Nevada Dan: Smoke Creek Touring

bike and old tree

Hot springs–level shot of the kit

I made it on a tour over my long Easter weekend! My first since my two-night ride on July 4th two summers ago almost, it has been way too long. I thought to do a long loop starting near Sand Pass, riding north through the Smoke Creek Desert, going up Smoke Creek, climbing over to 395 and then riding back along the Fish Springs Valley, but in the end opted to just ride out and in on the Smoke Creek Desert after a couple of county workers I saw at Bonham Hot Springs told me that the route I was hoping to take had six miles of lava flow that was nearly impassable (not sure if they were right or not, but let's face it, I need to get back into touring shape and the out and back was quite challenging enough).

This was my third time riding in Smoke Creek, I love it: it is basically a mini Black Rock playa without all the four-wheelers, has a nice hot springs right off the road, and the county road, while gravel, is (mostly smooth) and well maintained.

By the time I made it out of Reno with errands stops (including a pretty hilarious attempt to have Starbucks fill up my dromedary, the poor guy totally sprayed himself and then ended up only filling it about a third full), past Pyramid Lake, and to leave the car at the junction of Fish Springs Road, it was 2:30. It had been overcast and windy all day, with showers threatening on all of the mountains around and a nice stiff breeze that had me thinking it would be nice to just drive to the hot springs, camp, and lounge. But the ride called, and I started out nice and leisurely with lots of stops for photo breaks and exploring some of the side stops, including the spooky buildings at Sand Pass that I have never explored before.

Old abandoned house at Sand Pass

Grafitti: "What goes around / Comes around"

It was four p.m. by the time I made it to Bonham Hot Springs. It is a great, not overly hot pool, but gets a lot of use. There was an old bearded hippy sitting in a vintage turquoise car when I arrived calmly rolling a joint, then, without saying a word, he waved and drove away (maybe I spooked him, although he did wave), then after the sun peeked out and I finally braved getting undressed and soaking, and was drying off and getting dressed the county workers. One of whom loved making jokes at my expense: first, "You got a bathing permit?" haha, second, "Oh that was your truck back at the county work site, we're having it towed," haha. They left and then another hippy showed up, he said he owned a "ranch" in the Fish Spring valley, but his ancient Subaru was painted with pot leaves, so (least stealth pot grower ever), I wonder what kind of ranch it was. He told me that he had been coming to the Hot Springs for 35 years and that the first time he had been there it had been a real working ranch with lots of buildings. Speaking of, someone, or somehow, the old house had been burned since the last time I was there. Probably vandals. He was oddly shy and didn't want to get in while I was there (or maybe he thought I'd steal his sweet ride), so he stood and talked to me the whole time I finished his lunch, not even drinking from his Keystone on the dashboard (two cans of which he must have left when I came back by, so much for the caretaker).

At Bonham Hot Spring, the old building burned down (with trees) behind my bike

The next stretch had a stiff wind blowing in my face and the only rain of the day although it had been threatening since I left the truck. I rode up along the bluffs and camped in an old gravel pit/camp site that was a tremendous overlook of the desert. I got there about six and set up my camp as the sun was setting, then hiked over to the lip and sat and watched the light show on the desert floor below me and the sun set behind me.

The next morning I lounged about camp writing and just generally basking in the sun and calm. I debated whether just to turn back and take it easy to or to continue on. As I always hope will win, I opted to continue and rode up to Smoke Creek. On the way past the ranch that was out there I passed a cowboy feeding some cattle on top of a truck and he stood up and watched me pass and then waved.

The cottonwoods at Smoke Creek were just budding and it was awesome to see them. Although it was early I stopped and had lunch there and wandered about a lot, inspecting some very busy beavers who were definitely getting some work done with about a five-foot high dam and a swath cut through the young and not-so-young cottonwoods. Afterward I rode up to the Smoke Creek Ranch Road and followed it for a few miles, up to where the canyon narrows. The canyon looks tremendously cool, but it was getting rather late considering the long ride back, so I reluctantly turned back there and rode back.

On the way back, of course, another headwind (the tailwind, in my experience, being the Yeti of bike touring), but it was light and the day was generally beautiful. I stopped at the Hot Springs again for a quick soak (although not as quick as the three teenage girls who arrived with a camper, hopped in while I was sitting there snacking, and were out and gone in five or ten minutes). Then up and over Sand Pass again, back along and across the railroad tracks, and back to the car by about five o'clock.

I was pretty sore, even after only about 55 miles in two days, but it is amazing, and hopefully getting one overnight tour in this early will mean that it won't be quite so long until the next one! I need to remember that it is easy to just get out for one night, that it doesn't have to be a giant production. And I need to start riding my bike to work again, I am in terrible biking shape!

I might have to post some more pictures later, I have some more panoramas I really like and etc., it's hard to whittle them down into the number that comfortably fit in a blog post (and honestly this is stretching it).