Modern Vespa

Hey everybody!

Hope everyone has had a great holiday and...year. I've taken some new work that is on site, so I'm not on (any) forums very much anymore!

I will be in Las Vegas next weekend (jan 4-5) , and am hoping to get some hiking/scooter riding in.

Was thinking of doing the Las Vegas Valley Overlook hike in Red Rock Canyon, and I think I'm gonna rent a scoot that day to get out there.

Any advice on the best route to get from the strip to route 159?

Any other hiking suggestions? Nothing heavy (but also nothing too easy), just looking to do a moderate, half day hike.

And of course, does anyone want to go for a ride? 8)

It's been a long time, but...
Drive north on the strip (Las Vegas Blvd) and turn left on 159 (West Charleston Blvd). Keep driving. I seem to remember lots of twisties when you get there, and local clubs performing a few mountain climbing exercises. The rock formations are beautiful.

Check the door sill at the Blue Diamond ranch, and check out the western town, if it is still there. Watch out for the wild donkeys on the road.

Cheers and good luck,
Bob

Dress for very cold temp's

GB

Google,
red rock trails las vegas
I'm having trouble getting the address on my Ipad. Grrrrrrrrr.
You'll find a nice descriptive list. Stop at the park center and they can make suggestion. Go late morning early afternoon for peak sun and warm sheltered spots. A wonderful park, a bit colder than the city but solar gain makes it nice. I wore a black Gore jacket layered over a LS shirt and sweater most LV winters. (20) It'll be much nicer than NYC. Promise.

Sounds like fun!

I suppose they only offer 49cc scoots there, so just be ready to go a bit slow as you climb out of the valley towards Red Rock itself - and you will go even slower on the 1-way loop road if you do that.

To keep it simple, I agree with the above, just take Charleston Blvd west from the strip. (lots of good lunch spots on that road too if you get hungry...). If you are adventurous, just know that most of Vegas is set up on a grid system so it's pretty hard to get lost - red mountains to the west, white mountains to the north, smaller mountains (Sunrise) to the east. Stay off the freeways (I-15, 95, 295). Another good scooter ride might be towards Lake Mead and up to the Valley of Fire (even on a 49cc, it will be scenic!)

If you head out on a weekend, Red Rock will be packed with cyclists, hikers, climbers, etc. It will be a little less busy on a weekday.

As Tom said, check at the visitors center or google search the hikes - there are literally dozens of options ranging from a mile to 20... there are some gems that are just 3-4 miles that will take you back into the rock formations and past some really cool ponds and stuff. I can't remember the names of specific hikes/trails but have done most of them at one time or another.

If you do the 1-way loop on the scooter, enjoy it as it is one of the nicest roads to ride a bike or scooter on in the country - lots of cool twists/turns/climbs/descents on the whole thing.

Enjoy!

Thanks for all the replies, will definitely keep them all in mind!

I found a shop that will rent me a 150cc, so that will help with the climbs/traffic. Unfortunately, the weekend is the only time I have to do the hike, so I'll just hope that the fact that its a slow, post holiday weekend in January will keep the tourist crowds to a minimum.

The 1-way loop: is that the road that goes around the park? That sounds like fun! How is traffic usually? Crazy drivers? Lots of tour busses?

The 150 should do the job. You might have a bit of a slow time, if you your slow at the bottom of a hill but if you have some speed and the gradient isn't bad, you'll be flying up the hills. Have fun. Sounds like a great trip. 8)

Good to hear about the 150 - that will be helpful for sure, and will make any adventure you do much more enjoyable.

Yes, the 1-way loop goes all the way through Red Rock Canyon - It will be a blast on the 150... Traffic isn't that bad at all (it is one way after all), especially as you will be going at speed and not slower on a 49cc... Watch out for drivers looking at the scenery and not the road... Few if any tour busses... Lots of skilled and unskilled bicycle riders... There will be some occasional Asses (Donkeys ) on the road...

I have hiked up there on the weekends as well - MOST people park in the designated areas and go a few hundred feet down a trail and that's it. Once you get past that range it won't be too bad on most of the trails. Take the time to talk to a ranger at the visitor's center to point you in the direction of the ideal trails for your interests.

All the best!

Desi B.

