Mountain Bike Packing, "Tahoe Twirl", Lake Tahoe, (part 9), S.T.S.R. to Mount Rose Ski Resort

Mountain bike packing the eastern side of the "Tahoe Twirl" bikepacking.com route, in Reno, Nevada, and Lake Tahoe, Northern California from Sunday, September 1, to Tuesday, September 3, 2024. Temperatures were in the high 80s on Day 1; high 70s on Day 2; high 80s on Day 3. Starting elevation was about 4,500 feet altitude.
Day 1 begins south of downtown Reno, Nevada on the first dirt section of the "Tahoe Twirl", called North Timberline Drive (N.T.D.). (It starts as a paved road in a remote residential area on the outskirts of Reno then transitions to a gravel road, where I started.) Most of this trail is very loose rocky dirt terrain that gets more and more rocky as you go along, with no trees for shade until you reach Thomas Creek Trailhead (T.C.T.), where I filled up water for the first time at Thomas Creek.
From Thomas Creek, I then continued on North Timberline Drive (N.T.D.) (dirt gravel road section), that turned back into pavement through another remote residential area, and then turned right onto the paved National Forest Development Road 047 (N.F.D.R.), which then turned into a dirt gravel road as you begin to enter the forest.
I then made a sharp left U-turn onto Jones Whites Creek Loop Trail (J.W.C.L.T.) (single track dirt) where the mountain biking really begins. It was a fairly short climb to the first look out point for some great picture taking, followed by a fun little downhill, then a relatively flat / slightly uphill technical section, then another fun little slightly technical downhill, then another relatively flat / slightly uphill technical section, then another fun little downhill.
I then made a right hand turn onto Bitterbrush Trail (B.T.) (dirt gravel) where I began to see hikers, and then crossed a wooden bridge over a creek, which took me through a trailhead at Galena Creek Regional Park and a paved road Ranger Station area.
Then the long, sustained climbing of the day started on a dirt gravel road called Old Mount Rose Highway (O.M.R.H.), that took me up to a paved road called Mount Rose Highway (M.R.H.), where I made a right hand turn for a very short distance, and then a left hand turn onto a paved road called Sunridge Drive (S.D.) where I passed through a small residential mountain community.
It took me back across the paved Mount Rose Highway (M.R.H.); then back onto Old Mount Rose Highway (O.M.R.H.) gravel road; across the paved Mount Rose Highway (M.R.H.) again, where it turned into pavement again for a short distance through another small residential mountain community.
It then transitioned back to a dirt gravel road again; changing back into pavement again, where I crossed the paved Mount Rose Highway (M.R.H.) again, then rode through the Sky Tavern Ski Resort (S.T.S.R.) parking area until there was a sharp right hand turn changing back to dirt, where I camped for the night on a flat little area right along side the trail before the next big climb through Sky Tavern Ski Resort (S.T.S.R.) was about to begin.
I started Day 2 of the 3 day adventure by riding through Sky Tavern Ski Resort (S.T.S.R.) and Mount Rose Ski Resort (M.R.S.R.), then to the North Rim Trail (N.R.T.); up and over Mount Rose Summit; onto Mount Rose Highway (M.R.H.); then to Tyrolian Alternate Trail (T.A.T.); then to Tyrolian Downhill Trail (T.D.T.); then to the epic Incline Flume Trail (I.F.T.); then to Tunnel Creek Road Trail (T.C.R.T.); then to the epic Marlette (Lake) Flume Trail (M.F.T.); then to Marlette (Lake) Dam Road (M.D.R.), along Marlette Lake; then to the North Canyon Road Trail (N.C.R.T.); along Spooner Lake; up and over Spooner Summit, to the start of the Tahoe Rim Trail (T.R.T.) where I camped for the night close to the trailhead where there were restrooms.
Day 3 of the 3 day adventure was the hardest, entirely spent on the Tahoe Rim Trail (T.R.T.), which had, by far, the most difficult downhill sections I have ever ridden in my life. Very technical, with endless rocks (many razor sharp) and boulders. It was the first time I have ever had to "hike-a-bike" downhill. I rode it all the way to the town of Kingsbury, where I found my way to the pavement for a 2 mile stretch to the Fox and the Hound Smokehouse Grill & Bar for some most excellent food.