Sat Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Totals
Dan Pappone 55 55 50 50 50 60 20 340
Don Axtell 60 55 60 30 40 40 285
Kim Carr 60 30 50 40 10 50 240
Chris Kennedy 60 55 60 30 205
Pam Downs 60 60 30 40 190
Deborah Lefferts 55 60 30 145
Sue Kayser 55 50 105
Lisa Curran 55 50 105
Patti Hartinian 60 60
Rob Schaller 60 60
Greg Gretz 40 20 60
Frank Correia 40 40
Linda Correia 40 40
Bill Bower 20 20
Don Taylor 20 20
Ken Kennedy 0
Guy Neenan 0
Jim Bradbury 0
Paul Vlasveld 0
Richard Holtermann mountain biking
Jerry Downing mountain biking
Susan Orth mountain biking
Much to my concern, I found that Indian Creek Campground was almost totally full, and that there was no sign of Jimmy and Teri, who were supposed to arrive around 3:00 pm and secure campsites. Instead, I felt that I was lucky to get the last 2 campsites in camp, neither one of which was on my list of preferred sites. I later found out that Jimmy had hurt his back and so they were not coming to the campout.
I was in camp for only about 15 minutes when Christine Kennedy arrived. Chris is new to the campout and also a new ACTC member, and so it was lucky that I got there first, as she would have otherwise been totally at a loss as to what to do.
I helped Chris set up her tent next to mine in the single tent pad that we were required to be on. Then, as was tradition, I started a small campfire. It was about midnight before we finally got to bed.
We met Pam already waiting for us. A few minutes later Patti and her friend Rob arrived with their tandem. By 9:30 am the 5 of us were finally on the road. Today's ride was to be the Woodfords-Tahoe Loop, with climbs up Kingsbury Grade to Daggett Pass and then Luthor Pass from the Tahoe side. We had lunch at Marie Calendar's in Tahoe, so it was a bit more high class than the stop at the gas station that we did last year. It was a nice change.
On the downhill through Woodford's Canyon, I was chasing close behind Pam, while Chris was back with the tandem. Then we turned towards the finish at the store, which was on the road to Markleeville. On the small climb, the tandem caught up and it was discovered that we were missing Christine. It seems that she missed the turn and so would end up far down the road, and she was new to the area. Since we were almost back to the cars, it was decided that I would get the car and go chase her down. Back in Woodfords, I was ready to turn right and go after Chris, but luckily I spotted her about a hundred yards off to my left, getting directions from someone. So we had found Chris, and she wasn't too far lost. Since it was only a mile up the hill to the finish, I just let Christine know that she was now headed in the right direction and then left her to come in on her own. Can't have these new riders having it too easy.
Patti and Rob were now finished with their portion of the campout, so they left. Pam was heading off to her friends in Gardnerville and we would see her tomorrow. Chris and I then went back to camp to await the next batch of people.
We met Jerry Downing already in camp. He wasn't on my list, so he was on his own to get his own campsite. Jerry would be riding mountain bikes with Richard Holtermann. Later that evening we were also joined by Deborah lefferts and Dan Pappone. We squeezed Deb onto the tent pad with both me and Chris, while Dan set up camp in the second campsite that I had gotten.
I then headed down to the reservoir. As I approached, I noticed a big black bear walking along the shore, just about 30 yards away from me and headed away. I then quickly went back up to the other campsite and let the people know that there was a bear, if they wanted to go take a look. The 3 of us then went back down to the water and were able to see the bear. The bear just kept about his business and never even seemed to notice us. Finally it just went away.
Just after breakfast, we all got to work moving tents and everything over to our new much-larger campsite. We were only a few minutes late leaving for the start of today's ride.
We were doing the Topaz Lake-Monitor Pass Loop today, with a major variation. Instead of doing a complete loop, we were going to do part of it in our cars in order to go to a barbeque at Pam's friend's (Dawn and Phil) house. To start, me Dan Chris and Deb drove over to Gardnerville and parked cars at Dawn and Phil's house. We met Pam, Dawn, and the kids. Pam decided not to ride, but instead was going to do all of the shopping for the BBQ and then we could just pay her back. This sounded like a good plan.
