Tahoe Rim Trail

On Sunday we got to ride a section of the Tahoe Rim Trail that I've been wanting to do for several years now. The trailhead is a longer drive from my house, and the trail is only open to mountain bikers on even days. So as you can imagine, planning to ride this trail around a busy schedule can be tough.

We parked the truck at Spooner Lake State Park, and took the shuttle service to Mount Rose Meadows. The Tahoe Rim Trail crosses here, and there is an excellent trailhead. There is parking, bathrooms, and a beautiful meadow that would make a great day trip for a hiking family. A short ride across the meadow and a creek, and we were into the woods on the TRT.

This section of the TRT is very popular with hikers, but it is an amazing mountain bike trail too. It has a nice rolling feel, and the grade is never too steep. There are fun little challenges everywhere, but there is almost always an easy line around them too. The trail seemed to be a nice single speed trail too. Jeff P. was on his 29er single speed, and he was polite enough to wait for me once in a while. I chose to ride my big fat full suspension bike. I think either bike would be a good choice for this trail.

The trail swaps back and forth on the east and west sides of the Carson Range. You get to enjoy views of both Lake Tahoe on the west side, and Washoe Valley to the east.

We came to the Tunnel Creek intersection, and there were mountain bikers everywhere! Kristy and Amy chose the Flume Trail route to Marlette Lake, while Jeff and I continued on the TRT. Both routes offered unique views and fun singletrack. The TRT made a ascent up to the top of Marlette Peak, which in my opinion, is one of the most spectacular views in the area. I could've stayed at the Marlette Peak overlook for hours, but we had to keep moving.

From Marlette Peak, we dropped back down into the woods, and headed towards Marlette Lake. As we got closer to the lake and streams, the wildflowers became abundant. I couldn't really capture the true beauty with the camera, but I gave it my best shot. I was crawling around in the flowers trying to find a good angle, when Jeff P. cried out, "Hey! Do you want to get a picture of a big snake?!?". Not wanting to miss a wildlife shot, I sprang out of the grass to see this fine specimen, only to find Jeff P. taking a leak on the side of the road. You know...I really should know better by now! I declined on the photo opportunity and went back to the flowers.

We met up with Kristy and Amy on the south side of Marlette Lake. We had a snack and then climbed the final hill to the saddle above North Canyon. From here it was a 4 mile descent on a fire road back to the parking lot. The bike shop at Spooner Lake has some post ride refreshments including Haagen Dazs ice cream bars which Kristy and I both enjoyed while we examined our "tan lines". Upon returning home, we treated ourselves to a dinner of sushi and Pad Thai at one of the Carson Valley restaurants. The end to a spectacular day.

I highly recommend this trail/route. Add it to your list of things to do this summer!

More photos of this ride can be found on our Flickr page.

Blue Lakes

The heat continues on here in Northern Nevada. To add to it, there are multiple fires burning that have made for smoky skies. It was a perfect day to get out of town.

We headed up into the mountains for a morning in the Alpine area of Blue Lakes. It was still a bit smoky and hot, but within the tolerable range. The wild flowers were outstanding today. I could've spent a lot more time checking out all the different varieties, but kid sitters are $5/hr...

We passed many a spot that looked good for breeding mosquitoes, but I think the heat may have kept them at bay. I bet they are fierce when the sun goes down!

After a meandering forest road, We rejoined the Blue Lakes road which has recently been paved. This made for a nice fast downhill into the Blue Lakes basin. The camp grounds looked pretty full, and there were many anglers out on the lake shore. It was pretty peaceful with the exception of the occasional OHV.



Upper Blue Lake


After peacefully riding the shore of Blue Lakes, we pointed the bikes uphill and began the granny gear grinder to reach the heights above timberline. Near the top, we crossed the no-bikes-allowed Pacific Crest Trail. The road was nasty, but at the slow speeds we were going, keeping the bikes under control was not a problem. We finally finished the climb and took a break at the very scenic Forestdale Divide overlook at around 8,800 feet above sea level.



The view from Forestdale Divide - still a bit of snow!


We finished the ride with a ride along Forestdale Creek. The somewhat obscure trail appears to be used mostly by horses. It used to be a double track, but has shrunk down to a single track. The trail is barely visible through some of the meadows. A stark contrast to the overused Blue Lakes road!

