Limbimtimwim takes a mighty dump on the US of A

**Kendog** · 27th May 2009, 22:33

Good on ya for doing this.

Keep up the photos and reporting.

**Fatjim** · 28th May 2009, 19:11

Glad to hear you landed safely. Did they anal probe you or couldn't you find the right box to tick for that?

PS, get rid of that front tyre, it'll spit you off without warning!

**Crasherfromwayback** · 28th May 2009, 19:45

Originally Posted by Fatjim

PS, get rid of that front tyre, it'll spit you off without warning!

Bullshit. You'll hear the sound of grinding metal and plastic as a warning sound 100th of a sec before you hit the deck. I know these things.

**Fatjim** · 28th May 2009, 20:01

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Bullshit. You'll hear the sound of grinding metal and plastic as a warning sound 100th of a sec before you hit the deck. I know these things.

I thought falsies were made of resin and wire.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 28th May 2009, 20:06

Originally Posted by Fatjim

I thought falsies were made of resin and wire.

Watch yaself mate. I'm 75kg's worth of bad attitude. And despite that...I've still got all of my own teeth.

**Drew** · 28th May 2009, 20:12

Originally Posted by Crasherfromwayback

Watch yaself mate. I'm 75kg's worth of bad attitude. And despite that...I've still got all of my own teeth.

Bullshit Pete, you couldn't weigh more than 60kg's.

**Crasherfromwayback** · 28th May 2009, 20:16

Originally Posted by Drew

Bullshit Pete, you couldn't weigh more than 60kg's.

You're correct. I do weight 60kgs. Add 15 for my balls and Pedro = 75

**limbimtimwim** · 30th May 2009, 05:40

So I left Capitola for LA to travel along the California coastal highway. Unfortunately it was misty and cold (I was wishing for my leather pants damnit..) so photo ops were not really in abundance. There wasn't much to take photos of except the mist.\

I also knew I was going to be pushed for time and couldn't mess around too much. It's 570km from Capitola to Santa Monica where I had booked for the night.

This is a bit of a shame, but the whole point of this trip for me is the travel, not so much the destination.

The coast road has lots of nice twists and turns, you go inland for awhile (Where the weather is better) and get to see some peaks up above you. The weather was really nice in a place called Big Sur. One place had set up deck chairs in the river.

The road is mostly two lanes, sometimes lapsing into a four lane freeway, but mostly something you could see in NZ. One un-expected thing was seeing hundreds of people working in the fields. You could smell they were picking strawberries.

Eventually the road turns into minor freeway into massive freeway and it got dark. Six lanes plus in each direction was quite fantastic. I stuck to the middleish lanes and tried to concerntrate on counting down the exit numbers since that is how I knew where to get off. There were plenty of motels on the side of the freeway though with massive signs.

Then it was quite a crap hostel, but the people in the dorm room where cool. A French law student and a Russian girl who had just got off the plane from Samara.

**ajturbo** · 30th May 2009, 06:42

keep it up matey.....

**elle-f** · 30th May 2009, 07:01

I am enjoying reading these. Be safe young man.

**Deano** · 30th May 2009, 07:14

Originally Posted by limbimtimwim

I stuck to the middleish lanes and tried to concerntrate on counting down the exit numbers since that is how I knew where to get off.

Hey you've picked up a Merkin accent already.

Originally Posted by limbimtimwim

Then it was quite a crap hostel, but the people in the dorm room where cool. A French law student and a Russian girl who had just got off the plane from Samara.

Have fun Simon.

**limbimtimwim** · 30th May 2009, 19:03

Okay, from LA my next stop was Las Vegas.

For some reason before I left I wanted to see the infamous Viper Room and Rodeo Drive. So I found the Viper room and took a photo. It looks like the sort of place you'd go to if you were a local and quite innocuous.

