Over the Mountain and Through the Woods

Before I get to attack the final mountain pass of my journey I must travel about twenty miles along the edge of the mountain. Lukily, the terrain west of Carson City is generally more like California than Nevada. There are trees, animals, houses and towns. In fact, the first bit of the day is quite pleasant.

I am assuming that these little towns near Carson City are populated by the wealthier business and political people of the state because I have seen some of the most impressive estates and mansions along these foothills that I've come across in the entire country. Some of these places are really stunning. Out here, you can tell that someone is rich by the quality of thir lawn. Everything in nature goes against the existence of green grass in this region, so the thick and lush lawns of these properties indicate a serious a commitment to landsaping and maintenance efforts.


Eventually, somewhere around Genoa, the road turned toward the mountain and suddenly it was time to start climbing. Luckily, it's only about 21 miles to the top, but I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm expecting it to be tough and painful. And it is.

It's not the steepest or longest climb by any means, but, for probably many reasons, it feels like riding across glue and through water. I can tell by the first five miles that this mountain is going to make me earn every inch. My legs just feel like lead and my bike feels like it's two hundred pounds. Welcome to California!



There are a few little lodge-type places along the road to stop in and they all look really neat. This is starting to remind me of Colorado in the sense that people actually want to be here and there are plenty of interesting places to see and things to do. Even though I'm killing myself to get up this hill, I can't help but appreciate the variety and beauty of my natural surroundings as well as the man-made ones.

I've mounted the summit and not a moment too soon. Before I had a chance to realize it, the temperature dropped to about 40 degrees and there was snow around me. It wasn't this cold in the Rockies, but as usual, each state pulls out a new set of tricks when I least expect it.

Somewhere near the top of Carson Pass is a little ski town called Kirkwood. This is it for the night. I found a nice looking Inn that serves dinner and they are letting me set ip camp in the back yard, so I'm calling it a night. After a very challenging day, I have no need to go any further when I have everything I need right here.

Location:Kirkwood, CA