Tag: wolf creek

amazing sights, climbing, gravel, hiking

Thinking About Kicking Some Alpine Co. Roads’ or Trails’ Asses? Here’s a Quick Update

WELL it’s that time of year when many of us are waiting for things to clear snow-wise so we can get to training, whether on the bike or on foot.

SO, here’s a quick update!

Road Cycling

Carson Pass

I’VE warned you before but I’ll say it again: this pass is for the seasoned rider. The vehicle traffic is heavy, moves fast, and includes lots of hay trucks. Add to that the hairy, approximately five-mile section from Woodfords to Hope Valley and this ride will get your blood pumping (and not just from the climbing).

Still, it’s an iconic climb so I have to mention it.

Ebbett’s Pass

I talked to a rider in Markleeville last Sunday who had just come down from the pass. The gate was still closed at Raymond Meadow Creek (7000′) but he had, as well as many other riders, jumped the gate and went on up. The road was clear of snow and Caltrans was clearing debris and filling some holes. He mentioned that he talked to riders who had come up from the Bear Valley side and they said the same thing: the western side is almost ready, too.

I have it from a very reliable source that it should be open by the end of the week.

Luther Pass

LUTHER has not closed all winter (as is the usual unless it’s really nasty) and I’ve taken several trips over by car in the last few days.

THE road looks good and there is no snow.

Monitor Pass

BOTH the eastern side and the western side are open so no issues there. Go get you some!

Blue Lakes Road

AS of yesterday, Blue Lakes was open to the third gate so you can’t quite get to the actual lakes unless you jump the last two (2) gates. Not sure of the conditions past gate #3 so enter at your own risk (which is good advice ANYTIME you jump a gate). And you’re right, astute reader, Blue Lakes is not technically a pass but it’s a good climb (and a rip-roaring descent) for certain.

BE sure to have a back-up plan if you get a mechanical and extraction by vehicle is not an option!

Mountain Biking, Gravel Riding and Hiking

THERE are many, many trails here in Alpine County so I’m just going to mention three (3) of my favorites and let you do your homework if you wish to partake of any others. Check out AllTrails for some ideas.

Charity Valley Trail

IT’S a fantastic trail, best done IMHO from Blue Lakes Road DOWN to Grover Hot Springs State Park. Certainly for you hard core “gravelers” the up-direction is an option, but it’s some tough sledding so be sure to set your expectations properly and bring plenty of water and other necessary gear.

Thornburg Canyon Trail

ANOTHER trail that connects to Blue Lakes Road and as you might imagine, coming down is the easier option. It’s an approximately 14 mile out and back with 3600′ of climbing. I’ve not hiked nor biked the entire length of the trail but as you can see, it’s pretty. The above image was taken just a little ways from the Markleeville entrance. You can drive, walk or ride up Saw Mill Road to the trailhead.

THE Alpine Trails Association just met and we discussed the conditions of the trails. Suffice it to say there are still lots of downed branches and trees and other detritus on the trails, and likely still some winter ruts so be wary. The crews have begun work on getting the trails summer-ready but as far as I know we have not gotten to either Charity Valley nor Thornburg.

Wolf Creek Road

THE above photo of Wolf Creek Valley was taken in August of 2018, when it was a bit smoky here due to the wildfires that year, but I’ve heard the road is in pretty good shape and it is a great option for a gravel ride.

It’s been awhile since I’ve ridden the entire road but I do know that the first mile or so (from Hwy. 4) is paved, and then, as I recall, it’s about 5-6 miles of fire road from there over to the valley. There are some sections of rutted, boulder-strewn dirt so keep that in mind.

REMEMBER, activities such as these can be inherently dangerous (my lawyerly sub-conscience reminded me to tell you this) so take part in these adventures at your own risk.

Resources and Grinds

HERE’s a link to the Alpine Co. Road Dept. where you can get more info. on county road conditions here.

AS far as local highways…Caltrans District 10’s Twitter feed is a great resource for up-to-date info. and I’ve found that its QuickMap page (and associated app.) is pretty reliable too.

BEER? The Cutthroat Brewing Company is now open 7 days a week and you can partake of delictable eats like the Deathride Pizza.

THE J. Markee Toll Station is another wonderful option with a nice lawn where you can spread out and do some people watching. Don’t let the “hole-in-the-wall” appearance fool you; Sandy (chef and owner) and her son Tanner are excellent hosts. We were just there last weekend and and the food and service was awesome!

LAST, but certainly not least, is the Out West Cafe. This place is only open for breakfast and lunch but Joey (chef/owner) always has some unique dishes and his wife bakes the most amazing cheesecakes.

WE’RE still masking up here when appropriate but with so many outdoor options it shouldn’t be too challenging to follow those best practices.

LET me know if you’re coming to town. Perhaps we can get a ride or hike in!

