Day 5 Grand Canyon to Bakersfield, CA – 628 Miles

We slept 8 hours!

I got up during the night and the saw a clear sky with hundreds of stars. It was truly a great site.

At 6:15 AM we left the park and rode along the edge of the canyon. As we left the park we came upon some Elk. Talking with a local the Elk come in every day to drink from the pond. They can tell they are the same Elk by their antlers.

We rode to the Hoover Dam – wow, it is very impressive BUT it is also a big tourist attraction. On the way to the dam we had to go through a security checkpoint. No problem for Pete and I, but the support vehicle was pulled over and searched. No big deal.

From the Hoover Dam we went into Las Vegas. Big mistake. As we rode down the main strip the traffic was so bad the bikes started to over heat. It was 118 degrees! Pete took his riding gloves off and could not hold the clutch in.

I found an under ground parking we could hide in for a few minutes to try and cool down. As soon as my helmet was off a security guard came over and offered us a better parking place, offered to go and get us water or what ever we needed. He was really great, unfortunately all Pete and I wanted to do was sit in the shade.

We jumped on I-15 South out of Las Vegas to get some air running over the bikes (and us). For the next 135 miles it averaged 111 degrees. My only motivation to keep going was I did not want to stop in the heat. Turns out we were crossing the Mojave Desert! As our first goal on this trip was to celebrate Brad’s birthday on the beach in California we pushed on. Around 7:00 PM we had covered so much ground, in so much heat; we decided to get a hotel for the night. Well, between radios, cell phones and the Internet we found ourselves checking into a prepaid hotel room in Bakersfield. Thanks Cathy – Brad appreciates is birthday present, and I appreciate the shower!

I am pleased to report that as I type this we are within 287 miles of the birthday party. We will ride Highway 1 North tomorrow morning and Liz will bring all the food and drink we can handle for Brad’s birthday.

Pizza and wings in the room for dinner.