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| From Laughlin 2010 |
This mountain displayed its glory as I rode past with Doug and Arnold on the way to Laughlin Nevada. Doug had made reservations in the Edgewater Casino for 2 night. We intended to look at bikes during a day of the annual Laughlin River Run starting April 21. We hadn't been there for several years during the bike rally. We were looking forward to it. Doug's sporting a later model ST1100, and Arnold is still riding his, long in the tooth, V65 Sabre as am I. Arnold has the Hondaline fairing and mine is nakid. Grrrr, he uses a half gallon less fuel per tank of gas.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
I left the house at 9:15 am in an effort to meet the boys at Chaparral Cycles. I hooked up with 'Buffalo' at a stop light not far from home. He said he was going to LA. He was running fast enough on his HOG so I tailed along until traffic got a bit heavier. I gave Buffalo a friendly wave and parted company.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
The day was sweet. Although there was rain coming into southern Calif today, I figured we stood a chance of avoiding bad weather out on the desert. It's about 80 miles to Chaparral for each of us. I arrived early enough to walk around the showroom a bit. I sat on a Yamaha XT250 and a KLX250 by Kawi. there was a world of difference in the two. I didn't see a new VFR on the floor....but my latest interest was there in force.
BTW, we had a Socal 'maggot buy a new VFR Friday the 23rd. I'll pass along reviews as they come out.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Look at the pillion seat on that Can-am, and that is a Can-am trailer as well. Pretty nifty if your into looking good.
As we were leaving Chaparral, I spotted this beauty, and had to find out if it was for sale. Ha
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Doug needed gas so we stretched it another 25 miles and gassed up in Hesparia which left about 200+ miles to get to Laughlin. That is stretching it for my Sabre, but as we turn due east in Barstow, we all noted a stiff tail wind. That would help, I figured.
At a rest stop between Barstow and the Co River we met G-mon on her cute 883 with training wheels. She was a cool biker dude and we didn't hold the extra wheels against her.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
.....and another couple on a show bike. How do they get them so shiny?
Looked like the Lord was with us on this trip. :)
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
We hit the road again. Doug and Arnold didn't have a care in the world...me, the guy with the camera was wondering how this gas thing would work out. Arnold didn't have a speedo to worry him, and he knew that I'd run out before him.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Have I told you lately how I'm still enjoying my V65 Sabre. It's heart hums along so smoothly. I'm still running the 3.40 rear gear, and to tell you the truth I'd prefer the taller gear when I'm not pulling the trailer....but honestly I can't really put my finger on the difference. It doesn't seem to affect the gas mileage.
I'm still waiting a chance to give it a top speed run with the lower gear.
We had to do something on that 200 miles so I played with the Camera.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Some guys that we talked to at the rest area caught up to us and pasted us on their cruisers. I tried not to let that bother me for about 50 miles, but when I figured out that I had enough gas to kick it up a notch. I guess my maturing will have to wait a while.
I tried to get a picture of me in my mirror, but only captured a picture of my beach bucket, hand, wind protector and custom wrist rocker.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
We rolled along on the high desert, not a concern, and I could almost hear the lonesome whistle blowing.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Here's another , no whistle....but beautiful clouds this time. I love those trains in the wide open spaces....where the buffalo roam....
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
As it turned out we made Laughlin at 217 miles on the clock. That was my longest ever on a tank of gas, explained by the tailwind.. I put 5.4 gallons of gas in my bike, and Arnold put 4.8 in his. We have 5.8 gal tanks. And of course Doug skipped gassing up altogether on the ST.
We had chinese for dinner and called it an early night. The morning found us on the way to Oatman Az.....and the temps were a full 30 degrees colder that the evening before. We weren't thinking cold weather when we left Ca. Brrrr.
A Historical marker on the road told us that there really was an Oatman family who were eventually killed by indians, and the two Oatman girls were kidnapped by the Indians, and lead a long miserable life with the Indian as white slaves more or less. Made me want to cry. :(
Anyway Oatman is a gold town making a comeback as a tourist trap, and harbors many wild burros. Here's Doug defying near certain death with the burros.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
.....and downtown Oatman as we look for breakfast. None to be had as the town hadn't awakened yet. Tday was Wed. and the cruisers were beginning to materialize....not many in Laughlin yet.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Downtown Oatman.......