OH and by the way…if you’d like to check out some of these climbs (and other local rides, including some Tahoe rides) from the pleasure of your pain-cave then check us out on FulGaz. Just login and search “Schwartz.”

deathride, road conditions, weather

Deathride After-Action Report and Other Goings-On Here in the California Alps

I had hoped to post this up just after the Tour of the California Alps, which took place almost two weeks ago now, on Saturday, the 13th. Unfortunately, I picked up a bit of a cough, brought on by a little trip to the Southland the Tuesday prior, and it put me out of commission. Note to self: Don’t get in one of those shiny, jet-powered tubes filled with other germ-carriers, fly to a big city and hang out in a meeting for two (2) hours with a sick colleague also in the meeting, especially the week before the Deathride.

Thankfully it didn’t hit me so hard that I couldn’t do some of the ride. I was able to get four (4) passes done but Carson just wasn’t possible. Just couldn’t get any air as the day wore on; 40 more miles and another ~4000 feet wasn’t going to happen. So, I had to abandon and leave my brother from another mother, and California Alps Cycling member, Scott Keno, to finish without me, which he did. Two (2) other members, Roy Franz and Joe Watkins, also finished, and a couple other members, Greg Hanson and Rich Harvey, conquered one, or both sides, of Ebbett’s. Congrats boyz!

While I don’t have the official stats yet from the Alpine Co. Chamber, I heard that there were approximately 2000 sign-ups and about 900 5-pass finishers! Based on what I know about previous years that’s a higher percentage than in the past. Lots of strong riders out there this year! The weather cooperated; it didn’t get too hot or windy until later in the day. Still challenging for those on Carson but it could have been much worse as highs in the 90’s were expected. Congratulations to all you Death-riders! Whether you did 1, 2, 3, 4 or all 5 passes you should be proud.

Here’s a bunch o’ photos from the day (and a couple from the Expo the Friday before)

From our perspective here at California Alps Cycling we couldn’t have had a more successful weekend (well, it would have been nice to not get that cold but that’s life, eh?). The Expo was hugely successful! We sold out of our cinch-packs for the bag drop and we got great reviews on the drop itself, too; we turned some folks onto our jerseys, vests, bibs and decals, and we had many great conversations with riders. Thank you so much BTW, to those of you who came by our booth, and especially to those that partook of our bag drop or bought other schwag. We are grateful. We also handed out (free of charge) some Smart Cycling Quick-Guides, which we purchased from the League of American Bicyclists. Based on what our booth-goers told us, most of them were going to go to kids and grand-kids of riders, which is what we had hoped. Getting to those neophyte riders early is key we think and it’s one of the things we feel very strongly about – cycling education that is. Don’t you agree?

We’ll be back next year and have already started planning. Hope to see you then! Be on the lookout (BOLO) for our Deathride 2020 page (we retired the 2019 page earlier this week) where we’ll post up that data that matta for next year.

In other news…

Earlier this week, we joined other members of the Markleeville Enhancement Club (Mark’s the secy-treasurer) for a bit of weed-whacking, branch-trimming and litter pick-up at Heritage Park. If you’re interested in a bit of history, click here to read a 2016 article about Jacob Markley (’twas he that our town was named after) and the park.

Lighting and thunder visited us in earnest yesterday (first real storm of the season). We had about .30 inches of rain fall here at HQ and a few strikes did torch some trees, one here on Hot Springs Road and one out on the Mesa area, near Woodfords. Thanks to our firefighting professionals, though, they were quickly extinguished.

Last, but not least, there is some road work being done on Dixon Mine Road (off Wolf Creek Road) until November but it looks like Wolf Creek Road itself will remain open.

So there you have it loyal reader. The latest happenings here in our little slice of heaven. This Sunday, by the way, Mark is going to join other members of the Alpine Trails Association (yup, he’s a member, too) for a nice hike on the Charity Valley Trail, from Blue Lakes Rd. to Grover Hot Springs State Park, so we’ll post something on our blog next week on that. Stay tuned.

Happy weekend to you! Get out and enjoy the outdoors and let’s kick some passes’ asses! whether that be by foot, horseback, bike or some other form of transpo.

rides, road conditions, weather

Winter Cycling in the California Alps

I’ll try not to whine too much as I write this post. After all, I get to live and work in the heart of the California Alps. Still, the winter can be tough up here in terms of cycling. The roads, even though most are plowed, have a tendency to ice up a bit (or more than a bit), especially after a decent snow, and that can make things a bit difficult on any bike, let alone a road bike.

A crisp, cool and icy Diamond Valley afternoon.

Over the last several weeks it’s been so icy most of the time that riding outside was not really safe. Thankfully, there are options. For example, a bluetooth trainer helps lessen the boredom and makes a virtual ride more engaging. I use a CycleOps Magnus with Zwift. The trainer syncs with Zwift and so as the grade increases on the screen, the resistence increases on the trainer. It’s not climbing per se but it certainly feels more realistic than mashing a bigger gear to simulate a climb. With this set up I can spin at a high cadence when I climb in the house just like I would when I’m on the road.