Dan, Chris, Deb, and I then cut across to Hwy 395 and then headed south towards Topaz Lake. At first it looked like it was going to be a serious headwind for the first 27 miles, but luckily the wind wasn't really all that bad, and mostly it was either just going uphill or going downhill.
At Topaz Lake we stopped in for an early lunch on the grass in the shade overlooking the lake. We found 3 other cyclists already there, out training for the Death Ride. We got to talking during our lunch. Then one of them mentioned something like, "... it's a good ride, you just have to watch out for the cows." This reference to hitting a cow was meaning Pam's bull incident, so Deb next mentioned that, "by the way, she is one of us". The bull story is still very much alive, and it was good to be able to actually know the lady that hit the bull (see Death Ride 1997).
Climbing Monitor from Hwy 395, I first rode along with Chris. Chris is pretty new to bicycling, being more of a runner (actually she is a world-class marathon runner from Ireland), but is already a very good hill climber. Chris's only problem in climbing hills is that she doesn't have the gears. To match her low gear, I had to keep mine in the middle chainring and then use 3rd gear on the back. This was more work than I really needed, but Chris didn't want me to have it any easier than she had, and I was willing to play along.
Two miles up got us to "The Bull Lady" memorial that we had erected 2 years before to mark the spot were Pam had hit the bull. The sign had fallen over, so I put it back in place and added a few more rocks to help hold it. The writing was really faded, but otherwise it looked ok.
I then took off to catch the others. I caught up to Chris just before the stream near the half way location, but couldn't talk her into stopping. I stopped anyway. It was a bit warm climbing the hill and the ice-cold water felt great. I next tried to get Dan to enjoy the water, but he also kept on going. Finally, I was able to get Deb to stop for a bit with me. Thank you Deb. The others just don't know how to enjoy touring. This wasn't really a stream to get into, but instead we just filled my cap with water and then put it over our heads.
Climbing again, I now just hung back with Deb, as she was new to this climb. I pointed out all of the scenic stuff to see, etc. After a while we got up and found Dan and Chris waiting for us at the summit. Then it was down the hill and on to camp.
We got to camp still on schedule, but by the time showers were finished and people were ready to go we were a bit behind. Leaving our bikes in camp, we all drove over to Gardnerville again, using a second set of cars. We were only a half hour late for the BBQ.
The BBQ at Phil and Dawn's house was a good time, and they want this to now be a regular part of the campout. Sue and Lisa joined us for the BBQ. They had arrived this afternoon and would be staying at a bed and breakfast in Markleeville. They had stopped by camp, but didn't find us as we were all off to the showers by this time.
That evening, I again started the campfire, but as soon as I did, both Deb and Chris called it a night and went to bed. Not much of a campfire that evening.
I rode up with Deb and Pam. Chris sort of hung back with us as well, as she wasn't used to doing back to back rides before, and so claimed to be a bit tired. Then at Kennedy Reservoir we were joined by Lisa and Kim. Finally we got to Ebbetts Pass and found Dan and Sue waiting.
Dropping down to Hermit Valley, I hung back with Chris, who was still new to downhills and so didn't want to go too fast. Then on the steep uphill towards Pacific Grade Summit we caught back up. I hung with Chris in the steep stuff to see how she did. To her credit, Chis did not have to get off to walk. I then went back down and rode up again, finally riding on up with Deb. Everyone was waiting at the top. It was a bit cold and windy, so people were sitting close to each other. Kim found that she could keep warm by squeezing in between me and Deb. That worked for me, too.
Pam wanted to continue on for a few more miles to check out Bill Merrin's memorial, marking the spot where he had a heart attack and died on his bike a few years ago. Kim, Deb, Chris, and I decided to come along with Pam, while Lisa, Sue, and Dan headed back the other way. We thought it might be 5 more miles but luckily we found it after just 2.5 miles.
The cross was in need of repair, and I was able to do a decent job, with the help of Kim and a few tie wraps and a few sticks. The 2 horizontal arms of the cross had broken off, so we added some back bracing and then tied it all together.
