Also, what would it take to convert to a ghetto tubless system.

Thanks,

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Kings Beach has their fireworks on the 3d of July. I thought it would be neat to see them from high above on the Rim Trail. This would have required that we load the bikes and take them all the way to Brockway Summit, and deal with loads of traffic and spend money on gas. Since no one really seemed interested in this I decided to go anyways, but with a different plan. I left from my house in Indian Hills at 6:15pm and pedaled up old Clear Creek Road.

Then followed the old highway up to the top of Spooner Summit. I found a trail on the left side of the summit that was Totally Rad! In fact, I will refer to it now as the ” Totally Rad Trail” or the TRT.

It was a nice rolling climb up the trail until I got near my goal of Snow Valley Peak. It was dark now and I just had gotten to a point where my line of sight could see Kings Beach. It was just a little after 9PM so I made it. The downer was that I was SO far away, it was like watching one of those ” Safe and Sane” fireworks fountains from like 2 blocks away. I could not even hear any bangs. It was still pretty cool being way up there and seeing the whole lake. Marlette Lake looked tiny. I put on my leg warmers and arm warmers after the show and blazed down.

It was a little spooky because there was no moon. Plus all these recent conversations I had with Jeff M. and Jon B. When we were on the Creek Trail the other day, and my recent encounter with a bear on Ebbetts pass, had changed my singing tone from ” Macho” to ” Soprano” ( My theory, is that if I sing loudly, while riding downhill, I will startle any animals in my path and they will run away) However, if the animals were listening, I think they would have sensed the fear last night. I took it way easy.

What took over 3 hours to climb, I descended in just over an hour. I got back to the house just before 11 pm, unloaded and charged the lights for the next adventure.  Happy 4th of July to all!

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I hear some people lament of the high costs of car ownership, and some think that buying a new car is the right way to go. Sure, I can see dumping the old SUV for an economy car helping. But by the time you figure in car payments, registration, and insurance on a new car, you may be back where you started.

Sunset in Petrolpolis

In a crisis, people take drastic measures to correct a problem. I’m observing quite the opposite though. It seems as if people would rather accelerate towards the cliff. People are driving more aggressively than ever, and road rage is a common sight.

I recently read an MSNBC article that said people are starting to give up on conservation, and move towards a “more drilling” solution. Like they feel they’ve pretty much done all they can do, and the only solution is to pump more oil. Any new drilling will take years to bring new supplies online, and will only be a drop in the barrel when you look at our daily consumption. The days of cheap oil are over.

I’ve heard some refer to oil as a drug, and I think this is a pretty accurate description of what we’re seeing. There’s never been a better time to break the habit. Get those bikes one the road people! I’m not saying to give up your car. Cars can be quite useful when used properly. But for everyday errands and small trips, it’s just oil abuse.

Who out there is breaking the oil addiction? What have you been doing to ween yourself off the stuff? It’s not an easy task. It’s taken me several years to get where I am now. I am thankful though that I’ve had the time to do it gradually, and feel sorry for those that will be shocked into it, kicking and screaming.

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The climb to Packer Saddle started out nice enough but after a couple miles, it got steep and loose and definitely grabbed your attention. In the full sun and heat of mid day, it really gets your attention.

About five miles in, the road flattened out and we had a couple miles of easily pedaling before another short climb to the start of “Sunrise Trail”, a fun, fast section of twisty single track. We rode this to somewhere along where the Butcher Ranch section starts and then headed up a fire road to the beginning of what’s known as the Baby Heads. This section, a very rocky jeep road descent, keeps you on your toes. It’s notorious for crashes and flats and with the exception of one minor digger when I unclipped and still went down, overall it went OK.

The baby heads section segues into the Pauley Creek trail which was another fun section and a bit of a reprieve after the boulder hopping bedlam. Multiple smaller creek crossings were more than welcome cool downs from the day’s heat.

Pauley Creek itself was a nice wide splash over smooth free-stone and a good opportunity to get off the bikes and soak our heads. This would’ve been as fine a place as any to spend the remainder of the day drinking beer. Provided we had beer and not another 12 or so miles to Downieville.

