I woke up after no issues during the night and well in time to leave before the car show started drawing too much attention. At some point I remember another van parking next to me, but they left early morning, so I only had a groggy glance at them and remember their voices. I used the bathroom in the casino, trying me best not to look like I just woke up (my hair didn’t help the situation). I was happy to be up early so I could get riding before it got too hot. I drove five miles west (back through Boulder) to the Railway Pass Hotel and Casino where there was a trailhead to the Bootleg Canyon trails. This casino definitely allowed RV parking, but the carpark was not as nice, so I was happy with last night’s choice.

I had breakfast at the trailhead while I wondered if I was missing something. Everyone else riding by was on road bikes. Hmmm, I’m pretty sure there are MTB trails?! After breakfast, I fixed the flats on the bike, put some lube on the chain, got dressed and packed, then got riding. I climbed up “Earnie’s” and I won’t lie, most of the loose rock climbs kicked my arse, but the terrain was unique and coloured all sorts of browns, reds and whites. If I wasn’t riding over loose chunks of rock, it was jagged boulders or sand. All of it amongst desert brush on a hillside. The climbing (and hike-a-bike) continued when I turned onto “Mothers”, but as I climbed, I could see the city of Vegas below me. I’d enjoyed it last time I visited, but I had no desire to go there again. It really looks more spectacular at night. During the day, it just looks like a huge expanse of concrete in a dry landscape. Not a single tree in sight. “Mothers” had some good descents over rocky technical sections that got me in the mood. I was happy to have started early. It wasn’t even 10am yet and my whole body was glistening with sweat.

I met a few hikers at the top of “Mothers”, they must have come a long way to get there. They looked about as surprised to see me as I was to see them. One of the best trails of this section was “Inner Caldera”. It climbed, not gently, but doabled, then descended fast and flowy, with lots of loose and rigid rocks to maintain a challenge of staying upright. Towards the bottom of Caldera, there was another rider above me, he was on the “Outer Caldera” loop. I kept snatching glances at where he was as I sped through the last section since I was sure our paths would cross. They did, but he was ahead of me by the time I got there, so no risk of collision. He’d stopped so I did so too and we chatted. Steve is a British retiree that travels around the US in an RV with his wife for six months out of every year. They store it the rest of the time. That’s what he said when I asked if he was local since he seemed to know the trails. As I tightened my now-loose seat, he explained that his pick of descents from this point was “Girl Scout”. That recommendation was good enough for me, I said I would follow him down. I let him get a head start, then followed. The trail was a great choice. It was fast and had some great rocky bits that kept me awake. Really fun. About half way down, I realised I wanted to ask Steve about his visa situation. How could he travel to the US for 6 months every year? Maybe he could tell me more about my application process. And so I chased, hoping he’d wait at the trail end. I’d caught up to him by the end and he was waiting.

We chatted some more and he explained that eight years ago he’d applied for a ten-year tourist visa that allows visits to the country for six months at a time (after which, you have to be out of the country for six months). He confirmed what I suspected, that the biggest contributor to success is having the money to support your trip. Good to know. Steve mentioned that he really enjoys the Lake View loops at the bottom of the trail network, so I followed him over there. We started on “Middle Lake View”, which was full of whoop-de-whoops and wide berms and the best view of Lake Mead. From there, we completed the loop on “Lower Lake View”. Each time we stopped, we would chat some more. At one point we were stopped looking up at the peak of the mountain range behind us. Steve told me that riders come from all over to ride off the top of it, where there is no trail, only steep rock, a feat that is rated at 9/10, where 10/10 means you will most certainly die. We kept our eyes peeled, but unfortunately didn’t see anyone attempting the feat and we definitely weren’t going to!

Steve was camped at a campground not far from the Lake View trails, so he peeled off after we’d chatted even more and he gave me more trail suggestions to get me back to my car. Such a great guy, was awesome to chat and ride with him. I rode back the way I’d come to the Lake View trailhead, where Giant were doing bike demos. I reckon if you were travelling around to mountain bike and was happy to only ride weekends, you could get away with riding on demo bikes!

I took Steve’s advice and head west on “IMBA”, then instead of another climb on “Mother”, I elected to descend down to the road on “POW”. I was out of water and it was nearly midday, so I’d been out in the canyon for a good four hours, ready to get back to base. “POW” was a great end, another flowy, fast trail with rocky sections and a view down into the valley of the desert beyond the highway. I hit the very popular cycling track and turned west to follow it back to the casino. On the way, a tourist train tooted their horn and the operators waved as they went past. Before getting to the casino, I was chuffed to pass two road-riders on their fancy carbon bikes and lycra jerseys. Pfft.

It was HOT. When I opened the car doors, I was hit with a wave of heat and a bit of a funny smell (maybe from my bin). I put the bike on the roof, then used the casino bathroom, the whole time feeling over-exposed to the sun as I walked across the broken tarmac. Everything in the desert looks faded. The buildings, the landscape, all from the white light of the sun. I decided I needed a shower, so I reversed my car into a corner of the carpark, set up the tarp and did my thing. Same as before with the water bottles, very effective and I don’t think I drew too much attention.

My back was hurting after the ride, so I was on for a lie down and I definitely needed some food and shade. I remembered driving past a shady park on the way to Hoover Dam yesterday, so I headed back to Boulder City. I found the park and it looked almost oasis-like amid the faded desert town. The grass was tall and green and there was even a shady spot to park the car. I set myself up on my Thai mat with lunch and my book. Once I’d finished lunch, Chantelle (who I met at the Austin GP) messaged me and it reminded me that I still hadn’t watched the Mexican GP. My phone’s data plan was up today, so I figured I’d watch it and burn up all my remaining internet. I skimmed through qualifying then watched the race, skimming over a few laps in the middle so that my laptop battery would last until the end. And what an end it was! How controversial! Apart from my serenity being interrupted by a local gardner doing the rounds (whipper-snipping and mowing the lawn) at a nearby house, it was a very relaxing way to spend my afternoon. All of the locals that came past gave me a hello and a smile. On top of that, my back was feeling better after lying on flat ground stretching it out.

I was a bit indecisive of what to do at this point. I think I was over the desert. It is just such a barren landscape, I struggle to find beauty in it, especially when the sun is hanging over your head and in your face all day, relentless. I decided to get some grocery shopping done (another 99c store!) and bought some oil and a filter for an upcoming oil change. Following that, I was keen for camp and I didn’t fancy another night in a casino carpark, so I head west to Red Rock Canyon where I planned to do another day of riding and maybe some hiking. I skirted the highways south of the city to get there. I didn’t have much patience for camp finding, so I drove into a spot that was marked as “Private, No Trespassing”. There was a small water plant on the site, but two dirt roads leading away from it with small alcoves. There was evidence of previous camping and I was invisible to people on the road, so I figured no one would care.

I caught up on expenses, had left overs for dinner and actually rugged up against the slight cold. Compared to the warmth of last night, it was a surprise. I will have to get used to all of this fluctuation!