Muscle Powered, along with Flume Trail Bikes and the Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park Backcountry Patrol, came out this past weekend to assist Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park Ranger Bill Champion in building a portion of the Hobart Link Trail.
Max at the switchback
With 2,000 feet new trail built, including a switchback, the Back Country Trail Work Camp was a big success. We now have a total of 5,030 feet of the Hobart Link Trail completed.
I could tell you about our blisters, aching muscles and hangovers from the Trail
Work Camp, but instead I’ll just share the photos from our weekend.
Morning ride before trail work.
Bill would like to thank everyone who came out to help;
Jay, Wade, Jody, Max Jones, Susan, Fiona, Donna, Oli, Skip, Garret, Jacob, Kevin Joell, Mike, Al, Monica, and Raj.
Photo courtesy of Bill Champion
Thanks to Cliff Bar for donating a case of Cliff Crunch Granola Bars.
Without a lot of time to write this week, I figure it’s a good time for some photos of the week.
Log Skinny in Ash Canyon by Brad Ashley
The first selection is from Brad Ashley, a photo of the log skinny up in Ash Canyon with some nice effects.
View from the Flume Trail by Brad Ashley
And here’s another from Brad Ashley, the beautiful view from the Flume Trail.
Browns Bay Beach Panda by Antoine Pethers
Next up is a Panda Portrait from Antoine Pethers, aboard his Surly Pugsley, riding the beaches of New Zealand. See more from Antoine at Bike Friendly North Shore.
Tarantula! by Jeff Moser
Here’s a tarantula I saw out at the Centennial trail. An awesome find if you’re into large, hairy arachnids!
Walk, Ride, and Roll to School Day
September 14th was Walk, Ride, and Roll to School day! “Come on, Dad! Do we really have time to stop for photos?”
Riding in the Pinenut Mountains
Riding in the Pinenut Mountains
And finally, here are two photos from a recent ride out in the Pinenut Mountains. It’s a great spot to take the kids, with plenty of trails to ride without big elevation gains. The kids had a blast!
These pictures were selected from the Bike Carson Flickr Pool. Instructions for adding your photos to the pool can be found HERE.
If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, this looks like a fun event, the Gold and Silver Bike and Barbecue on Saturday, September 18th. Easy or moderate ride options in Washoe Valley with a barbecue after the ride. Donations to benefit the Capital Christian Center Scholarship Fund. All the info you need is right on the flyer!
After seeing the Sept. 1 post about the race on BikeCarson.com, I decided it would be fun to head up to Spooner and compete in the Great Tahoe Flume Race. I used to do a good bit of mountain bike racing “back East” in West Virginia where I lived before moving to Carson City a year and a half ago. I haven’t done any racing lately, but this seemed like a good excuse to get out and try a new trail and enjoy the weather, and eat cheeseburgers at the post-race bar-b-que.
Cortney on the Flume
I was a little nervous signing up for the race, because most (ok, all) of the riding I have been doing lately has been at lunch with the Jeff and Company up in Ash Canyon. Great riding, but the farthest I have been is about 12 miles, and the race was 18 miles, thus the concern that I would be able to finish. But, the Lunch Guys assured me that I would be fine, so off I went.
I arrived at Spooner about an hour before the 9:00 race start to get registered and do a little warm-up riding. The registration was done ahead of time online, so it didn’t take long to sign the waiver and get my race shirt. Then, all I had to do was wait for the start, which seemed like forever. I was racing in the Sport Women class, so we started at 9:03 after the Pros, Experts, and Sport Men had already taken off.
The race started with a 4-mile climb up to the saddle above Marlette Lake. Lots of climbing right off the bat! I felt strong on this climb, but that would not last the whole race. Next, the course dropped down around Marlette Lake and onto the famous Flume Trail. People keep telling me the view from the Flume trail is nice, but I wouldn’t know because I didn’t have time to stop and look. There were other riders on my tail, and I was pedaling as fast as I could in the big chain ring. It was probably for the best, because I may have fainted if I had time to look over the edge to Lake Tahoe. Since I was riding in the big chain ring, my legs had little chance to recover before making the next climb up Tunnel Creek Road. This was no good, because I hit a rock and spun my tires during the climb, but I was too tired to correct the bike and I had to get off. I got passed by 2 people. Bummer. But it was for the best, because while I was stopped, I had a snack, which gave me some extra energy for the next climb. At the top of Tunnel Creek was a water stop, but since I had plenty of water in my CamelBak, I just poured a cup of water over my head. Refreshing.