Not long after this, things sorta went south from a navigation standpoint. Numerous times throughout the ride we stopped to consult the map at various intersections and up to this point, we’d made all the right choices. We came to a fork in the trail, a trail going up and a trail going down. Thirty yards down the low side, the trail split again. None of this quite seemed to jive with the map and our semi-confused state. Long story short, instead of taking the 3^rd Divide trail, famous for it’s “Star Wars like speeds, magic carpet tread, bermed corners and lofty airs” we took the 2^nd Divide, equally famous (in our book) for some extra suffering in the name of more up than down and enough hairy, rocky, hike-a-bike sections to convince us that this couldn’t be the race course anymore. That, and the Sleestaks.

The 2^nd Divide eventually meets up with the Lavezzola Road and a mostly downhill run into Downieville. Somewhere along the way, we must’ve also missed the 1^st Divide trail but we got 30 miles in nevertheless and were plenty cooked for it too. We capped the day off with some Boulder Brewing’s Hazed and Infused, purchased at the market across from the parking lot. A perfect end in more ways than one.

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Swiss Chard

So show up on your bike, buy some produce, eat some food, and have a beer! See you there.

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Luv Handles

Rody at Groovy Cycle Works seemed to have just what I was looking for, the 4130 aircraft steel Luv Handles. I love the sweep on these which is a little less than the Mary’s. I have already ordered a second pair with a custom paint scheme for the Full Suspension. After spending the day on flat bars doing the Kings canyon Loop I was really wishing I had something more relaxed.

Luv Handles Installed

Luv Handle Specs:
Width - 26.0″ from the tip of the grip to the opposite point
Rise - 4 degrees or 1.0″
Sweep - 21.5 degree
Weight - 275 grams uncut

Groovy Cycleworks on the Web:
Website: http://groovycycleworks.com/
Blog: http://groovycycleworks.blogspot.com/

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you can only see the outline of the Sierras through the smoke

Thanks to commuting to work and a dentist appointment, I still managed to get just over 6 miles in yesterday. I rode at a slow pace, trying not to huff in more smoke than I needed to. Still, I didn’t feel quite right all day yesterday. And looking out the window this morning, it looks like we will have more of the same today. The sun is rising behind the smoke, and casting a red glow in the house as I write this.

The local news media has warned people to stay indoors and avoid exercise. I think for most folks around here, that shouldn’t be a problem.

So how are you all dealing with this smoke? I’ve been going out to lunch instead of my usual singletrack lunch. Kim Lee’s Sushi yesterday, and Genghis Asian Fusion the day before. It’s been a nice break and some good food, but it’s time to start riding again…

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Leaving Carson City on Kings Canyon Road

Scott R and I left Carson City from my front door at 8:45 AM. We met up with Lester on the west side, and then picked up Ryan and Christine at the Kings Canyon trailhead.

Looking Towards Carson Valley

I really haven’t done many longer rides this year, usually only riding for one to two hour durations. I was wondering how I’d do on the long ride. By spinning a low gear and taking our time, I found that the hills went by quite nicely. I would’ve been cooked early on at our usual pace.

Kings Canyon Road

Kings Canyon gains a lot of elevation up front, but then provides a pretty gentle ride for several miles after that. The views along the road are outstanding, and it is safe to stare off into the distance while riding. Well mostly…just about all of us washed out in the sand at one point or another while gawking at the scenery.

Break Time at Flume Trail Bikes

Getting to the top of Kings Canyon was a mental milestone for me. Once at the top of Spooner Summit, I felt good and knew I could do the rest of the climb. This was probably the scariest part of the ride, as we had to ride along the shoulder of HWY 50 for about a mile. The roadside construction cones pushed us a little too close to traffic. I can’t imagine doing an around the Lake tour. It was a relief to get off the road and enter Spooner Lake State Park.

We stopped off at Flume Trail Bikes at Spooner Lake State Park for some cold beverages, and topped off all the Camelbaks and water bottles before leaving for North Canyon.

Indian Paintbrush in North Canyon

The higher we climbed, the more lush the vegetation got. North Canyon was a stark contrast to the lower elevations we had climbed from. Down below, the greenery is starting to fade, but things up here seemed to be just getting started. The sights, sounds, and smells of nature were sublime.

