My second day's ride
(map here) took me through Las Vegas. My contribution to its economy consists of a hearty breakfast at MacDonald's:
Riding through the Nevada desert was not nearly as boring as expected. There are hills and mountains all around, and a fair share of sweepers in addition to the straight sections. A mild dusty haze was all around and created vistas where far-away mountains were grey while nearby hills were in normal contrast. The overall experience in 360-degree panorama was truly awe-inspiring, pictures cannot do it justice and I did not want to delay my schedule by taking any.
After passing Hoover Dam and gaining some elevation, I stopped at this scenic overlook of Lake Mead and snapped some pictures. Also here were some Native Americans selling jewelry.
On towards Kingman, Arizona I go. Leaving Boulder City I pass a "Last Stop" gas station. No problem, I'm thinking, the Wee gets 250-300 miles on a tank of gas. What I didn't consider was that fully loaded with a stiff headwind at 80 mph, it might not do so well.
About 25 miles before Kingman the low fuel warning thingy starts flashing and I start to worry. Sure enough, just inside the city limits the engine dies. But I ran out of gas in the best possible way, coasting downhill and into the very first gas station in 75 miles. Whew!
My V-Strom owner's manual says the tank holds 5.8 gallons. I now know that when that thing starts flashing, I can go about 25 more miles.
Stopping somewhere in Arizona to take a break and call my wife.
Upon reaching Highway 97, the riding gets much more interesting:
Finally reaching Prescott, I settle in for the night at the Lynx Lake campground:
