Fiero Drivers and Enthusiasts Near and Far (of Las Vegas)
I'm going to coordinate the next drive for March 4th 2017 if anybody is interested in attending. Hopefully, I can organize this a little better than last time where after lunch, everyone scattered. I'm also going to build this with multiple options because weather can always be a negative factor; this early in the year, some of the routes could be snowed/washed out. It will look like the starting point will be the Cars and Coffee show at Speed Vegas. The time is to be determined as their Facebook page says one thing, their website says two. If it starts at the posted 7 or 8 am, we may want to pregame somewhere before that so our cars won't be scattered around the event. There's a McDonalds on Blue Diamond that's relatively easy to access. If it starts at the other posted time of 3pm, we'll use it as the final destination.
If the Cars and Coffee event starts in the afternoon, the meetup point will be the Silverton Casino, on Google Maps, there is an orange and white rectangle slashed area, that parking lot will be ideal.
Destination #1: Goodsprings/Sandy Valley, NV
Why Goodsprings? Why not? The village hosts the Pioneer Saloon, it's famous for being one of the oldest bars in the State. It also was the place where Clark Gable drank himself into oblivion after his wife, Carole Lombard, died in a plane crash on Mt Potosi in 1942. Sandy Valley, on the other hand, it is just the turnaround point of a track between it and Goodsprings, 14 miles long. There MAY be another route within the mountains that's 15 miles at 30 mph, it may be interesting. For lunch, we can stop at the Saloon, I'll check to see if it's a family oriented establishment before we go. I'll scope it out and report back soon.
If not, the Gold Strike Casino greets us as we come back to civilization and Primm is just down the Interstate. I've never been to either and they've got some cool automobile artifacts in both destinations.
Here's a screenshot of one of the tracks, the other is the 53.
Destination #2: Pahrump
Pahrump is one of those destinations that is off the beaten track, relatively easy on the cars, and there are some little mom-and pop restaurants up there. We can make a big loop through the town and catch the 95 back to the City through Indian Springs.
Destination #3: Bonnie Springs
This place is situated within Red Rock Canyon so it's close to home. It has an old Western town atmosphere with a really nice restaurant. It's a little pricey but well worth it.
Destination #4: Hoover Dam
Needs no explanation but always a marvel to visit. We can get lunch at one of the casinos back home.
Destination #5: TBD
I'm trying to organize this to reduce interstate time and avoid the Spaghetti Bowl in morning traffic whilst making it to Cars and Coffee. I'm also like to see something different than the concrete jungle. Any idea is appreciated.
My wife can bring her camera and get some high resolution photos so we can help the Fiero Store with their 2018 calendar. Each route looks to have some good vantage points on Google Maps. We can also email them out and refer you to some good printing companies for wall art.
Las Vegas Bvld looks to go all the way down to the Gold Spike, did anyone know that? It doesn't look like it's used that often and it's straight and long......could be fun to play on.
On another post, we'd discussed maybe doing a type of race where you're competing against an average, not for speed. Maybe we could do something like that. If you haul tail to the end point, you're going to lose. It's a challenge rather than a race, we don't need to go to jail.
I think it'll be fun, thoughts?
I've posted this a little early so people can get their cars ready. God knows I'll need the time!
I'm in too. Years ago, the ladies club at the Sr community I lived at arranged a tour of Sherry's Ranch in Pahrump ( the premier brothel in the state). They gave the tours as a public service, to help keep public opinion on their side politically. Don't know if they are still doing the tours, and it would not be family friendly, but it was very interesting and informative. 65 old ladies and 2 guys. They split us into two groups, and one stayed in the bar ( they even fed us a free lunch). It was fun watching the real customers walk in and see 35 old ladies sitting in the bar. One was heard to say " This is the best you got!!".
------------------ '87 GT , '00 3800 Series II SC, 4t65e.
Here's another idea, it would make a super long day but a fun one nonetheless. Sandy Valley does connect to Pahrump so we can make two of these trips into one.
