US trip: Cars and bikes... and time for Rampage!

In Vegas we had met up with a friend of ours from back in Canberra. While we were still early into our trip, Margus was towards the tail end of his holiday so we had a lot to catch up on! From Vegas, Margus would join us for a couple of days—and was also coming along to Red Bull Rampage. So with the promise of seeing some quilting shops later in our journey, I agreed to let the boys have some fun before we left Vegas... they had found a place called Dream Racing where they could hire very fast cars, and drive them as quick as they could around a race track!

Al with his instructor for the day

Al and Margus had an absolute blast with the sports cars... and with big grins on their faces, it was time to get into our rental cars and continue on the journey. Next overnight stop: Toquerville, Utah. While we didn't have a long distance to cover that day, we were crossing our first time-zone and losing an hour, and we also had to get to our destination a certain time to collect a rental bike for Margus. But of course, we also wanted to squeeze in some sightseeing... so we set our route to Toquerville via the Valley of Fires.

Al and Margus at Valley of Fires, Nevada

There was in incredible vibrancy and intensity to the colour in the Valley of Fires, and you could quickly tell how the valley got its name. We did a couple of short walks, but with time quickly ticking over we had to skip more than we would have liked. This place is somewhere well worth visiting again!

We managed to get to the bike shop just in time to collect Margus's rental (Al and I didn't need bikes as we'd managed to get Rampage tickets that included a shuttle to the event area). After a quick dinner we headed out to find the venue for Rampage and managed to get ourselves sorted for the next day. It was actually happening!

Early the next day we piled in the one car and headed to Virgin Utah, only 15 minutes from our accommodation in Toquerville. The day was finally here... Red Bull Rampage 2017!! And what a day it was... the tricks and stunts, the venue, the riders, the bikes, the atmosphere, the excitement in the air. I don't think you could have wiped the smiles of Al and my faces if you'd tried!

The 2017 winner, Kurt Sorge

At the end of the event Al and I both managed to get photos with our idols, and previous winners of Rampage. The event is something I don't think I'll ever forget, and was definitely worth getting up at 4am to get tickets for. To see live what some people can achieve on a bike, absolutely inspiring. And while I'm not about to do those sort of stunts myself, its awesome to watch!

Al with Rampage icon, Kyle Strait

It was amazing what these bikes and their riders could do!

The day was certainly a massive highlight of our US trip... but we still had a few things booked in that we were really looking forward to!

More on the trip next time x

US trip: A Valley, Vegas and Virgin

Finally getting back to my blog and continuing to tell the story of our journey across the US... it's been a busy Christmas and New Year period and unfortunately I had to get straight back into work. I've got so much to write about so let's keep going with the trip and then I'll share some other things :)

Our trip so far had been spectacular, but it had then been dark driving into Bishop. When we woke up, we could clearly see the landscape had changed dramatically from what we had seen in Yosemite and surrounds. Our destination for that evening: Las Vegas. And to get there, we would be going through Death Valley National Park.

The ground became drier and dustier as we entered Death Valley National Park, and we really started to feel like we were in the middle of nowhere. Al's stories in the car changed from mountain lions (which where going to emerge any minute while we were driving through Tioga Pass) to cowbows, westerns and coyotes.

We happened upon Rainbow Canyon where there were a few cars parked so we figured it would be a good spot to stretch the legs. After wondering around we noticed a few people on camper chairs with cameras... turns out military fighter plane exercises are conducted in this area, giving the area the nickname of Star Wars Canyon. Sadly, we didn't get to see any planes go through the canyon—and instead left the professionals to continue their waiting game and continued on, soon stopping at another canyon... this time Mosaic Canyon. This had taken a bit of research, and was slightly off the main track but definitely worth the stop. I think in the middle of summer it would have been unbearably hot, but it's an impressive walk and you don't have to go far to see the best the canyon has to offer.

Al and I walking through Mosaic Canyon

 Not far from Mosaic Canyon are the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes... these dunes just seemed so odd yet incredible in the middle of this desert. We walked around taking it all in (my shoes also took a lot in!) and again I was thankful for the time of year we were visiting as hate to imagine how hot the sand would get in the peak of summer!

Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes

Our last stretch stop was Zabriskie Point. If time had allowed there were so many places away from the main road we would have loved to have seen, but we contented ourselves with the tourist spots that were easily accessible. Zabriskie Point certainly didn't disappoint though... the colours and shapes of the rocks, the formations and the creases—both Al and I played with the angles as we practiced our photography skills!

Zabriskie Point

And finally, we were on the home stretch to Vegas. We only spent one night at Las Vegas as it was really just a transition, and for me one night was enough. I was excited to see the Bellagio fountains and for one night to see what the buzz of Vegas was about... but the next couple of days held far more excitement as far as I was concerned!

Dancing fountains at Bellagio, Las Vegas

More on the trip next time x