The Flume Trail
A harried race along granite and through the pristine woods
The whimsical distractions of a balmy summer day
cast in our path every sort of obstacle-- from particular breakfact cravings, to a last minute stop at the bike shop,
to the consequences of what I can only imagine as a strange new fetish with rose bushes--
so despite every best intention for an early morning departure, our arrival in Lake Tahoe came well into the
afternoon.
Undeterred, with a brand new digital camera, and a brand new truck, and the pleasant soft tones of fall coming
quickly upon us, it was high time at last to break in the gear with a road trip up to the
high country.
The Flume Trail is one of the best known mountain bike rides in the Tahoe area.
It begins at Spooner lake, where Route 50 is about to top over the Nevada crest and head down to Carson City,
right at the intersection of Route 28.
From there, the trail continues due north, up to Lake Marlette, then transects the length
of Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park, which follows the eastern shore.
The trail finishes with a long descent to Incline Village, and
from there a shuttle
departs hourly between 1:00 and 6:00 pm, along the busy 10-mile stretch of highway 28 up to Spooner Lake.
So that was the plan.
Though the days may still be plenty long, we had to be careful not to miss the last ride.
Photos
Click to expand
[3:09 pm] Enjoying the high forest around Spooner lake, while we suit up, and Kenny installs his new inner tube.
"Kind of a late start for the flume trail?" a couple of otherwise friendly road bikers asked.
Nope, it's the perfect time! We have it all under control.
[4:19 pm] We got lost for a bit around Spooner Lake, until we went back to the car to get our map.
Turns out the trail starts just to the side of Spooner Lake, not from it, like I thought.
Anyway, the initial climb is up a not particularly photogenic 1200 foot grind for maybe four miles.
It's pretty manageable for the first three...
[4:29 pm] ...then, suddenly, there is nothing like a little taste of a Mount Diablo grade... at 8000 feet!
Driving in from San Francisco, it turns out that stopping for gas and enjoying some of the, uh, local attractions
while getting coffee near the Heavenly Gondola, was NOT enough acclimation to the higher altitude.
Fortunately this part wasn't long, maybe the better part of a mile,
but we made it fine with a couple of oxygen breaks.
Lens distortion here flattens things out a bit, so it looks worse when you're there.
[4:45 pm] Over the ridge the fire road descends quickly to Lake Marlette.
For the next couple miles it's a fast and flat fire road
clockwise along the shore.
It is a nice convenience how digital cameras store the exact time you took the shot--
this new one is the Canon S410, essentially the same lens and receptor element of the Canon S40,
that wandered off at Rockville when I wasn't paying attention.
The new camera has a few refinements of features, in a small digital elph case,
and so far it passes muster.
[4:59 pm] This is arriving at the reservior dam, where the Flume Trail at long last begins.
From Lake Marlette the rest is supposed to be flat or downhill.
The sign says it's only 7 miles to the shuttle.
So we should have no problem making it to the end by 6:00, for the last shuttle. Nah, should be a piece of cake.
[5:00 pm] Nausea from oxygen deprivation shall not crush my spirit!
Seriously, I gotta admit, this is an almost perfect shot that Kenny took.
Who would have guessed.
The only problem is the plastic zip-lock bag I'm holding in my left hand, which I kept the camera in.
One of these days I might try to edit that out.
[5:07 pm] Ahhh, Lake Tahoe at last. Most of the Flume Trail maintains a 7800 foot elevation,
1600 feet above the shore. Given the hurry we were in, the point-and-shoot capabilities of the new camera were
truly tested under fire. Of course, the good news of running late is that we could take advantage of the
rich afternoon light...
[5:17 pm] ...but the bad news is, some initial sections of the Flume Trail turned out to be rather slow going.
This wasn't one of them, but you get the idea.
[5:20 pm] If blue is your favorite color, you're in luck. Here is what the Flume Trail is all about.
While singletrack in the Bay Area does get narrower and closer to precipitous hillsides, such as at Skegg's and
Tamarancho, never is there quite the same dread that something truly horrible will happen in the unlikely,
but not impossible, event of going over the side. Again, this was shot at wide angle.
When you are there, it looks to be going almost straight down.
[5:23 pm] For a good four miles, the Flume Trail closely huggs jagged granite outcroppings.
This presents an interesting contrast of certain death, with a single mistep, and lovely panoramas.
