2016-Walter and our ride to Laughlin, NV

 

Before the ride

In late 2014 my Indiana hometown neighbor and friend Walter Cress (now living in California) pitched the idea to me of a 3-day motorcycle trip to Laughlin, Nevada.  This was around the time I received my Motorcycle Endorsement for my driver’s license after completing a 2-day "Basic Motorcycle Course."  But it wouldn’t be until 2016 until we finally got around to planning our trip to Laughlin.  We would have made it earlier if I hadn't fractured my ankle in the summer of 2015.

In planning for this trip we found a casino in Laughlin, the AVI Resort & Casino, that was advertising free blues music every Thursday night in their Arrowweed Lounge.   So we scheduled our trip around that night and made reservations for 2 nights (Wednesday and Thursday).  The Thursday night we were to be there featured Shana Morrison (daughter of Van Morrison) as the musical performer.  Our thinking was that if she’s the daughter of Van Morrison then she must be good.

The plan was to leave Wednesday morning, the 20th of April, me from Scottsdale, Arizona and Walter from Calexico, California, and to meet in Quartzsite, Arizona to ride the rest of the way to Laughlin together.  I would ride a rental Harley Davidson Sportster SuperLow 1200T and Walter would ride his Honda Shadow VLX. 

This would be about a 625 mile round trip for each of us.  All photos in this write-up were taken by me unless otherwise noted.  

 Wednesday, Day 1

I left my house about 8:30 in the morning and first rode through Wickenburg and later other small Arizona towns (Aquila, Wenden, Salome, Hope & Brenda) to get to Quartzsite.  Although I live only 65 miles from Wickenburg, I've never been there so took this trip as an opportunity to do a little sightseeing in the downtown area.  Getting to Wickenburg was a nice ride through the low Hieroglyphic Mountains and the open road with scenic desert plants.

Even though I've not been to Wickenburg before this trip I do know that at one time Wickenburg's economy was based on gold mines. The Vulture Mine was the richest gold mine in Arizona, and was responsible for the growth of Wickenburg, but today tourism is the big draw.  Wickenburg is a small town, about 7,500 folks, I wandered around the downtown area and stopped by the Desert Caballeros Western Museum, but the museum wouldn't open for another hour, plus I wouldn't have much time to look around even if they were open.  Perhaps a ride for another day.  I have been to the Scottsdale’s Museum of the West and the Superstition Mountain Museum.

There's a popular motorcycle ride from Scottsdale to the old Vulture Mine near Wickenburg that's been on my potential rides, but just haven't gotten around to that yet..

Above:  Downtown Wickenburg (that's the Harley I rented in the photo).

Above:  Downtown Wickenburg, the Wickenburg Mountains in the background

Above:  Desert Caballeros Western Museum, the statue in front is “Thanks for the Rain" by artist Joe Beeler

After leaving Wickenburg I stopped at Don's Cactus Cafe in Salome, AZ because it was such a neat southwestern-ish looking place, plus they had a big sign in front that said “Welcome Bikers.”  It was just a little after 11 am and I thought about going in for a cold coke, but decided to keep riding to stay on schedule.  Salome is an old community, the population is less than 2000 and has some historical buildings that would be worthwhile seeing on a future motorcycle ride.

Above:  Don's Cactus Cafe in Salome, AZ

Above:  Don's Cactus Cafe in Salome, AZ

I then continued on US 60 through the other small towns on my way to Quartzsite, through mostly more desert.

Above:  Leaving Salome and heading to Quartzsite.

Walter and I both arrived at the Quik Chek 76 station in Quartzsite around the noon hour, him a few minutes before me as he was putting gas in his tank when I got there.  We said our "howdydoos, long-time-no-see," and then I topped off my tank.