I wish someone would have told me that there was a sandy DOWNHILL of DOOM coming up, because I am not very good at riding in the sand, and my bike was fish-tailing all over the place. This downhill to the Red House Flume was the scariest part of the course. I rode VERY conservatively down this hill because I did not want to wreck.
Podium!
Jeff warned me during our lunch ride on Friday about Sunflower Hill. He told me that it seems that you are at the top, but that it keeps going. He was right. This climb seemed as though it would never end! It was a good opportunity to use my climbing skills though, and I was able to pass 3 people in this section. Hurrah! I was very happy when I got to the top. From there, it was just one more downhill, and then the climb back to the saddle above Marlette Lake. After 2 hrs and 24 minutes, I was finished, and I even got 2nd place in my category.
Since the race finished at the top of the hill, not back at the parking lot, we had an easy 4 mile cruise back down the hill, where hotdogs and cheeseburgers awaited the arrival of hungry racers. I had both. And a brownie. To wrap up the day, there were awards, both for the race and for the overall Nevada Cup series. Then there was a raffle. I think everyone that stuck around won a prize of some sort.
Post race prizes
Overall, my impression of this was that it was a very well-put together event. The course was challenging, but not impossible, and was very well-marked with arrows and streamers all along the route. Also, course marshals were stationed at every intersection to help and give directions if necessary. Thanks to the Reno Wheelmen for organizing it. This race was a fund-raiser for the Bike Patrol, thanks to them as well for keeping the trails safe for users. Hopefully this is the end of a long hiatus for this race. Can’t wait for next year!
Full results can be found on this PDF from the Reno Wheelmen’s site HERE. (Thank you for finding the link, Scott!)
I couldn’t find a name to credit the photography, but I found the photos HERE. (Thanks for the photo tip, Dusty!)
Summer is beginning to wane, and it makes you think of all the uncompleted rides up in the Sierras that you had on the list for the year. High altitude, singletrack, forested mountains, alpine lakes, and solitude. The only problem is that these rides can require some lengthy driving to the trailhead, and on a busy labor weekend this is not always desirable. So instead of heading up to Lake Tahoe, Scott Russel, Jesse Richardson, and I chose to ride from the neighborhood up into the arid mountains north of Carson City to experience the Old West world of Virginia City.
Near Centennial Park
Ever since the restoration of the V&T Railroad went in, I’ve heard people discussing how nice it would’ve been if a multi-use trail had been built alongside the tracks. If you look at the map or do some exploring though, you’ll find that there are plenty of roads and trails that parallel the railroad tracks, or at least go in the same general direction. All that really needs to be done to start enjoying a trail now is to designate and mark a recommended route. So while this ride was much recreational, we also had the GPS going, collecting data and finding the most desirable off-road routes to connect Carson City and Virginia City.
Above Centennial Park
We headed out from the neighborhood around 8:45, and rode east towards Centennial Park. It was a cool late summer morning, but warm enough to leave any heavy cool weather gear at home. By the time we left the pavement, things warmed up to a perfect temperature that would last all day. We followed the Centennial Singletrack up and over the hills to Mound House, where we met up with the V&T tracks.
V&T Railroad Tracks
A short time later we reached Linehan Road. There seemed to be a few options to get over to Red Rock Road from here, but we chose to ride up Linehan Road, make a right on McClellan Road, and then had a fun descent on an unimproved dirt road down to Red Rock Road where we rejoined the V&T tracks. We followed the tracks to what I believe is the old American Flat Toll Road, the nice road leading north into the mountains just west of the water tank.