Had we not been so rushed I would have shot some more pictures, but this pretty much gives you the idea.
By late summer the trail is almost entirely sand, which was still rideable, but didn't help any
with speed or sure-footed confidence.
[5:30 pm] This is the only section of the Flume Trail where signage tells you to please walk your bike, and
we though it best to comply.
"We're not going to make it, how long is the ride on the highway going to be do you think...45 minutes?"
Kenny sadly wondered, in a rare moment of consternation and doubt.
At this point, indeed, we must have had around five miles left.
Anyone familiar with the web page knows that unplanned delays and long nightime rides along the
road are not unheard of for us.
[5:32 pm] But still, we must forge ahead, and do the best we can.
Kenny, by the way, ALWAYS wears a helmet, but this time, when packing his stuff, it must have just slipped his mind.
It was just that kind of day.
[5:42 pm] Eventually the trail smooths out, where we could slip into the big ring and gun it a bit.
Still, we were pretty high above and far away from lake, and it never felt like we were getting any closer.
[5:50 pm] At last we reached the final fire road descent, where we caught up with some others hurrying down
to the bottom. This last part is maybe a 1500 foot descent in 2½ miles.
[5:56 pm] While the singletrack might have been a little sandy, here it was deep skiddy slippery sand all the way,
which kept things interesting as we raced speedily back down the dry hillsides.
I swear I shall never complain about loose Bay Area trails again.
[6:02 pm] Back down to the shuttle stop, with time to spare!
[6:05 pm] Okay, not that much time. The shuttle driver was very prompt, no nonsense, and had NO sympathy
for stragglers. Within a couple minutes we were loaded up and out of there.
Although the ride back along highway 28 from Incline Village I suppose would have been doable,
there was hardly any shoulder, and traffic (as least our shuttle driver) was moving pretty fast.
Everybody seemed to have these cool and expensive bikes, and when the shuttle dropped
us off I soon found out why.
They have a full service bike shop
right next to Spooner lake, in the woods, that offers
demos for the Specialized models, the Turner 5-spot, and Mavericks.
Plenty of drinks and snacks too, and maybe Kenny could have borrowed a helmet.
Remember Bonanza? You know, Hoss, and Pa and Little Joe?
The Flume Trail ends near the Ponderosa Ranch, where they filmed the show.
They have what appears to be overcommercialized tours and a wild west village that might be worth a look sometime.
It was long closed by the time we got there (last tickets are apparently sold at 5:00 pm,
and then it closes after Labor Day),
but we'll surely head back eventually.
So back in South Lake Tahoe,
a few blocks on the California side of the state line, Big Daddy's
had cheap and juicy cheeseburgers, dark and crispy french fries, and all the root beer you can drink.
Sitting outside, having dinner in the warm and pleasant breeze, we fondly reflected upon what
could only be described as the perfect epitome of the summer day.
(b. September 5, 2004; Labor Day Weekend)
Wallpapers
Click to expand
Upon the thin trail, I at last see the lake...
Downloads (flumestart):
1280x960,
1024x768,
800x600,
640x480
...a quarter mile down jagged granite, I balance carefully atop two wheels...
Downloads (flumeview):
1280x960,
1024x768,
800x600,
640x480
...and despite the loveliest sights for the eye to behold,
I must keep my focus pinpoint and true...
Downloads (granitesand):
1280x960,
1024x768,
800x600,
640x480
...while riding through the pure blue where the sky meets the lake.
Downloads (granitewall):
1280x960,
1024x768,
800x600,
640x480
Back to top.
Back home.
[3:09 pm] Enjoying the high forest around Spooner lake, while we suit up, and Kenny installs his new inner tube.
"Kind of a late start for the flume trail?" a couple of otherwise friendly road bikers asked.
Nope, it's the perfect time! We have it all under control.
[4:19 pm] We got lost for a bit around Spooner Lake, until we went back to the car to get our map.
Turns out the trail starts just to the side of Spooner Lake, not from it, like I thought.
Anyway, the initial climb is up a not particularly photogenic 1200 foot grind for maybe four miles.
It's pretty manageable for the first three...
[4:29 pm] ...then, suddenly, there is nothing like a little taste of a Mount Diablo grade... at 8000 feet!
