When someone mentions Las Vegas, motorcycle camping trips aren’t the first thing that come to mind. BUT, it really should be! Beautiful roads, breathtakingly stunning scenery, peace, quiet and nothing superficial – that’s really where the attention should be! But we’ll keep it to ourselves, enjoy it and spend our money on experiences instead of slot machines (how smart is Harley Davidson’s latest marketing campaign, btw?!) – Read on for our full trip to the Valley of Fire!
Since Casey was at SEMA for work, he just had to extend his trip over the weekend while I flew over to meet him. We thought it would be the perfect opportunity to take a little trip (on the cheaper side) AND the ideal 1 year anniversary getaway! Las Vegas was crazy and unreal but strangely fascinating! The hotel was HUGE and I really wonder how all the drunk people ever find their way back to their rooms! The gambling/drinking/smoking thing isn’t really my thing (especially at 8am *barf*) but the room was sooooo nice – overlooking the city with the mountains and desert in the back. I couldn’t wait! A part of me was a little nervous, though, as I only had been riding motorcycles for a bit less than a month. I started on a little Honda CM200 but quickly transitioned to my Bonnie, especially because I knew I had to get ready for this trip, and the only bikes available to rent while we were there were Harleys.
Saturday morning came and it was time to head out to the desert! We picked up 2 Harleys, got packed up (rode once around the parking lot), and left. We had to make a quick stop at the store for some snacks and drinks (might not be available in the desert!) and also to get me a couple of warmer things as I packed like a dufus and forgot that deserts do get cold (give me a break, we don’t have deserts in France! 😉 )
After some traffic and highway riding we were freeeeee! We entered the Valley of Fire State Park and it was like walking into a movie set. It was unreal. The desert, the mountains, the twisty roads, the red rocks: unbelievable! After a couple of hours the sun was already starting to set (short winter days!) which was beautiful and made for a cool photo op!
But we needed to keep going and make it to the camp site before it got too dark. Of course, that didn’t happen – it was pitch black before we knew it; and with the dark, came the cold (good thing we picked up some extra shirts!) Casey and I had researched where we would spend the night and found a campground in the Valley of Fire State Park, which seemed like the perfect option. However, the camp site didn’t take any reservations and it was first come, first serve. We had a back up plan (about 20 miles away) just in case but, seriously, who else goes camping in November besides us?! A lot of people, apparently as the weather is really just about perfect!
We got to the campsite after another hour of riding and it was PITCH BLACK (so perfect to watch the stars – a little scary while riding). The campsite was mapped out almost like a figure eight with a lower and upper loop. We decided to check out the upper loop as it was the smallest one and seemed a little more secluded. The roads through the site consisted of deep, lose sand and rocks. Let me say that again: deep, lose sand and rocks. As we were making our way through the loop, Casey realized that the terrain wasn’t ideal for a 550lbs Harley or a 1-month-rider. He offered to go check out the campsite on his own, and then come back to ride my bike for me, but I didn’t really feel like splitting up – I was ready to set up camp and relax (aka drool the night away!)
After about two minutes, I was pitched off the bike and on my ass. My front wheel hit a deep patch of loose gravel and sand which stopped the bike instantly, rotated it 90º and threw me off. Of course, as you can imagined, there were instant tears and uncontrollable sobbing. The hubby was trying to comfort me via bluetooth (“You were doing so good! I was wondering when you were gonna fall”) as he was walking over to check on me (but was only really concerned about the bike – in his own words, with his proudest voice “did you see how I made sure you were okay first when I was only really worried about the bike?!” – thanks honey!) I was fine (for those of you are actually concerned about me) just got a bruised/scratched up knee. The bike was okay too (if the rental company is reading this 😉 ) A man from a nearby campsite had witnessed my graceful fall and had came over to make sure I was alright. Jeff quickly offered to share his campsite with us as we realized that the campground was totally full and riding another 20 miles in the darkness after a fall didn’t seem that appealing.
We thanked Jeff for his hospitality, secretly hoping he wasn’t a serial killer about to axe murder us in our sleep. After a few beers, snacks and car talk (can’t take Casey anywhere!) we were all sleepy and headed to our tents. The sky was unbelievably beautiful with the milky way running across millions of stars broken up by the occasional shooting stars – gorgeous!
After a short night, we woke up with the sun only to discover how beautiful our surrounding was! The campsite was niched up in the geologically formed red rocks of the Valley of Fire. What a cool place! We packed up quickly as Jeff was still snoring in his tent. We left him a little note, thanking him again for his hospitality and headed out.
After my fall from the previous night, getting back on the bike was definitely scary as the little confidence I had was totally crushed. It took me a few hours of riding to relax a bit and the beautiful scenery definitely helped! We found a stunning road twisting through the red rocks, it was magical! Look at the contrast between the color of the rocks and that beautiful blue sky!
We rode all morning, took some more photos, soaked in the beauty of the place and headed back to the city, our heads filled with memories, eyes filled with magic and hearts filled with love.
I would go back to the Valley of Fire in a heartbeat. Vegas has even more epic nature at its doorstep and beautiful surroundings to explore. I mean, the Grand Canyon is only a few hours away! What is your best memory from a motorcycle trip?
As a new rider (also a PA girl), I really appreciate your honesty! I got my license last summer but didn’t get a bike until fall, so I won’t be doing any actual road riding until spring. Thanks for sharing your fears, tears, and laughs! Also, gorgeous bikes!
That’s so exciting!! Hope you get to ride a lot this spring/summer! I’m eager to go explore the new roads of PA myself! What kind of bike did you get?