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- I climb up another hill on the way to Indian Spring and recognize the valley of junipers and joshua trees in front of me
- My cross-country hiking ends temporarily when I hit the old closed road to Indian Spring, which serves as a nice trail
- As I approach Indian Spring, I notice a balloon fragment tangled in a catclaw bush
- Well, here I am at Indian Spring, New York Mountains, Mojave National Preserve
- Just like last year, bees are buzzing around the shallow water where it overflows from the Indian Spring trough
- I leisurely filter 3 1.5-litre bottles of that greenish water from the Indian Spring tub and it tastes pretty good
- I leave Indian Spring and start my way cross-country up to a saddle between two sets of pinnacles in the Castle Peaks
- The climb up to this Castle Peaks saddle is about 500 feet elevation in about 3/4 mile from Indian Spring down below
- I'm almost there; just a little further and I'll be on that saddle between the two Castle Peaks pinnacle `groups`
- Great views back down into the valley behind me from this Castle Peaks saddle
- Arrived! I sit here on the Castle Peaks saddle for a good 15 minutes, with pinnacles in front of me, and behind me
- From the Castle Peaks saddle, I can zoom in across the valley and just barely make out the Searchlight area
- As I plot the continuation of my hike, I look down into a secluded valley on the other (west) side of the Castle Peaks saddle
- Instead of dropping down into the valley, I decide to skirt along this hill and hike over to the next Castle Peaks saddle
- I get close to the slot in the hills and will hike up to the little pass between them at upper-right
- Looking to the south, I'm now in the upper part of that small valley between two Castle Peaks pinnacle `groups`
- I walk up a boulder-strewn drainage area toward that pass in the Castle Peaks
- The views behind me, toward Walking Box Ranch Road to the south, are striking in the late-day sunlight
- I reach this pass in the Castle Peaks and have an unexpected view to the north across the Ivanpah Valley
- One short, steep hill and I'll be up at the next Castle Peaks pinnacles
- To the west, I get a view I haven't seen before, with the New York Mountains peaks at upper-left
- Phlox flowers on the north side of the Castle Peaks hills
- My hike up to the pinnacles quickly gets a bit steep and slippery due to loose rock, so I veer to the right a little
- I'm happy to reach the top of the hill; it's pretty steep here
- This Castle Peaks set of pinnacles is just as awesome as the last one; the one in front of me is Dove Peak
- Well, I guess I'll drop down into the valley between these Castle Peaks hills and start heading back to my campsite
- I notice a natural arch in the Castle Peaks pinnacles as I start my way down the hill
- A few nice rock outcrops dot the hike down the wash into the valley below the Castle Peaks
- Oh, another little hole in the Castle Peaks rocks
- I take a look behind me as I walk down the hill away from the Castle Peaks
- A fallen joshua tree lays in this wash below the Castle Peaks
- This pinnacle in the Castle Peaks is rather phallic
- Oh, that barbed-wire fence; I forgot I might encounter this again
- I'm now walking up a wash that I hiked down earlier today, but this time I'll go all the way to the crest ahead
- The sandy wash radiates from the golden end-of-day sunlight
- After another 20 minutes, I reach the top of the wash and locate the old Castle Peaks road
- The old Castle Peaks road leaves the pinnacles area and dips down between rolling hills on the way back to my campsite
- Some stretches of the old, closed Castle Peaks road are quite eroded
- Erosion is so severe in a few spots on the old Castle Peaks road that the roadbed is almost unrecognizable
- I reach the Wilderness boundary and exit onto the part of Castle Peaks Road that is still open to vehicles
- Home for the night at the Castle Peaks trailhead
- I don't get sunset between these hills near Castle Peaks, but I do see good sunset colors on the clouds
- Morning #2 at the end of Castle Peaks Road is warm and sunny
- Insect webs (caterpillars?) on a Desert almond bush near my tent
- Today's hike begins by walking about 1/3 mile down the non-Wilderness section of Castle Peaks Road
- I veer to the west (right) when I reach the dry reservoir 1/3 mile down Castle Peaks Road, instead of staying on the 'main road'
- I hike past another set of Wilderness markers on the west side of the Castle Peaks Road dry reservoir
- A few Mojave asters are still blooming in this joshua-tree forest
- The former ranch road cuts across a wide-open area in the New York Mountains foothills
- I reach another dry reservoir with a Desert four o'clock blooming on the "shoreline"
- I've seen these tiny pink flowers so many times, but can't remember what they are
- Miniature high-Mojave flower garden
- I start walking up a wash away from the dry reservoir and inadvertently scare a few quail into a joshua tree
- I'm heading up a small drainage now toward that rounded hill on my way to the Bathtub Spring Peaks area
- Does one ever see enough scarlet Indian paintbrush while hiking in the Mojave Desert?
