Davis Creek Bikepacking Report.

***Warning....ton of pics....takes a while to load.***

Well...there's the route folks (other than between the airport and PJ's for breakfast, where I forgot to restart the GPS)!  It's probably a little over 50 miles with the correction and about 3,400 ft of climbing with about 4 miles of single track trails.  While as many as 13 folks had "committed" to the ride....only 5 intrepid souls rolled out from the group start (The Cuter Commuter, Climber Girl, The Touring Teacher, and the Paminator).  It should also be noted that 4 out of 5 of this group were women....so apparently the men have some catching up to do.

I've described the route in previous posts so I won't do a blow by blow.  Instead I'll go for the picture tour with comments and a story or two here or there.  So be warned....this will probably be a long post for me.

The starting lineup at Wingfield Park (Paminator, Cuter Commuter, The Touring Teacher, Climber Girl, and Riding in Reno). And yeah, remember I make up everyone's name for my ramblings....if you want your moniker changed just let me know folks!

Heading out.

Just look at the range of tire sizes that made the trip...me on the left with 2.2 inch (mtn bike tires), The Touring Teacher in the middle with 25 or 28 mm (touring/road bike tires), and Climber girl with 34 mm (cyclocross knobby tires).  There were portions of the route where every type was needed!

About 20 minutes into the ride....we just had to stop at Peddler's Deli for ice cream...and to check out their new bike rack!

After ice cream everyone was all smiles as we climbed up and over the Mt. Rose fan through some low traffic subdivisions.  Climber girl is also happy because she is putting her brand new bike through it's paces!

The views of Slide Mountain and Mt. Rose were fantastic all morning....and with the help of a few access roads we connected our way through subdivision central!

I was obviously having a good time....or trying to catch bugs in my mouth!?

Eventually we found ourselves at the beginning of the first section of single track....Lower Whites Creek Trail.

 

A lunch stop was called by the creek.

Now where did I put the food in the while trying cram all this stuff on my bike!?

Trail side munching.

After lunch we hit the trail again....some riding some hike a bike....

....but fortunately, wading was not required thanks to some smartly placed bridge work.

About half way up Whites Creek our first "issue" emerged from the Cuter Commuter's rear tire!  The only reason it's still holding is the Mr. Tuffy tire liner!

The rest of the crew catching up to assess the tire issue.

We opted to try to use a dollar bill as a boot/patch for the shredded tire, hoping it would hold until we hit paved roads and the possibility of getting her hubby to run the support vehicle out with a new tire.

The plan was to have the support vehicle meet us at the head of the next trail section (Galena Creek Trail)....a large gunshot type bang (and a small shriek) let us know the dollar bill patch wasn't quite up for the challenge.  So we camped out on Callahan Ranch Rd. to wait for a new tire.

An no your eyes aren't deceiving you....the cuter commuter took this challenge on in a nice dress on her commuter bike.  And while the rest of us used the time waiting for a new tire to arrive sprawled on the sidewalk for a nap, she began to clean her bike!!!  

Although...she did eventually join us!

Yours truly...going with the flow.

Eventually help arrived (the Racer), the tire was changed out, and we made it down the road to the Galena Creek Trail head.

I didn't take a lot of pictures on this section....but the  Galena trail was much more rideable (like 90%).  The girls will probably give me a hard time for catching them on one of the few sections they did have to walk.

After a really fast....but short downhill on Joy Lake Rd., the exclusive policies of St. James's Village forced us up the Brown's Creek trail.  This little gathering on the trail was due to the fact that I hadn't scouted this portion of the route other than via google maps!  Also...we were getting a bit tired of pushing bikes up hill!  The GPS gods showed us we only had about a 1/4 mile or so left of trail so we pushed on!

And then the rewards!!!  5.3 miles of downhill dropping 810 feet.  There aren't too many pictures because we were hitting 40+ mph and enjoying huge panoramic views of Washoe Lake!

After one last little climb up to Davis Creek Campground and a lap through an almost totally filled first loop....a decision was make to skirt a gate and stealth camp in the back end of the closed secondary campground loop (and yes, we did pay the fees....and that's what got us busted the following morning)!

The Touring Teacher taught us the best camp sites are always at the top of the hill and pulled the rest of the group to a nice secluded spot!

It wasn't long before shoes were shed, bike shorts were shucked, and flasks found their way out of everyone's luggage!

Just as we were getting settled....we were joined by the Sports Book....

...and Ms. Rivendell.  These two had taken a slightly more "paved" route to join us. 

We spent a bit of time enjoying our whiskey, making beer can alcohol stoves, and apparently having a dance party!

As the sun set we were joined by our intrepid support crew (the Racer) who brought fire wood, wine, and cookies!

The festivities lasted well into the night.

After a good nights sleep the fire was stoked and we enjoyed coffee and breakfast.

Mandatory picture with destination signs were taken!

Twice....because we didn't have someone to take a picture with everyone all at once!

 

And then we headed out for the mostly down hill (and all paved) ride home!

The pack cruising on old 395!

Decision time....what route to what restaurant for a celebration 2nd breakfast!

And they're still smiling after 46+ miles!

A detour through the airport loop to "pick up" Climber Girls hubby...ok, not pick up....but we did provide him a car to get home in!

And the final destination....PJ's for a big 2nd breakfast.

And a final group shot.

If it looks interesting stay tuned.  I'm pretty sure everyone is up for another round and you're welcome to join us on the next outing!