Riding

Today was my first bicycle ride since my shoulder surgery back in early November. This has been the longest period of being off my bike in more than a decade, time enough away that riding seemed foreign and unfamiliar.  The cold weather and icy streets didn’t exactly keep me longing for two-wheeled travel either. But after nearly three months of healing and physical therapy, and with temperatures breaking 40 degrees, I decided today was the day to get back in the saddle.

A 31-year-old Carson City man, Jaron W. Malone, has been identified as the victim in a two-vehicle crash Monday on Highway 395 at Riverview Drive south of Gardnerville in Douglas County, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports.

Alcohol is suspected as a factor in a fatal crash Monday night on Highway 395 three miles south of Gardnerville in Douglas County that killed a 31-year-old Carson City man, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports.

The crash was reported at 10:05 p.m. The preliminary crash investigation details a blue 1995 Ford 4-door sedan, driven by the Carson City man, was pulling out from the driveway of the 7-Eleven store near Riverview Drive and Highway 395, said NHP Trooper Chuck Allen.

More than 275 traffic enforcement stops were made by Nevada Highway Patrol troopers on Northern Nevada highways in a 10-hour period from 7 pm Monday until 5 am Tuesday morning.

Only seven motorists, or roughly three percent, stopped during that timeframe were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Many of those motorists stopped were designated drivers for passengers riding in the vehicle who were celebrating the New Year and had already consumed alcohol.

A Western saddle handcrafted by Reno residents in 1945 was sent as a special gift to Admiral William Halsey to mark the surrender of Japanese forces in World War II. The Halsey Saddle arrives Thursday from the U.S. Naval Academy Museum in Annapolis, MD, on a three-year loan. Gov. Brian Sandoval is scheduled to take delivery. The saddle that gained international attention during the war will be housed at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City in honor of the state’s 150th birthday coming up in 2014 and will tour the state.

Regular readers of BikeCarson.com may have noticed that there have been far fewer postings lately. I suppose an explanation is warranted, because I don’t want you to think that I have lost interest in cycling, as this is not the case. I haven’t been riding my bike though, and it’s awfully hard to write about something I’m not actively engaged in.  After years of tuning-up my bike, it was time to tune-up my body.

Santa Claus will make an express run on the Nevada State Railroad Museum’s steam train pulled by V&T Railway locomotive No. 25 for one last weekend. The museum’s Santa Train departs Carson City’s Wabuska Depot at the corner of Fairview Drive and U.S. 395 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 15 and 16.
Trains run continuously throughout the day. Each Santa Train trip leaves the depot as soon as Santa and passengers have boarded.

Here is the fishing report for rivers, lakes and streams in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of Nov. 29.

The 2012 Polar Express train aboard the historic V&T Railway in Carson City has sold all of its tickets, officials said. The all-ages train ride is set for 15 different dates, Nov. 23 through Dec. 23. The V&T officially sold all 10,794 of its tickets as of Thursday, said Candy Duncan, executive director of the Carson City Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Lifts began turning at Heavenly Mountain Resort at 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, signaling winter's return to Lake Tahoe. Early-season storms combined with the West Coast’s largest snowmaking system have given Heavenly the ability to stage its earliest opening since 2004-05. All access to the mountain at this time is through the Heavenly Gondola and Tamarack Express.

Value-added skiing and boarding has been passed down to three Lake Tahoe area resorts. Sierra-at-Tahoe Resort season passholders can now enjoy free skiing or riding at Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows from opening day until December 21, 2012, as well as from April 15, 2013 until closing day.

Powerful early-season storms combined with the area’s largest and most advanced snowmaking operations have allowed Vail Resorts’ Lake Tahoe mountains – Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California Resort and Kirkwood Mountain Resort – to open early with 111 acres. Heavenly and Northstar will open on Wednesday, Nov. 14 with a combined seven lifts and eight trails, totaling 51 acres.

With Lake Tahoe area ski lifts just days away from turning for the first time this ski and ride season, it is not too early to start planning holiday vacations, especially with the wide variety of holiday activities and great vacation packages Heavenly Mountain Resort, Northstar California and Kirkwood Mountain Resort are offering.

Santa Claus will make an express run on the Nevada State Railroad Museum’s steam train pulled by V&T Railway locomotive No. 25 on two December weekends. The museum’s Santa Train departs Carson City’s Wabuska Depot at the corner of Fairview Drive and U.S. 395 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Dec. 1 and 2 and again on Dec. 15 and 16.

Trains run continuously throughout the day, sun, rain or snow. Each Santa Train trip leaves the depot as soon as Santa and passengers have boarded. Tickets are $3 per seat and available at the depot.

In the aftermath of the super storm that battered the Northeast, many have found themselves with no transportation. Cars were destroyed, roads were washed away, subway tunnels were flooded, and due to interrupted supply lines and power outages, many gas stations are now without fuel or simply unable to run their pumps. Long lines are forming at the stations that are open, and rationing is even being enforced in some places.

With all the latest news of widespread doping and cheating in professional bicycle racing, it really got me thinking of how much racing has influenced today’s cycling. Most of us have never even raced, or have only dabbled in competition.  Yet I find it interesting that we that call ourselves cyclists have probably at one time or another been influenced by racing, whether it be a bicycle purchase, new parts, a flashy jersey, or an uncontrollable urge to go tackle a mountain pass after watching a stage of the Tour de France.

