Destination: Las Vegas
It seems there are a lot of folks that want to get together and do a ride. So my thought is, if you’re going to do it….do it big! I propose a regional ride, open to one and all. All makes and models, so if you have a friend with brand X, bring them along. It seems to me the way to do this would be to come up with a ride of epic proportions so it will be worth traveling to get here for those coming from out of town. Make it a one day ride so you won’t need to rearrange your life to make it happen. Keep the difficulty level within reach of a large group so we can have a good turnout.
With all that said, here’s what I’ve got in mind. I’ve done a particular ride several times that is a ton of fun. You can find a fair amount of info on the internet by searching for “Mormon Well Road Las Vegas”. One website in particular, www.birdandhike.com is the best to get an idea of what is involved. The whole ride would be a little over a hundred miles with just less than fifty miles on dirt. Good dirt to pavement ratio. The road is part of the Desert National Wildlife Range at Corn Creek, just north of Las Vegas, NV. Conditions will vary from hard pack road with light gravel, to sandy stretches as we cross washes that will make us slow down, to sections that make you ask, “is there really a road here?” The sections that will be the least fun are few and don’t last too long. I think of it as part of the adventure (Key word: Epic).
The initial stretch is graded, well maintained gravel. From there the road starts to climb up into the Sheep Range Mountains. It’s a well-traveled road that reminds me of some of the passes we rode in Colorado this last year…..minus the trees, altitude, etc… You’ll see the occasional loose, larger rocks that you will want to go around. We’ll just pick our line and press through. No hurry, no drama. We will pass through a Yucca Tree forest, if you can call it that. Then we we’ll go through a place called, “Peek-a-boo Canyon.” The canyon is very pretty, although small, but then it opens up a bit and the ride will pick up pace. By this point we will have gained a fair amount of altitude so we will be seeing more green stuff. Before you know it, we will be in an ancient pine tree forest. There is a primitive, but well maintained campground complete with a pit toilet (I just like saying that….pit toilet). I thought it would be cool to have my wife follow the group in my Hummer as a backup vehicle, as well as a food hauler. This will also keep her off the back of my bike so I can have more fun…..If anyone repeats this to her I will deny ever having said it. I’m calling “Bro Code” on this one.
After lunch, it’s all downhill, literally. We will have a little less than half way more to go. Sawmill Road Wash will be the last of the scenic stuff. From there it’s down the long grade. Occasionally crossing a wash, climbing a hill, etc…. More of the fun stuff.
Meet up times, dates, places are all wide open at this point. Right now it’s cold up there and snow is a possibility so planning for a spring or summer time frame makes sense.
Let me know what you think.
It seems there are a lot of folks that want to get together and do a ride. So my thought is, if you’re going to do it….do it big! I propose a regional ride, open to one and all. All makes and models, so if you have a friend with brand X, bring them along. It seems to me the way to do this would be to come up with a ride of epic proportions so it will be worth traveling to get here for those coming from out of town. Make it a one day ride so you won’t need to rearrange your life to make it happen. Keep the difficulty level within reach of a large group so we can have a good turnout.
With all that said, here’s what I’ve got in mind. I’ve done a particular ride several times that is a ton of fun. You can find a fair amount of info on the internet by searching for “Mormon Well Road Las Vegas”. One website in particular, www.birdandhike.com is the best to get an idea of what is involved. The whole ride would be a little over a hundred miles with just less than fifty miles on dirt. Good dirt to pavement ratio. The road is part of the Desert National Wildlife Range at Corn Creek, just north of Las Vegas, NV. Conditions will vary from hard pack road with light gravel, to sandy stretches as we cross washes that will make us slow down, to sections that make you ask, “is there really a road here?” The sections that will be the least fun are few and don’t last too long. I think of it as part of the adventure (Key word: Epic).
The initial stretch is graded, well maintained gravel. From there the road starts to climb up into the Sheep Range Mountains. It’s a well-traveled road that reminds me of some of the passes we rode in Colorado this last year…..minus the trees, altitude, etc… You’ll see the occasional loose, larger rocks that you will want to go around. We’ll just pick our line and press through. No hurry, no drama. We will pass through a Yucca Tree forest, if you can call it that. Then we we’ll go through a place called, “Peek-a-boo Canyon.” The canyon is very pretty, although small, but then it opens up a bit and the ride will pick up pace. By this point we will have gained a fair amount of altitude so we will be seeing more green stuff. Before you know it, we will be in an ancient pine tree forest. There is a primitive, but well maintained campground complete with a pit toilet (I just like saying that….pit toilet). I thought it would be cool to have my wife follow the group in my Hummer as a backup vehicle, as well as a food hauler. This will also keep her off the back of my bike so I can have more fun…..If anyone repeats this to her I will deny ever having said it. I’m calling “Bro Code” on this one.
After lunch, it’s all downhill, literally. We will have a little less than half way more to go. Sawmill Road Wash will be the last of the scenic stuff. From there it’s down the long grade. Occasionally crossing a wash, climbing a hill, etc…. More of the fun stuff.
Meet up times, dates, places are all wide open at this point. Right now it’s cold up there and snow is a possibility so planning for a spring or summer time frame makes sense.
Let me know what you think.
