Day Twelve: Las Vegas (Rest Day)

We weren’t sure if it was the riding or the booze that took a little toll on us in the morning, but we were sure that we needed a rest day. We rose from the dead for one last shower in the comfort of the hotel room, then caught up on journals and photos for the day. Slater made a quick run to Walgreens for another lunch full of snacks, which turned out to be over $30 (the Strip is expensive…). Once our late checkout time came ticking to a close, we rode our trusty steeds over to Starbucks. In case you haven’t noticed, this is a growing trend; coffee paid for with gift cards, free ice water to-go, free WiFi—what else could we need?

We took about two hours to devise a plan for how we could stay in Vegas for one more night, and then it came to us: warmshowers.org. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the site, it is a couchsurfing-esque website for cyclists in particular, where users sign up to offer travelers a spare bedroom and warm shower for a night. Sean, an avid cyclist living in Las Vegas, responded quickly and told us we could crash at his house for the night, even despite the fact that he was headed out of town. “My roommate is still getting used to the whole strangers-staying-at-our-house thing,” he told us, “but you’re more than welcome, as long as you don’t murder him.” Before heading over to his place, we killed time by chatting with an amicable man seated outside named Will. He had come to Las Vegas to see his cousin and to apply for jobs, but he was now stranded in slacks without luck and a bus ticket home. Considering the fact that we had a free place to stay for the night, we tried to pay it forward by buying Will a bus ticket home to Los Angeles, and thankfully, he arrived safely the next day.

Sean’s home was about six or seven miles away from our hideout at Starbucks. We pedaled vigorously in an attempt to catch Sean before he headed out to California for the weekend. We arrived just in time to be welcomed by our host and his girlfriend, who showed us around the house and told us stories about all of the trinkets inside. The cozy home was filled with over 10 bicycles, bike parts (old and new), jillions of pots and pans, and small candy dishes. They left us with a house key and an empty bed to sleep in, and we immediately took advantage of the massive couch perched right in front of the TV—Netflix included.

Sean’s roommate, Nathan, arrived soon thereafter, and he hung out with us for hours. He is a competitive bicycle racer and competes all over the West, so his knowledge of bike mechanics and cycling trails nearby was much appreciated. We were unbelievably thankful for the guys’ willingness to host us for the night, so we did the best we could in repaying them by doing what we do best: eating. We cooked a hefty chicken casserole and balsamic salad for the three of us to devour while keeping our eyes glued to multiple episodes of “How I Met Your Mother.” It didn’t take long for the food coma to strike, so we hit the hay and avoided dreams about cycling.