2009 Year in Review

When I first started blogging back in 2004, my intent was just to keep a diary. I didn’t expect any readers besides myself and a couple of friends, and I thought it would be a good way to track where we had been. Even though Bike Carson has evolved tremendously since those early days, it’s still fun to go back and see what happened.

While putting together this 2009 Year in review post, I was amazed at all we did and all the fun we had in 2009.  I hope you enjoy reading this post as much as I enjoyed putting it together.  It made me smile as I dug through the archives and stirred up the memories.  I’ve included links to the original posts throughout the year in review if you’d like to dig deeper.  Enjoy!

JANUARY

Pecos Potter Rides Again

January of 2009 was one of the mildest Januarys in recent memory. I even got to wear shorts on one ride! The highlight of January though was the ride we did out at Iron Mountain. Riding out in the deserted areas of Nevada makes me think of the Old West, and I came up with a frontier tale of our ride that day, Pecos Potter Rides Again.

Warm January Riding

FEBRUARY

February was a little colder than January, and we had more precipitation.  Still, most of the snow stayed high, and we did plenty of trail riding.

February Lunch Ride

The new bridges were installed on the Mexican Ditch Trail back in February. This extended the trail all the way to the Silver Saddle Ranch.

Mexican Ditch Trail Bridges

February Riding

MARCH

Fresh Powder in March

We received a big snow storm back In March, but we all kept riding.  In my memory, this snow storm took place much earlier in the winter.  And you would think it did by the pictures!  January got here a little late in 2009 I guess.  These pictures are taken from the post January in March.

Scott Russel in Deep March Snow

The snow eventually began to go away again though, and we got our trails back.  It was March when we finally got to start riding the Creek Trail again!

Creek Trail opens for the season!

APRIL

In April we took advantage of the mild temperatures and explored the deserty El Dorado Canyon. We had a big group that day and had a lot of fun.

El Dorado Canyon

We all got a kick when one of our winter riding shots was published in Dirt Rag!

Bike Carson in Dirt Rag!

The sheep were back again in 2009 conducting natural fire suppression. Sheep Watch 2009

Sheep Crossing Combs Canyon Road

The snow had receded enough by April that we took our first adventure up into the higher country in our post Exploring Lakeview.

Exploring Lakeview

Also in April, Lester and Scott M raced at the Seat Otter Classic.

Sea Otter Classic

MAY

There is so much to talk about in May. It was Bike Month! We had back to back bike events for two solid weeks, including Bike to Work Week. Here are some of the highlights…

We rode with the Mayor to Work

Full Flower Moon Ride

There were social gatherings

Kids Ride on the Mexican Ditch Trail

Movie Nights at the Bike Shops

West Carson Cruiser Ride

Bicycle Repair Clinics

Bike to Work Week Party at the Firkin and Fox

2nd Annual Tour of Carson and BBQ at the Bike Habitat

The Bicycle Commuter Corporate Challenge was a huge success in 2009! Redrock Family Dental won first place for percentage of employees participating, and the U.S. Geological Survey office dominated the mileage category, claiming victory with an unbeatable 612.5 miles. The big news, however, was the overall results. Challengers completed 1,240 trips by bicycle or by walking, and there were 3,978.25 miles walked or ridden through the week! It was also reported that 60 free bus rides were given to bicyclists throughout the week by JAC. Those are some great numbers!

Highest percentage of employees participating in the 2009 Corporate Challenge

Martin Krieg pedaled through Carson City on his attempted Cross Country by Hi-Wheeler ride. Although he didn’t make it as far as he would have liked to due to funds and continuous thunderstorms, he still pedaled his reverse hi-wheeler from the Pacific Coast to Salt Lake City. It looks like another attempt will be made in 2010!

Martin Krieg Pedals through Carson City

JUNE

June was a rainy month. We had more rain than Seattle, and the local flora was going nuts.

Tall Grass on the Creek Trail

Tom riding by some tall Mules Ear

June Evening in Ash Canyon

We finished June with a bang! Friends from the Bay Area and as far away as Michigan joined us for a Tour of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park.

Tour of Lake Tahoe NV State Park – Marlette Peak

Brian on the Flume Trail

JULY

In July, Summer was in full swing. Muscle Powered had the Bicycle Valet at the downtown Farmers Market going all summer, we were out riding our road bikes, and we were getting up to Lake Tahoe as often as possible.

Farmers Market Bicycle Valet

Road Bikes in Washoe Valley

Kristy on the Tahoe Rim Trail

AUGUST

The most memorable bicycle trip of the year for me was my first ever overnight camping trip by bike. The family and I rode out to Washoe Lake State Park, stayed the night, and came home the next day. It was a great adventure, and I hope to do more bicycle camping trips next year.

Bicycle Camping at Washoe Lake State Park

Kona Ute fully loaded with Camping Gear

Another fun ride in August was the ride from Carson City, up Six Mile Canyon to Virginia City. It also turned out to be my longest ride of the year. The pictures in this post seem a little odd…we looked overdressed for August!

Six Mile Canyon to Virginia City

When the weather was scorching down here in the valley, we did a lot of family activities up at Lake Tahoe.

Taylor Creek on Lake Tahoe’s South Shore

SEPTEMBER

The big event in September was the Carson City Freeway Ride. Hundreds came down to ride their bikes on the newly created freeway that was not yet open to cars. Several of us assisted NDOT with a bicycle safety inspection at the beginning of the ride.

Carson City Freeway Ride

Bicycle Safety Inspection Station

The weather was outstanding in September, and many long rides out to Washoe Valley and back were done on the lunch time rides.

FA – A long, long way to ride!

OCTOBER

Fall arrived in October. The cooler weather brought a lot of reptiles out to sun themselves, and we got to see a lot of snakes. Bicycle activism in Carson City grew to new heights when we packed the conference room at the RTC meeting to support the inclusion of bike lanes on Roop Street. The new multi-use path from Governor’s Field to Moffat Open Space opened in October, creating a new link in the city trail system. It is now possible to ride from Governor’s Field to the Silver Saddle Ranch, all on off street trails!

Snakes on a Trail!

Fall Riding at Centennial

Fall Riding in Ash Canyon

NOVEMBER

Night Riding was big in November. The temperatures weren’t too cold during the month, there was early darkness, and the fall seemed to last forever. We had a big assortment of riders on each night ride throughout the month.

Night Riding in Ash Canyon

One of the best rides of the month was the Snowy Climb to South Camp Peak.

Snowy Climb to South Camp Peak

Riding the new Longview Trail in November

DECEMBER

Winter got here early in December. It was cold, and the snow stayed after it fell. It was a month of snowy rides and studded snow tires.

Tom riding the Longview Trail

We got one last ride on the dirt before the snow started flying in the Ride Before Winter.

The last ride on dirt of December

There were bicycle commutes during -4 degree F weather!

15 minutes of riding at -4 F

Our first big hike-a-bike of the winter was The Snowy Trek to Silver City.

Snowy Trek to Silver City

What an amazing year! It’s just awesome to look back at all we did, and think of all the new friendships that were made. Thank you all for reading Bike Carson and making Carson City the great cycling city it is!

-Jeff Moser