I highly recommend exploring this area during the summer months. It's a bit different than the Lake Tahoe area, and less crowded.

Also, thanks to the Potters for showing us the way!

As usual, more pictures can be found on our Flickr page.

Whites Creek

Last weekend Kristy and I joined Barbara and Eric for a ride at Whites Creek. Whites Creek parallels the Mount Rose Highway, and can be accessed at many points. We started at the beginning of the trail, which is right in Barbara and Eric's neighborhood. You could tell that this trail was familiar with Barbara and Eric. They took off pretty fast right from the beginning.

The beginning of the trail was tight and technical. There were lots of turns that had quick uphills with rim twisting rocks right in your line. The creek also divides the property lines at this elevation. It felt like you were riding through people's back yard at times. The views were still great though. In the distance, you could see Mount Rose standing tall at over 10,000 feet. The lower trail was covered in the typical lower timberline bushes, sagebrush, bitter brush, etc. Up ahead though, you could see the pine trees in the canyon we were headed to.

Once we hit timberline, the trail took on a whole new feel. The forest is quite healthy and well preserved with many enormous trees. Whites Creek is never far from the trail either. I really enjoy hearing the sound of rushing water while riding. It is also possible to access the trail by road at this elevation. This may be more desirable in the hot summer months, since you would be in the shade from the very beginning. Many hikers also enjoy the trail due to the multiple access points. Visibility is pretty good though, so you don't have to worry about surprise encounters. Still, I think a bell might be a good idea to alert hikers that you are coming. There is a whole network of trails up there with other canyons and creeks to explore, so many options are available.

This was my first time riding with somebody on a cyclocross bike. Eric blew me away with the speed he could carry on that bike. I was riding my fast hardtail, and it was strange to see what looked to be a road bike speeding away in front of me. Eric even powered through the sandy spots with those narrow tires. I couldn't keep up with him on the climb. He was even fairly close to me on the descent. Although I could tell he was suffering a bit on the way back. The skinny tires and stiff front end were jackhammering Eric's upper body. Eric also used his cyclocross racing skills on some of the unrideable bridge crossings. He'd dismount, run across the bridge, remount the bike, and be pedaling again while I was still braking and unclipping before the bridge.

Here's some info on getting there, and some of the other trails in the area HERE.

The rest of the Whites Creek pictures are HERE.

Father Son Ride

This Sunday, Marcus and I took the boys out the Pine Nuts for a father son ride. This was my son's 2nd ride on his mountain bike, and Marcus's son has been on his mountain bike for about a year. I was glad that my son had a buddy, because kids always do better when they have someone they can relate to.

The trail was an intermediate level kid trail. There were soft patches of silt, rocks, whoop de doos, tight single track, and a moderate hill climb. Since this was my son's 2nd ride on the bike, he was wondering just what the heck I had gotten him into. He said, "Dad...you should've picked a better trail! Next time let's just go hiking.". I could see his point...we'd been climbing for about a mile. We took frequent snack and water breaks. My son just got a new Camel Bak, and it worked out really good. He loves wearing it, and could get a drink anytime he wanted. He drank all the water I had given him by the end of the ride, so it's good to know he's staying hydrated.

We finally decided to turn around. It was time for my son to learn about the payoff of climbing for an hour. His composure really changed when we got to the first fast downhill section. As seen in the picture here, there was a turn around a tree with a jump at the end. The kids got real excited for this section, so we did it over and over again. After we got our fill on the jump, we did the long downhill to the car. It was crazy to see the little guys flying down the trail over all the whoop de doos. The short wheel base and little wheels made the bikes pretty twitchy, but both boys showed superb bike handling skills. I'd yell out to my son to slow down a bit, and his back wheel would lock up as he grabbed a fistful of back brake. The back end would come around, but he'd always come out of it. It was a great way to end the ride. Both boys were excited about the big downhill, and had pretty much forgotten the pain of the uphill.

More photos of the ride HERE.

Ebbett's Pass

We road up Ebbett's Pass this Sunday, something that has been on my to-do-list for a long time. Ebbett's Pass is located in Alpine County, California. It's a narrow alpine road that is closed during the winter season. In fact, the pass is closed right now. To automobiles! There are still campers and anglers along the way, but from 7,000 feet to 8,730 feet, it was bicycles only.

