At dawn on Thursday, we were awakened by wind and snow falling on the tent. We got up and lit a fire, made coffee, and decided to see if conditions would improve. However, the winds grew stronger and the snow flurries grew more frequent and the temperature dropped. We were low on food and needed to get to Kirkwood. We went to the campground host and explained our situation. Jim Wagner offered all the assistance any bicycle tourist could expect; we used his phone to find accomodations in Kirkwood and he ferried all our gear (3 bicycles, 12 panniers, 1 dog cart, 3 people and 1 dog) the 5 miles over the Carson Spur into Kirkwood. This was critical due the winds on the ridges being in excess of 50 miles per hour.
Here is Jim, Belinda and Jack after we unloaded. In Kirkwood, we moved into very fancy digs in a condo in a tower at the bottom of the ski slopes. We recovered from the cold and watched the snow fall all day. The weather forecast indicated improving conditions and less wind on Friday. So, this morning we packed up and headed down to the Kirkwood Inn for breakfast. Our waitress had come over the Pass and told us it was snowing, but not sticking. So after a hearty breakfast, we started for the Pass. At first the snow was light, then as we climbed it grew wetter and was sticking to the ground underneath aspen trees just leafing out. At the summit we paused for pictures and then started our descent.
As we descended, the snow intensified becoming the wet heavy flakes so well known in the Sierras. We descended rapidly and got wet and cold. After only 17 miles, we stopped at Sorenson's, a well known mountain inn, to dry off, spend the night and wait until conditions improved. We had crossed the Sierra's in a snowstorm and were 10 miles from Nevada.
Rain clouds continued to welcome us each morning. On the way out of Fallon, John from San Francisco caught us and we continued to pass each other's paths the whole day. We made good time across the salt flats east of Fallon with 25 miles in 2 hours before the first climb. We had watched the rain moving away from us until then, but our luck had run out. As a light shower started we put on all the rain gear. The higher we climbed up Salt Springs Pass the harder the rain came down and at the top we were drenched. The long descent brought us to large valley with another salt flat entirely covered in water. We were wet and cold and decided to press on to Middlegate to spend the night. Middlegate is part saloon, restaurant, motel, store, gas station and local hangout. When we inquired about the cost of a room for the night, one of the locals sensing our cold and wet condition said it was $ 1,000 per night and the rest of the locals all chuckled. After putting only $ 35 down on the bar, we had a room and changed out of our wet clothes.
We had several discussions about our trip with locals and other people passing through Middlegate. One local said we better be prepared for snow and we could see he was right when the sun came out and clouds cleared. The Shoshone Mountains ahead were covered with snow.
We pitched our tents and made dinner and had wonderful philosophical exchanges with Phil. We are grateful for the wonderful hospitality. On Wednesday morning, we left the school rested and refreshed for the challenging day ahead. The challenge was to climb 4400 ft. to Silver Lake just below Carson Pass. We rode out of Omo Ranch and road seemed to be much better graded than the day before. We climbed more rapidly and were soon at the junction with State Highway 88 that would take us over Carson Pass. Hour after hour we climbed and the end never seemed in sight. After 6 hours in the saddle we finally began the descent to Silver Lake. Quickly we descended and found the campground. We set up in a beautiful site, had dinner and turned in quickly due to our fatigue and the dropping temperature. 
