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- 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"
- I arrive at the Mid Hills campground entrance kiosk; I'm happy to be back for yet another visit
- It was chilly again last night, and windy, but the sun is warm on my first morning at Mid Hills campground
- On the other side of my tent at Mid Hills campground site 9 is a wide-open space that burned in the 2005 brush fires
- Some of the juniper trees, like this one, at Mid Hills campground are quite old
- Here and there, an orange mariposa lily pops up among the banana yuccas, junipers, and pinon pines at Mid Hills campground
- I walk over toward the campground's overlook and stop at the campsite where "the other bicyclist" said he was camping
- From the Mid Hills campground overlook are open views across to Cima Dome
- I remember seeing patches of these small, daisy-like flowers when I was here last year
- It's time to prepare the bicycle for a ride down to Hole-in-the-Wall campground, where I can recharge my cell phone
- Just before noon, I leave Mid Hills campground and ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road without the weight of my camping baggage
- On the way down Wild Horse Canyon Road, I pass the little road that leads to the Eagle Rocks area
- After a couple of miles, I reach the smaller "Gold Valley Road" on my left and leave Wild Horse Canyon Road
- The first part of Gold Valley Road passes through a meadow thick with mature sagebrush
- I pass a herd of cows on Gold Valley Road, with Table Mountain in the background
- The bovines along Gold Valley Road look at me for a moment
- The upper part of Gold Valley Road rolls up and down over gently folding terrain
- I stop on a low bluff to try my cell phone and it works, so I take a short break and send a few text messages
- This old juniper tree was mostly burned, like everything surrounding it, during the 2005 brush fires, but its crown lives on!
- Gold Valley Road rises up a gentle hill and arrives at a higher area with nice views of the surroundings
- Desert mallows bloom in the middle of Gold Valley Road near its summit
- Also at the summit of Gold Valley Road is a scattering of boulders
- Finally, Gold Valley Road dips down into Gold Valley itself
- On the way down the hill, I stop at the windmill and water tank near Gold Valley Spring
- The Gold Valley water tank is overflowing
- A tank of deep blue fresh water in the desert?
- After my stop at the Gold Valley water tank, I still have a bit more downhill mountain-biking ahead
- The lower part of Gold Valley Road has more sand; I sometimes lose traction and need to walk the bike occasionally
- After crossing the valley, Gold Valley Road comes to an end and I join the larger Black Canyon Road
- At the Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre, I recharge my cell phone and chat with Preserve staff and a couple of visitors
- Before leaving Hole-in-the-Wall, I refill my water bottles
- I ride a few hundred feet on pavement on Black Canyon Road before turning off toward Saddle Horse Canyon
- I start riding the lower part of Wild Horse Canyon Road and will park just before those hills almost two miles ahead
- I pull over at a turn-out on Wild Horse Canyon Road, stash the bicycle in the bushes and begin the hike
- A few desert sages (Salvia dorrii) are still blooming here on the approach to Saddle Horse Canyon
- On the approach to Saddle Horse Canyon, I pass another flowering plant that I like: Paper-bag bush (Salazaria mexicana)
- I walk over to some rocky outcrops along the way and see something that I thought I might see in an area like this
- Dramatic rock erosion at the entrance to Saddle Horse Canyon
- A few small holes in the rocks near the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon
- At the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon is a guzzler (a pad of concrete), dry right now due to lack of rain
- I pass a budding milkweed in Saddle Horse Canyon
- Quite a few Cliff roses (Purshia) grow in Saddle Horse Canyon
- I continue hiking around plants and rocks on my way up Saddle Horse Canyon
- Paper-flower bush (Psilostrophe cooperi) in Saddle Horse Canyon
- Buckwheat flowers pop out between dark rocks that absorb the hot sun in Saddle Horse Canyon
- The 2005 brush fires passed through Saddle Horse Canyon, but a few juniper trees survived
- Well, this is about as far up Saddle Horse Canyon as I'll go; I want to be riding up Wild Horse Canyon Road around sunset
- I turn around and start my way back down Saddle Horse Canyon, wondering if I shouldn't be turning around so soon
- This bushy desert oak shrub in Saddle Horse Canyon seems to have grown back despite being burned in the 2005 brush fires
- I take a closer look at that regenerated oak in Saddle Horse Canyon
