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Winter keeps hanging around and we've all been trapped indoors for a few days, so when the weather cleared and the latest snow melted I was ready to go!

I rode my favorite conditioning trails, the Whites Creek/Dry Pond/Thomas Creek loop at the base of Mount Rose near Reno, NV. It's a 6.25 mile ride with just over 1,000 vertical feet of climbing (from 6,000 to 7,000 feet).

I set out at about 9am and had a solid ride up to the Dry Pond. Here is a view of Mount Rose when winding up the Dry Pond Trail from the Whites Creek Trail:

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When I reached the Dry Pond itself I came across this dead tree that is sinking into the ground:

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It is named the Dry Pond because it only holds water for 2 to 8 weeks each year. This year it's doing quite well:

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Here are some shots of my mountain bike, a 2008 Giant Yukon FX that has been modified with a Shimano drive train and Fox suspension as I wore out OEM components. It is quite dirty as there are many creek crossings in this region and it's been too cold to wash it for the last 2 rides:

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At the beginning of the descent to the Thomas Creek Trail are 4 switchbacks (there are 3 switchbacks approaching the Dry Pond from the Whites Creek Trail). In road courses we teach bicyclists how to turn in 10 feet, and this is considered difficult. These switchbacks are on dirt, full of roots and rocks, and are about 8 feet wide on 4-7% grades:

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This one always gives me the willies. You come in from the upper right from a high speed segment. I watched a rider go down here earlier this week:

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Once home I took advantage of the warm weather and washed and lubricated my mountain bike:

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Not a bad way to spend a solo Saturday morning in the spring. :)

Gorgeous pictures, Brian! :thumbs_up:

I want to see one more pic. What is on the other side of that log laying on the downhill side of that muddy switchback?

Thanks, Sean and lol, Mike - the other side of that log is not a happy place. I try not to think about it much. ;)

I once got a foot-long deep scratch on my shin just from brushing against a Bristlebrush bush that took over a year to fade, so the thought of flying off a drop-off into a pile of it and some Manzanita (a ground cover with stiff, twisting branches) is not at all appealing. The penalty for missing that turn is a good motivator to nail it.

Many people walk the switchbacks rather than ride them.

Hi Brian:

Thanks for posting the beautiful ride report!

And that bike you are riding does not look like a bike, it looks like a Billy Goat :D

Wayne