I'm going to go scope out the run from Speed Vegas to Sandy Valley this upcoming weekend,my Mrs. wanted to check out the ranch just on the other side of the border. They have a horse rescue there and we'll look at photographic vantage points.
In doing some research, the Pioneer Saloon is semi-friendly for families, the actual bar is off limits for minors whereas the general store and cafe are good for everyone. They had a menu available on the website and seems reasonably priced. If we don't stop there, we can run to Pahrump or the Gold Spike.
Another route to the Hoover to consider through Nipton, CA and Searchlight, NV.
I'll report back Saturday with my findings on the Sandy Valley/Goodsprings route.
The brothel idea may be an interesting trip, we will have to see who's coming and not when it comes to families etc!
It's a club ride, we haven't coordinated many big drives, but hopefully with my car up and running I'll be motivated to coordinate more (quarterly?)
I'll have a year to do that and then I'm hopefully retiring up to your (relative) neck of the woods (Duluth)
If we have guys coming from far away, like CO or MN, we'll try to make it more organized and eventful. The last ride I organized wasn't real organized at all, we just met up at the clubhouse and drove to lunch. We had a guy come up from LA with his daughter and after lunch, everybody just scattered. I'm just trying to prevent that again so everyone will have a good experience.
[This message has been edited by solman105 (edited 11-15-2016).]
It's a club ride, we haven't coordinated many big drives, but hopefully with my car up and running I'll be motivated to coordinate more (quarterly?)
I'll have a year to do that and then I'm hopefully retiring up to your (relative) neck of the woods (Duluth)
If we have guys coming from far away, like CO or MN, we'll try to make it more organized and eventful. The last ride I organized wasn't real organized at all, we just met up at the clubhouse and drove to lunch. We had a guy come up from LA with his daughter and after lunch, everybody just scattered. I'm just trying to prevent that again so everyone will have a good experience.
Cool, I ask because I now do social meda for https://www.facebook.com/midwestfieroclubs and the objective is to help knit the fiero community together some by sharing and promoting eachothers events. Getting clubs some visibility too. "Preserving the excitement."
If you do end up in MN, make sure and join Minnesota Fieros forever
[This message has been edited by 2.5 (edited 11-17-2016).]
I'm in for where ever we go. If we do the brothel tour make sure no one tells my wife as that will be the end of my club involvement, lol.
Bring her with you! I went with 55 old ladies- you would be surprised how interested they were, and the questions they asked!! They have a small "resort" there that you can book a night for you and the wife. Take the tour, sit in the bar for dinner and "People Watch", then retire to your room with the wife to watch TV Makes for an interesting evening, and gives you some great stories to tell for the rest of your life!!
For the people that are cumming from some distance, it would be nice if we had some kind of activity Friday night what ever is planed Saturday, Saturday night and maybe Sunday morning. We had a grate time at the last run but most everyone went their own way after the drive and lunch. We didn't have much time to be with the other car members. Having a track day for people out of the area is a little risky if they drive their cars to your event. Just saying!!!!!
For the people that are cumming from some distance, it would be nice if we had some kind of activity Friday night what ever is planed Saturday, Saturday night and maybe Sunday morning. We had a grate time at the last run but most everyone went their own way after the drive and lunch. We didn't have much time to be with the other car members. Having a track day for people out of the area is a little risky if they drive their cars to your event. Just saying!!!!!
(I wont me making the drive) but just to share Ideas, at events around here we usually just have a planned breakfast and or dinner, etc at a restarant together. Also something fun is something like racing each other at a go kart track. You could block off rooms at a hotel for a reduced group rate, etc. Having a central facebook page for people to check for updates helps.
Well barring future conflicts I'm in, speaking of Sherry's Ranch I was asked if I would be interesting working for them many many years ago, but my x-wife wouldn't have had it. lol however if we are heading there I'd better be taking my girlfriend.