Above:  Meeting Walter in Quartzsite, AZ

 
Seeing Walter and his bike reminded me of the first and last time I’d seen him with that bike.  In the summer of 2003 Walter had semi-retired.  Later that year he and his twelve-year old son “PJ" drove to Phoenix to pick up a motorcycle that Walter had purchased through eBay from a Phoenix pawnshop, the 2002 Honda Shadow VLX 600 road bike.  Walter and PJ came over with a U-Haul trailer and I met them at the pawnshop.  The bike was a beautiful red cruiser style that had the looks of a Harley Davidson.  Walter looked the bike over, it started like a dream and even sounded like a Harley as both the Honda and the Harley engines are V-Twins with a single-pin crank.  After loading the bike into the trailer, the three of us had lunch at the Red Onion Lounge and then Walter and PJ headed back to California.  Before this day the last time I had seen Walter was in 1972 when we were both on vacations and had returned to our Indiana hometown where we grew up together.  Before 1972 I guess we hadn’t seen each other since the early 1960s.

Before leaving Quartzsite we had lunch at the Burger King, and then took SR 95 to the Parker Dam on the Colorado River.  We had read that Parker Dam was one of the few dams that you could still drive across since 9/11.  I have never ridden a motorcycle across a dam so that was something I definitely wanted to do.

Above:  Our bikes parked at the Burger King in Quartzsite, AZ

Above:  On the way to Parker Dam on Arizona SR 95 just beyond Parker, AZ.

We arrived at the dam somewhere around 2 pm.  The dam was built in the 1930s to create a reservoir to deliver water to California and Arizona, and to generate hydroelectric power.

Above:  Parker Dam & Bridge, Photo from:
http://mavensphotoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/BOR-Parker-Dam-Lake-Havasu.jpg

Once at the dam we rode our motorcycles from the Arizona side to the California side and back again, gorgeous views from the dam itself, a super cool ride as the dam road makes about a 180 degree sweep from one state to another.

Above:  Walter exiting the road across Parker Dam.

Above:  Lowell's rental Harley Davidson.

The power plant is on the California side and we learned that it has four hydroelectric generating, half of the electricity the plant produces is used to pump water along the Colorado River Aqueduct and the rest is sold to utilities in California, Arizona and Nevada.

Above:  Power Plant at Parker Dam

The views around the dam are dramatic.

Above:  Parker Dam

Above:  Walter making photo of Parker Dam with his iPhone.

At the time of this ride all I had was a Motorola W315 flip phone, that is just a cellular phone without a camera, and only limited texting capability.  I was impressed watching Walter use his iPhone for taking photos and videos and messaging them to his family almost as soon as he took them.  I purchased my first iPhone right after this trip.  I had a conventional digital camera with me of course (my Panasonic Lumix ZS50, an excellent travel camera, but no built-in GPS), but smart phones like the iPhone are certainly worthwhile to have on a trip, with the texting and GPS capabilities.  Plus their convenience (always with you, usually faster to use than a conventional digital camera ), not to mention they take very good photos.

Above:  Deep blue water around Parker Dam

On the California side was an informational sign that gave the history of the dam and how the water from the Colorado River is transported to California and Arizona.  All the water supplied to Arizona through the Central Arizona Project (CAP) comes from the Colorado River through the Parker Dam reservoir.  The CAP runs within a short walking distance from my house, about 5 minutes.  Also on the California side was a huge turbine water wheel on display that I’m guessing is about 10 feet tall.

Above:  Walter at the information sign.

Above:  Lowell at the turbine water wheel display.

After leaving the Parker Dam we headed for Lake Havasu City to see and ride across the London Bridge.  The last time I was in Lake Havasu City was in 1997 with my wife Jean, we had taken part in the 10th Annual Route 66 Fun Run.  While in Lake Havasu City Jean and I stayed at the London Bridge Resort, that night after dinner we walked across London Bridge in both directions, and both side.  We also saw the Hale-Bopp comet from the bridge.

Above:  London Bridge from the island side.

Above:  London Bridge from the island side.

