Week 4

Date
January 29th, 2012

Distance
100 miles

Time
6:09:23

Route Map/Profile

This is the route I usually use to get to Kingsbury Grade (207) south of Carson City. From the Mt. Rose Junction in Reno it follows 395 South to Eastlake Blvd around Washoe Lake. From there it follows Combs Canyon Rd to College Pkwy in Carson City. I usually use Roop St as my North-South route through the City and make my way back to 395 near the US 50 junction. Just past 50 is Jacks Valley Rd, a popular route for cyclists in the area.

Weather

This was one of those perfect winter days. The temperature made its way up to 50 in the valleys, but there was some nice, fresh snow up in the mountains to look at along the way. It really is the best of both worlds when it's like this- you can play in the snow if you want to, but it's nice riding weather in the valleys.

Picture

Fire and Ice: Part of the Washoe Drive fire with Mt. Rose in the background

Ride Report
There was a recent fire south of Reno known as the Washoe Drive fire. It was a particularly nasty fire that spread rapidly on a very windy day and destroyed more than 25 homes. I decided to ride through the area to see some of the damage for myself. As usual, riding a bike gave a better perspective on the extent of the damage than walking or driving could. The smell of the recently burned plants was still in the air and I got a good feel for just how large of an area the fire actually burned. I may not feel like the luckiest guy in the world on a day-to-day basis, but an event like this really puts things into perspective. I am fortunate to have a roof over my head, a bike between my legs, and the good health to enjoy them both.