Then Rodeo drive. I found a great angle where I could have got a photo the De Beers shop and a Rodeo Drive street sign, it would have been a perfect example of excess. However, where said photo could be taken from was marked as 'Clearway for a special event'. But I was cheeky and stopped anyway. But I didn't even manage to stop the engine before a police car came out of no where and made a loud noise at me. That's some effective policework.

Oh well, then to Venice Beach so I could make a point of going from coast to coast. Unfortunately the bastardages charge parking... So cheap person I am I went down the road a bit and found another way onto the beach with enough space to park the bike. And I took a photo.

Then it was onto the freeway and out of LA. The freeway again just blew me away. There are thousands of people, all speeding going about their lives around you. I think people who live in LA must spend a lot of time in their cars. They are all on the phone or having a dispute with the person in the passenger seat. Did I mention they are all speeding? In their 3 tonne Dodge Ram trucks? On the phone? I kid you not; I had the speedometer reading 100mp/h and I was not the fastest guy there. Every bike I have seen on the freeway in LA cut up the traffic and went much faster than everyone else. So I do occasionally get some incredulous looks from people who are (I think) wondering why I am also not behaving the same. Either that or the fact I also the only guy wearing proper gear.

More on freeways: You may have wondered about the american obsession with big engined cars with soft suspension. I did until now. It's quite simple really; they are a response to a need. Firstly, the onramps onto the freeways are all too short and the traffic is going fast. So you really have to gun it to match the speed of the traffic. Secondly, that soft suspension is also useful; because well used freeways are really fucking lumpy. Endless low-frequency undulations would drive you crazy in a properly suspended vehicle.

Anyway, the road to LV is spectacular. Initially I was just in awe of how big LA is and how it seemed to never stop. And the endless low-rise shopping malls, one after the other with massive signs so they are visible from the freeway. And each mall had the same things in it; Subway, McShit, Taco Bell, , over and over again. You could be forgiven for thinking there were no other companies in the US. I found it quite odd. Surreal. A massive difference from the Highway 1 type of landscape, which is dominated by scenery, this is dominated by humanity.

When LA looked like it had finally run out I let out a few whoops of joy as the hot dry desert expanded in-front of me.. I even stopped and took a picture. But alas, it was not to be, because the stupid malls started up again. It also got very hot. 103/39.5 degrees in fact.

At 80mp/h you'd expect that speed to take the heat out anything, but I was wrong. And there were no rest stops, except for these stupid malls. The scenery has spectacular rock formations. And massive valleys. When I saw a sign telling me that there was a rest stop 20 *miles* away I was a bit shocked. Not 200 metres, 20 MILES. Pretty good rest stop though, it had staff keeping it tidy and icey cold water from drinking fountains. Nice.

It's quite a bit of road, I would encourage anyone who wants to visit LV take the road out from LA.

So eventually I get to LV and book myself into a hostel and go for a walk. It's exactly when I expected, a big cliche.

Twice I heard fat kids say "Look mom! Half off " and the parent reply in the affirmative.

Don't get me wrong, the place has a certain charm.

The scale of what they attempt here has to be appreciated. The hotels are massive, the big screens outside advertising their current shows would make a stadium feel jealous. The amount of coloured lights are insane. The blatant attempts to part you with your money are hilarious. Like the part of the casino which is by a pool and staffed only by attractive young woman in not-much clothes. Or the 'looser slots' billboard for the Hooters casino that of course features a hooters employee. Or the way you have to work your way past all the machines and tables to get a bite to eat.

I think if I spent more time in LV I could love it as long as I kept laughing...

**Zapf** · 30th May 2009, 21:39

Hay LBTW,
Are you going into Utah? pass the salt lake and into the mountains? (http://www.speedace.info/bonneville_salt_flats.htm) I was flying into Utha 2 months ago and the mountains are unreal, I wished I had transport to explorer around that place. Plus you get to visit the HQ of the Mormon church in SLC. (they gave me a nice tour :P )

Zapf