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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
It's definitely warmer down here in the wash (low 80s F?), but it's nonetheless a rather cool day for this time of year. - A few desert sages (Salvia dorrii) are still flowering here in Willow Wash
Not many other flowers down here right now... - I notice what looks like an old metal cistern buried in the sands of Willow Wash
Has the cistern sunk in the sand over the years or has the sand level of Willow Wash risen to cover it? - A little further ahead in Willow Wash is a small rock ruins, probably another extinct cistern
Some old rusty metal pipes can also be found nearby. - I pass through a grove of Desert willows (Chilopsis linearis), which is likely what Willow Wash is named after
The Desert willows are just starting to leaf out, but are mostly leafless and grey right now. - According to my GPS, I'm not quite at Willow Spring when I pass this old corral in Willow Wash
Most of the old stick fence is still standing, and has been repaired over the years in some spots. - Pincushion flowers and a few phacelias grow near the old corral in Willow Wash
It's odd to suddenly find a big patch of wildflowers when there are otherwise so few in the area. That metal object in the background... - Here's a defunct metal cistern in Willow Wash that has not yet been buried in sand like the last one I saw
A boat marooned on a sandy beach... - Near the Willow Wash corral is a pile of wood and concrete debris, suggesting that a small outbuilding may have once stood here
A little Mojave squirrel quickly scampers across the debris just before I pull out my camera. I've seen quite a few of these, but I rarely get to photograph them because they move so quickly. - After a bit of searching, I locate what I believe is Willow Spring, in a grassy area shaded by nearly leafless Desert willows
I find a concrete cistern and slightly greener grasses, but no other sign of water, so I figure this must be the current incarnation of Willow Spring. - I open the wooden lid on the concrete cistern at Willow Spring, and a bit of water stares back up at me
I see my reflection down there, but I get the impression that the water is quite shallow. - 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
I check my GPS and decide to follow a small drainage out of Willow Wash that briefly heads toward the cliffs here before climbing a hill to the left (eastward). - On the way up out of Willow Wash, I hike through the first of several small water-carved drainages in the rocks
Whenever I walk through places like this, I try to imagine what it would be like full of the water needed to wear down rocks like this. - A brilliant penstemon manages to grow in the rocks here above Willow Wash; there's barely any soil here!
Probably Penstemon centranthifolius. - It's not quite a seep, but there's enough residual moisture to attract bees at this spot in the drainage above Willow Wash
While riding the 10-ton bike up Walking Box Ranch Road, I remember seeing dark clouds over this area. Perhaps the moisture here is from rain here a couple of days ago. - A few Cliff roses bloom in the rocky drainage leading up out of Willow Wash
I'm at about 4850 feet elevation now, almost 700 feet higher than where I started in the lower part of Willow Wash. - I come across a rather fresh skeleton here above Willow Wash
It looks like some kind of large bird... - The skeleton has been efficiently picked clean
Any shred of remaining meat on the bones are completely dry. - I'm temped to try hiking up a slot in the rugged cliffs adjacent to the drainage above Willow Wash
According to my GPS, a few potential slots in the cliffs might be hike-worthy, but if not, I would have to return to the drainage here. - 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
I enjoy scampering up the little rock obstacles along the way here. Ahead on the right, it looks like there may have once been an old road cut here. - As I get higher, I look back (southwest) at the views behind me toward Willow Wash
I can't stop looking at those cliffs to my left and wondering if I could climb through them. I'll zoom in a bit closer. - I zoom in closer and, yes, there is a slot in the cliffs that I might be able to hike
However, I can't see where it ends, and it might end at a wall of rock that requires serious rock-climbing skills. It would be fun to go find out what's up there, but I hope to make it back to camp by sunset. - I finally reach the top of the drainage and am treated to an unexpected panorama across the Ivanpah Valley
Since these New York Mountains hills have no name, I'll call them "Dove Spring Peaks" because they overlook the area of Dove Spring, which I've heard is dry. - The succession of ridges visible from Dove Spring Peaks stands out in the pre-dusk sunlight; I recognize those pinnacles
I saw those pinnacles while hiking at Castle Peaks yesterday and was wondering where they are located. Now I know. - Dove Spring Peaks also has views over to the high blue peaks further over in the New York Mountains
