MuMs 2011 Road Trip.............The Eagle Has landed.

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The last leg of Mum's 2011 Road Trip.

Ahhh,Vegas.

Believe it or not,I have never been to Las Vegas.I have always avoided Vegas like the Plague for many reasons,I just never had any desire to go there.I don't gamble and i'm not a fan of big shows,so this first visit for me just reinforced the fact that I didn't miss a thing.

However,since this was really all about Mum's road trip I decided to treat her to a night at the Wynn right down at the end of the strip so she could cross that one off the "Bucket List".Well,we both could.

I mean they say you gotta do Vegas once,right?.

Wrong.

We both agreed that we coulda missed that one,but we never would've known had we not ventured into Sin City.

And here's my "Tip of the Day" when in Vegas,avoid this area of your room at ALL costs,otherwise it WILL cost you.

60 seconds goes very very fast.

I mean,to be fair there are some nice areas in Vegas,you just gotta keep looking UP.Very pretty.

And of course when in Vegas,venturing a few dollars on the famous slots is mandatory.

I must admit though,at the back of my mind I did have a bit of a fantasy of hearing me Mum scream at the top of her lungs as alarm bells went off all over the casino,and a rush of managers and hotel staff ran over to see who just hit the jackpot.

Whoever hit that night,it wasn't us.

But try we did.

Never mind.

Back in the room.

Me:"Hey Mum,wanna go to San Francisco and drive over the Golden Gate Bridge?."

Mum:"Sure,why not."

So the next morning we were San Francisco bound.

There was a bit of a breeze when we got to the Golden Gate Bridge,isn't there always?.

Poor Mum was freezing,as all her clothes were from Fl,shorts 'n flip flops.

Back in the Ford Ma,we'll get you all toasty in no time.

A stop in Chinatown for Dim Sum and hot green tea hit the spot.

Since we came up I-5 to get to San Fran,we decided to head over to Durango and Boulder by a different route,so I picked up 580 to 205 to 120 and the 108 down to Mammoth Lakes,395 down to Big Pine,across the top of Death Valley and picked up Hwy 95 to Beatty NV,Indian Springs and down to Henderson where we spent the night.

Jaguar XKE, a few hundred flies, shot through a Nikon 14-24mm lens.

Gorgeous.

While refueling in a gas station one afternoon, I look across and there's a little gem, a Jaguar XKE convertible with more flies on it than the front of my motorcycle. I grew up with friends who raced XK's back in Ireland and England, so naturally I had to find out a little more.

So out came the Nikon.

Larry was on his way back to LA, another 600 miles or so, he had stopped to plug a charger in to a wall outlet outside the gas station to charge the battery to get back home, as earlier in his trip the Jags generator stopped working, so he was working on total loss.

It's great to meet people like Larry.

Hope you made it back to LA safe and sound.

The next morning we were on our way to see The Pope.

 Jerry Pope.


For those who don't know The Pope, here's the page on how we met.
It's kind of a long post, pour another scotch.

Last time I was at The Popes was April, still cold in Durango, just starting to warm up, but still a freeze or two at night. Patsy Pope, married to His Eminence for 32 years now, God Bless her little heart, has a green thumb like you wouldn't believe.
The Asparagus was just being planted in April, but got hit with a freeze one night, killed them all.
This time around when we pulled into The Popes, the smell just hit you, assaulted you as soon as you got out of the car.

Bizzy azz a bee.

Jerry and Patsy have always been great to me, and this time was no different. Jerry is a grill master and a phenomenal chef, having owned two or three restaurants before. This particular evening we had perfectly grilled wild Salmon with grilled peppers and home grown squash and local grown corn.

When staying at The Popes you'll never go hungry, thats a given. I refer you to the link above of how we met.

 Again, thank you Jerry and Patsy for the hospitality you gave me Mum and I. Mum had a great time, as I did also.

About 28 miles west of Durango in Mancos resides Harry Hill and Basin Motorcycle Works. I stopped by to say hi and pick up a set of tires that he was holding for me.

Harry has a full service, repair and restoration business and specializes in BMW's.

The location is a great one for motorcycle travelers in the Four Corners area, as you won't find anyone as capable and fully stocked in the area.

Give Harry a call, you'll either get him or you'll talk to Jane.

Tell 'em Murph sent you.

For GS and on/off road riders he also has the new Heidenau Tires in stock. Better mileage than TKC's and a wee bit cheaper too.

So we've arrived in Boulder and are awaiting the arrival of the container with the "stuff".

Untill next time....

Murph.....and Mum.