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
We were still hungrey so we moved on toward Kingman. The ribbon of a road over Sitgreaves Pass is one of the best. It always invites a picture from the summit.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
We wound our way down from the top of Sitgreaves and across the flats and on into Kingman. Doug found me a thrift story where I replenished my lost baseball cap from yesterday. They recommended the Redneck BBQ around the corner for lunch. It was good, and I found a tourist flyer for the Grand Canyon Caverns about 60 miles away. We made the decision to go for a look see.
We had ridden up to 400 ft at Kingman, which didn't help the temps any. We spent the day on the verge of being cold....otherwise a nice day. I missed my electrics, damn.
On the way we stopped at an antique store....on Route 66 moving toward Peach Springs and beyond to the Caverns.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
I made a new friend.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Turns out that she liked Doug better. Doug had a hell of a time getting his helmet back.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
The old guy that owned the place bought that Corvette new in '57,
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
More junk, but a friendly place. Doug made a friends of the dog inside that owns his own sofa in front of the pot bellied wood stove. He'd let anyone pass that would scratch his head. Great dog.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
The word is...from wiki...In 1927, Walter Peck, a cowboy and woodcutter, was walking through the area on his way to play poker with his friends when he stumbled and nearly fell into a sizable hole in the ground. The following morning, Peck, and some of his friends returned to the location of the large, funnel shaped hole with lanterns and ropes. Peck was lowered into the hole by his friends with a rope tied around his waist to a depth of 150 feet with a lantern and began exploring.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_Caverns
Walter's hopes were shattered when the assey report came back that there was nothing down there of value. But walter knew he could make money off the place, and he started lowering one tourist at a time with a lantern down into the hole for 25 cents each.
You can spend the night down there if you want. Our female tour guide spent the nignt once. They turn the electricity off down there at 10pm. She said by morning their group was thourally spooked. I bet it's a long night.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
In '62 (Cuba missle Crisis) Kennedy designated the place an official bomb shelter and move in a bunch of supplies, enough for 2000 folks. The Cavern is huge and gets it's natural ventilation from down by te Co River some 65 miles away.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Over the years this fellow fell down in the hole from the top....a bobcat.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
They also discovered a bag of bones that turned out to be a 15ft giant sloth. The university still has the bones but traded for them with a replica.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
The tour last the biggest part of an hour. We headed back toward Laughlin by about 3 in the afternoon. Did I mention it was till cold as the caverns are at about 5000ft, and now were running against a headwind. we all had a little chill going when we got back to Laughlin.
Doug's ST turn over 30K that afternoon near Kingman. It deserved a moment by the side of the road.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Warm from our hotel room...
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
The next day was moving day. The vendor booths were open so we ambled through to see what we could get along without.
Took a few pictures....
I really appreciate these handlebar/cable treatments.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
I wonder how long it would take me to do that.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Or string those cables... scheesh!
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
....or what the hell is this thing...I like it.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
......or this?
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
We headed home around noon. We ran into some light rain at a summit 20 miles west of Needle. At the same time Arnold stopped to gear up, and I lost the boys when I wasn't paying attention.
I stopped a group of riders where I got off I-40 to warn them of the 5 miles of light rain they were going to ride through. I had a ting of feeling sorry for those guys as they'd have to spend hours polishing for those few miles.
10 years ago the little junction of Amboy on old route 66 was sold on Ebay. I wanted to see how they were doing these days. The motel and gas station are open and they were busy with bike traffic this day.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
You can see some dark skies in the direction I was headed.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Here's my tender side. The wet spring has brought out these desert flowers.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
This is witches Hair, a parisite that feeds off various desert plants.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Amboy enjoys this view as they face south toward 29 palms.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
I motored on with my own thoughts as my V4 sang to me.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
I thought of the story this old homestead in Ludlow, 45 miles east of Barstow could tell as I completed the 70 miles detour through Amboy.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
Ludlow was a small town casualty when I-40 replaced route 66 from the east. It struggles on as a fuel stop/cafe that breaks up the 160 mile stretch of desert on the way to Needles or Barstow. That's still relevent for some motos.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
I rode on, alone, toward this argry sky....still 3 hours away from the warmth of the homefront.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
45 mintues from home I still had this out front of me.
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| From Laughlin 2010 |
It had been a great three days. I'd seen something new and spent time with old friends.....but it was nice to be back with Dee as well.
