2 MID-LIFE CYCLISTS IN A MOTORHOME: May 2016

The South Rim of the grand Canyon

Well the first part of May flew by in a flurry of decorating activity and excitement at our forthcoming trip to Las Vegas for Darryl and Lisa's wedding. We also managed to squeeze a week away up north, visiting Glynn's mum in Sheffield before carrying on for a flying visit with several of our friends who we met in Goa, visiting Matlock, Liverpool, Leigh and Colne before a quick lunch visit in Huddersfield with my Aunt Madeline. It was my first proper visit north of Sheffield and I must say I was very impressed. I enjoyed Liverpool which surprised me as I'm not really a city girl and the countryside around Colne was spectacular. At one point I almost got vertigo we were so high! I will definitely have to go back again and spend more time there. It was a hectic week and we were shattered when we got home. Only 4 days until we fly to Vegas!

12th May. A 4am start for us as we we set off with Darryl and Lisa for Gatwick airport to meet every one else. There were 12 of us travelling on the same flight so there was a real party atmosphere. I had made no secret of the fact that Las Vegas was not a place I would ever have visited if it wasn't for my son's wedding but having been advised by many friends that it is so much more than a place just for gamblers and having done lots of research I was actually quite excited. The flight seemed to go really fast and we were soon stood in a lovely 2 hour queue for customs!! We can't complain about security but it was a great relief to finally get out in the sunshine and feel the heat. The only way to travel in Vegas seems to be in enormous limousines so we piled in to two limos outside the airport and headed for our hotel. The Aria hotel was amazing and the bed, well let's just say I didn't know beds could be that comfortable. As Vegas is 8 hours behind we decided to fight the fatigue and with one last look of longing at the bed we all set off to a local restaurant for dinner before exploring the strip.

New York New York

15th May. The last 3 days have been amazing. We have wandered the length of the strip in both directions exploring inside the hotels and then in the afternoons we chilled by the pool at the hotel. We watched the amazing fountain display at the Bellagio hotel, we explored the Luxor, Caesars Palace, Paris Las Vegas, the Venetian and Treasure Island. It is hard to explain how incredible the inside of these hotels are with each hotel being similar in size to a UK shopping Centre. On our second night in Vegas we went to the Omnia night club in Caesars Palace to see Calvin Harris live which was absolutely outstanding. The music was fantastic and I danced until 3.30am .

My feet were so sore I walked home barefoot clutching my shoes like a teenager. Absolutely worth every penny we spent getting tickets. It just goes to show that even at 54 years old you can still party like the young ones and we were surprised to find we were the last to get home!

Welcome to Las Vegas!

Today was the hen and stag do's. Altogether there were 17 of us with 3 friends that were already in Vegas and the best man James and his wife Katie who arrived today. Scott and Nina, two of Darryl's friends, asked us to be in reception for 5pm as they had arranged a surprise and much to everyone's delight they had organised an enormous Hummer limousine to drive us out to the Las Vegas sign where we had lots of photos taken before we were dropped at a restaurant. After sharing a meal the guys and gals parted company and the girls set off for the Coyote Ugly bar where I was encouraged to enjoy a few shots before being invited on to the bar to dance with the bride to be. You are never too old to have fun!! My ability to drink shots and party has clearly diminished with age and at midnight I was ready for home. A fabulous day but time for some sleep!

Full of anticipation!!

16th May. Today we had booked to fly in a light aircraft to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. I cannot put in to words how excited I was. After a 1 hour flight we landed at the canyon and boarded a bus to take us to the canyon edge. As promised by the tour operator the south rim was truly the most spectacular sight I have ever seen and we enjoyed a fantastic afternoon taking photos from various points along the rim. It was an amazing day and there was the added bonus of flying over Hoover dam as well as the canyon before we landed. We arrived back in Vegas at 7pm so we decided we wanted to see a Cirque du Soleil show and managed to get tickets to see Mystére at Treasure Island.

The South Rim of the Grand Canyon

After a mad dash up the strip which involved Glynn hailing a taxi at the traffic lights we managed to get to the theatre just in time. The show was spectacular and rounded off a truly awesome day.

17th May. Wedding day!! Breaking with the tradition of the bride and groom not seeing each other we all went out for a wedding breakfast. As the wedding ceremony wasn't until 5pm we had plenty of time to go shopping afterwards and then relax before getting ready. Darryl was banished to the best man's room so that he wouldn't see Lisa's prepartions.

That's my boy!!