For the people that are cumming from some distance, it would be nice if we had some kind of activity Friday night what ever is planed Saturday, Saturday night and maybe Sunday morning. We had a grate time at the last run but most everyone went their own way after the drive and lunch. We didn't have much time to be with the other car members. Having a track day for people out of the area is a little risky if they drive their cars to your event. Just saying!!!!!
You Sir, have a PM!
Felt bad last time we had a drive where we all scattered after lunch especially for you guys who traveled from out of state for an hour drive and some lunch. I didn't organize it the best, so with lessons learned, moving ahead and making it a little more organized. As the time gets closer, I'll organize some other things. Who knows what will happen in this town that weekend (UFC, Boxing, spring training ball games, conventions etc) and we'll work around that. I plan on sending out hotel information to set anyone travelling a distance a good hotel that's close to the starting point/attactions/etc.
Recce of the route is going to wait until Black Friday, kids aren't feeling the best.
We're going to run down to Good Springs, Sandy Valley, Sandy Valley Rancy (My wife wants to go there and it's my compromise to drag her with me) up to Pahrump. We're going to look for photogenic places to stop and do photos of individual cars and group shots, look for restaurants, fuel stop offs, etc.
I still like the idea of a Poker Rally
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Originally posted by mr_corean:
I'm in for where ever we go. If we do the brothel tour make sure no one tells my wife as that will be the end of my club involvement, lol.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I can't do it either, I'm not ready to tell my 9 and 5 year old the story of the birds and the bees yet
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Originally posted by Fierotaz:
If I get a Fiero by then I would love to come up from Phoenix, I was just there for SEMA.
Lucky
Good luck with getting a ride, we'd love to have you!
As crazy as it may sound I have been thinking seriously about flying over and joining in with this but would obviously require some help from some of you, ie: wouldn't have a car for starters. There are a couple if things I am waiting to clear up before I can make a clear cut decision and commit, but at this stage its looking very promising. Of course a bonus would be to stock up on a few parts and fill a suitcase and so avoid paying the exorbitant freight prices I get stung with every time I need something. Ultimate would be to drive a Fiero but I don't think the rental cars go back that far and I aint shipping mine over. Still would be good to possibly put some faces to some of the names I see on here during my daily fix. Cheers Neil
As crazy as it may sound I have been thinking seriously about flying over and joining in with this but would obviously require some help from some of you, ie: wouldn't have a car for starters. There are a couple if things I am waiting to clear up before I can make a clear cut decision and commit, but at this stage its looking very promising. Of course a bonus would be to stock up on a few parts and fill a suitcase and so avoid paying the exorbitant freight prices I get stung with every time I need something. Ultimate would be to drive a Fiero but I don't think the rental cars go back that far and I aint shipping mine over. Still would be good to possibly put some faces to some of the names I see on here during my daily fix. Cheers Neil
That would be cool, that is a long ways to come. But I am sure you could find some parts here though. I'm sure there is someone you can ride with. No Fiero rentals though.
I've been thinkin... This would be a cool cruise also.. Maybe I can get some of the Fieroswest and SD club guys together for the road trip... After all.. IT'S VEGAS Baby!!
Of course a bonus would be to stock up on a few parts and fill a suitcase and so avoid paying the exorbitant freight prices I get stung with every time I need something. Ultimate would be to drive a Fiero but I don't think the rental cars go back that far and I aint shipping mine over.
If by some miracle you're able to get out here and order parts from around this country, you can use my address as a staging point.
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Originally posted by unboundmo:
I've been thinkin... This would be a cool cruise also.. Maybe I can get some of the Fieroswest and SD club guys together for the road trip... After all.. IT'S VEGAS Baby!!
Indeed! However, our drive will take us out of the city and to some of the more rural parts of Clark and Nye counties. I've also been looking to see if there are any events happening that weekend on the strip, which boosts traffic headaches and hotel prices, so far it looks clean. I'll look at hotels on the west side of town and off the strip for easier access to Cars and Coffee and possibly a good finishing point.
Ultimate would be to drive a Fiero but I don't think the rental cars go back that far and I aint shipping mine over.