Nuts and often drunk. It's Las Vegas. When we lived there it had the highest death rate from asshats running red lights. We used to quip, "how do you know a Las Vegan at red light? They're the third one through the red." Locals are not used to seeing scooters. I can count on one hand the scooters I saw on my 13 mile, each way, commute for 20 years. The Las Vegas many see when attending a rally isn't the everyday version. I learned to ride in Las Vegas. I used to sneak around the Mrs. and rent Buells. I did my MFS there. Personally I don't like the book on scootering
. A bad bet IME. Out of 7000 employees at The Mirage/Treasure Island peak, only two scooters were ever parked in employee parking. Both 50cc DWI riders. I never drove less than 10 miles over posted, and was running with traffic. In a Tundra. I bought a Yaris and sold it within months. To scary for me. The strip, due to high Metro Police coverage may be seemingly the safest place. Until you catch up with the pedestrian death rates. All the things Las Vegas keeps very much out of the mainstream news. I'd save the scooter for The Keys or someplace more mundane.

There are about 135,000 licensed motorcycle drivers in Nevada, 7.5 percent of all Nevada drivers, according to numbers provided by the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles through the end of July. There are also about 37,000 registered motorcycles in Clark County, about 2.7 percent of all registered vehicles in the county.

Most of the fatal motorcycle accidents in 2013 have been during daylight and twilight hours, on clear, sunny days.

"The biggest things are risk management," said Moss, who has been riding for 42 years and a instructor since 1998. "People come into the classes with preconceived notions of right and wrong. We teach smarter strategies."

Strader suggests motorcyclists should always assume that someone is going to cut them off and to be alert. Motorcycle crashes tend to be fatal more often than not, and consisted of about one out of every five fatal crashes in Clark County in 2013, according to the Department of Public Safety.

"When you have a collision between a motorcycle and a vehicle, usually the motorcyclist is the one that loses," Tavarez said.

In the Metropolitan Police Department's jurisdiction, there were 27 fatal motorcycle crashes by mid-November. Several of those crashes were clustered in the same day or week.

Vegas is mostly flat. The drive to Red Rock Conservation areas is about 30 minutes outside the city and should be easy enough on a 150. It does get cold at night so be careful for ice. I have seen it before. The hikes around the area are pretty easy but bring extra water. Even in cooler temps, the desert will suck the moisture out of you.

On driving in Vegas, be very careful. Take it slow and approach all intersections with caution. I have had two friends lose family members in Vegas to car accidents and have seen countless accidents while there. I have been to Vegas hundreds of times (computer biz, family, etc.) and the streets are wide and favor autos.

I'm going out there for new years. What's been said above is true. There's a fair amount of people driving around after too much partying. Vegas can get the best of you, so it's better to use extra caution when driving there.

You'll love red rocks...

Please don't drive a two wheeler on the strip at night. There are so many distracting lights that the average driver can't distinguish a traffic light, let alone a scooter.

Stay safe,
Bob

Thanks for all the great advice. Vegas does seem like the sort of town for all kinds of things to go wrong on the road, I will be sure to be extra vigilant.

Bob: I will only be riding out to Red Rock Canyon and back. Will head out late Saturday morning and will be back well before dark. I don't like riding through Times Square at night (during the day as well, actually) because of all the lights/distracted drivers/tourists wandering into the road. Add the fact that many people are wandering around with drink in hand, I'm sure the strip is even worse!

You guys are great, thanks again for chiming in!

Red Rock Canyon is a great place..close-in and accessible by a 150. If, for some reason, it doesn't work out, and you have a
rental car, Valley of Fire State Park one hour north of LV is also must see. Many cowboy movies filmed there and there are 3000 year old petroglyphs. Here's some pics. Happy trails to you in the new year.

You have been sent 2 pictures.

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Lived there for 13 years and all of the above is true.

Worst time to be on the road: 3 AM to 9 AM
Why? Casino shift change and all the drunks trying to get home "before they have an accident.";o)

Also an incredible number of unlicensed drivers. Either illegal aliens (not so bad because they are driving very conservative) or DUI (see above comment).

Another road hazard is the construction vehicles. Most do not secure their loads (flat bed truck with no sides) and often "drop" things on the road, like a box of roofing nails, rebar, ladders, wheel barrows, etc. (all of which personally witnessed). Mainly a problem on the highways but of some concern on surface streets. Many of these are in the "driving without a license" category.