We met in reception at 4pm where we were transported to the Chapel of Flowers in a huge limousine. It was quite amusing trying to have our photos taken without squinting as we had all failed to bring our sunglasses and the sun was very strong. Darryl had been calm and composed throughout but when Lisa arrived looking absolutely stunning I welled up, the best man did too and that finally broke Darryl's calm composure as he was seen to surreptitiously wipe away a tear or two! The ceremony was lovely and after all the photos had been taken we headed to the restaurant for the wedding meal.

The happy couple!

After canapés in the courtyard we enjoyed a leisurely meal in the dining hall before we headed back to the strip. We watched the water fountain display outside the Bellagio hotel before strolling further along the strip and taking the lift up to the Eiffel Tower for drinks. we went up and down in the lift 3 times because every time the doors opened at the top it looked like we were in the kitchen of the restaurant. When we eventually realised we were in the right place we fell out of the lift laughing as we had waved high to the kitchen staff each time the doors had opened and closed and felt slightly silly when we finally exited the lift in front of them.

Fun on the strip.

When we headed back down to the strip loads of people were calling out congratulations to Darryl and Lisa and cars hooted their horns. It was such a chilled wedding celebration and everyone agreed it had been a wonderful day. We eventually ended up back at the Aria hotel on the craps table which was fascinating to watch. It was a fantastic day and at 2am we headed for bed as we had an early start tomorrow.

18th May. Nine of us had booked to go on a quad bike tour through the Valley of Fire so I was super excited when the mini bus picked us up at 8am.

Super excited waiting for the off!

We had picked this particular tour because it allowed the guys to race at their own speed rather than a sedate tour as they are all highly competent riders. Us ladies rode at a slightly less dangerous speed but we met up with the guys for a drink stop and then lunch. The scenery was breathtaking and I was so engrossed in my surroundings I nearly came off a couple of times when I hit a pothole and bounced in the air. It was a fantastic morning and everyone had a great time.

As we fly home tomorrow we all went out together for our last night in Vegas and after a lovely meal we headed to the craps tables again where I was happy to watch the fun, still trying to understand the more complex rules of the game.

Panoramic of the Valley of Fire

Lunch break at the Valley of fire

20th May. With the time difference we left Las Vegas at 4pm yesterday and landed at Gatwick at 10am this morning. Everyone agreed they'd had a fantastic time. I can't explain how amazing the hotels in Las Vegas are, you have to see it for yourself. I was amazed at how many people were gambling on the tables and slot machines at 4 am when we got back from seeing Calvin Harris at 3.30am but I was even more surprised by how many people were gambling at 9am when we went out for breakfast. It was a crazy but fascinating place and everyone was right when they said it is so much more than just a gambling den. The trip to the Grand Canyon and the quad bike riding through the Valley of Fire were amongst the top things I have ever done. Absolutely unforgettable. Dancing to Calvin Harris made me feel like a teenager again, bringing back memories of my clubbing days and I finally got to see a Cirque du Soleil show so that's another thing ticked off my list.

One of the ceilings in Caesers Palace.

The hotels are like tourist attractions themselves and you can spend a few days just enjoying walking through them. It was very emotional watching my son get married and to see him and Lisa so happy. I am immensely proud of what a fine man he has become (not that I'm biased!!). Now it's time to pack the motorhome up ready to head off in 5 days so the newlyweds can have the house to themselves!!

25th May. Well it was a slightly stressful start to the day. We left home at 4am and headed for Eurotunnel. Glynn opened the drivers window at the barrier to get our ticket and then it wouldn't close. In the half hour wait for boarding Glynn was dismantling the door trying to see what was wrong to no avail. He tried the button again but accidentally pressed it the wrong way and the last bit of window disappeared out of sight. We now had to make a quick decision whether to abort the train and head to a garage. We were so excited to finally be back in the motorhome that we decided to risk it and look for a garage in France. Glynn drove on to the train before trying the window once more and to our absolute delight and relief it was working again. It goes without saying that the window will remain firmly closed until we return to England at the end of September. When we disembarked in France we drove through beautiful French countryside to a lovely Aire at Marboué where we enjoyed a supper of French cheese and wine. Bliss. As we were still a bit jet lagged from Vegas we opted for an early night.

28th May. We have spent the last 2 days at Parc Verger catching up with our friends Ken & Steph who live there and Linda & Alan who bought a house just up the road last year. We got the bikes out and did a lovely 15km loop to Oradour Sur Vayres, Cussac and then back on the very hilly roads. Anyone visiting this area who prefers a more sedate ride can enjoy the wonderful cycle route that passes through the village and is almost flat as it was originally the train line but has now been converted to a lovely cycle/walking route. For some reason we opted to do the hilly roads!!

