Heading South

The plan was to meet Mandi at LAS and ride around the Grand Canyon, visit family in Topock, AZ, and catch the Laughlin River Run, returning to Vegas to get married…

April 16th; I left on the bike choosing a route down I-5 as it would be warmer than running i-84 to I-15 through Utah (especially since the had 5″ of snow the night before in SLC. My first day took me through the Columbia River Gorge, down through Portland, Salem, Eugene, Grants Pass, and ended in Medford, OR. I had looked up karaoke bars and found one in Medford called Rumors. If you like karaoke, are near Medford, OR and love steak you have to check the place out. Not only was the talent pretty good at singing, but I got a 16 oz Rib Eye cooked to perfection for $14. AS you can imagine, this place is permanently marked on my maps.

April 17th; I slept in til 8:30, then it was off to Lake Shasta, California where we veered off I-5 and cut over to Reno, NV through the Lassen State Forest. I had a nice leisurely ride over the Sierras, down into Susanville, and finally into Reno, where I dined on Del Taco. I considered staying in Reno, but decided to push on to Fallon, NV.

April 18th; This helped cut the time necessary to meet Mandi at The Airport in Las Vegas. Ironically, I’m still wearing full leathers, the temps even down south were not yet warm. I arrived at the airport almost exactly as Mandi came out of the terminal.

After we got her all configured on the bike, we rode to the Harley Davidson Cafe for a bite to eat and something to drink… Thats $30 in fluids right there, another $30 in food, and we have OFFICIALLY began our vacation. Now we roll up to Mesquite, NV for a stay at the Virgin River Casino & Inn.