Driving in from San Francisco, it turns out that stopping for gas and enjoying some of the, uh, local attractions
while getting coffee near the Heavenly Gondola, was NOT enough acclimation to the higher altitude.
Fortunately this part wasn't long, maybe the better part of a mile,
but we made it fine with a couple of oxygen breaks.
Lens distortion here flattens things out a bit, so it looks worse when you're there.
[4:45 pm] Over the ridge the fire road descends quickly to Lake Marlette.
For the next couple miles it's a fast and flat fire road
clockwise along the shore.
It is a nice convenience how digital cameras store the exact time you took the shot--
this new one is the Canon S410, essentially the same lens and receptor element of the Canon S40,
that wandered off at Rockville when I wasn't paying attention.
The new camera has a few refinements of features, in a small digital elph case,
and so far it passes muster.
[4:59 pm] This is arriving at the reservior dam, where the Flume Trail at long last begins.
From Lake Marlette the rest is supposed to be flat or downhill.
The sign says it's only 7 miles to the shuttle.
So we should have no problem making it to the end by 6:00, for the last shuttle. Nah, should be a piece of cake.
[5:00 pm] Nausea from oxygen deprivation shall not crush my spirit!
Seriously, I gotta admit, this is an almost perfect shot that Kenny took.
Who would have guessed.
The only problem is the plastic zip-lock bag I'm holding in my left hand, which I kept the camera in.
One of these days I might try to edit that out.
[5:07 pm] Ahhh, Lake Tahoe at last. Most of the Flume Trail maintains a 7800 foot elevation,
1600 feet above the shore. Given the hurry we were in, the point-and-shoot capabilities of the new camera were
truly tested under fire. Of course, the good news of running late is that we could take advantage of the
rich afternoon light...
[5:17 pm] ...but the bad news is, some initial sections of the Flume Trail turned out to be rather slow going.
This wasn't one of them, but you get the idea.
[5:20 pm] If blue is your favorite color, you're in luck. Here is what the Flume Trail is all about.
While singletrack in the Bay Area does get narrower and closer to precipitous hillsides, such as at Skegg's and
Tamarancho, never is there quite the same dread that something truly horrible will happen in the unlikely,
but not impossible, event of going over the side. Again, this was shot at wide angle.
When you are there, it looks to be going almost straight down.
[5:23 pm] For a good four miles, the Flume Trail closely huggs jagged granite outcroppings.
This presents an interesting contrast of certain death, with a single mistep, and lovely panoramas.
Had we not been so rushed I would have shot some more pictures, but this pretty much gives you the idea.
By late summer the trail is almost entirely sand, which was still rideable, but didn't help any
with speed or sure-footed confidence.
[5:30 pm] This is the only section of the Flume Trail where signage tells you to please walk your bike, and
we though it best to comply.
"We're not going to make it, how long is the ride on the highway going to be do you think...45 minutes?"
Kenny sadly wondered, in a rare moment of consternation and doubt.
At this point, indeed, we must have had around five miles left.
Anyone familiar with the web page knows that unplanned delays and long nightime rides along the
road are not unheard of for us.
[5:32 pm] But still, we must forge ahead, and do the best we can.
Kenny, by the way, ALWAYS wears a helmet, but this time, when packing his stuff, it must have just slipped his mind.
It was just that kind of day.
[5:42 pm] Eventually the trail smooths out, where we could slip into the big ring and gun it a bit.
Still, we were pretty high above and far away from lake, and it never felt like we were getting any closer.
[5:50 pm] At last we reached the final fire road descent, where we caught up with some others hurrying down
to the bottom. This last part is maybe a 1500 foot descent in 2½ miles.
[5:56 pm] While the singletrack might have been a little sandy, here it was deep skiddy slippery sand all the way,
which kept things interesting as we raced speedily back down the dry hillsides.
I swear I shall never complain about loose Bay Area trails again.
[6:02 pm] Back down to the shuttle stop, with time to spare!
[6:05 pm] Okay, not that much time. The shuttle driver was very prompt, no nonsense, and had NO sympathy
for stragglers. Within a couple minutes we were loaded up and out of there.
Upon the thin trail, I at last see the lake...
...a quarter mile down jagged granite, I balance carefully atop two wheels...
...and despite the loveliest sights for the eye to behold,
I must keep my focus pinpoint and true...
...while riding through the pure blue where the sky meets the lake.