Watch out for "snow birds" (aka "road barns"). Shouldn't be much of an issue this time of year (the surge is usually in November and again in March) but there are always a few stragglers. On the highway they usually behave themselves, aside from "driving by braille" as they weave between the lane markers. But if you see them on surface streets, and away and from the strip, be extra careful. Those are either lost (and thereby in panic mode) or are "sightseeing" (and thereby in oblivious mode).

Keep in mind that Clark County LEO's are mostly concerned about gangs, robberies and other violent offenders. Traffic violations are not that high on the list. The result is that people either do 10 mph under the limit or 10 mph over the limit. That and the fact that a significant percentage of the drivers are from "somewhere else" and the result is a lot of angry and frustrated drivers, very short fuses.

The only place that pedestrians and PTW get any respect is on the strip because it is strictly enforced and expected. Other than that "drive/walk like you are invisible."

That said there are some really nice canyons in the Sierra Madre nearby. I assume by "Red Rocks" you mean Valley of Fire State Park. Very nice ride. The other way, on the way up to Lee's Canyon (ski resort), there is a turn off called Mack's Canyon that I used to mountain bike/hike on regularly. Pretty scenery and the hard pack dirt road follows a creek bed that turns into a creek. You have to hike up to the artesian spring that feeds it though. Not any more difficult to get to than Valley of Fire and guaranteed to be less crowded on the weekend.

A little closer to town you can take Boulder Hywy to Boulder City and Lake Mead. There are hiking trails that lead up from Hemenway Park up into the hills and often Big Horn sheep are grazing in the park this time of year. Kinda cool. A little further down 93 and you are at Hoover Dam and the new bridge they are building. Gives a great view of the dam without the hassle of actually going down the switchbacks to the dam itself.

That's all I can think of but have a great and safe trip!

Desert Sun! Thanks so much for the pics! Will be traveling with my husband, who is in town for a work conference, so he won't be able to join me until after the weekend, so that's the day we are planning to rent a car and go to the Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire!

BTW, I'll be in Palm Springs again in mid March! Hope to see you again! 8)

This time of year can be tricky but winter in Zion is outrageous. Incredible views with the valley trees defoliated. If the weather falls in place it's a premier winter walk in the desert SW. Pretty easy drive from LV we'd hauled company up several times. Best part of Las Vegas is it's proximity to some fabulous parks. I really miss winter in the desert.

Just got back this morning from a 5-day vacation in Vegas.

At the Venetian, one of the ticket sellers asked if wanted to watch a show and I said that we were leaving that day. He then proceeded to ask if we were coming back "next year" and I replied with "Never"... He retorted with "I don't blame you!"

Seriously, though, it's a fun town and we managed to see a few shows, eat great food and check out the South rim of the Grand Canyon and Hoover Dam.

Dam tip: Ask for directions to the Spillway on either side of the dam. These are 1-2 minutes walking distance on the high-side of the Dam. I think people don't notice these or don't care, but as equally impressive to look at as the Dam.

Tours down the elevator to the bowels of the power plant are interesting. Once. After which anyone living there ditches any company wanting to have a dam experience.

Red Rocks trip was fantastic! Had perfect weather, and perfect scooter mojo. No mishaps, no crazy cagers, just a really nice ride.

Then I came back to the hotel, played a dollar slot on a whim, and won $50. 8)

No more Vespa, but I'm hitting the Neon Graveyard tomorrow and the Hoover Dam and Valley of Fire on Monday. Thanks for the advice everyone!

Well done!!!

Great to hear! Vegas is great for a few days! Cool it worked out nicely. Nice pic too!

Glad to hear it....

On the back side of that hill you took a picture of, is a fairly large gypsum mine (open pit). A couple of buddies and I were hiking around the top of that hill (probably started from about where you were parked) and were standing just above the mine when they decided to let loose a pretty large seeming blast of explosives to loosen things up.

Felt like an earthquake and we actually were covered in dust afterwards. Made us realize that sometimes those 'No Trespassing - Explosives In Use' signs that you often pass and ignore might actually mean something

Desi B.

Not to mention all the folks at the nearby firing range. It can get pretty dicey.

Yeah, I lived there back in the late 80s/early 90s and the firing range you're talking about was a little 'wilder' then...

From what I have heard you can't walk anywhere on Sunrise Mtn anymore (east side of Las Vegas) without fear of bullets flying by your head - that area was pretty quite 25 years ago.

Desi B.