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Day 9. Kirkwood Resort, CA to Carson City, NVYesterday: Day 8. Silver Lake, CA to Kirkwood, CATomorrow: Day 10. Carson City, NV
Synopsis
The day started typically enough. A bowl of oatmeal, some coffee, pack the goods, then hit the road. I started the day at the Kirkwood Ski Resort, so as soon as I walked out the door, the dominating presence of the ski hills loomed over head. From Kirkwood, the climb continue up HW88 alongside Capers Lake on its way to Carson Pass -- the highest pass that I would encounter in the Sierras. I was riding at around 7000 feet, climbing up to 8300 or so, but peaks of around 10000 altitude with their small patches of snow hiding in the shadows abound. As I was coming around a bend, pedealing my lowest gear, I spotted another bike tourist heading in my direction alongside the road. With shock, we each noticed the other as we then knew that we would have some company to enjoy for at least a little while. Vinny is a 20-something year old from Berkeley who had left about 5 days earlier to spend a couple weeks pedaling around the Sierras. He had left home with only $50, had fashioned his panniers out of old blue jeans and rode a 20-year old hand-me-down Specialized Hard Rock that his father had given him some time back. He had welded his racks together himself and had hit the road carrying a 50-pound bag of homemade granola. He had planned to find work somewhere in the mountains to help him make his way home. He is a true adventurer, and to him I tip my hat. Here I am with my GPS unit, brand new panniers, North Face tent and sleeping bag, Clif Bars, etc. The contrast between us could not be larger, but we immediately clicked and enjoyed each's company. Before you know it, we had summited Carson Pass, stopped for some monumental photographs, then started the descent down the back side toward Nevada. The descent was intense. We never were moving tooo fast, but the scenery was so dominant, you couldn't help but want to slow down or stop to eat it all up. We cruised down to Woodfords and stopped at its General Store, where I bought Vinny a sandwich for lunch. We exchanged some stories and before I left I told him the story of the woman in Davis who passed $20 along to me for lunch in the Grand Canyon. As was only proper, I passed the money along to him. He definitely needed it a lot more than I and I am sure that when he has the means, he will do the same to the next person. We bid each other farewell there as he would stay to look for work, then pedal on HW4 toward Markleeville. I was headed to the desert known as Nevada. A short time later, another milestone was passed. As the descent from the Sierras had become a thing of the past, I soon was pedaling in the foothills when I crossed the California-Nevada state border. Bye bye Cali. Hello desert. Continuting to skirt around the base of the mountains, I soon found myself in Genoa, apparently the first settlement in Nevada. From there, it was onward another 10 miles to Carson City, where I bunked down in an RV park for the night. Laundry, the hottub, a cold beer and bed. The desert awaits. i am spending the next two nights in reno at a cheap hotel room. i will do some shopping to stock up on gear appropriate for the desert waiting ahead and will give myself ample time to be completely recovered and prepared for a week or so of long days across the desert ahead of me.
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