Virginia City
Man Card Ride
In the middle of the Covid pandemic, unable to do a proper Epic Ride, we invoked our man cards and headed to Nevada.
The Ride
We Can't Stay Locked Up Forever
In 2020 the world was hit with a pandemic which caused widespread chaos as government shutdowns locked up businesses and schools. We decided not to do an Epic Ride, mainly because there was no place to go. However, late in the year, some states and municipalities started to open back up as economic hardship started to take its toll. We decided to get on the bikes and ride. While this wasn't an "Epic Ride" since we didn't go at least 1000 miles, it was still a much needed escape from the claustrophobic lockdown. We all survived.
The Route
Virginia City via Ebbet's Pass
Our ride started like many Sierra rides do, heading up 99, cutting in at Merced and heading to Jamestown. We then headed further north to Ebbet's Pass and took that over the Sierras. It's a glorious road, twisty and narrow, with beautiful scenic stops along the way. We enjoyed a tour of Lake Tahoe and landed in Virginia City. We then took a short detour to Carson City before wrapping up the trip with a night in Reno. We took scenic Hwy 88 back to the valley and head for home.
The Story
Unfortunately I didn't keep a journal for this ride. But I do remember having to wear masks in the larger towns and cities we came across. In a Reno casino they made us wear masks while smoking cigars. We could take them off to take a puff, but then had to slip them back on.
Interestingly enough, the small towns continued like nothing was happening, and with only sparse governmental control there was no one to tell them to do anything different, at least without causing an uprising. Small towns are like that. Nevertheless none of us got sick.
All said and done, it was actually a great ride and was much needed after essentially being locked in our homes for almost a year.