The lower blue hills in the middle ground are probably the Bathtub Spring Peaks, where I hiked earlier today. - I savour a few final views from Dove Spring Peaks, then turn around and begin the hike back to camp
I spend a few minutes looking at the USGS quads on my GPS and choose a route over the hills back to camp, about a mile and a half away. - I hike through an upland valley on the way back to my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road
The rolling hilltops surrounding me have panoramic views of the area, but here in between them, I have none. It's an interesting feeling. - Within 15 minutes, the sun has dipped enough that my upland valley here is largely shaded
I'm chasing sunlight now! I'll turn left (southeast) in a moment, then climb one last hill before the final short descent down to camp... - Still chasing sunlight, I climb over this one final hill before the short descent to my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road
These rounded hills here are predominately grasslands, with occasional spiky yuccas and cacti poking through. - 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
Tomorrow, I'll be leaving this area, so this may be the last I see of the Castle Peaks for a while. - 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
It's already shaded here, but the glow of sunset still radiates on the rounded hill further up the road. - 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 a pleasant, quiet evening, cool, but not downright cold, once the sun goes down. I haven't seen anyone else in two days now. I boil water and add it to a bag of Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki with Rice which is pretty good. I love the crunch of the water chestnuts. Unfortunately, the water that's been in my 10-litre MSR water bag for two days has picked up a distinct plastic taste. I can even smell it when the water is boiling, and taste it through the otherwise delicious sauce of my instant meal. Blech. The star-studded sky is black again while I write notes in my journal, then the moon rises late in the evening. Serenity. I put on my sweater and long underwear, crawl into my sleeping bag, and hope for a good night's sleep. - 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 slept well last night and enjoyed my quick breakfast of granola, nuts, dried fruit, vitamin-C drink and coffee. I've enjoyed my three nights here at the end of Castle Peaks Road and am ready for the next stage of this trip! - I hate packing up, but it went reasonably well, and now I begin the ride down Castle Peaks Road
Leaving my campsite by 10h is early for me, but I have a long ride ahead across the heart of Mojave National Preserve. In the sand here, I have to walk the 10-ton bike, and I see my bike tracks and footprints from the past couple of days. - Approaching the dry reservoir on Castle Peaks Road, I see more of my bicycle tracks from three days ago
On yesterday's hike, I made a right turn here, but today I'll climb over the hill ahead and out of this valley. - Today's ride will be to the other side of Lanfair Valley, roughly as far as the eye can see here
I'm looking forward to the long ride ahead, all on dirt roads. It won't be a fast ride due to rough road surfaces, but the ups and downs along the way will be gradual for the most part. - It's fun riding down this little hill on Castle Peaks Road on the way out of the New York Mountains foothills
I forgot about this hill, but now I remember walking the 10-ton bike up it three days ago. - Riding a winding road in a quiet joshua-tree forest is always enjoyable
The best part is that it's slightly downhill on Castle Peaks Road, so the slightly sandy road doesn't pose any traction difficulties for the 10-ton bike. - Castle Peaks Road ends after 30 minutes; I start riding the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade and find this stray balloon
This Mother's Day balloon speaks Spanish (Feliz dia mama). It goes into my saddlebags for later disposal. - I have a slight headwind, so I don't hear the six 4WD vehicles sneaking up behind me on the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade
I'm startled! I hear a noise, then notice six vehicles right behind me! Shocking, I haven't seen people in 3 days. As they pass, we chat briefly. One of them gives me a bottle of water (colder than mine, thanks!) and one of them thinks I'm nuts. Some people don't realize it's possible and potentially rewarding to travel without a motor vehicle. Motor-vehicle advertising, which so many people happily consume, reinforces such ideas. Ironically, the people who think my bicycle trips are impossibly extreme are sometimes people much stronger than I. - After 3 miles on the Barnwell-Searchlight railway grade, it ends by an open area, where the next road on my route should begin
Good view of the New York Mountains peaks at centre-left from this area. The lower peaks at centre-right are in the area of the Bathtub Spring Peaks, where I hiked yesterday. - With assistance from my Delorme GPS, I locate the old road that I'm hoping to follow; it's nearly invisible!