No Fiero's for rent that i know of, but there are a couple of places in Vegas that rent Exotics and Classics. You could rent a Lambo and let everyone think it is your Fiero Conversion
------------------ '87 GT , '00 3800 Series II SC, 4t65e.
Today, the family and I drove out to Sandy Valley to see how the roads would be. We were then going to head to Pahrump and back to Las Vegas via Indian Springs; making a complete dry run of the potential March route. It didn't happen as planned.
The first stint was down the I-15 to Sloan/Jean and got off at the Gold Spike exit. We headed east to the Pioneer Saloon in Goodsprings. When we pulled by, a biker group was there; we didn't stop. I didn't necessarily see much parking either; it may be pretty cool to drive by. The town is like many of the surrounding towns; a little run down but quiet.
The left side of the pano picture is the Gold Strike, the right, to Goodsprings
The road from Goodsprings to Sandy Valley was an AWESOME road!!! It had a moderate amount of damage at best, but it had lots of dips, rises, and curves. An awesome road to drive on.
The Road coming down the mountain into Sandy Valley, from the local live in airport.
Once in Sandy Valley, it was easy to navigate; once again, a run down town. It has a General Store and a pizza joint. Just over the California border is Sandy Valley Ranch and across the street is a Horse Rescue; with an airstrip. If anybody shows interest, I can call and ask if maybe we can all chip in a few bucks to borrow the strip for photos and straight line driving (fast)
Using a maps application, we determined that this road goes back to Goodsprings but we got to the base of it and it's dirt. Makes sense that it would take 45 minutes to drive!
The Yellow star is the dirt road, the red is the asphalt road
So that's a No-Go
The road to Pahrump won't work either. The road connecting the towns is about 11 miles of dirt.
So we were thinking that maybe the road from Sandy Valley Ranch to the I-15 in California (near Mountain Pass) would be a nice long drive; unfortunately, it's all dirt too.
One paved road in and out of Sandy Valley; but it's a swell road.
We took Las Vegas Bvld from Jean all the way back to Speed Vegas. It was busier than I expected; we probably saw 100 cars in the 11 miles we took, and half of them were at those ugly rocks.
Ok, so what would we like to do? Going in and out of Sandy Valley would be about 20 miles of straight road and 28 miles of fun. Lunch at the cafe in SV before we head home? Start over?
There's another town on the State border that's called Nipton, making a loop of it would bring us past Primm and out to Searchlight and up to Boulder City. We may scope that out next if Sandy Valley doesn't bode well.
I was afraid that the road was still gravel. I hadn't been out there in the last 5 years, so I was hoping maybe it had been paved since then but didn't think it was likely. I was looking at the roads out side of Vegas and was thinking that we could do the Lake Mead Route
and possibly eat lunch at the Harbor House Cafe. If we wanted to start at the Cars and Coffee at Speed Las Vegas maybe we Could go the other direction and end up at the Las Vegas Fiero Club.
Anyways just a suggestion.
[This message has been edited by Fiero Vampire (edited 12-07-2016).]
Suggestions are awesome and I love the idea of the Lake Mead Route. I was thinking about it too but I know that the Feds charge a fee to drive on their roads, I was trying to avoid that. I'm also trying to keep us off of the Freeways and hopefully finding some curves, LM definitely does that. My last goal is to keep us together for longer than last time, that way if people come from outside the city will have more of an experience than everybody scattering after lunch. My route to Sandy Valley definitely does not fill that block. It may be a good idea to make that run some other time.
Harbor House's menu looks fantastic! If we decide to go there, we'll make reservations this time.
Cars and Coffee's hours are between 7-10 am; it may be too early for some on a Saturday. What we can do is plan on going to Cars and Coffee and "officially" meet up for the drive at 11am at the LV Fiero Club. Then, we'll make our way to the Harbor House through Lake Mead Park. After lunch, we can make the drive (a lot) longer and venture out on another route. Those who don't want to make the trek can head home and meet up with us later if they'd like.
