We rolled like Bourdain today – leaving Gila Bend for a 360 mile trek to Nellis Air Force Base in Sin City. Eric had no reservations about the drive, no reservations at the Desert Eagle Fam Camp and no reservations at a Specialized bike shop to fix Sheri’s two flat tires.
The Como tire saga continues. You might recall that on our last trip to Tucson we ventured into a thorn patch disguised as a golf course and punctured 4 tubes and tires. Drama! They stored two months flat while Eric ordered ahead, picking up the new load in-store on Tuesday. A 14 mile road test felt Zion ready until yesterday, when Sheri’s tires and spirit deflated.
For seven hours we used our best sleuthing skills to debate how two brand new tires and two brand new tubes went completely flat in two days with no off-road rides. In hour 5, Sheri called the Specialized service hotline who was also stumped, then helped us find the best shop along 93 between Kingman and Vegas – All Mountain Cyclery in Boulder City.
It was the damn thorns again. They just blow around out here, prick your tires and puncture your tubes. The guys at AMC solved the problem with tire liner. We walked down to the Chilly Jilly to split their self proclaimed “best damn panini,” filled up with expensive gas, picked out some new Tifousi sunglasses and we were back on the road in 60 minutes unflat.
Wanting to avoid the morning rush in Phoenix, we took 95N to 10E to 303N to 60N to 93N and for 360 miles we reveled in blooming desert landscape and bright blue skies. Road signs announced that this route would one day be the new Interstate 11 corridor. Alas, that day had not yet arrived so instead we rattled and rolled along the crumbling state highway. The F53 chassis faithfully transferred the road imperfections up through the antique leaf springs and into the dash and steering wheel. The radio lost in its battle to drown out the roar of the old-school Triton V-10 as it cranked out torque at high RPM on the grades. Life was good again; not hard, heavy and have-to, but raucous, loud and in-your-face alive. We fired up the Onan generator to power the toaster and celebrated with 55 mph almond butter & banana on toast breakfast.
Nellis Air Force Base is 15 miles from the Vegas strip and home to the Thunderbirds (Blue Angels wanna-bes), fighter pilot training school and Desert Eagle FamCamp. Like the rest of the desert southwest, it was free of snowbirds. Their absence was our gain as we relaxed on the patio watching a handful of humming birds feed on a flowering tree on our no-reservation site.