- The drainage wash has fizzled out and I find my self hiking uphill and cross-country amidst some gangly joshua trees
- To my surprise, the crest of this anonymous wash in the New York Mountains foothills overlooks some of the Ivanpah Valley; wow
- From this overlook above Ivanpah Valley, I'll hike to my left a bit to avoid the gulley, then to the right up the big hill
- When I reach the base of the higher hill ahead overlooking Ivanpah Valley, it doesn't look like it will be as steep as expected
- Climbing this hill toward the Bathtub Spring Cliffs requires some care to avoid the rocks and ground-hugging cacti
- I'm high enough now that I can see behind me to the Castle Peaks (center-left) and the Castle Mountains (center-right)
- I arrive at the top of the hill, which I'll call 'Bathtub Spring Peak,' since it has no official name
- From this spot on Bathtub Spring Peak, I get a view of Cima Dome's distant, gentle curve that I haven't had before
- It's a steep drop from Bathtub Spring Peak down to the badlands below
- I'll walk over to the high point of Bathtub Spring Peak, that big rocky lump ahead
- Looking across Ivanpah Valley from Bathtub Spring Peak, I can make out a distant road leading up into the Ivanpah Mountains
- Willow Wash, where I'll be hiking in a while, is in front of that hill in the middle ground
- Another steep drop on the north face of Bathtub Spring Peak
- Looking back from Bathtub Spring Peak, I can see over to the Castle Peaks pinnacles where I hiked yesterday
- Walking along the crest of Bathtub Spring Peak, I begin thinking about the next part of today's hike
- From the west end of Bathtub Spring Peak, I can see clearly down to Ivanpah Road, and over to the New York Mountains peaks
- I examine the southward view from Bathtub Spring Peak, since this will be my downhill route in a few minutes
- One more glance from Bathtub Spring Peak toward Ivanpah Dry Lake, then it's time to start heading downhill
- I begin the short steep hike from Bathtub Spring Peak down to Bathtub Spring itself, following a drainage corridor
- The hike down the slope to Bathtub Spring is not fast, since it's steep, but it's enjoyable
- On my way down to Bathtub Spring, I look back to hear several noisy hawks hovering in the sky
- I'm almost down in the Bathtub Spring canyon now
- A few barrel cacti greet me as I arrive in the Bathtub Spring wash
- I always enjoy hiking down winding, rocky washes like this one on the way to Bathtub Spring, New York Mountains
- Nice, a little natural arch near Bathtub Spring, New York Mountains
- At the lower end of Bathtub Spring wash, a lot of small, loose rock makes hiking a little slower
- I check my GPS and climb over a small hill to reach Bathtub Spring; there it is, in a wire cage!
- Bathtub Spring in the New York Mountains is true to its name and has a bathtub, inserted into an old rusted cistern
- New York Mountains' Bathtub Spring is home to hundreds of happy bees
- I walk a short distance down the old road that leads away from Bathtub Spring to meet the old Ivanpah railway grade
- I pass a patch of those tiny purple flowers I've been seeing occasionally
- I arrive at the bottom of Bathtub Spring Road and exit the Wilderness boundary
- Here I am now at the old Ivanpah railway grade, which I never got around to visiting while passing by on previous trips
- It obviously required a lot of work to slice the old Ivanpah railway grade through the hills a century ago
- Piling the earth for the raised Ivanpah railway bed in low areas would have been as much work as cutting through the hills
- As I continue hiking along the abandoned Ivanpah railway grade, I notice that the road deteriorates
- I've seen a lot of lizards scurrying around today, and finally I manage to photograph one!