Near the Water Tank
The next leg of the journey up the American Flat Toll Road is very pleasant, a gentle climb that never becomes too steep all the way up to American Flat. The hills are very scenic in this area, with many canyons and evidence of past mining activity. We didn’t see any wild horses in the area as we expected, but there were certainly signs of them, especially around the springs we encountered.
American Flat Toll Road
The American Flat Toll Road finally arrives at a big valley known as American Flat, and is just west of Silver City and Gold Hill. Apparently there used to be a little town here, but there’s not much of anything left except a few mining operations. These days, when people talk about American Flat, they are usually referring to the old remains of the United Comstock Merger Mill. According to the BLM Website, the mill was built in 1922 to process local gold and silver ore utilizing cyanide vat leaching in what was then described as the largest concrete mill in the United States. These days though, the old mill more closely resembles a post-apocalyptic city. It has been more recently used as a party spot, a canvas for graffiti artists, and an arena for paint-ball warriors. Use extreme caution when visiting the place, as the concrete is crumbling, there are many open pits, and plenty of exposed rebar. There have been many injuries and even deaths out at the mill site, but the authorities have had a hard time keeping the place shut down. It’s just too interesting of a place to keep the curious explorer out.
Above the United Comstock Merger Mill at American Flat
We turned east prematurely, and came to a dead-end above the mill site. The lookout on the cliff side did give us a good panoramic view of the area though. We backtracked, and took the next road down into the site. I hadn’t been up here in almost 20 years, but the old shells of the buildings were just as spooky as I remembered them. I stayed out of the catacombs below the place, and just poked around the main building. There’s definitely a lot to look at on the walls.
The largest building at the Mill
Inside the Mill
The Karate Monkey
The Big Kahuna
Leaving American Flats
After taking in the scenery at the United Comstock Merger Mill, we climbed out of American Flat and rode over to Gold Hill, staying on dirt roads until nearly the Gold Hill Hotel. The pavement is steep here, the steepest terrain we had been on all day.
Gold Hill
Just past the Gold Hill Hotel, we came to the railroad tracks again. The gates were down, and the train was crossing. It was a good excuse to rest as we prepared for the even steeper grade up around the bend. After the train passed we continued our ascent. But just as we crossed the tracks, one of the locals called us over to his house and wanted to talk about our ride. He reminded us how steep the road was going to get around the corner, and suggested we take the next right on Homestead Road, a dirt road that takes the long way around the hill, joins the truck route, and gently climbs up into Virginia City. He also told us we wouldn’t be finding beers at the Cafe del Rio this day, since they were closed. This is just the kind of advice we needed. We thanked our new friend, and finished off the ride into town.
Leaving Gold Hill on Homestead Road
Main Street in Virginia City
When we got to the top of the truck route at the south end of Virginia City, we noticed they weren’t letting traffic down C Street, the main street through town. There was a parade about to start! All sorts of characters were lined up ready to march through town. We took the higher B Street and rode to the north end of town, and kept our eye open for the best place to get some beer, food, and a nice spot to watch the parade.
Parade
We ended up at the Red Dog Saloon. The street wasn’t as crowded here, and the view of the parade would be unobstructed even while sitting at the bar! We hitched the bikes up out front, ordered a round of beers to wash down the trail dust, and selected a medium pizza off the menu. How often do get to do this midway through a mountain bike ride?
It’s a Parade!
As we thoroughly enjoyed our beer and pizza, the parade passed by on the street. We saw dancing girls, gun fighters, Civil War soldiers, Mexican cowboys, and a whole bunch of other characters. And since we were near the end of the parade route, many of the marchers came back up the sidewalk and even into our saloon after they were done. Two of my favorite characters were Diamond Jim the dynamite laden miner, and the tall menacing cowboy, dressed in black, carrying a whip, and ready to pistol whip anyone that got out of line.
In the Red Dog Saloon
Diamond Jim
Riding down C Street in Virginia City
We ordered another round of drinks, and discussed our route home. Originally, we had planned to drop down near Mound House, and catch the road that follows the Carson River back to Carson City. We were enjoying being up in the mountains though, and decided to take Ophir Grade up over the pass, and come back around the west side of McClellan Peak. I hadn’t studied this route on the map, but what the heck, we were rejuvenated from lunch, and this was an adventure right?
