It was a reunion of sorts. Dean Magnuson, my long term riding partner of so many adventures chronicled here, had moved away to Portland, OR but was back in Reno for a visit.

“Dean, I have a ride for us along the ridge of the Selenite Range between Kumiva and Luxor Peaks.”

He just smiled and agreed to the ride. But he knows from our past history he might be in for long climbs, rough terrain, and adverse conditions. So I decided I better sweeten the deal, “I will bring lunch!” Dean is always agreeable, never needs a bribe, so the plan was I would pick him up in the morning and we would take-off to our mutual destruction, I mean discovery.

I used a turn-off from the highway I had used in a loop through the Selenites to the south, to Winnemucca Lake. Dean and I had ridden Winnemucca Lake and Three Mile Canyon in this area together. This particular route was inspired by searching on Google Maps for routes to the north.

Our climb to the ridge line was steeper than I remembered. Pain fades with time, ha! Dean struggled with the climb. His time with his grand kids, while does much for the soul, did little for his cardiovascular system. I must admit I get pleasure out of his suffering. Maybe I shouldn’t admit this. The views along the climb were fantastic. We were up close to the burn sites from our last fire season. We can only hope for quick recovery.

 

The ridge line was rewarding in mixed terrain and stunning views to the east. But the ridge line was taxing so we found a turn off to the east down to Kumiva Valley. We passed a large working ranch and chatted with a group of chukar hunters. I thought they were bird watchers, and they were, just the other kind of bird watchers. We had not seen any birds.

The last climb of the day was moderate and gave way to a long fast downhill back to the car. The route can be shortened or extended to the north. To the south and extreme north the Selenite Range is protected as Wilderness Study Areas. To the north is the Selenite Mtns WSA and to the south is the Mt Limbo WSA. For some this begs the issue of bikes in the wilderness. My personal feelings is the Wilderness Act should stand as it is with regards to bicycles. There is no loss of opportunity for me to explore Nevada’s wild lands. I can bike up to wilderness or wilderness study areas on established roads and if I choose to explore further I can park my bike and do so on foot.

I have heard from other users in this area that the ridge road is enjoyable all the way to Jungo Rd. I think the road that climbs over the Selenites is a valuable east-west crossroads between Kumiva and Poito Valleys though passage to the south of the Selenite Range is an option to avoid the climb.

Dean borrowed my Surly Instigator for this ride. I wasn’t sure how much snow or sand there would be so I figured the 26×3″ tires would be a good choice. I have recently set up my Transition TransAm for touring. I replaced the suspension fork with the Salsa Cro Moto Grande 29’r fork, swapped out the riser bars for Surly Moloko touring bars, and added bags and cages. I love the way it rides. It has quickly become a favorite.

Here is a short video Dean shot. He has a couple more on his YouTube channel.