Left Provo under overcast skies and cool weather. I-15 like most superslab highways is basically transport trucks and ginormous billboards hawking fastfood products and budget accomodations. By the time we hit Cedar City the terrain was changing to red rocked canyons and multi-layered mesas off in the distance. We stopped in St. George for gas and a leg stretch, and had a brief conversation with a fellow out of Arizona, who was curious to know if I was packing a piece. He indicated that he never went anywhere without his firearm. Not having grown up in a gun culture, the thought never crossed mymind. After leaving Utah we headed into the Virgin River Gorge in Arizona and proceeded to drop several thousand feet in a couple of miles, very picturesque. Now still 2 hours out of Vegas the weather started to change from warm to windy and wet. We hit a section of hail for 2 miles and then severe wind gusts that would push us and the bikes all over the highway. We would brace for the wind coming from the south and then it would hit from the north, causing some anxious moments. Finally we entered the outskirts of Las Vegas only to be met with a severe downpour leaving 6 inches of standing water on some streets and at rush hour to top it all off. After 30+ years of riding, I still find it unsettling to come into a new city on a six lane highway, poor visibility and cars going 10 MPH over the posted speed limits. Practise makes perfect i guess. Now we had to negotiate the various one-way streets and 4`high splashes created by the passing cars and trucks. We both agreed that the cheap Coronas tasted extra special that night.
We have run into the same problem every time we have gotten a motel room. It seems cash is no longer enough whern checking in. A credit card is requested in order to offset the potential for added costs with the room. This could be anything from long distance phone calls, use of the mini-bar, room service and key deposits. We wanted to keep our expenses under control by only using a bank card for making ATM withdrawls, thus eliminating the credit card 2.5% charge for currency exchanges. Thus far we have gotten by on our charms.