I checked the weather all day, making sure the pass between Reno and Sacramento was as warm as possible and that it wasn’t snowing. I left and as soon as I got into California there was a light snow but the road was dry and I drove slower to compensate. By the time I got to the agricultural checkpoint the road was wet and I was driving 30mph. At the checkpoint the worker said, “Man!” and then waved me through and said, “Good luck!”

It got better for a couple of miles and then drastically worse just past Truckee, CA. Truckers on the side of the road pointed and stared and a Hummer H3 passed me and the passenger looked incredulous. There was packed snow on the road and I got off at the chain-up area to find a hotel. There was a Holiday Inn but they only had a room available for that night and the weather was supposed to be bad the next day as well so I decided to turn around and head back down the mountain. I got about a half mile and hit a pothole and did a 180 at about 5 miles an hour. I only suffered a small amount of rash on my left Pelican case, they’re pretty solid. A man stopped in a truck and asked if he could help and we worked out a plan where he would take my luggage down in his truck and I’d follow him. This later changed to me meeting him in downtown because I had to go so slowly. Soon after this a police officer forced me off the road and offered to call me a tow truck, which I gratefully accepted.

The officer told me he’d call Steve, who he said was a good guy. He had me wait by a Forest Service building and Steve showed up soon after. I rode my bike onto the bed of his truck and we went farther up the mountain to collect a damaged car that he was also bringing into Reno. We talked about towing and close calls on the way down, and he told me he grew up in Culver City, CA where my previous employer, Zoic Studios, is located. The last picture above is my bike on the back of Steve’s truck.

I hung out in Reno for a few extra days with Vibeke and worked on getting my banking in order before I leave the country. I also made an appointment to get my chain and sprockets changed out in Roseville, CA. The second try through the Sierra Nevadas went fine, as did the service appointment. I had my rear wheel changed out because it was past the wear mark. The service adviser recommended I stop using the chain oiler I bought as it seems to just attract grit and wear the chain faster. He also told me to switch out the stock shock with something that can handle more weight, which I think is kind of ridiculous as the weight on the bike is less than a passenger my own size.

Vibeke and I watched a ton of movies while I was in Reno:

• The Terminal
• Vantage Point
• Casablanca
• Garden State
• Dan in Real Life
• The Bank Job
• The Thomas Crown Affair
• Broken Arrow
• Miami Vice
• Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle
• In The Valley of Elah