Can you see it straight ahead? I can't. I keep checking my GPS to make sure this is it, and it is. This road hasn't been used at all in a very long time, which is not a good sign. I try riding it anyway. - 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
I love the old backroads, but... It looks like I'll be essentially walking the 10-ton bike cross-country if I continue on this route straight ahead. That might be fun, but I have many more miles to cover today, preferably during daylight. - Hart Mine Road is a rough dirt road that rises about 250 feet in 2.5 miles on my detour route via Barnwell
It's not steep, but it's bumpy and slow. The rocks along the road are radiating heat, and I'm sweating a bit. My U-shaped bypass around the non-existent road I was hoping to follow will add about 4.5 miles. - As I approach the former settlement of Barnwell, Mojave National Preserve, I pass an old windmill and water tank
The 10-ton bike waits for me while I climb up the side of the water tank. It's dry inside, as I expected, since it's no longer maintained for use. - Across the road from the old Barnwell water tank is a corral and another windmill
If I weren't on a mission to reach Mid Hills campground (or Hole-in-the-Wall campground) by the end of the day, I'd stop for an extended exploration break here. - It might be interesting to count how many old cars and trucks sit on this Barnwell property!
A few of these vehicles are rather old. - This old house at Barnwell, Mojave National Preserve looks like it was once well cared for
The hipped roof makes the house possibly quite old, while the wide horizontal windows, sliding patio door, and front addition are probably later additions, intended to make the house more "modern." - The old house at Barnwell has a stone chimney
The side door is open, but I don't enter, as much as I'm curious. - Behind the main house at Barnwell is a smaller, more modest, "guest-quarters" house
With a windmill in its backyard, it also has the front door open to visitors, and meth producers. - That old house at Barnwell that I always notice with all the junked vehicles around it: the gate is open
I've always thought that this property is not abandoned, so I've never approached it. But maybe it is... - Hart Mine Road ends at Barnwell, so I turn south on Ivanpah Road, with the New York Mountains peaks in front of me
The rolling hills along Ivanpah Road here top out at 4800-4900 feet elevation, the highest point I'll ride until I reach the Mid Hills campground area at the end of the day. - From the top of Ivanpah Road near Barnwell, I can still see over to Castle Peaks, but this view won't last long
A few robust Palmer's penstemons bloom along the road here. - Ivanpah Road rolls over a pass in the New York Mountains and then descends slowly into Lanfair Valley
I remember the first time I rode over this "summit" over 10 years ago in the Keystone Canyon area. - I locate a berm of earth, part of the old Ivanpah railway grade and the "invisible" road I wanted to ride earlier
Well, my invisible road is hard to find and rarely used from this end too. I'm still curious about it and might return another day when I have more time to explore. - With relatively few wildflowers along Ivanpah Road, this little garden against a New York Mountains backdrop gets my attention
Pink Palmer's penstemon, an orange Desert mallow and a yellow Desert marigold. - Ivanpah Road rides ever so slightly downhill across Lanfair Valley
The grade is one or two percent, but the surface rough enough that I can't build up much speed. I'm glad I'm not carrying the weight of a full water load today. I have just enough water for the day, and it tastes like plastic. - 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