After being on the road for about 7 hours the heat started getting to me even though it wasn’t that hot of a day, only around 95F as I recall.  After Walter and I rode across London Bridge we stopped at the little mall area on the island side of the bridge, Walter headed towards the water and boating area and I started looking for a spot where I could cool off and get something cold to drink.  As I was walking towards a bar, the Barley Brothers Brewery, I ran into two bikers coming out of the bar, both were carrying their helmets full of ice water.  One looked at me and said something like “Man, you don’t look so good, would you like some of this ice water for your helmet?’   I had never seen a helmet full of ice water and didn’t know what the purpose was, and I still don't, although I assume there is some cooling advantage in that.  But I thanked him for the offer and told him I really felt fine, and would get some ice water to drink in the bar.  Once in the bar and after I cooled off with a glass of ice water I texted Walter and told him where I was.  He showed up and we then both had a frosty glass of IPA.  

I’m aware that you should avoid drinking alcohol until after you’re done riding for the day, not only because it can affect the safety of your ride, it also increases dehydration. I live by that rule…mostly... sometimes a cold beer is just what the doctor ordered, and this was one of those times.  Walter later advised me to ride with my jacket partially unzipped, which I did and that made a huge difference in staying cooler.  The jacket was a heavy, armored jacket (built-in protection for shoulders, elbows, forearms), designed to protect me from injuries in the advent of an accident, definitely NOT designed for riding comfort.

But I've often wondered what I looked like for a complete stranger to tell me that I didn't look so good and offer me a helmet full of ice water.

After leaving the Barley Brothers Brewery we rode a little further into the island on McCulloch Blvd., then turned around and rode back across the London Bridge and continued our ride to Laughlin.

A side note:  Riding across the London Bridge reminded me of something Gary France wrote in his 2013 book France in America, something to the effect that it was a strange feeling for him riding his motorcycle across the London Bridge in Arizona because the first time he rode across the bridge was in London, England.  Gary France had earlier shipped his Harley-Davidson Road King motorcycle from England to the US and made a 4-month, 21,000 road trip through 27 different states (including a ride through Lake Havasu City).  In 2014 I read his book of over 400 pages with all of his fantastic stories and wonderful & large photos, that further increased my interest in motorcycling. 

Riding to Laughlin Walter and I rode up SR 95 to I-40 (also referred to as the Purple Heart Trail to honor those who have received the Purple Heart, which includes Walter's Uncle Robert Cress) through Topock and Golden Shores, picked up SR 95 again and rode through Fort Mohave, to Bullhead City and crossed the Colorado River at the bridge at the northern part of Laughlin. Once in Laughlin we turned south and rode down Casino Drive towards the AVI Resort & Casino where we had our reservations.  Riding down Casino Drive was a thrill for me, it reminded me of the first time I drove the main drag of Las Vegas, but this was maybe better since I was riding a motorcycle.

On the ride we passed the Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino and saw that Tempe, Arizona musician Chris Hiatt was performing there for the 18TH Annual Blues & Brews, I’ve been a fan of Chris for years, seen him perform at many Arizona venues, and have taken a lot of photos of him over the years. Unfortunately he wasn’t performing until Friday night and our last night in Laughlin was Thursday night.

Once we arrived at the AVI Resort & Casino we parked our bikes in front of the entrance and checked in.  Walter asked about special parking for motorcycles and indeed they did have one. We dropped our gear off into our room and moved our bikes to the special parking area.

Above:   Front of the AVI Resort & Casino, photo taken after parking our bikes in the special parking lot.

 

Above:  Our motorcycles in the special parking lot.

We later found out that Avi mean Mountain in the Mojave language.  The Fort Mojave Tribe owns AVI Resort & Casino, the only casino in Laughlin owned by an Indian tribe.  It has a 465-room hotel and a 25,000 square foot casino.  The casino has slot machines, table games including blackjack, a bingo parlor, a poker room and a keno lounge.  Walter made the reservations and got us a great deal for the two nights, a standard Queen Room with Two Queen Beds, $35.99 per night, plus tax.  Our total charge for the 2 nights was only $80.62 including the tax.

Riding our motorcycles down Casino Drive, across the Parker Dam, across London Bridge was a major fun part of this trip for me.

I don’t recall exactly all what we did the first night when we arrived at the hotel after riding over 300 miles, we walked around the resort & casino some, had pizza and beer in our room, watched the news on TV and zonked out as I recall.