- Vegetation is slowly encroaching on the old Ivanpah railway grade
- On some stretches of the abandoned Ivanpah railway grade are good views into the old Vanderbilt mining district
- Ooops! A total wash-out of the old Ivanpah railway grade
- I climb back up onto the Ivanpah railway grade after the wash-out and it's another slice through the rocks
- After a fun, level half hour on the old Ivanpah railway, it's time to climb down and hike cross-country over to Willow Wash
- But first, I'll stop to finish off this last delicious piece of orange-flavored chocolate
- Purple phacelia flowers (Desert canterbury bells) as I approach Willow Wash
- I'm now in Willow Wash, Mojave National Preserve, at the lowest point of today's hike: 4175 feet elevation
- As I slowly gain altitude in Willow Wash, I turn back for a view across Ivanpah Valley to the blue curvature of Cima Dome
- A few desert sages (Salvia dorrii) are still flowering here in Willow Wash
- I notice what looks like an old metal cistern buried in the sands of Willow Wash
- A little further ahead in Willow Wash is a small rock ruins, probably another extinct cistern
- I pass through a grove of Desert willows (Chilopsis linearis), which is likely what Willow Wash is named after
- According to my GPS, I'm not quite at Willow Spring when I pass this old corral in Willow Wash
- Pincushion flowers and a few phacelias grow near the old corral in Willow Wash
- Here's a defunct metal cistern in Willow Wash that has not yet been buried in sand like the last one I saw
- Near the Willow Wash corral is a pile of wood and concrete debris, suggesting that a small outbuilding may have once stood here
- After a bit of searching, I locate what I believe is Willow Spring, in a grassy area shaded by nearly leafless Desert willows
- I open the wooden lid on the concrete cistern at Willow Spring, and a bit of water stares back up at me
- Beyond Willow Spring, my goal is to hike over the hills and be back at my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road before dark
- On the way up out of Willow Wash, I hike through the first of several small water-carved drainages in the rocks
- A brilliant penstemon manages to grow in the rocks here above Willow Wash; there's barely any soil here!
- It's not quite a seep, but there's enough residual moisture to attract bees at this spot in the drainage above Willow Wash
- A few Cliff roses bloom in the rocky drainage leading up out of Willow Wash
- I come across a rather fresh skeleton here above Willow Wash
- The skeleton has been efficiently picked clean
- I'm temped to try hiking up a slot in the rugged cliffs adjacent to the drainage above Willow Wash
- I decide to ignore the cliffs and keep hiking up the easier route in this drainage above Willow Wash; the top is not far ahead
- As I get higher, I look back (southwest) at the views behind me toward Willow Wash
- I zoom in closer and, yes, there is a slot in the cliffs that I might be able to hike
- I finally reach the top of the drainage and am treated to an unexpected panorama across the Ivanpah Valley
- The succession of ridges visible from Dove Spring Peaks stands out in the pre-dusk sunlight; I recognize those pinnacles
- Dove Spring Peaks also has views over to the high blue peaks further over in the New York Mountains
- I savour a few final views from Dove Spring Peaks, then turn around and begin the hike back to camp
- I hike through an upland valley on the way back to my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road
- Within 15 minutes, the sun has dipped enough that my upland valley here is largely shaded
- Still chasing sunlight, I climb over this one final hill before the short descent to my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road
- I can't see my nearby campsite yet while hiking down this hill, but I do get a good glimpse of the Castle Peaks along the way
- My cross-country hiking ends when I come down the hill and join up with the end of Castle Peaks Road and its Wilderness markers
- Back at my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road for a third and final night, I'm thinking about supper now
- It's warm in the sun this morning, so I move everything into the shade of my juniper tree while I pack up camp
- I hate packing up, but it went reasonably well, and now I begin the ride down Castle Peaks Road
- Approaching the dry reservoir on Castle Peaks Road, I see more of my bicycle tracks from three days ago
- Today's ride will be to the other side of Lanfair Valley, roughly as far as the eye can see here
- It's fun riding down this little hill on Castle Peaks Road on the way out of the New York Mountains foothills
- Riding a winding road in a quiet joshua-tree forest is always enjoyable
- Castle Peaks Road ends after 30 minutes; I start riding the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade and find this stray balloon
- I have a slight headwind, so I don't hear the six 4WD vehicles sneaking up behind me on the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade
- After 3 miles on the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade, it ends by an open area, where the next road on my route should begin
- With assistance from my Delorme GPS, I locate the old road that I'm hoping to follow; it's nearly invisible!
- After about 100 feet on this old grown-in road, I decide to turn back and take the longer, but easier, Hart Mine Road instead
- Hart Mine Road is a rough dirt road that rises about 250 feet in 2.5 miles on my detour route via Barnwell
- As I approach the former settlement of Barnwell, Mojave National Preserve, I pass an old windmill and water tank
- Across the road from the old Barnwell water tank is a corral and another windmill
- It might be interesting to count how many old cars and trucks sit on this Barnwell property!