The long drive would be like this idea: Head south on the towards Searchlight and then head west. We would cross the CA/NV border at Nipton and then make our way towards the I-15. From there, re-enter NV and get off at the Jean exit. We'd take Las Vegas bvld north to near the M resort and then get back on the 15. From there, we'd take the 215 back to the club or a place for dinner before parting ways.
If my math does me well, that puts us on the road for just about 4.5 hours minus whatever stops we need and 225 miles of driving. It also gives us plenty of locations to break off if needed be but we can set a predetermined place and time for dinner. It also provides a few places to pull off and do some photo ops for your cars.
I also thought of the idea of driving through both Lake Mead and Valley of fire, but that would be a lot in tolls but about 80 miles less of driving; more curves too!
In your planning, don't forget "comfort stops". I just drove 5 hrs back from Phoenix, and had to stop every hour! Guess it's an Old Man thing Fuel stops too if you are going long distances.
Fuel for sure. Guesstimate about 200 miles between tanks for some cars. Longer than that and we might end up carrying a gas can. I know I only get about 25 on the highway and this won't all be highway miles.
I totally agree that fuel, stretching, and bathroom breaks are needed; though the long route would have had all of it, going through Lake Mead may not be a way to go. Looked at the fees and it's $20 per car, seniors are $10 for the year. If people are on a budget, it may not be a good idea.
How does everyone feel about Valley of Fire? It costs $10 to play on their roads and then instead of turning right towards Lake Mead Rec Park, we turn left for Moapa Valley, cross the I-15 at Glendale, head north for Coyote Springs and have lunch at the golf course. From there, head south and take Las Vegas Bvld all the way back to park. I'll come up with a map tomorrow. Fuel, rest, photo and bathroom stops are plentiful on this route. Plus, before you cross the train tracks between Glendale and Coyote Springs, there is a long straight road that can be used for time trials.
Glad you got your car made the trip darbysan; that's awesome!
I've only been through the Valley of Fire once, and it was an awesome place- lots of old petroglyphs high on the rock walls, and the colors of the rocks are beautiful. However, if you do any driving around inside the park, it can be an all day trip ( at least it was for me). No food available in the park, so we had to drive through to Overton and eat there. As for Coyote Springs, unless they've upgraded since I last played there, they only have pre-made sandwiches and drinks in a cooler.
I've only been through the Valley of Fire once, and it was an awesome place- lots of old petroglyphs high on the rock walls, and the colors of the rocks are beautiful. However, if you do any driving around inside the park, it can be an all day trip ( at least it was for me). No food available in the park, so we had to drive through to Overton and eat there. As for Coyote Springs, unless they've upgraded since I last played there, they only have pre-made sandwiches and drinks in a cooler.
I like the idea of a Valley of Fire trip and you're right, not a whole lot of food inside the park. I looked at the Coyote Springs menu and it looks like they cater more towards the golfer on the green rather than a place to sit down. How about getting a bite to eat before we get in the park? New idea (trip 3 the goal is to put some relatively good miles on the cars and keep us occupied for the entire day. It also gives us plenty of opportunities to fuel up, stop and enjoy the scenery, and leave if you've had enough. I'm also trying to keep the interstate miles down to hopefully give us a few roads with curves and dips in them.
Meet up at the Las Vegas Fiero Club at 11am; that gives enough time for those who want to go to Cars and Coffee that morning to do so and it's only a 30 minute drive from Speed to the Northside. At about 11:30, we hit the road and head towards Overton and grab lunch, fuel, what have you. I used McDonalds as an ending point but I'd rather go to a Mom and Pop's eatery and there's a few of those there. In order to minimize the use of the Interstate, we'd literally take Las Vegas BVLD to that Love's Travel station at the 95. Go up the 95, turn at Coyote Springs and head east.
I would assume that we'd get into Overton between 1-1:30; spend an hour or so at lunch, and then make our way into the Valley of Fire. We can drive around in there, take in the views, get some photos of the cars against an awesome backdrop or the 2018 FieroStore calendar and leave when we get bored of it or sunset, whichever comes first. According to an internet search engine, the sun will set that day at 5:39 pm.