We began our ride in Markleeville, CA at 5,500 feet, with the Jody and the Potters. The first half of the ride was a gentle climb along the Carson River. The sound of the rushing river winding through the narrow canyon cleared the mind. Midway up, there was an old cow camp. The old wood and green meadow spoke of simpler times. Around the 7,000 foot marker, the road pitched up steeply, and the country became more rugged. It was also at this point that we went around the Road Closed Gate.

The road became narrow, and I was glad I was not in a car. Mountain roads like this scare the heck out of me in a car. I feel like I'm more in control of my destiny when traveling these types of roads on a bicycle. We climbed up past the snow level, and the temperatures began to cool off. Kinney Reservoir at 8353 feet, was completely iced over still.



Kristy near the top of the climb.

It was a great feeling to reach the top. 3,200 Feet over 18 miles. It was certainly a milestone. It made me think of how far I'd come on my bike since I started getting back into cycling in 2001. We met up with some other cyclists at the top, had some good conversation, did some carbo-loading, and got ready for our descent back to Markleeville. The first half of the descent was amazing. I thought to myself that I need to spread the word...this is one thing you need to try before you die! As we descended I couldn't believe how much we had climbed. It just seemed weird to me that we did this on bicycles. This 36 mile out and back trip is highly recommended!




Looking down the descent.


More photos can be found HERE in the Ebbett's Pass photo set.

Taking it Easy

Why yes, it is three inches bigger!
Originally uploaded by Facility Bike Club.

We decided not to do a big road ride today, since we have a century (metric) ride coming up next weekend. We had originally planned not to ride today, but were talked into it (quite easily I might add) last night right before bed.

We loaded up the mountain bikes and headed for the Pine Nuts trail head. The girls did a loop in the main valley, and I talked the Jeffs into a loop in the next valley over. I had ridden the loop several times before, but it was on my motorcycle. I was hoping it would be as fun on the bicycles. How far would the Jeff's follow me if the trail sucked?

Jeff F. was on a full suspensioned geared bike, I was on my single speed, and Jeff P. was on his new 29er single speed. A few miles in, we got to this very smooth hard packed road. We had the wind at our backs, and we were making good time down the hill. But then it dead ended into private property. Shoot...would I remember how to find the trail? It had been a couple years... We back tracked a ways, and then found a road that looked familiar.

We found the single track that crossed the valley, and it was great. Smooth, twisty, and almost no climbing. It was very relaxing. And the Jeff's praised me. After crossing the valley, the trail turned into miles of rocky uphill. In between the rocky sections were deep unrideable sand washes. I thought the Jeff's might bludgeon me with a rock and stash my body, but they actually appeared to be having fun!

We finally made it to the ridge trail that I was seeking, and the payoff was great. Even better than I had expected! We got to enjoy a couple miles of fast rolling single track along the ridge. We all had smiles at the end.

We encountered quite a few rocks on the way back, and they started taking a toll on my body. The rigid forks were beating me up. Jeff P. seemed to be in much better shape with his rigid forked 29er. The accumulated smoothness of the larger wheels seems to be a big plus for enduring longer rides (that, and Jeff P. is a better rider than me). I could see the Jeff's way up ahead, but they'd wait for me to catch up once in a while. They're nice like that.

When we finally made it back to the trail head, we figured we did about 30 miles. That's by far the longest I've done on the single speed yet! As I type this, I'm feeling totally wiped out. So much for taking it easy...

High Plains Shifters

I'd like to start off by saying, "85 miles and 3,200 vertical feet of climbing, baby!"

On Sunday the road riding gang met in Wellington, NV, a small farming community in Smith Valley. It was a bit nippy out, so we put on the wind vests and arm warmers and headed out. The ride started out with a nice flat road out of town, and gave us a nice warm up before hitting the climb up the canyon. Within the first half hour, we were too hot, and stripped off the vests and arm warmers at the first pit stop.

I expected the temperatures to be much cooler, and the snow levels much lower this time of year. It felt like May with temperatures in the high 70s! After emerging from the canyon, we were treated to views of the Sweetwater mountain range for several miles. I felt like we were on the set of a Clint Eastwood Western. In fact, High Plains Drifter was filmed not too far from here.

