Day 5 Truckee, CA to Sparks, NV      67 miles   4008 feet of climbing


It was a bright, crisp morning in the High Sierra as we rolled out of the hotel parking lot at 7:30 am. We made our way through the town of Truckee and out to highway 89, bound for the shores of Lake Tahoe and the town of Tahoe City. After passing by the Squaw Valley Ski Resort, we rode along the bike path that follows the Truckee River all the way to the lake. It was a very wet winter in California, so the river is flowing fast and furious. I wish I had gotten some pictures of it, but I was just trying to ride and drink it all in. All the riders were loving it.

We made our way through Tahoe City around 8:00 or 8:15 am and when we arrived the traffic was already backed up on Highway 89 due to construction. It seems that the Lake Tahoe area becomes more and more crowded with people and cars each passing year. I guess that is understandable.

We rode along the north shore of the lake through Kings Beach until we intersected with the Mt. Rose Highway. It is there that our climb of the day began. Mt. Rose.

 Left to Right, Mike from Ohio, Doug from Petaluma, CA, Jamie from Woolwich, ME, Ray from Denver, CO, Jim from Exeter, NH

Our America By Bicycle support van and trailer at the summit of Mt. Rose.

My friend Doug climbs much faster than me, in fact, most everyone climbs faster than me. But this troubles me not! 

I made it to the summit, and the paramedics were kind enough to prop me up for this picture. They were so understanding. I assured them that I was perfectly fine and that I was not in fact "staggering around" at the summit. I was just overcome with emotion at the sheer beauty of the place.

We then made the 17-mile descent down the other side of Mt. Rose into Reno, Nevada. Some in our group found the decent a tad uncomfortable due to traffic, wind gusts, and the winding road, but all made it down safely. It was a long descent, hands-on your brakes the entire way. Personally, it didn't feel uncomfortable to me because I know this road and have driven it numerous times. I knew what to expect.

We then rode 15 or so miles to our hotel in Sparks, NV.
The water was temporarily shut off at our hotel for some reason, so showering was not an option. So I walked 2 blocks over to Denny's and had a beer and a mouthwatering club sandwich (I'm not joking, it was fabulous) all for around $14. Such a deal! I love Nevada.

We had dinner at an excellent BBQ place. I'm not a BBQ guy, so I had, you guessed it, a turkey sandwich and some soup. Both excellent.

Each afternoon at the hotel, we are given the schedule for the evening. 

Tomorrow we ride on to Lovelock, NV. Onward!