- This old house at Barnwell, Mojave National Preserve looks like it was once well cared for
- The old house at Barnwell has a stone chimney
- Behind the main house at Barnwell is a smaller, more modest, "guest-quarters" house
- That old house at Barnwell that I always notice with all the junked vehicles around it: the gate is open
- Hart Mine Road ends at Barnwell, so I turn south on Ivanpah Road, with the New York Mountains peaks in front of me
- From the top of Ivanpah Road near Barnwell, I can still see over to Castle Peaks, but this view won't last long
- Ivanpah Road rolls over a pass in the New York Mountains and then descends slowly into Lanfair Valley
- I locate a berm of earth, part of the old Ivanpah railway grade and the "invisible" road I wanted to ride earlier
- With relatively few wildflowers along Ivanpah Road, this little garden against a New York Mountains backdrop gets my attention
- Ivanpah Road rides ever so slightly downhill across Lanfair Valley
- The 10-ton bike takes a break at the junction of New York Mountains Road so I can check out an old OX Ranch corral
- A couple of old water tanks and a windmill sit near Ivanpah Road at the OX Ranch site
- One of the buildings remaining at the OX Ranch site is this mobile home
- A bit beyond the OX Ranch site is a private, by-reservation-only campground called 'Mojave Desert Outpost'
- I know I'm getting close to the junction of Ivanpah Road and Cedar Canyon Road when I see power lines along the road
- I've been riding Ivanpah Road for over two hours; I'll turn right onto Cedar Canyon Road just ahead
- The junction of Ivanpah Road and Cedar Canyon Road is my low point of the day, at about 4050 feet elevation
- Riding up Cedar Canyon Road, I spot an abandoned house, so the 10-ton bike pulls over to allow a few minutes of exploration
- At first, I think the house has been vandalized, then I think maybe it's in the process of being demolished
- A pile of debris sits in front of the little house on Cedar Canyon Road
- Behind the little house on Cedar Canyon Road, some of the old fake-brick tiles are neatly piled
- I peer through a broken window at the disarray inside the house
- Near the old house, a bird lands atop a joshua tree
- Some stretches of Cedar Canyon Road have significant sand accumulation, in addition to being washboarded
- I can zoom in for good views of the Hackberry Mountains while riding Cedar Canyon Road
- Long stretches of Cedar Canyon Road are perfectly straight, but there are some curves and even a few 90-degree corners
- I'm intrigued by this sign for Ashwell Road, since there's not much of a road visible here
- A short distance ahead is another modest old house along Cedar Canyon Road, against a Hackberry Mountains backdrop
- Oooo, a car is approaching on Cedar Canyon Road!
- In this part of Lanfair Valley right now are some wide expanses of small yellow flowers
- The 10-ton mountain bike slowly gains altitude on Cedar Canyon Road
- I'm riding a curvy stretch of Cedar Canyon Road now, heading straight toward Pinto Mountain for a few minutes
- As I approach Watson Wash on Cedar Canyon Road, I pass a turn-off to an old alignment of the 4WD Mojave Road
- I rattle my way across the part of Cedar Canyon Road that crosses Watson Wash
- After crossing Watson Wash, I turn off Cedar Canyon Road to visit the Bert Smith rock house
- The Bert Smith rock house has an excellent view from the front door
- To my surprise, the door to the Bert Smith rock house is not locked like it was when I last visited
- The Bert Smith rock house has a low ceiling and dark-colored surfaces
- The little windows that flank the fireplace in the Bert Smith rock house are hinged on the top
- A small kitchen hides behind these built-in shelves; interesting joint in the beam
- After my visit to the Bert Smith rock house, I continue riding westward on the washboard of Cedar Canyon Road
- Cedar Canyon Road bends again and heads toward Pinto Mountain for a few minutes
- I like this old range fence off Cedar Canyon Road in front of Pinto Mountain
- I reach my shortcut road that connects Cedar Canyon Road with Black Canyon Road
- As I climb the gentle hill, I reach a part of the shortcut road with far fewer tire tracks
- The shortcut road is only 3/4 mile long, but it's nice to be off the main roads for a few minutes
- Hey, a fresh bicycle track on the shortcut road, and it isn't mine!
- I'm back out on a main road now (Black Canyon Road this time) and pass the windmill at Holliman Well
- At the junction of Black Canyon Road and Wild Horse Canyon Road, I decide to turn right toward Mid Hills campground
- A couple of short steep hills on the final stretch on Wild Horse Canyon Road toward Mid Hills campground always get me
- I check out the view behind me while walking the 10-ton bike up the little hill
- The Providence Mountains often catch a bit of pink light at the end of the day
- I make it up to the crest of Wild Horse Canyon Road and a few orange desert-mallow flowers say "hello"