Voyages on Two Wheels – 10 August 2011 – Burros and Bikes in the Desert

Yes, I’ve gotten a bit of energy today if you hadn’t already noticed   I don’t know what happened, but I’m sure as heck not gonna complain about it   I got out of work today and figured I’d just go for a short ride out to the Red Rock Canyon Overlook which is only about a 20 mile round trip.  Yeah, like that was likely to happen when I was feeling half way decent and had a full tank of gas   I headed north through Red Rock Canyon…

10 August 2011 - Panorama - They say there's burros around here...

 I’ve seen these and other warning signs plenty of times, but I really can’t ever recall actually seeing a burro   Red Rock Canyon is part of a federal wild horse and burro management area and it’s not like they’ve got a whole lot holding them back from the road, so I guess the signs are a good idea…

10 August 2011 - Blue Diamond, NV - Burro population unknown

 I’d never actually turned onto the road into Blue Diamond, NV before but it looked like a place that might be worth seeing just for the heck of it.  Curiosity can be a real pain sometimes and end up costing plenty of time but there’s times when it pays off   I just loved this road sign and absolutely had to get a pic of the bike with it   Now, where the heck are those burros hiding

10 August 2011 - Blue Diamond, NV - Correction, burro population at least two

 I swear I didn’t notice these two burros until I was getting back on the bike after taking that picture of it with the road sign   Yes, those are wild burros munching on the lush, green grass of the local park in Blue Diamond, NV which is directly across the street from that great sign

10 August 2011 - Another burro along the road to Bonnie Springs

10 August 2011 - A couple of burros grabbing dinner in Red Rock Canyon

10 August 2011 - Burros heading off into the desert

 And then I saw even more burros along the road and even off the main road   I go from not remembering ever seeing a burro in Red Rock Canyon to having them practically everywhere I look   OK, I’m having a little fun with the smilies, but I really can’t remember seeing a burro out in Red Rock before today and then here they are all over the place.  I can’t say just why it is, but I like ‘em   Maybe it’s because they add even more character to one of my favorite places

10 August 2011 - My V-Star with the Old Spanish Trail historic place marker

10 August 2011 - Old Spanish Trail historic place marker west of Blue Diamond, NV

 I wasn’t really in the mood to stop today – I just wanted to keep riding   Why not ride up to Mountain Springs?  It’s there and the road to get to it has a nice 65 MPH speed limit and some nice, sweeping curves after all   I’d only been down that road one time before, but remembered it was nice.  It was back on my trip around Mt. Charleston that took me through Indian Springs and Pahrump and I didn’t remember seeing a marker for an historic place.  Having nowhere to be and all evening to get there, I turned around and rode the bike across the gravel (which was entertaining to say the least) for a couple pictures and to learn a bit.  I never knew about the Old Spanish Trail, but now I have yet another piece of fairly useless knowledge in my head

10 August 2011 - Panorama - Motorcyclist's view of the moon over the desert

 During my later evening travels through Red Rock Canyon, I noticed how the moon was coming up in the light sky, but still very visible.  I figured why not stop and get the shot for the blog?  I think it came out pretty good even if  it doesn’t live up to 10% of how it looked from inside my helmet

10 August 2011 - Panorama - Yamaha motorcycles at Red Rock Canyon Overlook

 My last stop during the ride (aside from grabbing sodas on the way home) was back at the Red Rock Canyon Overlook.  I noticed that just about every parking space was full, but there were also a couple of sport bikes parked off to one side.  I decided to be friendly and go say hi

I wish I could remember their names, but there was an older eastern European guy who was riding the blue bike and a young couple who’d arrived on the red bike.  All very nice people and we had some fun talking bikes for a while   The guy from the red bike asked if I was Jeff after seeing the plate and said he thought it was nice

I couldn’t pass up the chance to get this picture and I’m glad it came out as well as it did   All three of these bikes are Yamahas and they’re lined up in order according to their performance levels.  My bike’s really rather slow all things considered and is meant for cruising around, enjoying the sights, and doing so in comfort for a long time.  The red bike is a Yamaha R6 which is meant for spirited riding and fun on twisty bits of the road.  Think of it as a reasonably quick sports car with two wheels.  The blue bike is a Yamaha R1 which is fairly similar to the R6 only much faster   If the R6 were a Camaro Z/28, the R1 would be a Corvette Z-06   Both are more than capable of delivering power and handling in huge doses and both can also land you in jail before you’re out of second gear if you’re not diplomatic with the throttle   I’d love to ride one once I lose some more weight and after I’ve had a good deal more experience on the road

Well, it’s now properly late/early and I need to get some sleep before I head back to work in a few hours.  I’m going to end this post here, but I hope you enjoyed it at least 5% as much as I enjoyed riding the roads and taking the pics   Thanks again for reading and have a great Thursday

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