September 17, 2023
Carson City (NV) to Kit Carson (CA)
7.6
“Open up that Golden Gate…”
Another flat front tire greeted me in the morning. I was shocked, to say the least. Chuck jumped in to help me remove the tire and tube. There was a pinhole leak. We put a new tube in. The new tire was especially difficult to get off and then to get back on. Two of us working together got it back on But it was a struggle.
Then we made and had breakfast. We talked at length with Mary. She is a great host. As we were preparing to leave, the front tire was soft again! This time, I could not find a leak. We put another tube in. Chuck got some cornstarch from Mary. We were able to get the tire back on without using any levers. It seemed to be holding pressure so we finally departed, much later than originally planned.
I know that during my brief Saturday test ride, I didn’t run over anything. There was nothing in the tire. We concluded it was possible that since the tire was so difficult to get off and to put on, the fellow at the shop may have unknowingly caused a small and slow leak. Then, when we changed the tube, we did the same thing.
Finally, we got started but it was late and that made for a long day with a late finish. Cell service was poor in the Sierra Mountains, so I am behind again with my journaling.
Mary gave us directions out of town that differed for the RWGPS route we had planned. We followed them and had brief outings on a couple of bike paths, the 50 and the 395. We also ended up on a dirt road before getting to Jacks Valley Road (JVR).
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We would leave US-50 today. A good portion of our route across the country has been roughly parallel to 50 and we sometimes used it directly. For the reminder of the trip, we’ll be going back to a roughly paralleling that route.
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Once we got onto JVR, we could see some very large mountains ahead that suddenly seemed much larger. These were the Sierra Nevada and we had to cross them today. JVR is a popular road with cyclists. We saw several, on both sides of the road. No wonder, as it skirts the base of the mountains while passing by adjacent farms and pastoral landscapes. This beautiful road eventually brought us to Genoa.
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Genoa is an upscale town, billed as the first settlement in Nevada. It is the home of Mormon Station, which was yet another Pony Express stop. The Mormon Emigration Route to California passed through here. We would be following it for part of our ride today.
We took a break in Genoa in a shady park that included a historical center for the various activities that had gone on here in the past. Our break was short and we were back on the road again as the day was heating up. More cyclists were seen in the opposite direction. We passed by the imposing Job’s Peak. There were numerous roads leading to it with houses in the foothills. Signs indicated the construction of new homes for sale. Mary had told us that after the Pandemic, an exodus of Californians had come to Nevada where costs of living are less. The road we were on, Foothill Road (NV-206) seemed to illustrate that point. We followed it to a right turn onto Fredericksburg Road. A short distance later, we entered California, rather unceremoniously.
It became harder to pedal. I kept thinking my tires were flat but it was the grade of the road (PTSD from all of the prior flats on this trip). We were climbing the Sierras now. We turned onto Emigrant Trail Road and continued climbing. Whatever one may think of the Mormons, they blazed some significant and difficult pathways across this country. We saw evidence of it in Utah at the Hole in the Rock exhibit near Escalante. Now we are seeing what must have been a very tough crossing of the Sierras. With roads, these treks are difficult enough. Back then, trails had to be blazed across these areas. Tremendous describes their achievement.
At Woodfords, our road eventually met state route 88, which we would be on for a while. We needed to climb Kit Carson Pass. Apparently, so did countless motorists. It was a long and tough climb made somewhat unpleasant by narrow shoulders and the steady stream of traffic. This was not unlike what I had experienced back on the Kaibab Plateau, in Arizona, at the beginning of this trip.
Route 88 seemed to wind endlessly through the mountains. The scenery helped to somewhat mitigate the effort it took to keep on going. I also broke things up in my mind by dividing the climb into 3 segments. The first break was after a difficult and slow going stretch. It took us beyond the Desolation Hotel, a bar that was very crowded. I hoped those patrons would be sober later on when they passed us.
The second stretch seemed easier than the first. We cruised along with less difficulty and made surprisingly better time. We took another break at a spot where the road was wider and traffic seemed to abate for a short while.
The final leg to the top was tougher, then it started to rain and became cold. I stopped to put on my jacket as a rainbow appeared in the distance. The good omen gave me the feeling that we were going to make it and be okay today. The final climb to the top was tackled with renewed vigor.
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After what seemed like an eternity of climbing, we reached the summit. It was a cold rain at 8574 feet above sea level but we had conquered Kit Carson Pass. It may have been tougher than the Colorado passes or anything else we had seen on our way across the USA. Maybe it only seemed that way after the flat tires, the late start, the long day, and the cold rain.
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From the top, we still had to get to our lodging in the Eldorado National Forest. While I don’t remember any downhills on our way up, we seemed to have a number of uphills on our way down.
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There were some tremendous views along the way down but the ride was not all downhill and required effort to complete. Maybe I was more tired, so it only seemed that way. We finally reached our lodge, got checked in, cleaned up, and had a late dinner, and I didn’t last much longer into the evening. That cool air at 8000 feet is good for sleeping. So is all of the work needed to get there!
Today's ride: 61 miles (98 km)
Total: 904 miles (1,455 km)
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