- Purple four o'clock flowers poke through a Rhus trilobata bush laden with unripe berries in Saddle Horse Canyon
- I'm enjoying these parts of Saddle Horse Canyon where I can walk in the dry drainage channel
- Here's another part of Saddle Horse Canyon that allows me to avoid getting more grass stuck in my socks
- I'm back in an open, grassy area as I hike out of Saddle Horse Canyon
- A few small barrel cacti are on the side of Saddle Horse Canyon, some living, some burned
- This charred barrel cactus is slowly resprouting after being burned in the 2005 brush fires
- Near the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon is a small stand of Desert trumpet buckwheats
- Thamnosma montana (Turpentine-broom) in Saddle Horse Canyon
- On the way back out of Saddle Horse Canyon, I decide to walk along the rock walls
- Bubbles in the rocks
- I've passed through the Hole-in-the-Wall area here so many times without stopping to take it in on foot
- A bush of some kind manages to grow up on top of these rocks at the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon
- More big bubbles and fractures in the rocks
- One of several rock shelters in the Hole-in-the-wall area
- Camouflaged in the rocks is a small concrete dam to retain water running down from the hills
- From another rock shelter in the area, I peer out into the sunshine
- The rocks at the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon are more interesting than further up the canyon
- It's time to walk back to the 10-ton bike, parked half a mile away over by Wild Horse Canyon Road, just over there
- I pass a tangle of white and purple flowers on the way back to the bike near Wild Horse Canyon Road
- I'm back at the bike, which is hiding in the bushes just off Wild Horse Canyon Road, ready to ride home to Mid Hills campground
- Before I start the ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road, I pick out some of the annoying stickers in my socks and shoes
- I start riding up Wild Horse Canyon Road, the lower part of which is washboarded and sometimes sandy
- I look behind me as I climb up the lower part of Wild Horse Canyon Road
- Wild Horse Canyon Road pops out of the canyon and onto higher ground, where I catch the beginning of sunset
- I enjoy the impending sunset as I slowly ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road
- The Wild Horse Mesa area picks up a warm glow as I ride past
- A car passes me along this stretch of Wild Horse Canyon Road, the only one I'll see on the way back to camp
- Bovines along Wild Horse Canyon Road
- This bull poses for a portrait along Wild Horse Canyon Road
- I turn back for another look at the Wild Horse Mesa area, which is still picking up a bit of sunset light
- The sun hides behind Columbia Mountain as I ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road
- Wild Horse Canyon Road dips down into the upper part of Macedonia Canyon as I ride back to Mid Hills campground
- After passing Columbia Mountain, I look back at what remains of sunset and ride on to Mid Hills campground
- Another beautiful morning at Mid Hills campground; it's nice to have a water supply, so I heat up water to wash myself
- I stop at the water tap near my campsite at Mid Hills campground and fill up; I won't be passing any water holes today
- After leaving Mid Hills campground, I ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road and cross over this cattle guard
- A pick-up truck passes me on Wild Horse Canyon Road, a major event
- As I ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road, a few cows start to cross, but I end up inadvertently chasing them
- After 5 minutes, the cows are still running down Wild Horse Canyon Road, with me chasing them on my bicycle
- We come around a bend by Macedonia Canyon Road and start heading uphill; the cows aren't running quite so quickly anymore
- I continue riding down Wild Horse Canyon Road toward the Wild Horse Mesa area, watching for the easy-to-miss Bluejay Mine Road
- And there it is: Bluejay Mine Road; I leave Wild Horse Canyon Road here
- A short stretch of Bluejay Mine Road is in a sandy wash, and I'm glad it doesn't last too long
- Bluejay Mine Road gets a bit better after rising out of the sandy wash
- Like so many desert backroads, Bluejay Mine Road deteriorates as it approaches its end
- Bluejay Mine Road ends here, so I stash my bike in the brush, lock it up, and begin today's hike
- I take a look into the old entrance to the Bluejay Mine before I start climbing up the hill
- A yellow-chested bird watches me begin the hike up the steep hill above Bluejay Mine
- My first stop on the way up the hill is the upper shaft opening to the Bluejay Mine
- Because the upper opening to the Bluejay Mine is treacherous, it's surrounded by barbed wire
- I soon make it high enough up the hill to have a view across the Providence Mountains to the subtle curve of Cima Dome