Jones Valley and Babbitt Peak I saw these areas to the east of Sardine Valley and saw posted turn-offs from County Rd S860 and Smithneck Rd. I thought they would be worth checking out. Brandon mentioned he saw them on posted rides and they looked like a way to increase the mileage and elevation of …
Riding up to Hunter Lake was an early challenge of mine. The Mount Rose Wilderness looms above Reno in the Carson Range of the northern Sierra Nevada. Interestingly it is split by a grandfathered road so you can take mechanized travel on approved forest service roads through the Mt. Rose Wilderness. This creates great opportunities …
Continue reading Ride Report; Beat the Heat, Beyond Hunter Lake
How many times have I driven past the iconic Hazen Market? Whatever the number, it is only a fraction of the number of photos of this Alt-Highway 50 (Old Lincoln Highway, Reno Highway) landmark I have seen. It is interesting to railroad buffs (founded in 1903 as a Union Pacific station), history buffs (Nevada's last …
Continue reading Ride Report; Hazen, NV and Hot Springs Mountains
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 …
Vernal wetlands, marshes, swamps, estuaries, and salt flats can appear (and smell) unappealing to the eye (and nose). But their value to the ecology, biodiversity, and therefore the wildlife biologist, public, and future generations is immeasurable. Wetlands of all types are the "tropical rain forests" of the temperate landscape. Unfortunately most of us do not …
Continue reading Ride Report; Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge and Stillwater Range
This ride was cold. We made this loop December 4, 2017. After my first ride in the Pine Grove Hills I had to share this place with a friend. So I got a hold of Brandon Anderson and told him about this great location near the Sweetwater Range and its abundance of canyons to explore …
"If you make it I will ride down and you can take my picture. For perspective," Pete let me know. If I survived? What were the range of outcomes riding down the face of the dune? Ripping success, a slow stilted descent, tumbling down the sand face, and somewhere in the mix was not surviving. …
My first experience on Soldier Meadows Rd was our Reno Bike Project staff retreat in 2015. We drove out in the dark, set up camp, but woke up in a surreal landscape. Ever since that trip I have been tracing Soldier Meadows Rd in satellite view on my computer wanting to get back there. But …
Continue reading Ride Report; Along the Calico Mtns Wilderness
When storms hit northern California and western Nevada it is often a game of watching the storm tracks and making the best educated guess as where to ride. Just the day before Brandon Anderson and I rode out of Quincy, CA in a cold windy rainstorm. Chalk that up to adverse conditions training. For today's …
Continue reading Ride Report; Simpson Rd and Dead Camel Mtns
The forecast was for windy conditions increasing in severity by the afternoon. I wish the weather payed closer attention to the forecast! My original goal for this ride was to climb through the Seven Lakes Mountains to the west of Bedell Flat. While there are still roads into the Dogskin Mountains to be explored this …
Continue reading Ride Report; A Route Through the West Shoulder of Dogskin Mountain