This all came about because I needed to get Arizona and New Mexico checked off of the biking states list. The net result of this was ending up in Las Vegas in July on a motorcycle (which I can not advise).
Day 1 was a short 400 mile hop across Kansas.
Day 2 was a little more interesting
I started off in the High Plains of Kansas (flat)
Oklahoma has horrible roads (good thing I had a GS).
In Contrast New Mexico had great roads but silly low speed limits
New Mexico did have some wonderful sights and allowed me to complete the Santa Fe Trail, but what I liked the most about it was their since of humor:
I took me a while to find the Arizona Sign, and when I did a person in a golf cart ran me off (but I still got the picture).
The trick is to nod your head in agreement and say “yes” in a foreign language while continuing to do what you want.
Arizona did offer me a new experience that I did not even know was possible. in the middle of the desert in the middle of the summer a storm came from now where and pounded me with rain for a solid 30 minutes. Then 150′ out of the rain (while still very wet) I got hit with a sand storm at full blast.
Day 3 – The Long HOT day
It was so hot outside that I did not want to stop moving and only got this picture – I got to Vegas around 11:30am and it was already above 100 degrees.
Day 4 (The Return home),
Heading north and into the mountains for two things:
A) Higher altitude for cooler temperatures
B) Better looking stuff / interesting roads
My plant to go into the mountains worked a little too well. the roads around Vail and the west side of Denver are a lot of fun.
Also it went from 104 in Nevada to 57 in Colorado.
Nothing like a 47 degree temperature swing in one day to get your attention. Also I didn’t want to put up with Denver traffic first thing in the morning so I pushed through that night to Limon. From Vegas to Limon is about 840 miles (or twice the distance of day one).
Day 5 (The last day)
I have done this part sooo many times that its not all that interesting. The only interesting thing is Monument Rocks and I did that last year in the “The trip to Seattle 2016” post
All of this work – just to turn the map a little bit more blue.
Also to go strange places and meet new people.
TheMotoLizard