Thursday, Day 2

Thursday morning I woke up before sunrise, looked out our window and had a great view of………….NOTHING, ...except a roof and some air conditioning units!  But as the sun continued to rise I started noticing the Arizona Black Mountains off in the distance.  That brought back another memory from 1997 when Jean and I took part in the 10th Annual Route 66 Fun Run. We drove through those mountains, which was 19 years ago this month.  The Route 66 section from Kingman to Oatman to Topock went through the Black Mountains, and those 50 plus miles through the Black Mountains has spectacular views. 

Above:  Looking east out of our window, toward Arizona.

Later Walter and I headed down to the lobby.  On the elevator we saw a sign that said there was a car show down by the beach, the 17th Annual Hotrods & Harley’s 2016 Spring Run, so we decided to check that out later.  Avi Resort & Casino is one of few resorts in the area with its own private beach.  The beach is on the Colorado River with the Arizona Black Mountains in the background.  I read the beach is the largest private beach on the Colorado River.

Above:  Sign in elevator.

Walter headed to the casino and I headed outside to the motorcycle parking area to check out what other motorcycles might be there.  I saw a nice looking Harley Davidson bagger with the owner.  In making small talk I found out his name was Tommy, he was telling me about all the custom features he added and offered to start his bike up so I could hear how great it sounded.  But it wouldn’t start.  Something apparently had gone wrong with his ignition switch as he was unable to turn the key.  He fussed around with that for quite awhile, took out some tools, removed the switch from the bike, but eventually decided he needed to call the Harley dealer.  So I wished him luck and continued strolling around, then headed back to the hotel to meet up with Walter.

Above:  Tommy and his Harley.

We had breakfast and then headed out to the beach for the car show and spent some time walking around.

 

Above:  Panorama of the Avi beach area.

Above:  Panorama of the Avi beach area and cove.

Above:   Walter down by the car show.

 

Above:  Couple of motorcycles at the car show.

We left the beach after a while and headed back to the casino where Walter played some blackjack.

Above:  Walter (in the red) playing blackjack in the casino.

I watched Walter playing blackjack for a while but then headed outside to see if Tommy’s bike was still there. This was now around 11:30 and I saw some guys from a tow truck helping Tommy load his Harley on the tow truck.  I talked with Tommy and he said they were going to take his bike to the Harley dealer in Kingman to fix the problem.  This certainly put a crimp in Tommy’s plans as he was on a cross-country ride from California to one of the eastern states, maybe Michigan, but I don’t really remember. I later wished I had asked Tommy to send me an email with the status of his repair and his trip back east.  A real shame he had that ignition switch problem.

Above:  Tommy (left) helping to load his Harley on a trailer.

Above:  Tommy's Harley being hauled away, Tommy on the left making a photo.

After lunch Walter and I headed back to the beach to see some more of the car show, this was around 2 pm.

Above:  Walter with a 1956 Ford like the one he drove to California from Indiana as a teenager on a cross-country, round-trip with a friend when he was in high school.

Above:  Colorado River, looking upstream,
photo from one of the boat docks at the Avi Resort & Casino

 

Above:  Walter clowning around.

Above:  1950 Chrylser, I took this photo because it looked similar to my first car, a 1950 Plymouth.

We went back to the beach again around 7 pm to take in some more of the car show.  I took a ton of car photos but including only a few in this write-up.

Above:  1950 Studebaker Champion Convertible, I took this photo because I've always loved the looks of this car.

 

Above:  Walter said this car looked like something Batman would have driven as a kid.

After dinner we went to the ArrowWeed Lounge to have a few drinks (scotch on the rocks for me) and catch Shana Morrison with her band Caledonia performing around 8 pm.  She had an excellent voice and did a few of her father’s songs also.  Shana and her band did some blues, rock, R&B, Jazz while we were there and we enjoyed the show.

 

Above:  Shana Morrison (Van Morrison's daughter) in the ArrowWeed Lounge,
at the Avi Resort & Casino

After the show around 10 pm Walter decided to take a dip in the Avi swimming pool, a lagoon-style outdoor pool.  I walked out to see what the pool area looked like at night but didn’t take a dip, just a photo.