OX Ranch, now owned by the National Parks Service, was one of the major cattle ranches in the area. Several installations and buildings remain here. - A couple of old water tanks and a windmill sit near Ivanpah Road at the OX Ranch site
These were operational not so long ago. - One of the buildings remaining at the OX Ranch site is this mobile home
A couple of houses are here as well, in a no-trespassing area, presumably in the hope of preventing vandalism. - A bit beyond the OX Ranch site is a private, by-reservation-only campground called 'Mojave Desert Outpost'
Maybe I should camp here one day... I stop here to refill my Camelbak with more of my plastic-tasting water. I'm looking forward to better water at the end of the day! - I know I'm getting close to the junction of Ivanpah Road and Cedar Canyon Road when I see power lines along the road
There are a number of residences in this area, where some families have lived for a century or more. - I've been riding Ivanpah Road for over two hours; I'll turn right onto Cedar Canyon Road just ahead
According to the sign, I have 20 miles until I reach Mid Hills campground, or 24 to Hole-in-the-Wall campground. I haven't decided yet which one is my destination. - The junction of Ivanpah Road and Cedar Canyon Road is my low point of the day, at about 4050 feet elevation
Great view of nearby Hackberry Mountain, which I might visit for the first time later during this trip. - Riding up Cedar Canyon Road, I spot an abandoned house, so the 10-ton bike pulls over to allow a few minutes of exploration
Any excuse for another break! - At first, I think the house has been vandalized, then I think maybe it's in the process of being demolished
This house doesn't look all that old, but maybe it has been renovated during past decades to intentionally remove all vestiges of the past. - A pile of debris sits in front of the little house on Cedar Canyon Road
This must be intentional, and not vandalism. - Behind the little house on Cedar Canyon Road, some of the old fake-brick tiles are neatly piled
It looks like this was once a little stucco house until it was clad in those ugly fake-brick tiles. Fake is still very much alive today, but not so much in this style that recalls the 1970s. - I peer through a broken window at the disarray inside the house
Faux-wood paneling! A few bottles of food items sit on the counter amongst the mess. Maybe the house is being repaired rather than demolished... - Near the old house, a bird lands atop a joshua tree
S/he's the security guard, watching my every move. - Some stretches of Cedar Canyon Road have significant sand accumulation, in addition to being washboarded
Since there's almost no traffic, I often ride all over the road, looking for the least bumpy and least sandy surface. I've been riding in this drunken style all day on these roads. - I can zoom in for good views of the Hackberry Mountains while riding Cedar Canyon Road
I might make it over to the Hackberry Mountains later during this trip, so I study the view. Of special interest is the tilted upward surface at the right. - Long stretches of Cedar Canyon Road are perfectly straight, but there are some curves and even a few 90-degree corners
It's funny how some parts of the road are nice and smooth, like here, while others are more challenging on the 10-ton bike. - I'm intrigued by this sign for Ashwell Road, since there's not much of a road visible here
However, there is a lot of private property in this area, so perhaps this trail leads to one of those tracts. - A short distance ahead is another modest old house along Cedar Canyon Road, against a Hackberry Mountains backdrop
I keep on riding, but this one would be fun to check out also. Maybe next time... - Oooo, a car is approaching on Cedar Canyon Road!