Half way up the hill from Hermit Valley to Ebbetts Pass, we passed a small hole in the road. Pam noticed something inside, and upon closer inspection, found that it was a small brown snake inside the hole.
Pam got the Markleeville sign, but it was a tough fight. I had told Pam to meet us at the Hwy 89/4 junction, but she was already gone by then. I then led Kim along and we finally caught sight of Pam and Deb just starting the hill before Markleeville. I told Kim to pretend not to know about the sign and we'd just ride together. But, before we were able to catch up, I noticed that Pam was going as fast as she could up this small hill. I knew at once that she must be going after the sign, so I chased. At the top of the hill I almost caught up, but was stuck behind 2 cars that were following Pam. The city limit sign is at the bottom of the next downhill, so I knew it would be close. Pam is a good downhiller. Finally the cars passed, and I tried to pass along with them. I was only able to get close, though, and Pam won the sprint. Pam then said that she was no fool. She knew better than to wait for us back at the junction, just so we could then beat her on the sprint.
Back in Markleeville, we all went over to Sue and Lisa and Kim's place at the "Bed, Bike, and Bagel" just a block away. Lisa said that there was a good stream just at the back of the house, so I decided to go in for a dip. I expected the water to be cold, but it wasn't too bad. It was just refreshing. Kim also came down but only stuck her feet in. Then we all had a vigorous 2 games of Yahtzee. Lisa, Sue, and Kim had played yesterday, jokingly for who should sleep on the floor. Kim lost. Today, though, Kim proved to be the big winner. The first game, Kim beat me by just 8 points. My strategy of "Use Chance first to get it out of the way" almost worked, as I took 2nd in that game. For the second game, Kim was way ahead, having gotten a second Yahtzee for 100 bonus points.
That evening we all had dinner in camp, with the bed and breakfast people joining us there. A good campfire followed.
In Carson City, Sue Lisa and Dan decided to go clockwise, passing by Washoe Lake and up Geiger Grade to get to Virginia City. The rest of us decided to take the more direct route east on Hwy 50 and then up through Silver City and Gold Hill along the steep old road.
By 10:30 am we were in town, with plenty of time left before the start of the parade. We walked around town, checking out the sights. In one store Pam and Deb found garters for sale at $1.50 each, so we each got one to wear. This would be our lingerie wearing that we had thought about at the Sierra to the Sea Tour. We also tucked a few dollar bills in as before. Pam was able to find her "secret sandwich shop", tucked in the back of an ice cream/fudge store. Then it was off to find a good spot to view the parade.
We found a bench, but it was behind a parked car, so it wasn't really the best. Then I went back to the bikes to get my sunscreen and found Lisa Sue and Dan there. There was a Loading Zone near the bikes, so they had found the perfect spot, sitting on the curb with nothing to block their view. I then went and brought the others back over, so we were all together again.
We thought the parade was to start at 12:00, but it was more like 1:00 pm before it finally got going. To help pass the time, Lisa, Pam, and Kim decided to start warming up the band, so they got their Kazoos and played any patriotic songs that they could think of. This kept the crowd nearby happy also. We put out a bike helmet with some cash in it to try to attract some tips, but didn't manage to get any.
Highlights of the parade were 1) the young girl's dance troupe which we were able to play along with, 2) the Kazoo band which we were asked to join, 3) the sheriff who recongized our kazoo tune as "I shot the Sheriff", and 4) the group photo that we got wearing our garters.
Back in Carson City, we said goodbye to all the people leaving. Dan was going to tour the railroad museum. Kim joined me and Pam in my car. We stopped for a few minutes back at Phil and Dawn's house, where they told us where to go for pizza. We then got pizza to take back to camp but had to eat a piece each while it was still warm.
Frank and Linda were in camp when we got there. We moved them into the space next to Pam's tent. Kim then took over the pad that Chris and Deb had vacated that morning. Early in the evening, Kim brought out some fireworks that she had purchased, so we had our own little 4th of July show. It was highlighted by a special one that ended up making a very loud screeching noise and then a series of loud pops. We were lucky that the camp host was out for the evening. Kim then decided that she would stay up until the wood in the fire was gone, so I decided to stay up and join her. So it was good company at the campfire.