As always a trip to Parc Verger wouldn't be the same without my giant paella pan making an appearance and as usual the 6 of us made light work of the 12 portion paella before following it with a gorgeous strawberry tart courtesy of Steph.

Mimizan Plage

Today we set off again on our journey south and stopped at Mimizan plage heliport Aire. It was a fabulous spot with only a sand dune between us and a gorgeous beach. We went for a lovely walk along the coastline enjoying the scenery before we retired for the evening to cook dinner and play cards.

29th May. It was a slightly wet start to the day but after it cleared we cycled to Mimizan town, a fabulous ride mainly on cycle paths. We then cycled round to Aureilhan Lac where we discovered a beautiful flowered walkway on the edge of the lake (sadly I managed to lose all the photos I took when I transferred them to my computer!!). It was such a beautiful place that we were reluctant to leave but it was time for lunch so we stopped at the local bakery for a lovely loaf of bread before cycling back. A carb fuelled lunch meant we had little energy for anything all afternoon but we did manage a lovely walk along the beach before dinner and then enjoyed an after dinner game of crib which I won.

At San Sebastian

31st May. Yesterday, with rain clouds shadowing our journey, we crossed in to Spain and headed for San Sebastián. It eventually stopped raining long enough for us to enjoy a lovely 7 km walk in to the town before the rain returned. The northern coast of Spain and right round to the Portuguese border is reported to be stunning and we had several places marked on our map en route to Portugal including a stop at the Aire at Cabárceno in the Picos de Europa national park which overlooks the animal park where, from the comfort of your motorhome, elephants can be seen roaming the vast space. After checking the long range forecast this morning we decided to head towards Pamplona rather than along the northern coast as originally planned. The temperatures in the Picos de Europa were forecast to drop as low as 3° at night and rain seemed to be the dominant weather feature for the northern coastline for some time to come.

Pamplona

We planned a new route from Pamplona going via Burgos and Palencia to enter Portugal at Miranda do Douro and decided we would look at visiting northern Spain on our return journey in September. The scenery was absolutely spectacular as our route climbed high in to the forested mountains and looked down on deep valleys that were like a patchwork quilt of fields with houses scattered around in little groups. It really is a stunning area and I spent the entire journey enjoying the amazing view. When we got to Pamplona we parked at the Aire and then cycled in to the city.

Pamplona

Pamplona, which was named after the Roman emperor Pompei, is most famous for the Festival de San Fermin (the running of the Bulls) which takes place in July every year and consists of daily bull runs and street parties, music, dancing, great food and fireworks. The Spanish certainly know how to put on a show and you can almost sense an atmosphere of anticipation as July draws closer. We had a great ride around the city, it was a lovely clean place with lots of green space and the river Arga meandering through its centre. There were many beautiful buildings and we managed to clock up nearly 17kms by the time we got back to the Aire.

One of the fishermen

It had been a very enjoyable visit but we decided to head on to Logrono rather than stay at the Aire for the night. Again we passed through more stunning scenery, less mountainous but no less beautiful. As we neared Logrono we were entering the Rioja wine region and this was borne out by the changing landscape as crop fields shared their space with the regimented rows of vines that signified vineyards. The Aire at Logrono was in a car park adjacent to a huge lake with a great walking and cycling track around it. There were several old men fishing from the banks and we could see numerous fish jumping out the water, almost as if they were keeping an eye on where the fishermen were!!

The Lake at Logrono

Between the Aire and the lake was a lovely little wooded area with wooden picnic tables scattered throughout the space. The French and Spanish certainly make an effort with their outdoor areas as this is something we have witnessed throughout our travels. We have often come across picnic tables in the most random places. It was a great place to spend the night and if we hadn't been so hungry we would have got the bikes out and explored further but we decided to opt for dinner and a bottle of wine as we watched the sunset.

Well it has been an eventful month. Seeing the new house start to transform was very satisfying and then squeezing in the short but sweet trip up north was great. I must say that the trip to Las Vegas exceeded all my expectations, seeing my son get married, the fabulous trip to the Grand Canyon and the stunning scenery as we raced quads through the Valley of Fire! What is not to love! Because our last motorhoming trip was cut short it has actually been 9 months since we toured in Herman so we are really excited to be heading in the direction of Portugal and look forward to exploring some amazing places on our bikes.