October 16
48mi/77km
+2800ft/850m
After sleeping inside the past four nights, it’s good to be camping again tonight. But after two full days off, it was tough to get in the groove. For me anyway. Paul was kicking my butt today!
We left Reno with an appreciation for the great bike lanes and courteous drivers. Then we had a long climb over the Virginia Range and into Virginia City. There was no bike lane on the winding road, so it wasn’t always pleasant, but the views of the Truckee Valley were quite nice.
We stopped for lunch at a rest area in Virginia City and finally left the pavement behind as we left town. I didn’t enjoy most of the road surface, it was so damn bumpy. There were some decent miles to be had as we passed a gated area with tons of military vehicles, but then the road got rocky and bumpy again.
We bounced our way to Fort Churchill State Park, and made our way down to the campground. There are cool ruins from the fort, but we will explore that in the morning. The campground is a little noisy but it’s not too busy and we’re the only ones in a tent. It’ll be chilly tonight but not freezing. The cold snap that hit before we got to Reno has passed. It should be a bit warmer for the next week.
