Reno to Fernley, NV

Up at 6 at Mike’s house, I did an unusual shower to kick off my ride day. Soon, Mike and I were sharing the eggs with tofu chorizo that he whipped up for us. And at about the same time, the famous Tim Healion, promoter of the Tour de Nez bike race series here in Reno showed up. Too much wow as he and I had talked a lot over the years (6) but never met.

Soon the three of us were riding to the downtown Reno Truckee River bike trail. Along the way, we stopped at Tim’s brother’s house. Jeffrey had just moved to Reno with his Panamanian wife,  Ana, and her two kids, Joana and Jose. He used to surf professionally.

He felt the magic of this ride and kept asking me if there was anything I needed. Jokingly, I told him I needed shoes with a 3.5” sole. In size 10. He had a pair! And he insisted that I take them…….

WOW. I rode with his good mojo on my feet the rest of the 56 miles I logged today. Mike left from Jeffrey’s house and Tim guided me out the river path for a mile or so past its downtown beginning. From there on out I was  on my own on a green-lined river within which the trail sat for the next 7 miles.

It was a good way to leave Reno because next up for me was an Interstate 80 that began with rumble strips right where the bike traveler needs to be. I almost turned around and began to set out for US 50. More mountain passes and less water services were better than this.

As I thought about quitting this road, I thought about Steve Stevens. Why would he recommend it and why would Nevada State bike coordinator, Bill Story, tell me the rumble strips had been fixed?

I soldiered on. Finally seven miles later the pavement divots moved deeper and narrower next to the fog line! Yahoo, I could relax a little bit. I began to notice the history that this path cut. Below me, I could see the rail line that Thomas Stevens used when he became the first man, in 1884, to cycle across America. However, I could not see any dirt path where he was supposed to have ridden. All I saw were rocks and sheer drops from the rail bed that formed the first transcontinental railroad.

I also saw the telephone poles that made up the first transcontinental phone line. While all the while the Truckee River blessed all of this with a small ribbon of green. And this has been my view all the way to Greenly where I am staying in a Super 8 motel so I can get work done. Here for example is the map for today’s travels http://www.bikeroute.com/BRdC/routeViewer.php?routeid=207

But unless I start getting some cash flow coming in once again, I will soon run out of money. I spent $95 on food and a room with internet today. I might be able to get through Nevada, where friends of friends do not exist, at that rate, but after that I may have to call it a ride.

I cannot do the work that needs to be done from city parks or under bridge hollows. That is not what this ride is all about. I’ve done the adventure style ride before. This one has the express intent of collecting data for a SF to Boston bikeway as I meet and exchange with the city leaders and bicycle shakers and movers from each of the areas through which it passes..

Btw Do get to the Mayors’ Ride Schedule. Lori Yung has posted a lot of the pictures I have been taking there………..

Big Breakthrough in Reno

The black skyscraper in the middle is Reno City Hall, the Mayor and Council are on the 15th floor!

A major breakthrough for the ride took place today!! I got Firefox to run on my little two pound Netbook (an Acer Aspire One). Not only is my on-line life going to be infinitely easier, this also allows me to run our NBG maps at http//bikeroute.com/brdc (they do not run on IE)!! And as such instead of blowing out of Reno at 6AM, I was busy tracking my travels from South Lake Tahoe to here. 

Toward that end, I had maps and notes spread all over the bedroom here at Mike Damon’s house and nearly five hours later I had this result. Wow, what a breakthrough. Wow, what that means for this ride that I am pulling out of the ashes of the bus and crew that once was going to  support it!!

My next job was to make sure it was acceptable to the Nevada state Bike Coordinator, Bill Story, who I met yeas ago at Interbike. He had already sent me email to tell me about water availability out on I-80 as Jeff Moser from BikeCarson.com had told him I was coming through……But not before I made sure it was OK with Mike Damon who had a work party to go to this eve and would not be around until 6PM. He said yes with the only condition being that I get his kids on top of my Eagle for a picture tomorrow morning!!! As I was speaking with Bill, I asked him a bunch more questions about I-80. And he knew the answer to every one of them. From the shoulder width, mostly generous, to hotel cost, $30 to 90, to the total amount of miles, almost 400, to the road grade for the three passes that are out there, less than 6%, etc, etc, he knew the road very, very well!!
Then I went by phone to my Internet guru, Lori Yung। She told me how to get a around on this Windows machine a little better so I could access my files. She also tracked down some html editing software that we are hoping will let me see my files a WYSIWYG if that means anything to you.
I also spent some time at REI’s site. In lieu of all the money I am going to spend on hotels out there on 1-80, I had thought I could camp. Having a tent to do so would also give me needed privacy and a place to meditate at mid-day. However, it looked like a five-pound penalty for Peter Wagner’s rack. And at 7 x 23 folded down, the size for what they have is also a concern. Might there be any one out there with a 2 or 3 lb. tent I could borrow for a few months that they are not using? 

Thx 4 all of U!!