After a good lunch in Genoa, we returned along the same route, much of which turned out to be into a stiff headwind. Pam was then off to visit friends in Incline Village.
Kim accepted my invitation to drive up over Monitor Pass to add a few more touches to the Bull Lady Memorial. We now had a small flag plus I brought some charcoal to redo the writing. This was Kim's first time ever on Monitor Pass. Back up on top of Monitor, I dropped Kim off to do the downhill on her bike while I was to drive the car down. We stopped for a quick swim at the reservoir half way down the hill. Kim didn't go in, but was willing to wait as I did. The wind was so bad now that there were waves on the water, some maybe a foot high. I told Kim that I've seen smaller waves on the ocean at Capitola.
I then needed to stop for a phone call in Markleeville, so Kim ended up riding her bike all of the way there, while I drove on ahead. Then I loaded her up and we drove on back to camp.
This was the only day that we did the "traditional" hike up the hill to the registry box and the view across the valley. It was just me, Kim, and Richard, both of whom had not been up the trail before. That evening, we waited around the campfire for Ken and Susan to arrive. They were in at 9:30 pm, just as expected.
Kim was really itching to do a bike ride, and Ken said he wasn't going to do any riding, and I said that I'd ride if Kim rode. So we decided to do a mountain bike ride up to the Blue Lakes. Ken and Kim also wanted to go check out Grover Hot Springs, so we did that first. The 3 of us drove there. We didn't go in, but just looked around. Then it was off over to the top of Carson Pass. Ken left us there and drove my car back to camp.
Kim and I rode our bikes on the old road next to Red Lake. I had put 32cm tires onto my road bike, but quickly found out that I should have just used my sneakers instead of going with my bike shoes. My shoes were not good for walking, and then they were also hard to quickly clip in and out of the pedals. Finally, half way up the steep 1000 ft climb to the ridge above the Blue Lakes, I figured out that if I put one of my slippers on instead of wearing my shoe, then I could get started easier and so was able to ride some of the road that I would have had to walk otherwise.
It was a real struggle for me to ride on the dirt. It was very frustrating, as even on the steep downhill I was only doing 6 mph. Finally at the Blue Lakes, we stopped for a rest and to eat our food. No swimming this time, as Kim was concerned that we might be late getting back. I knew that the road ahead of us was much better than the road behind us, but still I knew that we weren't going to get back too early. The last few miles of dirt went much quicker, and then on the pavement we really flew.
We decided to take the back road into camp, since it was dirt and we happened to be on our mountain bikes. Then we went on the single-track across the dam. We finally got back at about 6:15 pm. Pam was already back in camp. We were finally able to finish up the puzzle.
Pam and I then went back out to pick up our Death Ride registration packets, and then went to buy hamburgers and french fries. We ate these back in camp while working on puzzle #2. Kim and Ken went off to Grover Hot Springs, to actually go in the water this time.
I then worked on my bike, switching back to my 25c tires, removing my rack and 2nd set of water bottles, and putting on my new tape. I also put my numbers on, then made sandwiches for both me and Pam while Pam cooked dinner.
Kim again decided that she needed to ride her bike, so she rode her mountain bike back across the dam, around the reservoir, up the hill, and then down the single-track trail that we had hiked up a few days ago.
That evening most people went to bed early, while I pretty much kept to my normal schedule. I worked on the puzzle under the light from my lantern until 10:30 pm. I figured that I was awake by 5:00 to 5:30 am every morning, so tomorrow should be nothing different for me. I also was sort of waiting for Paul to arrive, but he never did. Guy and Jim were able to get into camp before it got dark.
This was my first time actually riding my bike out from camp all week. All of the other rides we had driven to. I did not take any windbreaker or other cold-weather clothes. I did manage to pack a tanktop for later, plus some sunscreen. Otherwise all of my space was filled with my 7 PB&J sandwiches.
At the Hwy 89/4 junction I stopped to take my first sandwich break. I had been passing people all along the way, and now many of them were passing me back. That was fine. I figured that I'd be passing them back again on the uphill. Also, I enjoyed being able to sit back and watch all of the bicyclists go by.
