I’ve always wanted to go on a Harley road trip in a place much different than my own, and I took that opportunity last week while I was down in Las Vegas celebrating my 30th birthday. I contacted Las Vegas Harley Davidson the week before heading down there, and reserved a Fat Boy for 24 hours. I really wanted the Street Glide, but they didn’t have any available, so I took the next biggest thing they had available.
Upon arrival at LVHD I found they they had a black pearl street glide available, and I quickly made the switch to this baby. I wanted this bike in particular because I’m thinking of buying one, and also because I wanted to rock out to some tunes with its stereo. After finishing off the rental contract I pulled out of the dealership to the sound of Guns N’ Roses Welcome To The Jungle at pretty much full volume. The guy at the rentals saw me pull away and had a look on his face probably thinking to himself that this guy is going to have a blast… man was he right!
I carried my Garmin eTrex H hand held GPS with me in my pocket, and tracked my ride as I left the Burger King near LVHD, headed south through Boulder City and Laughlin Nevada, and east towards Kingman Arizona. From Kingman I headed North East along Historic Route 66 until Indian Service Road 18, and then turned around and continued along Route 66 to Oatman, AZ. Oatman was an old abandoned mining town that has been rejuvenated again as of late, but still keeps its charm as something out of the old west. The road winding up to Oatman was unreal as there was no shoulder or barricade, which was so sharp and rocky that a lot of the places had you slow down to 5 miles per hour.
From Oatman I headed back to Kingman, and then North on the 93 back towards Vegas and the Hoover Dam. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I got to the Hoover Damn, but have to say that I was only slightly impressed. Yes its quite the structure, but I really don’t see how people could enjoy a 4 hour bus tour from Vegas to see this thing. I took a few pictures and was outta there in less than 10 minutes.
I took my camera with me, but unfortunately or fortunately I was having too much fun riding and I didn’t take very many pictures at all. Here are some of the few that I took:
Street View of Downtown Oatman Arizona
Tiny little town along the way south to Laughlin
The Hoover Dam From The South / East Side
The Harley Davidson Street Glide Overlooking the Mountains and Valleys in Arizona
According to my GPS the total distance that I rode was 689km and travel time was just over 8 hours. Highlights of the trip for me (broken down by the song on Komp 92.3 Las Vegas on the radio) were:
Metallica - Nothing Else Matters, as I wound through the mountains approaching Oatman, AZ.
GNR - Welcome To The Jungle, as I pulled out of the LVHD lot.
Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart, as I headed south on the 95 without another car or bike in sight.
Godsmack - Whatever, as I opened the bike up to 100mph as I headed west on the 66.
Metallica - The Day That Never Comes, nothing better than hearing a brand new Metallica song as you are riding through the desert back to Las Vegas.
All and all this trip was totally awesome. I had a lot of fun in Vegas, but I have to say that the bike rental definitely took the cake as being the best part of my vacation. Maybe this ride was an omen for me to move somewhere hot like Arizona or Texas so that I can ride year round… now THAT would be awesome!!!
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