There is a $10 entry fee for each car entering the park.
Once we get back into Las Vegas, we can figure out what to do from there.
Altogether, here is the entire trip with food and fuel stops.
--The drive on 95 to Coyote Springs is pretty dull- 31 miles of 70 mph 2 lane that's almost dead straight. --The drive from Coyote Springs to I15 is more fun, but there are some speed traps as you get into Moapa ( be careful) -- There are several side trips off the main road in the Valley of Fire that lead to some interesting scenery, but will take more time. At least one of them is unpaved, IIRC.
An alternative might be to take the Northshore road from the Fiero Club to Overton, have lunch, then go through the Valley of Fire back to Vegas. ( or Visa Versa)
Ok here is my 2 cents, personally I care more about a good driving road / experience (hanging out everyone and getting some good food) than spending an additional $10-$20 in fees. I like the idea of going thru Valley of Fire and driving along Lake Mead either or both. I like the idea less of driving less enjoyable straight highway miles, paying more in gas and missing out on good driving roads just to avoid paying some fees. But I'm in no matter what we choose. Just a side note that should be mentioned, Valley of Fire and Northshore road (part of the Lake Mead Recreation Area) would be two separate fees $10 for one and $20 for the other.
Just a suggestion. Those of us who have senior passes to the National Park Drive ( Lake Mead) can chip in half the fee to cover those that have to pay...provided there are enough lifetime cardholders to make it worthwhile.
We'd be looking at up to $30 in tolls per car if we hit both parks at once; if everyone's OK with that I'm down with it too. Being active duty lowers my costs, I'd throw a few bucks into the kitty for those who don't get a benefit like that.
How about we run the route down Lake Mead this time around, after lunch, we'll extend the drive out for those who can/want to etc? We'll add some photo ops on the route to extend the first ride, take the scenery in, etc. That way, if we have some out of towners come ride with us, it's not a wasted trip? I'll set something up for the mid-spring for Valley of Fire.
I made a mistake concerning the Harbor House menu, the one I found originally is for the two in the Los Angeles area. Here's the menu for the one on Lake Mead from their social media account:
[This message has been edited by solman105 (edited 12-19-2016).]
I like the Harbor House.. I usually go to the Sunset beach location.. It's like a (for LOCALs) spot that you have to know about... Same for the Bear Flag Fish Co in Newport... Tucked away and you'll never know its there... Not like Harbor House being on PCH.. Just using as a figure of speech..
Looking forward to it!....
[This message has been edited by unboundmo (edited 12-18-2016).]
I like the Harbor House.. I usually go to the Sunset beach location.. It's like a (for LOCALs) spot that you have to know about... Same for the Bear Flag Fish Co in Newport... Tucked away and you'll never know its there... Not like Harbor House being on PCH.. Just using as a figure of speech..
Looking forward to it!....
The Harbor House you're talking about is the one in California, Lake Mead up in NV has one as well. Our plan for this ride is to hit this one, but in the future, we should hit the one on Sunset! Further research into logistics will be needed.
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Originally posted by mr_corean:
Darby's right about the stretch out to coyote springs. It's boring as hell.
Yeah, that part of the trip would be a little of a bore. How about we do this:
From the LVFC to the Harbor House at Lake Mead and eat lunch. Those who wish to leave from there can but since we have passes for Lake Mead all day, head back into the park and drive to the Moapa area and meet up with the I-15 at Glendale. It's another opportunity for those who wish to head home can and whatnot. Form there, head towards coyote springs and then head south back to the I-15. Stop at the Loves and those who want the fast track home can jump on the 15, those who want some curves can take the what will become the Las Vegas Bvld home. From Loves to the LVFC could be our Poker Rally.
Makes for an interesting evening, and gives you some great stories to tell for the rest of your life!!
Fuel stops too if you are going long distances.
