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Greetings campers and welcome to the fifth annual LRLR charity motorcycle ride trip diary. It's 4 am local time and there's a hellacious wind storm going on outside. So, if you don't mind I'm going to get up from the computer from time to time to make sure my bike hasn't been blown over outside.
Sunday was get organized and meeting up day. Mark Heiser and his friend Mysterious Vickie were staying at the same hotel as me. David Edelstein and his wife Brenda were just up the road at New York, New York. They had a car so we had them drop us off at the bike rental shop and then drop our gear off at our first hotel, the Bonnie Springs Motel and Ranch. More on that in a moment.
I've rented a HD Road King in the futile hope that I would have a bike that would let me stand flat footed on the ground when I stopped. No such luck. I'll be tippy toes for the next 1500 miles. Mark, meanwhile, was born with regular size legs and is not having any problems with his Electra Glide.
{excuse me for a second. Yup. Bike is still vertical}
After getting geared up we drove over to the Bonnie Springs Motel & Ranch. Loren found this place a few LDI's ago and has stayed here several times. It's on the southern end of Red Rock Canyon. It is charming. It is homey. It is rustic. It's certainly off the beaten track. I imagine the Las Vegas Sprawl will catch up to it at some point but in the next couple of decades. The story goes that Bonnie was a dancer and ice skater and retired here in her mid 30's. She and her brother built the place. And I don't mean she called in some GC and over saw the construction. Nope. She built it. There's the motel and a restaurant, a ranch an a petting zoo. And a duck pond. She decorated all the motel rooms herself. The carpet design is that of a hardwood floor. A little disconcerting at first but you get used to it.
While we were at dinner Bonnie herself came into the restaurant. She's now 87. We talked for a little bit and then had the obligatory picture. When describing here place she said "Well, it's a little mickey mouse, but it's homey." Well, then I guess I like a mickey mouse place. The food was good and the company was entertaining. The peacocks have the run of the place (watch where you step), the ducks know how to beg for food and the horses were friendly. What more do you need?
Greg, Matt, Moe & Starr had arrived on Saturday. The rest of the group came in throughout the day. Loren, Kate Mark Vickie and I took the Red Canyon loop. It's a nice scenic drive and certainly a harbinger of things to come.
By dinner all of us that were supposed to be here had arrived. Some are still a bit jet lagged and some a little tired from the ride to Vegas, but we're all eager to be on our way. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride with us.
And yes, the bike is still vertical. Now if I can just remember how to use an internet dial up connection. I did say this place was rustic.
Be well
Bill