The Heavenly Ski and Snowboard Foundation at Lake Tahoe has opened registration for the 2012 – 2013 competitive and development ski and snowboard programs. With a variety of options from the One-Day Program to the Full-Time Competitive Program, the Foundation has something for all ages and levels of skiers and riders. Registration packets are available online and at the HSSF building.

Not able to ride today, or need some motivation to get on your bike? Here’s a fun Go Pro video from Marcus Marchegger, riding his bike above Vicee Canyon on Carson City’s west side. Great Fall colors, cool temperatures, and smooth fast singletrack along the small canyon’s rim make for some exceptional mountain biking this time of year!

With Nov. 16 as its opening day, the countdown is on at Heavenly Mountain Resort. From intense competitions and events to the return of the halfpipe, excitement is stirring at Lake Tahoe’s largest winter playground.

In late July, more than 500 women from throughout North America rolled into Carson City, Nev., to celebrate their shared passion for motorcycling. The 2012 American Motorcyclist Association International Women & Motorcycling Conference featured presenters from around the globe and drew a healthy share of cruiser riders, with a splash of sport bike, sport touring, dual-sport and off-road enthusiasts mixed in for good measure.

At Lake Tahoe, football is underway, the colors are starting to change, the days are getting shorter, and the smell of fireplaces are starting to fill the evening air.

Vail Resorts, Inc. which has three ski resorts in the Lake Tahoe area, announced Thursday an unprecedented partnership with Verbier, Switzerland, that will enhance the already incredible value of Vail Resorts’ Epic Season Pass, providing three days of free access to the Verbier ski resort, including Les 4 Vallées, the largest ski area in Switzerland, for new and renewing 2012-2013 Epic Season Pass holders.

A South Lake Tahoe woman died in a motorcycle crash on Monday near Glenbrook on Highway 50, the Nevada Highway Patrol reports. Jennifer Lyrea Leonard, 50, died after being thrown from the motorcycle she was riding on.

This is the first in a three-part series of articles about my second, fly-in, trout fishing trip to Mitchell Lake, which is located in the Cariboo Mountains Provincial Park in British Columbia.
This three-part series will consist of:
Series No. 1: The flight from Dayton, Nevada to Mitchell Lake, B.C.,
Series No. 2: The people, accommodations and meals at the lake,
Series No. 3: The trout fishing.

How the trip originated:
It began about three weeks ago, when my first-cousin’s husband (Bob Scholes of Dayton) asked if I was interested in returning to Mitchell Lake.

With the big Labor Day weekend, the last outdoor trips of the summer, the start of many different big game and bird hunting seasons, the beginning of a new school year, etc., all coming up around the corner, here are some suggestions that just might save your life, if you are planning to venture into the Great Outdoors, all alone, on a photographing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, backpacking, camping, fishing, hunting, climbing, trip:

The names of the four fatality crash victims in the horrific fatality crash involving three vehicles in Lyon County on US Highway 50 this past Tuesday morning have been released today.

The three victims traveling in the GMC pickup are as follows:

Driver: Troy Sibson, 47 of Fernley.

Passenger: Noel (Mike) Sotka, 52 of Fernley.

Passenger: Douglas (Jason) Counterman, 30 of Fernley.

All three men were employees of the Pioneer Crossing Casino properties based in Fernley and Dayton.

The names of the three injured victims in yesterday’s horrific fatality crash involving three vehicles in Lyon County on US Highway 50 are being released today while the names of the four fatality victims won’t be released until the Washoe County Medical Examiner’s Office positively confirms their identity. This process may not be completed until Friday.

This morning shortly before 9:00 am, troopers from the Nevada Highway Patrol were dispatched to a multiple-vehicle crash on US Highway 50 in Lyon County, approximately 10 miles east of Dayton near mile marker 21 or just several hundred feet west of Caroline Way. The crash investigation details learned so far indicate that a 1989 Dodge pick pulling a double-axle livestock trailer carrying 8 young steers or heifers was traveling eastbound on the two-lane highway. Following behind the Dodge and green trailer was a 1995 Ford F-250 towing a white livestock trailer carrying 7 full grown cows.

A Gardnervile man has been arrested and faces charges in connection with several vehicle burglaries last month in the Indian Hills area in north Douglas County. A 15-year-old male was also arrested.
Nathan Centeno, 18, was arrested on Thursday by Douglas County Sheriff's Office investigators. The arrest was made after an investigation following several vehicle burglaries that happened on July 10.
Here is a Douglas County Sheriff's Office press release that provides the details:

Lake Tahoe was named the “Best Lake in America” in a recent readers' poll by USA Today. Editors narrowed national nominations to the top 16; readers weighed in and the largest and most popular alpine lake in North America took home top honors by garnering more than 5,000 votes via Facebook and Twitter.
Go here for the story.
Lake Tahoe is recognized for its timeless beauty and an international reputation as an outdoor recreational Mecca. The combination of great outdoors, entertainment, nightlife, dining and gaming identify its unique character.