Tucson to Reno

[pazzmore]

My GF and I will be riding the V7ii from Tucson to Reno the last week of May. We will be breaking the trip up into several days:

1) Tucson to Phoenix - (79 to the 60)
2) Phoenix to Vegas - (60 - 93 - 40 - 93)
3) Vegas to Tonopah- (95 or 93/6 - 95)
4) Tonopah to Reno - (95 - 50 - 80)

Each day we will be putting the rubber down at dawn and only riding until about noon to avoid the heat. Also, my girlfriend doesn't have the endurance yet to do much more than that riding pillion.

I'm looking for thoughts and suggestions for the trip. It will be hot in the Vegas area... so would it be better to do the 93 route even though it would take bit longer? Any other concerns or suggestions? Would anyone recommend a cooling vest?

Thanks. I'm really looking forward to this ride.  http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/1512283849

[Tennmoto]

Plan your stops well, smart too avoid the heat.
That stretch after Vegas to Reno might not have too many stops.
I've been out there but by no means expert on the area
Just wanted you to get a reply too

[pazzmore]

Thanks Tennmoto. I know the area pretty well as I have driven it 4 or 5 times, but never on the moto. (This will be my first major trip on a motorcycle.)

The stops are few and far between so I will be planning on fueling any chance I get over 100 miles to be safe.

Tonopah is over 6000' in elevation so once we closer to that stop the heat should no longer be an issue (Reno is at 4600').

Need to grab a tire repair kit.

[fatbob]

I was going to suggest a stop at the Chicken Ranch in Pahrump, till I read "GF".
Oh well, maybe next time!!

[fotoguzzi]

Hydrate! don't wait until thirsty.. I once got heatstroke bad riding in hot wx and not drinking enough.
get an Airhawk cushion for her..
take GF shoe shopping in Vegas .

[Arizona Wayne]

I live out of Kingman(3,500') so once you get here it won't be so hot.  Vegas might be hot but once you are out of there you are climbing and it will cool off.   You can get gas & motel @ Beatty possibly from Vegas if you want to.   There's a Motel 6 & casino there + 2 gas stations.   Tonopah is a good stopover place on the north end of town.  I've ridden from Reno to home, but that's me. 

[pehayes]

When you leave Tonopah, I'd like to go south on US-6 to Benton, CA and then CA-120 across Mono Craters back to Lee Vining, CA and then US-395 north to Reno.  The 75 mile section from Benton to Lee Vining is one of the top moto roads in the country.  290 mile day.  Going through Hawthorne and Yarrington would be quite boring.

https://goo.gl/maps/wFYeMmKobuq

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

[Scud]

When you leave Tonopah, I'd like to go south on US-6 to Benton, CA and then CA-120 across Mono Craters back to Lee Vining, CA and then US-395 north to Reno.  The 75 mile section from Benton to Lee Vining is one of the top moto roads in the country.  290 mile day.  Going through Hawthorne and Yarrington would be quite boring.

https://goo.gl/maps/wFYeMmKobuq

Patrick Hayes
Fremont CA

I like this route. Not sure I'd agree that Benton to Lee Vining is a top road - but it's certainly nice. Consider breaking up the ride from Tonopah to Reno. From Lee Vining, it's 20 miles up Route 120 to Tioga Pass (at close to 10,000 feet)...



into Yosemite Park's Tuolumne Meadows. Another 5 miles in and you can look down on the back side of Half-Dome.



Going slow through Yosemite won't feel like part of a long day's ride - it's just that gorgeous.

[Arizona Wayne]

If you have the time and have never been there before, you might want to stop and see Hoover Dam between Kingman and Las Vegas on the Arizona/Nevada border.  There's a casino nearby w/rooms too. 

[pazzmore]

When you leave Tonopah, I'd like to go south on US-6 to Benton, CA and then CA-120 across Mono Craters back to Lee Vining, CA and then US-395 north to Reno. 

https://goo.gl/maps/wFYeMmKobuq

Whoa! This is an interesting option. This is what I'm talking about! I will for sure investigate this. Thank you.

[AaronH]

I lived in Tucson for two years and Fallon, NV for three, and I would make the trip you are planning (in a car) at Christmas every year to go to Tucson to see my parents.  I usually took 10 to 93 to 95 for a straight shot into Fallon, and although it is a desolate trip in many areas, I loved stopping and looking around Goldfield, Hawthrone and Tonopah.  I think Goldfield has a Chevrolet dealer that has been abandoned since 1966.  There are no cars,  but the signage and building are still intact.  The Goldfield Hotel is an interesting old building that was used in filming Vanishing Point, and in Hawthorne there is a small ordnance museum that talks about Hawthorne's massive ordnance storage facility.  In 2010, an old American Motors dealer sign was still standing although the building was long gone.  I think the sign is gone now too, but to me, finding remnants of what used to exist is fascinating.  The trip along Walker Lake outside Hawthrone is nice, although the lake water level was constantly dropping when I lived in Nevada.  If you speed at all in Schurz, you will get a ticket.  All of these towns have contracted considerably from their glory days, and, as a result, things were just left when they closed.  If you like unusual places, these are great to visit, but the trip has several long, desolate stretches that could get boring.   

