Heading back East....

I'm baaaack!!!  Did ya miss me!?!?!  When I last left you kidz, we were preparing for Cathy's BIG BIRTHDAY DINNER!  We went to a restaurant called Claim Jumpers in the Town Square shopping section in Vegas.  Town Square is pretty nifty...like a Crocker Park or Legacy Village back home.  Some of Bob & Cathy's friends met us there and joined us for dinner.  The food was AWESOME!  The portions were HUGE!  The service SUCKED!  Oh well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad!  Everyone scattered afterward and we went to a local joint called the Blue Hawk Tavern before returning to the homestead.  We had an early morning planned for riding the next day, so that was fine with me!  Especially after I donated so much to the casinos in the days prior!

The Terwilligers and the Tvrdiks at Claim Jumpers!

We woke up Saturday ready to ride!  Have I mentioned HOW HOT IT IS THERE?!?!?!  Have I mentioned that I have NO IDEA HOW YOU PEOPLE LIVE THERE?!?!  Hahaha!!!  Seriously!  That heat just ain't for me!  We took a ride to the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings, NV.  Tom & I were last there in 2006 with our pals Bill & Sue Curran.  It was freezing last time we were there!  I wished I was freezing that day!  The Pioneer Saloon is a really neat place.  It was where Clark Gable waited for word of Carol Lombard's fate after her plane crashed into the nearby mountain.  There's a bunch of old articles and paraphernalia, and a pot-belly stove, which I remember being warmed by back in 2006.  No need for the pot-belly stove today!  We found out that next May is the Centennial Celebration for the Pioneer Saloon!  They've removed a chunk of the mountain where Carol Lombard crashed and are selling commemorative numbered bricks for $25.  If you donate/buy one, your name will be added to a historical marker placed near the chunk of mountain!  The History Channel is set to film the festivities next May, and Google Street View will be by, so I can zoom in from back home in Cleveland to make sure our names are on there!  (Oh, yes...by the way...we donated/purchased a brick!)  We were also offered the chance to send an envelope to be placed in a time capsule which will be opened in May of 2113!  We could leave a note for our future family members if we want!  Pretty neat!  The man at the Saloon was explaining that Goodsprings was the happening place to be until the 1920's.  That's when Vegas took over!
Here's some info on the Pioneer Saloon!

From the Pioneer we took a ride to a place called Mountain Springs Saloon in the Red Rock Canyon area.  It sure was pretty there!  With all kinds of signs warning of wildlife.  I'd hate to ride through there at night!  It was MUCH cooler there, too!  I was loving that part! The Mountain Springs Saloon is a true biker bar.  More like a biker compound!  There was the main bar, then another out-building that sold t-shirts & such, then another building that had food to order from a window.  We sat outside by the food building and Tom & I split a bacon/mushroom quesadilla because I was STARVING!  (Shocking, I know!)  A few of the patrons had their dogs there.  It was really laid back.  After some time, about 15 new bikes pulled in, and not long after a bad-ass looking dude with a HUMONGOUS knife on his side came back to where we were sitting and quickly went back toward the parking lot.  Hmmmmm.  Wonder who he's with.  Didn't see any colors on him.  A short time later we were ready to head back into the heat that is Las Vegas, so Tom & I decided to stop back in the bar on our way out for some ice water.  I walked in the door to find the place wall-to-wall with Mongols.  CRAP!  I'm not gonna turn around and walk right back out, dammit.  Not gonna show them that they scare the crap outta me!  So we wait at the bar for some water.  And wait.  And wait.  The Mongols are all getting waited on before us....understandably!  The bartender is no fool!  So I wait with a huge pit in my stomach and a VERY uneasy feeling about the whole scene!  Most of the patches are still brand-new looking, which worries me even more, because the newbies probably feel that they have more to prove.  Crap.  After waiting for what seemed like an eternity, we decided to leave.  Without water.  I'm not intimidated by many people or clubs.  These cats managed scared the bejesus out of me just by their mere presence!  

A few minutes later we were thankfully back on the road, heading back toward Vegas.  Our next stop was at Bachi Burger, which was featured on Guy Fieri's Triple-D!  Tom and I split an order of Peking Duck steam buns and a Kalbi Burger, which was messy and loaded with Kim Chi.  (Did I spell that correctly!?!?!)  Anyhow....Super spicy!  And delish!  After returning to the homestead yet again, we got cleaned up and headed for the M Casino and then to South Point  I kept winning at M.  Unfortunately, whatever I won there I would promptly give to a different casino the next day!  Duh.  By 10:00 I was tired and ready to crash.  I never did adjust from Cleveland time.  Ugh!  Back to Casa De Tvrdik for us!  