Leaving Virginia City
We rode back to the south end of town, all the way to the Gold Hill sign at the NDOT maintenance station, and headed west on the Ophir Grade road. This road gently climbs towards the pass, but it wasn’t long until HWY 342 was far below us. We continued climbing, viewing American Flat off to the east in the valley below, and then finally made it to the top of the pass. From the pass, Jumbo Grade descends over the other side into Washoe Valley to the northwest. We continued along Ophir grade to the south, not knowing what we’d find, but pleased that we were headed in the right direction.
Winding HYW 342 Below
North of McClellan Peak on Ophir Grade
Looking north towards Reno
We eventually came down to a saddle just to the north of McClellan Peak. There was a road climbing up the mountain, a road to the east descending back to American Flat, and a wonderful looking flat road that circled the mountain to the west. Wanting to get over to Goni Road in Carson City, we chose to head west on the route with less climbing, hoping that it would stay nice and flat the whole way.
Wonderful road above Washoe Valley
The road seemed very encouraging for the first few miles with outstanding views of Mount Rose, Washoe Lake, and even Reno far to the north. We passed little groves of bushes and trees that were thriving off springs coming out of the mountain. We even rode through a stand of giant thistles that Jesse failed to see in time. Ouch!
Washoe Lake
Just when we thought the nice road would go on forever, the road dived down into a canyon. It looked as if the proud road builder suddenly suffered a debilitating stroke, sending the road grader madly up and down the hill. We didn’t see much other choice than to follow the road down, and then steeply climb right back to the level we were at.
Trail Gone Bad
Our legs were tired, and we hoped that we wouldn’t get another dip as bad as the one we had just climbed out of. But then it got worse! We came to a downhill so steep, that only Scott had the guts to ride down the silt covered hard pack. Jesse and I used our bikes as walkers, keeping the brakes on to help slow our descent. Jesse heard Scott howling at the bottom and was certain that he had crashed. It turned out he was just so happy to have made it to the bottom with the rubber side down! We regrouped at the bottom and then began the long hike up the other side.
Pushing the Bikes
I knew that the worst had to be behind us, and as it turned out, it was. We finally arrived on the hillside above the volcanic rock deposits on McClellan’s west side. From here it was a fast and fun descent all the way down to Goni Road, and then an even faster descent back into Carson City. We arrived home around 4 PM, our final mileage was 32.6 miles, and we were glad to be back.
The final descent back to Carson City
In the end we were really happy with our route climbing to Virginia City. There were areas for fine tuning, but overall it was a good ride and very scenic. We definitely would take a different route coming back. Although scenic, there was too much walking, and there are almost certainly some better routes to take. But going back for some more exploration will be lots of fun!
Map of the Route
Download the Google Earth KMZ files of the map HERE.
Here are a couple of articles about the toll roads leading to Virginia City:
On the weekend of September 18th & 19th, Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park Ranger Bill Champion is inviting us to join him in a backcountry trail work camp. Here are a few things Bill requires:
What you should bring:
- work pants – no shorts
- boots or other sturdy footwear
- food/water bottle(s)
- sunblock-insect repellent
- gloves/hat
- all necessary campgear if staying overnite
- I will allow participants to take a vehicle (4WD only) into Marlette Peak Campground and stay Friday and/or Saturday nights at the campground.
- If you wish I will allow you to take your vehicle (4WD only) up for the day only to help out – carpooling encouraged.
- The campground has water and restroom, plenty of camping room with grills, tables and food lockers – if we get a bunch of folks we can share spaces.
Please respond back and let me know if you will be able to participate either Sat or Sun or both. If only a partial day, morning is preferred to limit traffic on North Canyon and work in the ideal conditions in the morning.
Please do not just show up without notice as I will be supplying tools to cover the expected # of participants.”
Also, it’s not going to be all work. Feel free to bring along your mountain bike, running shoes, or hiking boots for a little post-trail work recreation.
To register for the backcountry camp or if you have any questions please contact Jeff Potter at: 6dogs@pyramid.net
