Involuntary Dismount

2009-11-09T17:51:00.000-08:00

Mexican Ditch Trail - Mexican Dam

2009-11-08T18:52:00.000-08:00

Ride Date: 11/07/2009
Location: Carson City, NV
Length: 3.2 Miles
Difficulty: Beginner/Easy
Surface: Mixed (gravel and sand)
KMZ File: Download

Doing some more exploring around the east side of Carson City and some trails that are near the Mexican Ditch trail. I kept hearing from various people that there is a damn on the east side of prison hill on the Carson River and wanted to check it out. I started on the Mexican ditch trail and rode a little over 2 miles until I got to the Carson River Rd. Made a right and just a short distance I found the trail head on my left to continue on to the Mexican dam. For the next 3/4 of a mile the road is wide and covered in crushed gravel and it's a little hilly with grades in the 8 - 25% range, but nothing too strenuous. At the end of this trail (which you may have difficulty finding) you find a connecting trail that heads east towards the Carson river. You will drop down a 30% grade and it's very deep sand so be careful. You'll be in deep sand the rest of the way.

Once I came to the river I came across this structure but I wasn't sure if this was the actual "Mexican" dam. In google earth I did see a more substantial structure further south. There are trails on the other side to head south, but crossing wasn't safe at this point. I shouldered my mt bike and tempted to cross on the planks, but they were not secured very well nor did I see any support under the first board.

I walked about 25 meters north and found another damn that looked passable, but the other side was overgrown with brush and I didnt see a trail so I still wouldn't have been able to get accross safely.

At this point I decided to head back to the truck. During the week, I'll probably ride the trails on the other side of the river and continue south to investigate the area some more.

Linear Park Trail to Riverview Park Trail

2009-11-04T16:25:00.000-08:00

Ride Date: 11/01/2009
Location: Carson City, NV
Length: 5.2 Miles
Difficulty: Beginner/Easy
Surface: Mixed (pavement and dirt)
KMZ File: Download

This trail is almost identical to the Linear Park trail to Mexican Ditch. On this ride I wanted to mix it up a little bit. This time instead of riding along the south side of the Waste Treatment plant, I decided to ride along to the north side on some service roads. Needless to say that side smells just as bad as riding the other side so there is really no way to get away from the smell :) About .2 miles into the Mexican Ditch trail you'll come up to a trail map sign and a bridge which is the connector trail to the Riverview Park Trail network. Ride over the bridge and there is a serious downhill to get down to the valley so make sure you ride in the middle to keep from getting into the soft stuff on the sides. Just follow the main trail and you'll complete the loop. This is a popular multiuse trail so you will run into a few other cyclist, runner, walkers, and animals so proceed with caution.

2009-10-27T22:48:00.000-07:00

2009-10-26T22:04:00.000-07:00

If anyone knows where I can pick up a copy here in the US, let me know!

Break The Cycle film page

Carson Trail (V&T Rail Trail)

2009-10-26T20:43:00.000-07:00

Ride Date: 10/24/2009
Location: Carson City, NV
Length: 3.7 Miles
Difficulty: Beginner/Easy
Surface: Mixed (pavement and dirt)
KMZ File: Download

Don't let the shortness of this trail fool you, it's def a good workout. From trail head to end, it's a nice steady climb with grades ranging anywhere from 2% to 9%. The trail head starts on the corner of Ash Canyon Rd and Wellington St. Parking can be found on Foothill Dr and it's a short ride on Ash Canyon Rd to get t the trail head. The trail runs through a residential area, but as you keep riding, you'll soon discovery yourself riding into a interesting desert environment with open views of Carson Valley to the east and the Sierra Foothills to the west. The trail is paved from Wellington St to Combs Canyon Rd, once you cross Combs Canyon Rd, the trail then becomes a dirt road lightly covered with small rocks. The dirt section does have some technical challenges that are not too difficult to overcome. About .8 miles into the trail, you come to a very technical rock garden or you can ride up a steep climb to bypass on the right. The rest of the trail will have a couple of steep climbs and downhills, but nothing difficult. The best part of the trail is the ride back down! The trail does have it's fair share of runners/joggers so be aware of foot traffic and make sure you let your presence known on blind turns to prevent a possible collision. Definitely and good short trail to work on climbing endurance. The main trail is also the starting point to the Ash Canyon trail network so it does offer a lot of varieties for different riding skills.