When we reached Sweetwater Summit, the highest point in the ride, I had already felt like I had a good ride. Turning around at this point would be a good 40 miles, but we were only half way to Bridgeport. We got on the bikes and headed downhill for several miles towards the Walker river. My descent was abruptly interrupted by a couple of Asian tourists. They honked their horn at me and were asking me if this was the road to Las Vegas. They were clearly lost, so I had them pull over before we crashed.

They had a junk map...just a one page tear out of some tourist magazine that had only the main roads on it. They asked me to show them where they were on the map, but I told them this road was not on their map. I gave them instructions on how to get back to Yerington, and over to HWY 95, the well traveled route. It would be a bit of a back track for them, but better than trying to steer them through some obscure mountain pass if they continued on. Always carry a good map when traveling in Nevada. It can be very far between services!

Everybody else was gone, so I was thankful the Asian guys were so friendly. It could have been bad. They could have been lonesome desert dwellers with a homo-erotic spandex fantasy perhaps. I got down a bit further and saw that Kristy was waiting for me. I wouldn't have to ride alone after all! We took turns drafting down the rest of the descent, and then headed up the Walker River towards Bridgeport Reservoir. We soon entered California, and it started feeling less like the desert. We regrouped with the rest of the gang, and got a pace line going all the way to the reservoir. When we climbed out of the canyon and saw the water and mountains, it was breathtaking!

We pedaled along the lake shore and finally arrived at the half way point of the ride, Bridgeport. We were thirsty and starving, so we patronized one of the local delis. During our brief stay in Bridgeport, the population temporarily increased to 848. After resting, we saddled up the bikes and headed back north. My butt was already getting sore, and we still had 42 miles to go!

In order to get some quick miles done, we organized a pace line. Jeff F. and Jeff P. took turns leading. I'm still getting used to the whole pace line thing. When I ride my mind likes to wander. I like to look around and take pictures. It's my meditation time. In a pace line, however, you have to concentrate only on riding. If your mind starts to wander, you find the guy in front of you drifting away from you. At one point, Amy was giving me pointers on what I was doing wrong. I didn't quite understand what she was telling me, but before I could figure it out, she said, "There you go!". Apparently I had corrected what I didn't know what I was doing wrong! I have much to learn.

The pace line broke apart when we reached the 900 foot climb back to Sweetwater Summit. It was the steepest climb of the day, and we were at around mile 60. Kristy and I started falling back from exhaustion. In my mind I was going to have to take care of her and help her back with lot of encouragement; however, after doing a glucose carb-bomb, Kristy took off and was way ahead of me! I would be the one that needed words of encouragement... After topping the summit, we started down the canyon. The canyon seemed to go on forever. I was happy when we got to the flat desert section, but as you can see from the picture, it was a pretty long stretch too. I didn't feel relief until we made the final turn into town with only a few miles to go. The last stretch felt like a ceremonial ride! A parade lap.

Normally I hate getting in the car, but with our 3rd degree monkey butt, the wide padded seat was heavenly. Kristy and I drove home and quietly celebrated our longest ride ever!

More pictures from the ride can be found HERE.

Virginia City

On Sunday we got some of the usual Sunday gang together for a road ride to Virginia City. After we rode to Markleeville last week, something I've been wanting to do for a long time, I was wondering what would be next. We seem to push it up a notch each weekend, and when Jeff P. announced we'd be riding to V.C., I got pretty excited. I've only been there by car and motorcycle, so in my mind it's a long ways up in the mountains. Getting there by bike would be an adventure.

We left Potter's base camp, elevation 4,700 feet, at around 10:30. The temperature was just starting to warm up, and we decided to wear shorts! Three guys named Jeff, and four ladies headed east across Carson City. We took the back roads on the north side of town and found little traffic. Once across town, we were treated to the climb out of Carson City on Hwy 50. The traffic was pretty heavy, but the speed limit is fairly low, and there is a decent bike lane. Brent commutes this way to work on his bike, and has not died even once.

