Unexpected events in Nevada

We weren't expecting to sit by the side of road in Nevada, waiting for a tow for the BMW. We also weren't expecting to spend the night in Kingman, Arizona - our original destination was St. George, Utah. We've learned that being prepared for the unexpected is key to motorcycle travel, and today was a really good example of being prepared.

To avoid the heat at the end of the day, we started a bit earlier this morning from Tonopah, NV. We headed east out of Tonopah, a one-time silver mining town, on Route 6. The road headed straight for 18 miles through a desolate valley with no trees and very little vegetation until it started twisting and climbing into the Sierra Nevada mountains, then once again was a straight shot through a valley until we reached the next mountainous area. We reached Warm Springs at the intersection of Route 6 and NV 375, which once was a thriving stagecoach stop and now is only empty buildings.

We continued east on Nevada 375, which in 1996 was designated the Extraterrestrial Highway because of many UFO sightings along this road, which is near to Area 51. We didn't see any UFOs, but we did spot small herds of cattle and horses, sometimes far off in the high desert valleys or other times grazing right next to the road. This is open-range area with no fences, and we were lucky to not see cattle standing in the middle of the road.

Once again the road stretched out for miles in front of us as we traveled through the desert valleys, then wound its way up and down the next mountain range.

About half-way down this 98-mile highway is the town of Rachel, which according to its website has a population of 98 humans and an unknown number of aliens. Mike was riding conservatively today, since operating gas stations are far apart. Tonopah is 110 miles from Rachel - which used to have a gas station - and 50 miles from Ash Springs, the closest gas station to town.

There are many signs to watch out for low-flying aircraft, and we spotted large radar installations on some of the highest peaks. Yesterday afternoon and this morning we were riding near several large military aircraft and bombing training and testing facilities.

We spotted bright blue water in the distance, a rarity in this part of the southwest. This is the Key Pittman National Wildlife Preserve, developed to preserve habitat for wildlife and birds.

Until this point, our trip was going as planned. Mike turned right onto Route 93 since the closest gas station was only 5 miles. After we filled up the gas tank, we continued right when actually we should have turned left according to our original route plan. It's a good thing we turned right, because not far down the road the charging indicator light came on, and then systems started shutting down:  first the ABS system, the speedometer, and finally the console cluster.  Finally everything stopped working, and as we were headed downhill we coasted as far as we could.

We were about 30 miles from Las Vegas on a fairly busy 2-lane highway, and luckily had good cellphone service. Mike called BMWMOA roadside assistance, two people stopped and gave us water, and within an hour we were sitting in the tow truck, headed to the BMW dealer in Las Vegas.

Stu from Stu's Motorcycle Towing has a nifty hydraulic motorcycle platform that lowered flat down to the ground so Mike could roll the BMW onto the platform. Then the platform lifted back into the rear of the truck. Fascinating!

The guys at BMW of Las Vegas were fantastic. They gave us a local suggestion for lunch at BJ's Cocktail Lounge with fantastic service and food, and took the bike right in and within another hour it was repaired and we were on our way. By now it was 2:30pm, the hottest time of day, so we decided to skip St. George and headed instead to Kingman, AZ which is only 3 hours from home. The temperature peaked at 117 degrees before we got out of busy Las Vegas stop-and-go traffic, and settled to a more reasonable yet stifling 105 degrees on Route 93 south to Kingman.

We arrived in Kingman, hot, sweaty, tired, and thankful that Mike has excellent roadside assistance, two friendly travelers stopped to make sure we were OK, Stu was quick and friendly in picking up the motorcycle, and BMW of Las Vegas was so helpful and quick to repair our bike.

Rock 'n Roll in Las Vegas by motorcycle

It's mid-November and we're still having fun riding the BMW. This weekend we headed north to warmer weather in Las Vegas. We live at about 1 mile elevation in Prescott, AZ, and Las Vegas is about 2000' and in the Mojave Desert, hence the warmer weather.

After riding north on Arizona Route 89, we headed west on the longest original stretch of Route 66 from Seligman to Kingman. Interstate 40 takes the majority of the east-west traffic through this part of northwestern Arizona, and we rarely saw other cars or even populated towns along Route 66.

What we did see were miles of desert, tumbleweeds blowing across the highway, and the famous Burma Shave signs that encouraged us to slow down, read each line of the jingle, and try to guess the last, rhyming line.

If Daisies are
Your Favorite Flower,
Keep Pushing Up
Those Miles Per Hour.
Burma Shave.

 

Cattle Crossing

Please drive slow

That old Bull

Is some cow's beau.

 

You can drive

A mile a minute

But there is no

Future in it.

 

From Kingman we headed north on Interstate 93 into the mountainous 2337 square mile Lake Mead Recreational Area formed by two dams on the Colorado River.

at the scenic overlook

 

 

 

We rode over the new bridge at the Hoover Dam into Nevada, with sweeping views of Lake Mead as we headed closer to Las Vegas.

 

 

 

 

 

After riding through the Mojave Desert and down through the mountains into Las Vegas with miles of little to no traffic, it was jarring to ride through stop-and-go traffic in congested Las Vegas. We parked the bike at Harrah's for the next two days, walking or taking the monorail instead of riding.

 

 

 

We spent two days wandering through lavish casinos, watching the amazing Cirque de Soleil Beatles Love show, and at the Rock 'n Roll marathon before we loaded up the BMW and rode south, retracing our route back home. We decided that we both prefer fresh air and the quiet open roads to loud and crowded cities, and that if we're going to spend time in Vegas, it's far more fun to get there by motorcycle.