I never drove the 6/395 route, but I was an H-60 pilot in the Navy, and I have flown over it and into Bridgeport several times.  As others have said, that route is amazingly beautiful, and when I was flying over, I wanted to ride those roads but never made it that way on my motorcycle.  The curves on 395 look like they would be really enjoyable.  Regardless of the route you take, I think you will have a really fun ride.  Once you are to Reno, Virginia City is a short but twisty ride, and Virginia City is an interesting place to visit and/or stay overnight. 

[pazzmore]

Thanks Aaron. great comments and good suggestions. I also like the remnants of previous eras in small towns like that.

[JJ]

Hydrate! don't wait until thirsty.. I once got heatstroke bad riding in hot wx and not drinking enough.
get an Airhawk cushion for her..
take GF shoe shopping in Vegas .

Best advice - take your time...pace yourself....stop often...and when you do HYDRATE! 

The Southwest Sonoran / Mohave desert is very unforgiving to the unprepared...

[Lcarlson]

Best advice - take your time...pace yourself....stop often...and when you do HYDRATE! 

The Southwest Sonoran / Mohave desert is very unforgiving to the unprepared...

Good advice indeed. A couple of years ago, a friend and I rode rented Harleys from Las Vegas to southwest Utah during the hottest part of a 103+ F day in early June. Wasn't sure we would make it. Pretty much all the way I felt like I might pass out at speed at any moment -- not good at all.

[pazzmore]

The Southwest Sonoran / Mohave desert is very unforgiving to the unprepared... :

Yes. Very true. I've lived in Tucson my entire life and know the dangers of the desert very well. Depending on the forecast, we may have to leave Vegas before dawn. We will hydrate at every stop and knowing my passenger, that will be at least every rest stop.

Lcarlson, the first 120 miles from Vegas (to Beatty) seems similar to your trip, but will 500 more feet of elevation. Hopefully the temps will be a bit more mild last week of May.

[Chuck in Indiana]

If it's *really* hot, wear a long sleeve t or even sweat shirt under your riding jacket. Wet it down, and stop when ever it starts to dry out to wet it again. Drink drink drink. Add electrolytes with Gatorade or some such.

[Zinfan]

Not sure how much longer it would make the day but instead of heading to Tonopah from 95 take 266 at the Lida junction heading west and then take 168 west in Oasis over the White mountains into Big Pine.  168 is pretty curvy in spots and there is a turn off leading to the ancient Bristlecone pine trees (but it's a bit of a ride to get to them on a slow twisty road so that would add time to your day).  Stay in Big Pine (not many hotels though) or head a bit north to Bishop (plenty of hotels there).  The next day you can take 6 out of Bishop to Benton and then 120 west to Lee Vining.  If you route this way do not pass up the opportunity to stop at the Vista point once you head north past Lee Vining/Mono lake on 395 at Conway summit, the view is amazing.

[ITSec]

Las Vegas to Tonopah:

Gas is available at Indian Springs, Amargosa Valley and Beatty - then the big jump to Tonopah, which is signed as not having services. Near Beatty is a very short diversion over to the ghost town of Rhyolite, which has a bizarre and delightful art installation. It's well worth a break.

From Tonopah, the route through California (6 over to Lee Vining and US 395) mentioned already is well worth the time if you can take it. US 395 is a far more interesting road with lots of small towns and scenery, plenty of places for breaks, and cooler than the road up to Fallon. Traffic is slower, however through the area around Tahoe and Carson City. A hidden gem is to follow California 89 from US 395 through the mountains up to South Lake Tahoe - this is one of the great riding areas of the Sierra Nevada.

Zinfan's suggestion is a good one, but may require a bit more range (gas stop to gas stop) than some of the other paths. From Beatty to Big Pine (no gas between) is about 140 miles. I've ridden this on my Norge many times, but you'll have to decide what two-up on the V7 will be capable of.

Another alternative is to head out early from Las Vegas and go through Death Valley - it will still be cool enough if you're there mid-morning. Come out the west side and pick up 395 and then overnight somewhere like Big Pine. If you leave Las Vegas at about 7, you'll be at Furnace Creek about 9 - and out of the valley by 10:30, maybe 11 if you take a break at Furnace Creek. Personally, this is the route I'd take, as 395 is a way more pleasant road than US 95.

BTW, US 93 will not be less hot than 95, and will just add more boring miles to the mix. The elevation in the west is what makes the difference.

[Lcarlson]

Yes. Very true. I've lived in Tucson my entire life and know the dangers of the desert very well. Depending on the forecast, we may have to leave Vegas before dawn. We will hydrate at every stop and knowing my passenger, that will be at least every rest stop.

Lcarlson, the first 120 miles from Vegas (to Beatty) seems similar to your trip, but will 500 more feet of elevation. Hopefully the temps will be a bit more mild last week of May.

Yes Pazzmore -- didn't catch that you were a native of Tucson and would definitely know the desert. As a life-long Easterer, I lacked the respect that it demands. Won't make that mistake again. Have a great trip....

[twowings]

If it's *really* hot, wear a long sleeve t or even sweat shirt under your riding jacket. Wet it down, and stop when ever it starts to dry out to wet it again. Drink drink drink. Add electrolytes with Gatorade or some such.

Another alternative to clothing under jacket: 

http://coloradocoolwear.com/Coolvests.htm

Best advice and money I ever spent on staying cool! 

[Arizona Wayne]

If you ride up to Reno on 395 motels will cost a LOT more than if you ride up via Tonopah.