Hoover Dam

The Hoover Dam is an engineering wonder.  What a thrill to ride a motorcycle across the dam!  There is currently a bridge bypass being built across the dam which will eliminate the traffic congestion.. There was quite the wait to get across the dam.  I took several pictures from the bike as we were crossing the dam.  It was truly amazing!

After picking Rosie up at the Las Vegas airport, we decided to stay in a cheap - $29.99 hotel / casino for the night so we didn't have to ride the bikes back to Havasu that night. (See Havasu Holiday post)  The next day we took the Hwy 93 back to Havasu... partially so we could go across the dam again and partially b/c we didn't want to drive through California (helmet laws).  This time, we spent some time walking around on the dam.

Lake Mead in the background

A view from the top

Gorgeous!

Hoover Dam ByPass being built

Bronze sculpture

Colorado River

Dam overflow - this tunnel goes through the mountain!

Um.. I'm not even tempted to get on that wall!  We did spit over the ledge though.  Hehe

Troy's grandpa helped to engineer the Hoover Dam.  So, it was a special experience for him!

Here is some neat construction history of the dam.

And on the way home... we ate lunch at Mad Dog's which is located on the Historic Route 66 aka "The Mother Road".

Laughlin River Run

For part of our spring vacation this year, we brought our bikes to Laughlin for the motorcycle River Run.  It was a sunny ride up from Lake Havasu City.  The road along the banks of the Colorado river provided a wonderful route with scenic views along the way.  Once we got to Laughlin, it was time to relax, do a little shopping, and soak in the sun!

On the way to Laughlin, we stopped at the Topock Marina. I'm thinking we need to recruit a few more bikers for the next time we come and have an official Topock poster made with our "biker gang".  Any takers?

Before crossing the Colorado river into Laughlin, NV you could see bikers stopping along the side of the road to put their lids on their heads.. yep, you have to pay attention to those helmet laws.

Some of the fabulous bikes on display...

This pirate bike will be given away on an upcoming biker cruise..

Who is up for a cruise?

An amazing work of art!

Notice the suicide shifter

I love the eagle claw on this one!

Enjoying the sun set!

Parker Dam - RoadRunner

The last day of our Havasu vacation, we rode down to the Parker Dam and Roadrunner cafe.  The Roadrunner is a floating dock cafe / bar located on the Colorado river, south of Lake Havasu.  You can dock your boat and step on to the dock for a bite to eat.  The table we sat at was right on the edge of the dock.. hang on to your drinks and don't fall of when the boats go by!!

Troy and Em

Jay and Rosie

Notice the "hair do by Harley" - perfectly spiked!

Striking a pose  ;)

RoadRunner

Hang on to those drinks!

Ahh... enjoying great company on the river!

Southern portion of Lake Havasu

Next bike trip??  Red River Run or could it be... Sturgis??

Navigating the Turns.. Life Lessons

Something I've been thinking about as a new year is upon us... I've resolved to not make a specific new years resolution, but rather just learn to navigate the curves in life better.  How you ask?  I remember a tip that I learned in my Riders Edge class that applies to turning: Slow, Look, Press, and Roll.  Simple, I know.  However, I think there may be some valuable life lessons in this.  I'm not going to expound too much on this, but just briefly below.  Enjoy.    

Slow.  We all seem to be moving at 100 miles per hour these days.  Full throttle.  Full steam.  Full speed ahead.  I need to remember to take time to slow it down a bit.  Focus on the important things.  Spend more time with my Lord.. dig into the good stuff, God's word.  Take time to listen.  My Riders Handbook states, "First, slow down as you approach a turn and look through the turn to where you want to go (turning your head, not just your eyes)."  If we are taking time to slow down the pace of things, those "turns" in life, may all of the sudden become a little more manageable.  I also like the thought of "turning your head, not just your eyes".    

Look.  As mentioned above, after slowing down it is critical to look where you want to go.  I will tell you from experience, that if you are looking down or at *ahem* a curb, you will hit the curb and not end up where you wanted to be.  Life lesson:  Look up.

Press.  Next thing to do when moving through a curve is to lean your bike by pressing the handgrip in the direction you want to turn.  Because you have slowed down, looked where you want to go and determined that you are ready to commit to the turn, it is easy to trust that by pressing on the handgrip the bike will turn accordingly and you will safely navigate the turn.  In this same way, I think that God wants us to lean on him to carry us through our "turns" in life.  It should make things easier too b/c we've already slowed down and looked to Him for our help.  Therefore, the natural thing to do is lean on Him.  Life lesson:  Press on (Phil 3: 12) 

Roll.  What else is there to do at this point?  Roll on.  Roll on that throttle to stabilize yourself through the turn. Hang on and enjoy the ride!  But remember... don't go to fast.  Let off the throttle and slow down again so you can negotiate that next turn.

   

New Mexico

In July, a group of us took a road trip on our bikes down to Santa Fe, New Mexico.   What a blast!

  

We took the back roads along the Sangre de Cristo mountains, enjoying the mountain breeze along the way and also managing to skirt a thunderstorm or two around Alamosa and northern New Mexico.  Let me just say that lightning storms in the Rockies on a bike can be a bit nerve racking!

Mountain pass through Angel Fire, NM.  This was one of my favorite parts!

Troy wondered at times what I was doing behind him... taking pics along the way, of course!  At times, I would hear him say something like, "Emily, quit moving around!"  For the most part I think I'm a pretty good passenger... it takes getting use to at first b/c I want to help drive by leaning, squeezing Troy's legs to slow down, etc.  You know... all the stuff a good wife should help with.  Just kidding, Hon.  ;)  ...and THAT is why I now have my own bike.

Station 20 CSFD crew... Jay, Clark, and Troy

While in Santa Fe, we visited the Loretto Chapel.  This is the church with the famous "miraculous stairway".  The stairs were built by a carpenter that showed up at the church after the Sisters of Loretto prayed for someone to come help the church with the access to the choir loft.  There is no center support and isn't held from the side.  After this carpenter built the stairs, he disappeared without seeking payment.

Of course, while you are in Santa Fe you must do a little shopping and also eat at the Blue Corn Cafe.

Downtown Santa Fe w/ a view of The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assissi

The buildings are gorgeous!

We visited Bandelier National Monument, which was fascinating to see.  The history of the Pueblo people was literally etched into the walls of their cave dwellings.  Petroglyphs were everywhere!

We hiked along the Frijoles Canyon to reach the "Alcove House" (formerly called Ceremonial Cave), which is a cliff dwelling reached by climbing long wooden ladders.  Troy and Clark had no problem with the ladders (kinda a job requirement for them), however, my hands got a little sweaty climbing that high up.  It is hard to tell from the pic how high we are, but those trees below are no small pine trees!

Oh, and "no thanks" and going down into the kiva we are standing on.

Some of the "homes" in the wall of the canyon.

Inside a Tyuonyi house.  It was a little bit dark in there!  ;)

Ahh... what a cute couple.

Where to next?  Once the snow melts here in CO, I think we will be headed somewhere warm. I'm thinking... a Laughlin, Lake Havasu, Grand Canyon bike trip sounds good!