Final Grind up North Canyon

When we regrouped at the top of North Canyon, we talked about the route that we’d finish the ride on. As we did this, it started to rain a little bit. The Flume Trail seemed like a bad idea, none of us wanting to be stuck on a cliff wall during thunder and lightening! We chose to head towards Hobart via Sunflower Hill.

Marlette Lake

The road along Marlette Lake took us through an Aspen Grove. This was one of the most peaceful sections of trail. A couple riders commented that it felt like they were back East.

Crossroads at Marlette Lake

The peacefulness ended, and it was time to climb again! And quite steeply. Everyone was back down to the granny gear for the climb up to the saddle beneath Marlette Peak.

Another Grinder up Marlette Lake Road

We finally reached the highest point of our ride for the day, somewhere around 8,500 feet above sea level. We took a break on the granite boulders, and enjoyed the view of Marlette Lake and Lake Tahoe below.

Marlette and Tahoe

We ran into construction as we neared Sunflower Hill. There was a big sign on the side of the road that read, “NO SMOKING”. It seemed wildly out of place for where we were at. Big trucks have been using the road, so it was freshly graded, and pretty silty. Not the best for riding.

Photographers on Sunflower Hill

After descending through a dark and dusty section of the woods, we came out upon the area known as Sunflower Hill. The “sunflowers” are actually Mule’s Ear, and grow all over the eastern Sierra; however, this hillside has a high concentration of them. The scene stopped us dead in our tracks, and we all had to get the cameras out.

Sunflower Hill

After descending a few switchbacks through the Mule’s Ear, we came to an intersection that gave us the choice of a downhill to Lakeview or more climbing to Hobart and Ash Canyon. We chose more climbing!

Hmmm…Which way today?

There were lots of large trucks and other heavy equipment parked around the area. A big sign advertised the “Marlette Gas Project”. There were more “NO SMOKING” signs here too. Ahh…explosive vapors. The signs made more sense, although none of us were sure why there was a gas line being put in.

Discussing the Marlette Lake Gas Project

We stopped for an extended break at Hobart Reservoir near a nice little campground and restroom. Since you can drive up Ash Canyon to within a relatively easy walking distance to the reservoir, there were quite a few fisherman and other visitors here. It was strangely noisy. Not what you would expect from such a secluded spot.

Hobart Reservoir

After a nice break, we continued to climb to get to Ash Canyon. We were all getting pretty tired at this point, and were all looking forward to some downhill. Just when we thought it was time to descend, another little hill would be presented to us.

Do We Really get to go Down Now?

Normally I would go down Lakeview, but I haven’t seen the top of Ash Canyon for over a decade. I remember it being terribly steep, and even remember crashing on it. Still, I wanted to get an updated visual of the area, since we ride the lower areas of Ash Canyon daily.

Carson City

We had another jaw dropping moment when we came out of the woods and saw Carson City below. Wow! We had done a lot of climbing!

Dropping into Ash Canyon

Once we were done soaking in the view, we began the final descent down Ash Canyon. This road is probably one of the steepest roads I’ve ever been down. Even with disk brakes, my arms required rest breaks at a few points during the descent. Lester and I both experienced rear brake fade. The lever was spongy, and you could pull it all the way back to the bars! Boiled brake fluid? Not sure…

It was almost a bummer to drop elevation so quickly. After so much climbing, a more relaxing descent would have been nice. Next time we will take the Lakeview route for sure!

Almost Home

We finished off the ride with a trip down the Creek Trail. We were all pretty fatigued, and took it much slower than normal. I felt like a pinball.

After saying farewell to the other riders, Scott R and I made it back to my house around 4:15. What a day we had had, and what a great feeling to have done such a great ride without the use of a car for a shuttle. I can’t wait to do it again!

More pictures of this ride can be viewed on our Flickr site by clicking HERE.

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You’ve been a great inspiration, mentor, and comic relief when the going gets tough to many of us riders. Thanks for being such a great friend over the years. Happy birthday!

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I’m not positive that the Rim Trail is open from Tunnel Creek to Marlette, but I’ll find out. I’m thinking we meet around 9:00 - 10:00 ish, ride out on the Flume, back on the TRT.

Who’s in?

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