Last weekend, I took another step forward. I mounted a flat screen in my workout room and hooked it up to an old Apple TV. I did have one problem, though: the Zwift app. was kinda janky and running it with the Apple TV remote was problematic. So, I went with Airplay instead. That actually turned out to be a better set up. I put my laptop on a tripod (you can get a special tray on online to attach to any tripod), placed it by my side, opposite the stool I have for my water bottle, phone, towel, etc. and man, it felt like Mission Control! And that larger screen (46″) made for a much more immersive experience than what I had used previously – just the Mac in front of me on that tripod. Since the beginning of the month I’ve put in about 214 miles, with 172 of those on Zwift. I cast my mind back to the winter of ’16-17 when I rode 600 miles during one period, all indoors!

Yeah, I here ya! I need to find something else to do perhaps. A bit of snowshoeing maybe? Time to learn how to ski? How about a hike? Yup, I need to do some of that too. I do have a sweet little gym set up (little being the operative word) so I can do some core work, keep the upper body strong and work on those hammies and glutes a bit too. But, I agree, some other outdoor activities are warranted.

With that said, I did get a little break in the weather, or ice I should say, and got outside for a couple hours last Sunday. I was able to ride up Highway 4 (Ebbett’s Pass) a bit. The snow, and requisite gate, however, stopped me at Wolf Creek but I did get a glimpse of a bald eagle and I startled a coyote (doing it’s “business” on the side of the road). It’s the little things…

Snow and ice behind the gate at Hwy. 4 and Wolf Creek Road.

It was a great day, made even more special by the fact that I was outside. Yet another perk of riding inside: the rides outside are just a bit more enjoyable. If you’d like to do a bit of winter riding in one of the most beautiful places in the world, come on up, the weather’s fine…for now.

Snow on the sides of the road but not on it! Made all that much sweeter by that bright, shiny orb in the sky.
off the bike fun, things to do, winter walks

A Day Trip to Wolf Creek Meadow

It seems to me that since I’ve lived in Markleeville, Wolf Creek Road has been closed. That’s not to say I haven’t been back there (shhhh…). I have. I’ve taken a few rides in and a done a few hikes as well. There was a massive slide during the winter of 2016/2017 and so access by car was not possible. Frankly, there were times that it didn’t seem it was wise to access it by bike either – too much mud, rocks and run-off. Nonetheless, I tried, but alas, getting to the Meadow was not even possible. So, after weeks of dirt-haulers coming in and out, I was encouraged. And then recently, bam! the gate was opened and so I was able to ride “that segment” with impunity. However, about 2 miles or so past the gate, the road was just too rough to continue on the bike, so I made a mental note to come back, with the wife ideally, and explore. Last weekend, I did just that! Loaded up the chairs, the cooler, the fishing gear and most importantly, my wife, Patricia, and off we went for an afternoon recon.

wolf creek road map
Access Wolf Creek Road from Hwy. 4, about 8 miles south of Markleeville.

On the way out we spent quite a bit of time checking fishing spots and trying to figure out the best way to get to them but in the end, decided to just keep on truckin’ to the Meadow and then work our way back. It was a bit smokey in some areas due to the Ferguson fire near Yosemite but as you can see, the meadow is an amazing place.

vripOL9jSpKfYP5CwprXGA
Happy Cows in Wolf Creek Meadow

We also explored some of the spur roads in the area that lead to various trailheads in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness. Something else to do in the future – backpacking!

Once we got to the end of the road, literally, we stopped and enjoyed the Creek. I did a bit of fishing (no catching unfortunately) and “momma” read her book and took a little nap. We stopped and hit a few other holes on the way back to Hwy. 4 but again, no catching.

Still, if you’re looking for a little day trip, close to Markleeville, this is one I highly recommend, especially once the smoke clears.

I’ll leave you with a couple pix from one of “those 2016/2017 winter hikes” I mentioned earlier in this post. Take a trip out there! You won’t regret it.

Looking upstream (southeast) at Wolf Creek from the road.
Tiny ice dancer.

 

rides, road conditions

A Little Jaunt up to Wolf Creek before the Next Snow

Yeah, it’s been a bit snowy and cold here but nothing like the winter of ’16/’17. Funny, reminds me of listening to my grandparents share stories about the old days. One of my grandmothers grew up in Minneapolis and those stories she told about when she was a little girl…

Clearing snow from the back deck of HQ.
I love my snowblower!

Ok, I digress.

As I was saying (or writing to be more precise) it’s been a bit chilly here, and I’m getting tired of blowing snow, so when I had a chance to get out on the road (Zwift is great but there’s no substitute for being outside), I took it.

Just another boring (not!) ride up Ebbett’s way – one of my favorite rides to be sure. The river (East Fork of the Carson) was raging and looked a bit like chocolate milk but the roads were clear (mostly…some bits of ice and snow and of course, water) and the sun was shining.

Here’s a shot of my route and the profile in case any of you want to partake (just be sure to layer up).

Wolf Creek out and back map and profile

When riding in conditions such as these (I’ve seen way worse – oops, there I go again. Digressing…) be sure to take extra care, have the proper gear and double check your bike before you head out. It’s dicey enough without those extra precautions, eh?

 

 

My lawyer told me I need to tell you this too: Please check to make sure that any trails, roads, hikes etc. that you use are suited to your skill set. CAC is not responsible for any injuries.  Any information provided on this website is subject to change and CAC is not responsible for the accuracy of that information.