Vegas Tradition

This weekend will be the eighth year David has gone to Vegas for the High Rollers Scooter Rally. I went for five years but I have opt out of going lately. I know exactly what to expect this time of year. David pulling one or two all nighters working on someone else's scooter so they can take it. David arranging for many people and scooters to make the trip to Vegas. David's last minute efforts at fixing the brake lights on a rickety trailer to transport the above mentioned scooters. At the rally, he usually ends up fixing someones broken down scooter or car. David is precious to have around this time of year and everyone wants his help. He loves the rally but it is also stressful.

The first year we went we were newly wed and didn't have any children. A whole bunch of us crammed into two smoky hotel rooms. I remember this part because I couldn't sleep due to someone or ones snoring. The rally itself was pretty exciting because tons of people showed up at the show n' shine. I saw a lot of clean-cut preppy types like us but also a lot of punks, mods, and people who would have looked more comfortable on a Harley. I didn't even mind when David's time and attention were sucked up talking scooters to everyone around him. For the ride, we all trailed after each other to the Hoover Dam. It was a fun and we enjoyed the buffet at Palace Station, In N' Out Burger and later, The Casa Blanca's fabulous breakfast buffet in Mesquite on the way home.

The second year we went, we brought our son Ray, only 14 months, and I was pregnant with little D. We managed to find a friend to leave Ray with during the ride so I could go. Later, we dealt with a cranky screaming child who started to throw up in the casinos so it was a little more intense and a little less like a vacation.

The third year we went, I had two little boys with me and decided I wouldn't ride on the scooter but just follow behind in the car. Entertaining two boys in a parking lot full of scooters while their dad is preoccupied by the going-ons started to change my opinion of this tradition. As I followed behind the ride, we had a change of events when a girl on a scooter crashed. She had road rash up her leg (she was wearing a mini skirt) and I ended up giving her a lift back to her hotel. Because of the detour, I lost the group and drove aimlessly in the direction of Red Rock Canyon where the ride had been going. I met up with David sometime that night after the boys had had it with car seats and I had had it with driving. This trip was not turning out so fun.

The fourth year I managed to leave the boys at home with grandma. Go here to check out the ride. David and I are on the red Stella pulling a small trailer that David made.

The fifth year I brought three kids and Dave's brother and wife and their little boy came along. The kids had a blast because for them, a fun vacation is jumping on a hotel bed and watching cartoons on a hotel TV. Also we brought along a child-size electric scooter with a sidecar that David made. Check out our three kids riding it here. It was the coolest toy my kids owned. I say was because it was stolen outside of our home a couple years ago. If you did it, we want it back! My sister-in-law and I took turns caravaning in the van with all the kids so we could each get a little scooter time. It wasn't such a bad trip but I was done with kids and the High Rollers Scooter Rally.

The sixth and seventh year I stayed home with the kids and was happy because I missed out on the time the guys slept in a bus instead of a hotel to cut costs. I also missed out on Dave's van breaking down and him having to sleep on the side of the road on the way home. This year I am missing out on Dave riding his scooter the whole way to Vegas. I think he's crazy and he'll be so saddle sore when he pulls into the valley that he won't want to go on the actual rides...but boys will be boys. He's been talking about a cross country ride for a long time and despite my discouragement, he'll probably end up doing it some day. This will give him a taste of it. I'm glad I'll be home with the kids.

When it comes to rallies, I do like them but Vegas has lost its charm. Maybe it's because I'm from there. I'm gearing up for Moab in April. I'll get a babysitter to watch my kids for the whole weekend so I can camp, bike Slick Rock and ride my scooter through the Arches. That's my kind of rally.