LAS VEGAS

I don't have a lot of pictures from the Vegas trip but plenty of memories.

On the way down we took the highway through Marysville and across Bear Valley for two reasons. First to avoid the smoke from the Tushar Mtn fire and second because a huge storm was blowing in and they almost always follow that side of the mountain. The head wind was so strong going south that I had to switch to reserve crossing Bear Valley and ran out of gas on I-15 just before Summit. I had put a gallon can in the side compartment and that got us on to Cedar City. Just as I get done posting about great gas mileage I find out that a head wind, 70 mph, a passenger and a trailer drasticly cut into that.

We stopped about every 50 miles after that leg of the trip. I didn't use as much fuel but the head wind was still pretty bad. I found that my hands were going numb after about 25 miles. I think it was because I couldn't rest them. I was honestly fighting that wind the entire way down. I would have loved a throttle rocker or cramp buster but I couldn't find one anywhere to include Las Vegas.

The bike did fine while we were down there. The helmets worked really well. The Nolan n-com devices are great for being able to talk and pass time. The turn on and find each other in less then 10 seconds. It was really nice to have an extra set of eyes while driving in downtown Las Vegas traffic especially at night.

One interesting thing about 30 year old plastic is that it becomes very brittle. On the return trip we got only 30-40 miles from Vegas and the bike started puking antifreeze all over both of us. It was coming from the right side of the bike and after stopping in Mesquite I could tell that the return tube to the overflow reservoir had broken off the cap. I poured some water in the reservoir put the tube in place. I even contemplated buying some glue to glue it in but thought it would make it. The extra water probably wasn't a good idea as it likely over filled the system and it wasn't long until we were both getting a shower of sticky water.

We made it to Cedar where Brant, my brother and bike mechanic, lives. He helped me get it together and we glued the tube in place until I can find a replacement. It held well the way back, 120 miles, and the bike ran a lot cooler.

I was glad to get off after that trip(600 highway miles and plenty more around Vegas) but I look forward to going for another ride before the snow hits. A fellow Goldwinger told me that 300 miles a day is plenty and he is absolutely right.