Before turning off HWY 50 to V.C., we got to tour the lovely town of Mound House. It's not really even a town...just a wide spot in the road full of wrecking yards, gun shops, and legalized prostitution. We didn't stop. The first stretch of road to V.C. is narrow and a little unnerving, but being early in the day we didn't encounter any drunk motor bike riders (That would be on the return trip when some toothless wench/meth-addict on the back of some bike barked at the girls to get off the road...). In just a short time we got off the main route, and began the five mile twisty ascent up the V.C. Truck Route. As it turns out, grades good for big trucks are also great for bicycles! The group that had mostly stayed together up until this point began to spread out.

Once we regrouped at the outskirts of Virginia City, elevation 6,200 feet, we decided to split up the group. The girls headed back down, and the guys headed for Geiger Grade to the north of V.C. As usual, V.C. was packed with tourists, bikers, and all the local characters, many in old west costume (Sometimes you even see Mark Twain walking around). Bicycle was the best way to get through town, as we were able to slip through the gaps in traffic.

We were treated to many smells as we pedaled through town. Stale beer and cigarettes from the bars, kettle corn and fudge from the local shops, and horse manure from the local mounted posse. If there was the sound of honky tonk piano coming from the Bucket of Blood Saloon, we didn't hear it over the V-Twins of the hundred or so Harley Davidsons.

We left V.C. and continued north up towards Geiger Grade. Before reaching the top though, we turned onto Lousetown Road, and did the Virginia Highlands Loop, another 1,300 feet of climbing. We even blasted by Todd's house on the descent. I had just enough time to see Todd's old truck...the one that has been slowly sinking into the earth over the last few years. We continued to descend. I started to wonder what I had gotten myself into... Finally we started to climb back out. After the steepest climb of the ride, we finally dropped down to Geiger Grade where we could begin another ascent to the summit. The traffic was a bit scary because of the narrow shoulder, but at least the traffic wasn't heavy. We were treated to spectacular views of the Sierras to the west, the two prominent peaks being Mount Rose and Slide Mountain. At 10,776 feet, Mount Rose is the third highest mountain in the Tahoe Basin.

We finally reached Geiger Summit, elevation 6,789 feet. We paused for a picture to show how much taller Jeff is than me, drank some water, and had a snack. It was time for miles and miles of downhill! We raced down the east side of Geiger Summit towards V.C., zipped through traffic in V.C. and then blasted down the truck route. It was probably one of the more exciting things I've done in my life! I couldn't keep up with the other Jeff's, but I got a feel for all the turns and will be able to let go a bit more next time. We finally made it back to Carson City, and decided to take the scenic route around the south side of town. It was longer, but what the heck...I was already out of food, nearly out of water, and sunburned. We finally made it back to the Potters. I was actually glad to get off the bike and put it back on the roof rack. I didn't have the strength to keep my head up I was so tired. I was led to a table with a bowl full of pasta, and I began to eat. And eat. I even downed two water bottles full of water, washing down a couple chocolate muffins. Once again...thank you Potters for your hospitality!

In the end, the guys ended up doing 62 miles and lots of climbing. The girls did over 40 miles with their big climb. But now I have to ask myself...what's next?

More pictures from the ride can be found HERE.

Sunday Road Ride

As usual, we went out for our Sunday Road Ride. It was one of the first road rides in quite some time where we weren't miserably cold by the end of the ride. It sure looked cold out, but was actually quite pleasant.

FBC rider Todd joined us today, and this was his first ride on his new Fuji Roubaix. It was also his introduction to road riding too!

We began the ride from the bottom of Kingsbury Grade, and rode a few miles along Foothill Road, a pleasant, gently rolling road along the base of the Sierras. Once into California, we began our ascent to Woodfords. The group split up at this point. Some took the more scenic Carson River Road, and others took the steeper Emigrant Trail Road.

Once we regrouped at the Woodfords store, the group split up again. Some headed for Diamond Valley, and my group headed for Markleeville, a cool little mountain town. The snow started to get deep as we started our ascent, but the roads were completely dry. This was my first time on this road on the bicycle. The slower pace offered me time to enjoy the alpine scenery. It just seems to go by too quickly in the car.

We stopped at the entrance to Turtle Rock Park before beginning the descent into Markleeville. Turtle Rock Park is the start and finish of the world famous Death Ride, a ride that includes 129 miles of road, and 15,000+ feet of climbing! We split once again, Kristy and Amy heading for Diamond Valley and Genoa, Me, Todd, and Jeff P. heading for Markleeville. The descent into Markleeville was a blast, losing a lot of elevation quickly over three miles. About 3/4 of the way down, I started thinking, "You know, Jeff, you're going to need to climb back out of this when you're done!".