I felt good on the climb up Monitor. I was up in 58 minutes, right on schedule. Passing people left and right. Only a handful passed me. I stopped at the top, just past the reststop, and ate sandwich #2. Then it was off down the back. Many people pass me on the downhills, and I manage to pass only a few. Given the choice, I'd rather pass people on the uphill, so I don't really mind being slow on the downhill.
I saw Pam climbing up the back, a bit ahead of where she was last year. From there to the bottom was a thick band of bicyclists and then at the bottom there were many many more. Without trying to count I think there might have been about a thousand people between me and Pam.
I just turned and started back up the backside of Monitor. I was still passing lots of people and very few were passing me. But I also didn't feel quite as strong as climbing the front side. I filled my first water bottle at the rolling waterstop half way up the hill. Finally at the top I again went past the reststop and then stopped at the top of the hill. 77 minutes for the climb and right on schedule.
While eating my 3rd sandwich I also worked on my rear wheel. The back of my bike had been kicking sideways on each revolution of the wheel, even though the wheel seemed to be true if I were to just spin it. I found the cause. A few of my spokes were loose and so these would allow the wheel to move when it was loaded. I tightened all of the loose spokes and then went around adjusting them to get the wheel true again. After just 11 minutes I had my wheel fixed and my sandwich done.
I filled both waterbottles at the waterstop half way down the front of Monitor. Nobody here at this time so it is a quick fill. At the bottom I met Kim and Linda. Linda had already done the front side of Monitor and was resting before heading over to Ebbetts. Kim was hanging out at this junction to cheer us on and to take any extra clothes that people might have. I switched over to my tanktop while I also ate sandwich #4. Then Kim and Linda were both working at applying sunscreen to my shoulders, arms, and neck. I told them that I felt like a fighter waiting between rounds, getting ready to go in and get beat up some more. 11 minutes later I was on the road again. I had arrived 10 minutes ahead of schedule and left just 1 minute behind schedule, so I was doing just fine. They said that Pam was about a half hour ahead of me when I arrived, so she was still doing good.
I climbed up Ebbetts without stopping at the reststop half way up. I was still passing people but not as quickly as before. I was glad that I knew exactly where the top was, so I was happy for each false summit, as it gave me a small chance to rest, and I did not get too anxious by thinking I might be nearing the top. It took me 89 minutes to get up, 4 minutes over my schedule, and I was pretty tired at the top, but glad to be there.
I stopped for sandwich #5 plus a soda, my first reststop food. I was tired enough now that it felt good to sit down. The other stops had been me just leaning on my bike. I lost 3 more minutes on the reststop, but I needed it. I was 8 minutes behind my schedule when I finally haeded down the back of Ebbetts.
I managed to lose the top of my Death Ride 2000 water bottle somewhere on the descent and never found it again during the climb back up. In Hermit Valley I skipped the reststop and just continued on to start the climb up to Pacific Grade Summit. I was very glad that I had already been up this hill a few days ago, as I now knew exactly what to expect. Soon after I started up, here comes Pam on the way back down. Wow, she must be way ahead of schedule, as she was about 45 minutes up on me now, while she was scheduled to be just 16 minutes ahead at this point!
Pacific Grade Summit was new for my schedule so I had just estimated a time of 30 minutes up and 7 minutes down. I was then very happy with a time of 24 minutes up and 8 minutes down. At the top I used most of this extra time as I was again tired and took 17 minutes for the reststop while eating sandwich #6.
Again I skipped the Hermit Valley reststop and just continued on up the hill. I felt good again on the climb and was up in 45 minutes, the same as I had scheduled. To make up some time I decided to skip stopping at the top of Ebbetts and to wait and stop at the lunch stop down the hill. So I went from 8 minutes behind to 2 minutes ahead of schedule when I left Ebbetts Pass.
At the lunch stop I found too many bikes and people, and everyone seemed to be standing in line, so it looked like a one hour wait. Instead, I just sat down and ate sandwich #7, my last one that I had. I was now out of food and would have to depend on the reststops for food. This stop took just 15 minutes, so I cut the lunch break in half, and was now 16 minutes ahead of schedule and feeling pretty good.