Then came SUNDAY!  BROWNS FOOTBALL DAY!  WooHoo!!!  Steve picked us up and took us out to the Sun Coast Casino to watch the game.  We got there plenty early and requested that the bartender turn the Browns game on for us, which he did.  Unfortunately, I played the video poker machine for the entire game, which cost me $200.00.  (Actually, it cost me more than $300.00 because I gave back whatever I won!)  By the end of the game, I felt like I was back home at Browns Stadium....Broke, Buzzed, and Disappointed!  Such is the life of a Browns fan!  We hit the In-N-Out burger drive through on the way back "home"!  Hooray!  Double-Double, baby!!!  We said "farewell" to Steve.  Hopefully he'll make it back home for Thanksgiving this year!  The rest of Sunday was spent horizontal on the couch, watching the tube! Perfect!  Here's some miscellaneous pix!

Bella Kisses!   Kissy Kissy Kissy!

Everyone loves the pool!

Steve, looking aloof as always!

Monday morning we woke up bright and early, ready to pack it up and head back east.  :-(  I didn't want to leave.  Bob had just gotten home from work as we were packing the bikes.  Good bye, Bob & Cathy!  Good bye, Abbie & Bella!  Thanks so much for the hospitality!  And down the road we roared!  It was a surprisingly cool, pleasant ride into Arizona!  Riding the bridge over Hoover Dam was a little scary for me.  Lots o' wind.  Luckily I couldn't see over the edge of the bridge but I could only imagine how high we were! We reached the Arizona border and ditched the helmets!  Hooray!

Even into Arizona, the weather was still comfortable!  As we approached Flagstaff, it was even slightly chilly!  I guess Flagstaff is high altitude?!?!  I know nothing of the topography out here and I'm always surprised by the terrain!  We got a little bit of rain on us, but not enough to pull over and suit up.....yet!  As we crested on of the mountain-like hills, I saw ahead what was either fog or heavy rain in the mountains ahead.  Crap.  So off we pull at the next exit, Devil Dog Road,  and put on just the top half of our rain suits and the full-face helmets. I was JUST saying as we left Bob & Cathy's that I hope we get a chance to wear these things since we dragged them all the way across the country!  Well, here's our chance!  

Look!  We're NASCAR drivers now!

I'm glad we opted for the full-facers!  Those things are awesome in the rain!  We stopped for lunch at a Mexican Restaurant in Flagstaff.  I ordered the special, pork tacos with mango, avocado, cilantro, etc....The waiter said they were spicy and asked if that would be OK.  Sure!  I like spicy!  HOLY HELL!!!!!  Those were the spiciest things I've ever ate!  Actually, I couldn't eat them!  All I could taste was HOT!  I loaded up on chips, rice & beans.  Dammit.  Those things looked so good, too.  We departed the restaurant and threw the full-facers back on.  The skies were still looking evil in spots and it's hard to tell which way the road is going to bend...away from it or straight at it!  I kept my bandanna on my head and put the helmet on over it, just as I always do.  Well, something went awry this time because about 5 miles down I-40, my bandanna managed to work its way over my eyes!  I tried shoving my hand up under the chin but could only make it to my nose.  I tried pulling at it from the back but those full facers are so tight, there was no way this thing was budging! How did this happen!?!?!  So I tipped my head back and looked down my nose at the road ahead.  I pulled up next to Tom and managed to get his attention to pull off at the next exit, which was luckily only 1/2 mile away! He wasn't sure what the problem was so when we stopped, I slid the tinted face shield up to show him my bandanna blindfold!  Bahahaa!!!!!!  Too funny!  OK....Crisis averted and back down the road we roll! Even after we passed through the crap weather and the sun broke again, we kept the helmets on as we headed for Gallup.  The gas I had remaining would probably JUST make it to the hotel but Tom always gets crappier mileage than I do, so I figured we'd make one more gas stop before our nightly destination.  I had 20 miles to go, 15, 10...he still wasn't stopping.  The skies were looking crappy again....My reserver then switched to "LO".....which means "Get Gas NOW, stupid"!  If mine was on "LO", Tom's must be EXTRA LO!  We pull off our exit and into our hotel lot, just as the winds pick up and the rain comes!  Whew!  Awesome timing!  I have no idea how but we managed to get 236 miles out of that tank!  Woo Hoo!

As I type, it's Tuesday morning.  We're pretty much packed and ready to leave our hotel room.  Tonight....Amarillo and the Big Texan!  YAY!
........Let's just hope we make it to the gas station, first!