Day 9- June 30

Day 9: June 30th
We don’t ride at all today. A welcome rest for my battered behind and nerve damaged hands. It also gives my wife some time to cool off and rehydrate. There’s a McDonald’s in the casino so we eat a cheap breakfast.
Ceci is still doing poorly at the slots, but so far I’m winning most of it back. Until the afternoon anyway. I try my luck at the roulette wheel and an hour later I’m down over $50. Fortunately my better half’s luck turns at the same time, and cuts our total losses to twenty or thirty dollars. Not too bad.
In 1996 I attempted to ride my then brand new Bandit across the country in July. I was not so well equipped as I am now, and the heat was really getting to me. I whimped out. In Kingman, Arizona I rented a Ryder truck to get me and the Bandit across the desert and through Death Valley. It was 120 degrees in Kingman then, and the dry heat was making breathing a painful experience. I knew I couldn’t take the 140 degree temps in Death Valley. This time it is about twenty degrees cooler and I’m pretty sure I can make it. I have been hoping since we left to avenge my previous failure. I tell Ceci repeatedly we’re going to make it this time. It’s not going to happen though. I still think I can do it, but I’ll lose my wife in the attempt. She was definitely into heat exhaustion yesterday, Death Valley would be guaranteed heat stroke. Together we will exercise the better part of valor and live to ride another day.
It takes two calls to housekeeping to get a copy of the yellow pages so we can look for a rental truck. Again, this isn’t the best hotel on the strip.
Andrew and I renew a long air hockey rivalry. I am a bit rusty. Ceci will play air hockey with me occasionally, but only so I can regain some of my manhood after she emasculates me at the bowling alley. I lose the first game to Andrew badly. I fear a quick sweep in our latest version of the Stanley Cup finals. I had nothing to fear. The rust comes off and I beat Andrew handily in the next four games. Victory is mine!
We let Andrew’s wife Mila pick the show for the evening. She chooses Jubilee at Bally’s. It is the same show I saw when I was here 12 years ago. We get seats at tables up front, right next to the stage. I don’t think the show has changed much over the years, only the intermission acts are noticeably different. Well, the dancers seem to have changed a bit too, as the quantity and quality of boobs on display seems to have increased dramatically. I’m not going to complain about that. The women aren’t complaining either, so apparently the show is artistic enough. Good times.
Most importantly, we are doing a good job of recovering from our hot grueling ride. We take a cab to get down the strip so as not to waste our energy . Ceci’s color is beginning to return to normal. Some rest and relaxation among friends is just what the Dr. ordered.
We also manage to lighten our load considerably, as we had both overpacked somewhat. Andrew agrees to haul a good sized bag of stuff back with him to San Diego; he’ll mail it to us when we return home. That’ll free up some more room for souvenirs and the tie down straps that will need to be purchased to secure the bike in the U-haul we will rent to get across the valley.
I am starting to rework the itinerary that blew out of my tank bag, but there is a problem. Ceci wants to try to meet up with her brother and stepmom in Ohio later on. My original had us getting there in time to catch her brother, who will only be passing through on his way west. My new itinerary is going to get us there 2 days late. I’m not sure what is different. I must have had us doing some crazy long days. Messing around with the U-Haul is also going to cost us a bit of time. I’m going to have to try and find some way to gain some time somewhere.
We don’t even look at our bikes today.