Above:  AVI swimming pool.

Above:  Avi Resort & Casino at night.

 

Friday, Day 3

Friday morning we got up, had breakfast, and went out to view some more cars at the beach.  We also played some blackjack for a while, I ended up winning about $50 (due to just luck) before tipping the dealer and Walter won about the same (due to his blackjack skills).  Around 10 am we loaded up our bikes, topped off our fuel tanks in Ft. Mohave, and headed home.

Walter made a gas stop around Lake Havasu City and I missed him completely, although he later told me he saw me go by and was trying to wave me over. 

Above:  About 30 miles north of Parker, AZ.

Walter caught up with me at a Conoco gas station in the Bill Williams Mountains, about 15 miles before Parker.  Walter's Honda has a 2.9 gallon tank and he says he starts looking for gas at about 80 miles and maybe has about 90 miles before hitting reserve, and maybe 10 miles on reserve.  The Harley I was riding has a 4.5 gallon tank and a range of probably around 170 miles before the low-fuel light comes on, and then maybe another 40 miles after that, all depending on the terrain of course. But I was topping off at every stop Walter made, except when i missed him on his last stop in Lake Havasu City.

Above:  Conoco gas station where I met back up with Walter.

 
After leaving the Conoco station I stopped for another photo and fell behind Walter and that was the last I saw him on this trip, but we were due to separate anyway once back in Quartzsite, about 50 miles down the road.

Above:  About 15 miles north of Parker, AZ

Walter later emailed me about some problems he had on his ride back to Calexico after we separated, his email is as follows:

"Once I turned onto I-10 at Quartzite the ride was no fun. Strong wind from the west and south blew me all around. Just west of Blythe I ran out of gas and had to stop and switch to reserve. Couldn't find the switch in time to keep engine on. Luckily there was gas at the next exit, which was my turn off toward Brawley. Continued with bad wind and dust, and I was really afraid of riding thru the Glamis sand dunes. I thought if I turned south on Olgalbie Road it might avoid some sand when I hit I-8, but I really got blasted going thru the dunes around Gordon Wells. I couldn't drive fast into the wind, and every truck and car that passed threw up clouds of sand.

I took HWY 98 to get off the freeway and avoid some wind and sand. It's only maybe 30 miles to Calexico, but I feared I'd run out of gas again as it's just desert and no gas stations. I was watching the mile markers to Calexico, as I know my reserve has about 13 miles. Sure enough, about 9 miles out I had to switch to reserve, only this time I found it before the engine died. I coasted into the first station on the east side of Calexico. I haven't looked close at the moto yet, but hope there's no bad sand damage. I suppose I should clean the air filter right away. Anyway, all's well that ends well.  Walter”

Myself, I had only two problems on the ride home.  First I missed the turn in Parker to Quartzsite, and ended up lost for a while.  I ended up “way out in the country somewhere," but finally backtracked and got back on the road to Quartzsite.   So I lost a little time, maybe 30 minutes but had a great ride back home although some dust storms at one point also blasted me.

The second problem I had on the ride home was that I broke my Panasonic Lumix ZS50 camera in Wenden after I stopped and took a photo using the tripod.  A truck came by and blew my tripod over and the lens of the camera landed in some dirt and sand, and it would not work after that, so I didn't get any photos past Wenden.  The following photo is the last I made, I liked the looks of that old building so made a photo of it with me and the Harley.  The repair cost for the camera was $175.

Above:  Last photo I took in Wenden before my camera stopped working.  That's me on the Harley.

We both arrive home safety, Walter in Calexico, California and me in Scottsdale, Arizona. And as Walter wrote in his email, "all’s well that ends well."

The End

------------------------------------------------

 PS

The camera I used was the Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS50 purchased in 2015.

The photos found in this journal entry are just a few from that day, all the photos can be found online at my Google Photos site at https://goo.gl/photos/dhgSroeRPWNTXDm29.