Day 10 (Mon. May 22/06) Las Vegas

Williams, AZ to Las Vegas, NV

Today looked nice when we started out, but the weather man was right about the winds that were predicted to be around 30 to 40 MPH with gusts up to 80 MPH. Before we got on I40, we stopped to put on chaps and extra jackets under our leathers. Winds on the interstate were so bad, we got off onto Route 66 as soon as possible. It started to rain so hard it was painfull, like little needles hitting you. We were only about 5 miles from Kingman so we decided to "run for it", then take shelter. The first place we came to was "Rotton Ronnies". After a coffee, it started to clear up so we got gas and headed out.

We rode the Oatmay Hwy from Kingman to Oatman and back to I40. It was a good ride with great roads and scenery. We were in the outside lane and most of the time there was no shoulder with an almost sheer drop off down the mountain side. Needless to say we took it slow. It was so twisty, I hardly got out of 2nd gear. Great roads! We had a little wind but no rain for the rest of the way to Las Vegas.

What we didn't expect in Las Vegas was rush hour traffic. It was like going across Toronto on the 401, but without collector lanes. After we got off the interstate, the city roads were just as bad. It will be interesting to see what they are like tomorrow in the daytime.

A neat little store in Seligman, AZ on Route 66


Charlie and Everett, ex 343er's, in Seligman
We ran into Charlie and Everett in Seligman. They were on their way home from California. Charlie had an interesting laundry tip. He showers with his underwear and socks, but not the way you think. He uses his underwear as a wash cloth and stands on his socks, stamping up and down on them, while he showers. Thanks, but no thanks!!


Here's proof tumbleweed tumbles


Different mountain shapes after Seligman with odd stone tops


Gas, food and cabins, of the Route 66 era


Most of the roads on the Oatman Hwy have no shoulder
The 1st piture shows how twisty they are and the 3rd picture shows how the mountain side drops off right away on the outside lane.


Oatman, AZ is an old Wild West town
This is a nice old west town with lots of western and Route 66 souvenirs. Check out the size of the Prickly Pear Cactus plants. Much bigger than the ones we saw a few days earlier in the desert. We caught the gunfight just as we were leaving. It was on the main drag so we had to stay until they were finished to get the bike out.


Wild burros roam the streets in search of food
They were friendly if you had food and knew when you didn't have any. These people found one that liked their carrots but it looks like he wanted to drive too!!


Wild West shootout


Perfect fit
Hhmm, this could be my next trailer cargo box that can double as a camper or ???


We pulled off a neat deal on a Suite in Las Vegas
We had planned on staying at a Best Western but they couldn't tell us if they had a room or not because their computers were down. They couldn't even confirm the reservation for the couple ahead of us. We used Plan B and got a suite at the Emerald Suites.


Daily Stats
527 Kms Ridden
6 Hrs 51 Mins Riding Time
3 Hrs 50 Mins Stopped Time
77.0 Km/Hr Avg Riding Speed

Fuel Used: 36.86 L
Fuel Cost: $31.50 US
Avg Km/L: 15.43