So – after missing out on a tour last summer, due to my broken shoulder/surgery (a nasty ski accident) – I am getting ready for a long trip again. My work is hosting a 4-day workshop for people from the revenue and customer-facing teams, and with a global population, they decided to hold it in Las Vegas.
It is the off season in Las Vegas, and for very good reason. The forecast for next week is horrendous. For those of you who operate in Fahrenheit, look away now – but for those of you who have a proper education, here is next weeks forecast for Las Vegas:
Because it is the off season, I assume we got a decent deal, which was probably key in choosing the location because we have around 100 folk turning up from all over the world to participate. I am looking forward to the week, becasue I will be able to hang out with a lot of the key folk – many of whom I have not even met yet – and get to know them much better.
Anyway – I need to be in Vegas on Sunday evening, and can start to travel back on Friday morning, so I opted for the open road, my motorbike, scorching heat and some time alone inside my helmet.
I leave home tomorrow afternoon after work. I am 80% packed, so will be doing bits of prep, faffing and final packing in between work through the day, and then hit the road just in time for the horrid summer weekend Friday mountain traffic. I have planned out my routes to and fro, and wanted to get a start on Friday eve and put some miles on the clock. Vegas is 760 miles away if you take the motorway, and a lot more if you don’t, so the “to” part of this ride is going to be more compressed. I have planned a much more scenic route on the return journey, passing through some familiar and some less familiar roads, passes and areas, and am looking forward to that.
My “to” ride is not dreadful, but am starting out with a long motorway stretch just to get some miles done, leaving me with a bit more time on Saturday afternoon and Sunday to enjoy more suitable roads and scenery.
| Day Start | Day End | Mileage |
| 1 – Bailey, CO | Rifle, CO | 190 miles |
| 2 – Rifle, CO | Bryce Canyon, UT | 376 miles |
| 3 – Bryce Canyon, UT | Las Vegas, NV | 256 miles |
| Outbound Journey | 822 miles | |
| Soujourn in the city of sin | 5 nights in Vegas | All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. |
| 9 – Las Vegas, NV | Torrey, UT | 389 miles |
| 10 – Torrey, UT | Silverton, CO | 360 miles |
| 11 – Silverton, CO | Bailey, CO | 271 miles |
| Return Journey | 1020 miles |
I am not a fan of Vegas. I have been 4-5 time, each time for an exhibition or trade show, and as soon as I arrive I can’t wait to leave. I am not one for casino’s, and the superficial, sugary bling bling of the strip is the opposite of what appeals to me. Nonetheless, a couple of thousand miles on the bike, and a good few days with colleagues doing good work is much to anticipate.
I intend to do my usual reporting from the road, so stay tuned.