Linear Park Trail to Mexican Ditch Trail

2009-10-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ride Date: 10/20/2009
Location: Carson City, NV
Length: 5 Miles
Difficulty: Beginner/Easy
Surface: Mixed (pavement and dirt)
KMZ File: Download

The Linear Park Trail to Mexican Ditch Trail was the first trail that I have attempted. I put the ride date of 10/20/2009 as that was my last ride on this particular trail. The trail is a very easy trail that's relatively flat but there are a couple of minor uphill/downhill sections. Trail head can be found in South Central Carson City on the north side of Governors Field on S. Roop St. Parking, Restrooms, and water fountains are located in the Governors Field Complex at 500 East Evalyn Drive. The trail begins on a paved 2 lane trail that meanders next to a creek and you'll find various plant and wildlife that's very surprising to be found in the middle of town. The trail crosses N. Saliman rd so be aware of traffic. Once you cross, you ride over a bridge and continue on the path. The trail continues east until you get to the freeway, the trail runs alongside the freeway and eventually underneath it to continue on. The one drawback to this trail is you will ride past the Carson City waste water treatment plant and the odor may be offensive to some especially on a day with no breeze. The trail then crosses N. Edmonds Dr and the city did install a pedestrian crosswalk w/ traffic signal for a safe crossing. After a very short ride you'll come to a trail "intersection" were basically this ends the paved Linear Park Trails and the start of other trails. There is a area trail map available if your unfamiliar with the area. There are signs signaling the start of the various trails. The start of the Mexican Ditch Trail is on Empire Ranch Rd and will run to the Carson River Rd and it's roughly 1 mile in length. The trail runs through a residential area and it's a groomed gravel road, but once you past halfway, you find expansive views of the Carson River Valley and the trail turns into a hard packed sand. The trail ends when you reach Carson River Rd. A fun safe trail out of the way of most traffic and I do ride it weekly as part of my cardio program.

First Post

2009-10-26T11:45:00.001-07:00

About a year ago I renewed my interested in mt biking after a 9 year absence as a way to get back into shape and as another way for me to see parts of Nevada that most people don't. I started out with my 14 year old GT Outpost. It was a decent bike at the time but it is now old, beat up, and doesn't compare to the new mountain bike technology out there today. After doing some research I decided to upgrade to a 2009 Giant Yukon FX from The Bike Habitat in Carson City. A well equipped full suspension bike at a good price. Even though it is a lower end bike (under $1000), I was more concerned with improving my riding skills and stamina, so a $1k+ bike would have been unnecessary as I wouldn't have been able to get the most out of it, but yet I wanted something that will last a little while compared to a Wal-Mart Special.

Spec's

color Black/Silver
frame ALUXX-Grade Butted Aluminum, 4" Suspension
fork RockShox Dart 2, 100mm w/Lockout
shock Maestro
shifters SRAM X4, trigger
front derailleur Shimano Alivio
rear derailleur SRAM X4
brakes Hayes MX-4 Disc
brake levers Tektro Alloy, 2-Finger
cassette SRAM PG830 11-28, 8-speed
chain KMC Z72
cranks TruVative ISO Flow 3.0, 22/32/42
bb Cartridge
rims WTB Dual Duty XC, double wall
hubs Formula 32H Disc
spokes Stainless Steel
tires Kenda Nevegal 26 x 2.1"
handlebar Alloy 31.8mm, High Rise
stem Alloy
seatpost Alloy 350x30.9mm
saddle WTB Speed-V Sport
pedals Alloy Platform

It is a little on the heavy side (34lbs) but nothing unreasonable. I have also added some goodies such as a Garmin edge 705 GPS with heart rate/cadence sensor, RaceFace Next SL carbon seatpost, and a Fizik Aliante Gamma XM carbon saddle.

I wanted to create a blog to track and share my weekly bike rides short and long. Looking for a trails to ride in the area can be difficult as information can be scattered all over the net. Not only will I be documenting the trail, but also providing google earth .KMZ files for each ride so you can try it out yourself. I will be back tracking for the first couple of posts for rides that have already been completed..