I would trust what Danny (hardone2get) says. Except the part about leaving Vegas early by 9am. That doesn't sound very early, wondering if he meant 6am. Nevertheless, I hope he replies about your night time question. I'd like to hear what he has to say.
Night riding in the desert is still hot (upper 90's) and dry, water consumption and staying hydrated is just as important.

You didn't mention how many days you were taking to get out to Vegas, but if possible, like Danny eluded to, break up your riding day. And I would add, break it up early like 2 pm. Those last few hours of riding to dinner time when you've been all day on the super slab dealing with heat, wind, trucks, will drain you faster than ever. End your day before you're fatigued. Hit the pool and relax.

Have fun and don't judge future motorcycle trips by this one. I'm sure your like most of us, we like scenic back roads and casual cruising. But sometimes, like this trip sounds like, you just have to bang through the gears and get there. Each of my road trips I've managed to learn something.... What I like, what works for me, etc. Even if this trip is hard and not exactly your ideal version of a road trip, just learn from it.

Enjoy.

Awesome thanks guys!! Summer temps here get to around 100 but we do short rides or morning evening rides. Usually skip the afternoon time for any rides more than about 50 miles! Thanks for the suggestions everyone. Will let ya know how the trip turns out. The return trip I think we are going to try going up through Utah and Colorado. Should be a little cooler there.

And we are planning on leaving on the 5th and getting to Vegas as soon as possible (within reason) probably leave vegas on the 9th or 10th and take our time getting back home. Have to be back to work the 13th.

Inubus wrote:
And we are planning on leaving on the 5th and getting to Vegas as soon as possible (within reason) probably leave vegas on the 9th or 10th and take our time getting back home. Have to be back to work the 13th.i went back and read my post and yes I said leave Williams az by 5am. And when leaving Vegas do the same thing leave at 5am. If you head north on the I-15 towards St. George you will start getting cooler.

hardone2get wrote:
Inubus wrote:
And we are planning on leaving on the 5th and getting to Vegas as soon as possible (within reason) probably leave vegas on the 9th or 10th and take our time getting back home. Have to be back to work the 13th.i went back and read my post and yes I said leave Williams az by 5am. And when leaving Vegas do the same thing leave at 5am. If you head north on the I-15 towards St. George you will start getting cooler.
Awesome! Thanks for the advice! Much appreciated!

I'm no expert of the area (so hopefully danny will chime in lol) but I have gone that way in a car before. I went up from New Orleans, LA through Amarillo, tx and all the way to Flagstaff, AZ and stayed for the night. It's a beautiful little town in the desert. The next morning I went up through jacobs lake and st george all the way to vegas, The scenery up through jacobs lake and the north rim of the grand canyon would be too tempting for me to miss if I was on the bike lol.

I was looking at where you live and looks like there are a bunch of hotels and eating spots in Tucumcari, NM which is half way from your town to flagstaff (about 500 miles the first and second day). on the 3rd day you could leave flagstaff, go up through the north side of the grand canyon and get to vegas that day(about 400 miles). Here is a map of my rambling lol
https://goo.gl/maps/LIgWm

Of course, if going through st george is a bad idea you can save about 150 miles on the last leg and go straight through kingman into vegas
https://goo.gl/maps/Hr1gP

Im jealous man, you and your wife are gonna have a great time. I would think carrying a water backpack that you can get from walmart or probably the local sports store or even a small cooler with some water bottles would be a great idea. Take some pictures because remember, it didn't happen without the proof! lol

Grant

Listen to Danny on this. He lives in the hottest southwestern desert there is.

I do something similar to Danny when I ride to Phoenix or Tuscon from LA. Wet shirts go on first, then winter riding jacket. OR I ride with wet t-shirt only (that lasts about 15 minutes tops) and stop frequently to wet it back down. Its dry in about 5 mins. I don't do as much of this hot weather riding as Danny does, and that wet t-shairt trick doesn't work going over long desert strectches..

My brother and I rode through Death Valley one July, and by the time we had crossed I was in major heat stroke. So my methods don't match his. It took 1 1/2 hours hydrating at a pizza joint to be ready to ride again. The rest of the trip we rode the deserts at night, which was only a little better.

So plan your trip as Danny is recommending. He knows his shit.

Gram

I grew up in the desert.

Put RIDE ON in your tires.
Take water with you.

Travel at night.

On US40 there are some new truck stops that have showers for the public. They are only about $5 and they give you a towel.
It is a private shower with place to sit and dress with sink and mirror. Very very nice.

Having just come back on I-40 from Celina (and staying in Tulsa) You should spend some time on google maps planning your trip with fuel stops. There is some construction zones in NM that can back up and be time consuming, also fuel stops are somewhat scarce from Amarillo on west. My trip, (in a pickup with bike in tow) Tulsa to Phoenix 1050 miles in 15hrs 20 minutes. I left at 3:45am AZ time 5:45am OK time and missed any rush hour traffic in OK city, Amarillo and Albuquerque, but I was running a fast pace and fueling every 350 miles. You will have to fuel at least twice as often and those stop times add up, so consider just how many miles you want to do in a day. Santa Rosa is a good half way point in between, so consider stopping there then on in to AZ the next day.

Finally, read and re-read everything that Danny posted, because this heat is not like you are used to and it can consume you if you dont take heed. Oh and have a GREAT TRIP, ride safe.

Rod

Since your wife is with you, she can pour water down your back and hers while you ride along, I learned that trick coming back from The Wall in 09, but I was riding single, carried an open bottle in my vest pocket for cooling. Leave soda and coffee out of your diet, water and juices small lunches/snacks during the day. When speed limit is 80, that's what semi trucks do also. In 09 I met up with other riders at stops and would run with them as much as possible just so your not out there all alone. Be careful and enjoy your ride. Dave