We took a little break in Markleeville, and then made the climb back up to Turtle Rock Park. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was glad to have a triple chain ring for sure. Once at the top, we made our way for Diamond Valley. There were several miles of downhill all the way back to Foothill Road, a nice change from all the climbing we had been doing. About a mile from the staging area, we met up again with Kristy and Amy. They had already been to Genoa, and were coming back to see what was taking us so long! Once back at the cars, we wolfed down some of Amy's scones and Kristy's cookies. We spent the rest of the day in R&R mode...

Skull Rock

Our Sunday road ride turned into a mountain bike ride. Kristy and I hooked up with Jeff, Amy, Dave, and Anke, and headed up into Ash Canyon. I really enjoy the weekend rides. The weekday rides are so rushed with only an hour to ride. It's a nice change to just hang out, stop and talk about the trail, plan new trail sections, take pictures,etc. Plus, if you screw up a section of trail, you have the opportunity of going back and giving it a second shot.

The highlight of the ride for me was the new upper section of single track. It was a 1st gear grinder with a strong headwind out of the west. The chilly southwest wind kept the precipitation up higher in the mountains, giving the mountains above a misty look. The trail conditions were excellent, still wet from the previous night's rain. The sand was wet and fast rolling, and there were only a few slick clay sections that caused a little bit of a surprise.

After we completed the climb, we headed down to the new Jackrabbit singletrack. In it's 3rd or 4th revision now, the trail is starting to flow really well. The end has been extended almost all the way down to the bike path now. Once back at the bike path, we did the Combs Canyon climb, and took the Rail Road Grade back home.

Then there's skull rock. Since the quotable helmet has been removed from the trail, a new totem was required to warn weary cyclists of the large, obvious rock at the end of the postal route. It's pretty cool looking, so it may be lost to scavengers soon. Enjoy it while you can!

Sunday Ride - Washoe Valley

Today, Jeff P. took us on a 24 mile recovery ride. With the exception of a couple grinder hills, it was flat and smooth. The easy spinning was actually pretty soothing on the legs. This was also Kristy's first ride since her hernia surgery last Tuesday. She could barely get out of bed without a lot of pain two days ago, and today she did about a 1,000 feet of climbing! Tomorrow she goes to the doctor's to get cleared to resume normal activities. So she jumped the gun a little bit...

We had some more odd bikes in the group today. First up was the Santana Quint. Bill had it broken down to only a three seater for today's ride. It was just him and his two boys. You can add sections to it just like a dining room table! The middle rider was only two, and didn't pedal. He did, however, provide Bill with some excellent resistance training!

Dave was trying out Anke's new recumbent. Sure your feet are higher than your hips, and the exposed teeth of the big chain ring are within striking distance of your crotch...the machine hauls butt!

We rode to the end of Old HWY 395, and then returned to Bower's Mansion State Park. We took a little break in the beautiful park grounds while the boys played in the playground. We began the return trip, and the sun started to come out. This was much appreciated, since the forecast was for light snow!

When we got to the top of Lakeview and saw Carson City below, I started thinking about the cool descent in front of me. When we climb the road on the mountain bikes, we always see roadies bombing down the hill at incredible speeds. I've always thought it looked nuts! Well, today was time to give being a nut a try. I talked myself into staying off the brakes, and bombing the hill. It wasn't nearly as scary as I thought it would be. In fact in felt pretty good! The bike felt way more stable than I imagined it would.

After descending Lakeview, we got to climb Timberline once again! It was only half way, but my legs were still protesting. We stopped at Dave and Anke's for some wonderful scones and some rest time. At one point, I was led to the inner sanctum to view Dave's 1984 Specialized Stumpjumper. The bike is all original...tires, water bottle, everything..., and is claimed to only have 50 miles on it! It was mounted on a special display rack and was draped with Tibetan prayer flags. A nice touch!

There was very little work left to finish the ride. From Dave and Anke's it was another thrilling descent almost all the way back to Jeff and Amy's. Once again, the Potters brewed some gourmet coffee, put out some tasty snacks, and allowed stinky bike riders to sit on their furniture! It was another excellent Sunday.