes its less of an adventure and more relaxation now that im knocked up

3rd May 2011 | 1 note

What we came across on our jeep trip this weekend

Short motorcycle ride from Vegas

In light of the fact we just got back (ok it’s been two weeks, but I had a kidney stone in there) from Las Vegas I thought a write up of a short trip from Las Vegas might be in order. This is a trip that we took back in October of 2010 during a conference we were attending. Enjoy….. The Strip to Valley of Fire, Moapa Valley, and back
View Larger Map After a large breakfast at the buffets we hopped on the rented RT (Rosebud was in the shop because we hit a semi’s drive shaft two weeks before) and headed off for a shorter ride with some spectacular views along Lake Mead, near Valley of Fire State Park, and through Moapa Valley. . . . . . We enjoyed the ride, and found that there were not a lot of people on the road. However, our trip was made longer, because there was road construction through Valley of Fire State Park. Moapa Valley was a surprise bonus and the farm land near there opened our eyes to the rest of Nevada.

6th Apr 2011

Bishop to Vegas, Through Fire and Ice

Ok so the fire was the day before, but it seemed fitting. From Bishop we took Route 6, whose views are amazing . See, amazing. I don’t lie As we climbed in elevation we came across some snow, which slowly got worse as we passed over Montgomery Pass where we learned that although you may think it is spring, Mother Nature will hang on to winter as long as she can. This is the same pass my mom almost got stuck on when she was in labor with me, so I guess I don’t have a wonderful history on this stretch of road. However, although it was cold (the jeep driver behind us let us know he was reading 28 degrees without the wind chill) the views were absolutely spectacular. After our slow decent from the pass we decided against checking out Mina, the town where my parents used to live and owned a bar at one point. It was off to Tonopah on I-95 , which is boring and should be avoided at all costs. Tonopah is not bad, just the road is absolutely miserable. After spending an hour at the Burger King trying to warm up we headed down the road, and turned on Route 267 to visit Scotty’s Castle in Death Valley. We did not go on the tour, because of time constraints, but it looked really interesting. Heading down on 190 we retraced some of our steps from the day before, but exited at Beatty on route 374 where we were able to stop in at Rhoylite. . . . This is a ghost town that used to have a bank, store, school, and casino. It also had a house made of bottles and some very interesting art work. It was definitely worth the mile off the highway it took to get there. From there we headed straight to Vegas on to our hotel. Because of the lack of sleep and treacherous route we took over the pass we were tired and cold, but Carluccios Italian Gardens Restaurant http://carlucciosvegas.com/ was calling. Housed in the Liberace Plaza, right next to the soon to be closed museum, the restaurant is kind of campy and a great value. The portions are huge (Bryan and I will definitely split a plate next time) and delicious! The bar looked like fun too, although since we were on the bike we didn’t partake. There is always a next time right? Right! Our Vegas extravaganza was pretty boring and we ended up falling asleep as soon as we got back to the hotel, but all and all this was a fantastic 3rd day of riding and the whole trip was a fantastic time with some very diverse climates! Each day could have been its own trip and whether you want to do this excursion one trip at a time or all at once you should do it! Get on that bike and ride!!!!
View Larger Map

6th Apr 2011

Some actual information on the Death Valley Ride

So the riding in Death Valley was amazing. You have miles of road with really no one on it and some nice curves and dips in elevation. We started from Shoshone and took Highway 178 up to Furnace Creek.
View Larger Map This road hugs the east side boundary mountains and you really get a good view of some alluvial flows and the salt bed near Badwater Basin. We also got to see some wildflowers due to the time of year. From Badwater Basin (which is where we were able to see some pupfish and play in the salt) we drove through Artist’s Palette(Fun!) and on to Furnace Creek. We had lunch there, visited the temporary visitor’s center, and the Borax Museum. The museum is extremely small, and the visitor’s center is being rebuilt so the National Park Service is being housed in a double wide trailer. But it was a nice stop, and we learned that the phrase, “I’ll be there with bells on” came from the Borax Mines. Basically if a mule team got stuck it was up to the other teams to help pull them out. If someone did help you out then you gave them your bells. Being there with your bells on meant you’d get to where you were going without any help. From there we continued on 190 out of the park. We experienced some high winds that day so we were not able to really enjoy the ride as much as we would have liked, but it was still a lot of fun and the views were amazing. Driving by Owens Lake (which is dry) and up to Bishop you drive by Mt. Whitney and the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountain Range. Mt. Whitney is home to the highest peak in the continental US. Although this leg of the trip was extremely windy and we ended up driving through a forest fire it was extremely beautiful and we would like to do it again. Next time we want to hit the Bristle Cone National Monument when it is not in threat of being on fire. When we arrived in Bishop Bryan pulled into the first motel he saw with the “Lowest Rates in Town”. Although the rates were low, and the room was cute and clean the “Swiss Manor” as we called it was right next to the highway. I think something a little further back on the property would lead to a better night’s sleep. When we were in Bishop we ate at Bill’s BBQ. Apparently my dad recommends the prime rib from 30 years ago, but Bryan enjoyed his beef sandwich. I, however, was not that hungry and had the most interesting garlic bread I have ever eaten. The next morning we headed over to Erick Schat’s Bakery where we had some wonderful pastries. My mom recommends the Honi Squaw bread and tells me it is made with raisin water. Luckily they have a mail order catalog that can be found: http://www.erickschatsbakery.com/Catalog/Products.htm. After checking out the hospital in which I was born we headed out off to more adventure….