Travelogue

Bonnie Springs RanchI had met another motorcyclist in the campground last night, and he suggested I take route 93 back up to I40 as it would be a much more scenic ride, and would avoid me backtracking on a road already ridden. I took his counsel and had a thoroughly enjoyable ride though the mountains northwest of Phoenix.

The rest of the day was supposed to be an uneventful ride up to Las Vegas, with a ride along the scenic loop of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area scheduled for the next day. Red Rock is a very popular park with rock climbers, and Lorry and I climbed there the in 2014 with our boys at Red Rocks. In fact, probably the best photo of me leading a climb, the 5.11b sport climb "Caustic Cock" is available on the Mountain Project Website. This climb was done a week before my 60th birthday, so it was fun to still get such a hard climb in while in my late 50s.

Anyway, on the ride to Vegas, the skies started to darken, and then storm clouds appeared in the distance. Soon there was no distance between me and the storm clouds, and I was riding in the most torrential downpour I had experienced since the storms in the Texas panhandle. I have spent some time in Vegas at various trade shows and conventions and have never experienced the volume of rain I got on that day.

ST1100 in Bonnie Springs RanchSoon however the rain passed, and the sun emerged, so I continued on to Red Rock, where I was considering camping in the first-come first-served climbers campground. A talk with the Ranger in the visitor center convinced me otherwise. He said the forecast was for possible showers, with temperatures approaching freezing. Packing up a wet frozen tent in the morning did not seem very appealing, so I asked about alternatives.

The Ranger suggested that the only other lodging option, close to Red Rock State Park, was the Bonnie Springs Ranch. This replica of an 1880's town was a landmark originally created in the 1840s and at the time I was only looking for a good bed and a warm shower so $101 seemed a little excessive, but I have to say it actually was quite nice. I've since learned that the ranch was expected to close mid-March in 2019.

A good shower, meal, and good nights sleep and I was looking forward to my ride around the Red Rock loop road in the morning.