I took my 53-mile "Big Rectangle" bike ride to a new level by pedaling that two-wheel Surly Pugsley monster.
Man, that bike is a steal-framed, single-speed beast.
But if you hve spent time on a bicycle, you know that bicycling is emotional and mental as much as it is physical.
And last night I biked the Pugsley on pavement and had the bike juices flowing to take that Pugsley out for a bike route I normally take with my road bike.
Las Vegas is a bread-and-circus burg with a one-trick pony economy. The entertainment/tourism marriage rules every public policy decision, which is why there's few iconic public attractions because county commissioners and other elected officials are subservient to the corporate hotel companies, not the locals.
The Strip is a Hollyood facade, buffered by parallel roads slicing through poor shopping centers and suitcase city apartment complexes. Most of Las Vegas is a sprawl of suburban subdivisions with khaki-colored houses shoehorned into small lots.
Downtown Las Vegas was slowing improving thanks to Tony Hsieh's generosity, but now downtown's focus has switched from Fremont Street to the Arts District.
I speak from observation thanks to my eyewitness views from the seat of a bicycle.
It's 17 miles from my little tiny home out in the Red Rock hinterlands to the Raiders NFL stadium across the interstate from Mandalay Bay. Here's a video of my bike ride at the stadium, which hosts the Raiders-Bears game Sunday afternoon. The Southern Nevada public is paying more than $1.3 billion in debt over 30 years for the $750 million it contributed to help the Raiders build their domed stadium. That stadium construction budget was $1.4 billion, the major part of the overall $2 billion project, which included other expenses like land purchases, professional costs and equipment gear.
At 8 AM, the soushi chefs and cooking staffs were strolling into the Raiders stadium to do their culinary magic for tomorrow's 60,000 fans at the Raiders-Bears game.
Then it was off to the A's stadium construction site on the Strip at the old Tropicana hotel-casino site. Southern Nevada is contributing $380 million to that A's stadium construction budget, though the A's say they will use only $350 millon of the $380 million.
I had a good laugh when the security person said no photos. Well, if I'm on a public sidewalk I will be taking photos.
Over the exit, a couple of fellas were chatting.
Here are some other views from a nearby hotel parking garage:
The bike tour then went to Koval Lane and the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix building, which is the start and nerve center for the big road race event Nov. 20-22.
Across the street from the fancy F1 pit building is a dirt walking area, which leads one to ask, "Why is there no sidewalk on one of the busier roads in the Strip area?" Well, that's Clark County government, which has the "Anthing Goes" approach to planning.
Click here for a video of bicycling on the dirt along Koval Lane. I don't understand how Clark County commissioners and staff allow unpaved areas for tourists and walkers to use along Koval. And where there is a sidewalk, you have to navigate through the F1 light mounts that have already been installed.
I bicycled over to the Strip where Flamingo Road hits Las Vegas Boulevard. It's about 9 AM and things are quiet.
Eventually, I bicycled past the Palazzo and Wynn and made it over to Industrial Road for a jaunt in downtown Las Vegas.
The city of Las Vegas allows this sidewalk infrastructure -- a utility pole installed in the middle of the sidewalk, blocking anyone in a wheelchair.
That's how the city of Las Vegas rolls. Not exactly the quaint garden village.
The Strip is at about 2,050 feet elevation, so it's more than 1,100 feet of climbing to get back home. Unfortunately, I got a nasty flat thanks to a goliath two-inch-long thorn. So, I made a pit stop at the REI at Alta Drive and Rampart/Fort Apache.
And then it was more climbing to Charleston Blvd/State Route 159 and Red Rock Canyon, where one day ( we hope) Las Vegas Paving will count its millions of dollars it's receiving to build a paved trail along SR 159 for bicyclists, runners and walkers to use to reach the Red Rock scenic drive entrance.
Pedaling this Pugsley monster is one helluva workout. See you at the Aviators game tonight.
Buy this book about my lifetime of bicycle adventures.