I was almost out of water, so in Markleeville I stopped and filled up. Then I was up the hill and through Turtle Rock at about 20 minutes ahead of my schedule and still feeling good, but also not sure how long I would last before I lost energy, as I had cut the stops short.
At the Giant Burger store, I had told Kim that I might be there around 3:00, but I was actually there at 2:48. No Kim, but I decided to stop in anyway and eat something while I waited. I had a soda and a 3 Muskateers. At 3:00 pm, still no Kim, so I figured that she was ahead somewhere riding with Pam. I was still 13 minutes ahead of my schedule and feeling good as I left the store.
It took me 43 minutes to climb Woodfords Canyon, 3 minutes behind my schedule, but it was into a stiff headwind and I was passing lots of people and nobody passed me. I still felt good at Pickett's Junction reststop so I just cruised on by after slowing to see if Pam or Kim might happen to be there.
On the way to Carson Pass the first few miles are relatively flat and I felt strong, so I was just cruising along on my aerobars, passing lots of people and hoping to perhaps finally see Kim and Pam somewhere ahead, or at least get up before they were there too long. I was up in 56 minutes, and arrived at the top 13 minutes ahead of my schedule and still feeling good.
I parked my bike and found Kim's bike next to where I put mine, so I knew they must be around somewhere. Then I heard Pam calling my name. I found Pam, Kim, and Paul, plus Pat, Mylo, and Troy Stenstrom all hanging out at the top. I joined them. The hurry of the ride was now over. We had gotten to the top of the last pass. Now there was no hurry to get back down again. I was there for 28 minutes. Pam and Kim were there for about 15 to 20 minutes more.
Together Kim, Pam, and I headed back down. I cruised at Pam pace, while Kim went off the front. We rejoined again in Woodfords and rode up together. I stopped at the store to phone home, telling Diana that I had finished and all was well. Kim stopped with me. Pam went on ahead to the finish. Pam says that she was the 52nd woman 5-pass finisher. Pam was also 191st at the top of Pacific Grade and 7th woman there. I was about 340th at Pacific Grade Summit, and who-knows-where at the finish.
Kim and I climbed the final hill together back to Turtle Rock. Then we grabbed some of the free after-ride dinner. We were joined by Ken, who had been waiting around since finishing somewhere around 2:00 pm. After dinner I finally checked in and got my 5-pass pin. Then it was back to camp on our bikes.
We met Pam back in camp. Together we were walking over to the showers. A car from another campsite then raced by, intent on getting to the showers first. They had to take the long way around the loop, so we had a chance. We started running, but we didn't make it. We missed it by only a few seconds.
Campfire this evening lasted until about 10:30 pm. We weren't quite able to use up all of the firewood.
Other ACTC members seen on the Death Ride were: Cathy Switzer, John Blaine, Will Whitworth, Craig Jeong, Jo Vlastaris, Dennis Uyeno, Art Cruz, Debra Shore, Kathleen Meyer, Alisha Hunter, Lois Springsteen. I'm sure there were lots more.
We planned to go eat at Caples Lake, but when we got there it was closed. Then we went a mile down the road to Kirkwood, and got a nice table outside. I looked around and saw that the place was packed, and that everyone seemed to have a spoon, knife and fork in front of them, but that nobody actually had any food yet. This was going to be a long wait. Good thing we weren't in any hurry. Maybe an hour later we got our food. In the meantime, Kim was busy jotting down some notes from the campout so that she could write her own report. I was totaling everybody's miles from the campout.
After eating we all had to go our separate ways. Kim and I gave each other a nice long hug. The best thing about saying goodbye was the hugs. The worst thing was that we then had to actually leave each other. I would have rather been able to have the hugs and then not have to leave.
Half way back to San Jose, I found it hard to stay awake, so I actually stopped and took a nap. I felt great afterwards. Then, when I got home, I again took a nap before I tried to unload the car. I also slept great that night. I guess that I was a bit tired after all.