I've only seen a few cars today, which surprises me because it's Saturday, and parks get the most visitors on weekends. The road will make a 90-degree turn to the right in front of those hills ahead. - In this part of Lanfair Valley right now are some wide expanses of small yellow flowers
These might be Goldenbushes. A few buttes and hills rise out of Lanfair Valley, which otherwise looks almost flat (except that I'm riding a bicycle, and am quite aware that it's slightly uphill!) - The 10-ton mountain bike slowly gains altitude on Cedar Canyon Road
It's a slow, leisurely ride with a bit of a headwind, but perfect temperature: warm sun, cool breeze. - I'm riding a curvy stretch of Cedar Canyon Road now, heading straight toward Pinto Mountain for a few minutes
I hiked a piece of Pinto Mountain last year. Ahead in the distance are the pinnacles around Howe Spring, which I hope to visit in a few days. - As I approach Watson Wash on Cedar Canyon Road, I pass a turn-off to an old alignment of the 4WD Mojave Road
I can see that part of the narrow Mojave Road rolls quite steeply over the hills ahead, whereas the modern-day Cedar Canyon Road rides along much more gradually. - I rattle my way across the part of Cedar Canyon Road that crosses Watson Wash
To avoid the heavily washboarded surface, I ride on the far right whenever possible. However, occasional sand accumulations on the shoulder push me out into the middle of the road sometimes. Bounce, bounce. - After crossing Watson Wash, I turn off Cedar Canyon Road to visit the Bert Smith rock house
I've been here before, but it's a great excuse for another short break. - The Bert Smith rock house has an excellent view from the front door
The New York Mountains and Drum Peak sit on the other side of the valley. - To my surprise, the door to the Bert Smith rock house is not locked like it was when I last visited
Is the house supposed to be open? It's quite beautiful in a simple and basic way, based on stone and wood. My kind of place. - The Bert Smith rock house has a low ceiling and dark-colored surfaces
This dark interior would be oppressive in a deep forest, but not here, with big views and open spaces on all sides of the house. - The little windows that flank the fireplace in the Bert Smith rock house are hinged on the top
A small wooden block below the window rotates to secure it when in the closed position. - A small kitchen hides behind these built-in shelves; interesting joint in the beam
The National Parks Service has done a nice job restoring the Bert Smith rock house. I'm glad I've been able to visit the interior. - After my visit to the Bert Smith rock house, I continue riding westward on the washboard of Cedar Canyon Road
Mid Hills campground, my probable destination, is up in those hills to the left. However, I might change my mind and ride down to Hole-in-the-Wall campground instead. I don't need to decide yet. - Cedar Canyon Road bends again and heads toward Pinto Mountain for a few minutes
I've taken this photo on previous trips out here and can't resist taking it again. I chat briefly with a lone passing motorist who tells me he saw another bicyclist just a short while ago on this road. - I like this old range fence off Cedar Canyon Road in front of Pinto Mountain
Fences aren't built of rough-hewn wood like this any more. - I reach my shortcut road that connects Cedar Canyon Road with Black Canyon Road
It looks like many vehicles turn in here, but I think they mostly turn around and leave when they see how rough the road is. There aren't nearly so many tire tracks a bit further up the road. - As I climb the gentle hill, I reach a part of the shortcut road with far fewer tire tracks
The desert mallows grow freely here and obscure the road somewhat. - The shortcut road is only 3/4 mile long, but it's nice to be off the main roads for a few minutes
Segments of this road would require a high-clearance vehicle, but are fine on a mountain bike. - Hey, a fresh bicycle track on the shortcut road, and it isn't mine!
The motorist I spoke to back on Cedar Canyon Road told me he had seen another bicycle earlier, so this must be the route that the bicyclist followed. - I'm back out on a main road now (Black Canyon Road this time) and pass the windmill at Holliman Well
I'm up at about 5275 feet elevation now. - At the junction of Black Canyon Road and Wild Horse Canyon Road, I decide to turn right toward Mid Hills campground
I consider heading straight ahead toward Hole-in-the-Wall campground, since I need to go there tomorrow anyway (to recharge my cell phone). However, I like Mid Hills campground so much better, and I'm already up in the area. - A couple of short steep hills on the final stretch on Wild Horse Canyon Road toward Mid Hills campground always get me
It's always at the end of the day when I reach these hills, which is why they are always feel tougher than it seems like they should be. - I check out the view behind me while walking the 10-ton bike up the little hill
I can see all the way across Round Valley and Lanfair Valley to the Castle Mountains, over in the general area where I started this morning some 40 bicycle miles ago. - 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"
Just a short flat stretch of road ahead before I arrive at Mid Hills campground. I should be able to zoom in on the Providence Mountains over there... - I arrive at the Mid Hills campground entrance kiosk; I'm happy to be back for yet another visit
It's Saturday, the "busy" time in this park, so I'm not surprised that my favourite campsites at the north end of the road 1/2 mile ahead are taken. I find one on the east side of the road, private and nicely sheltered from the winds that have picked up this evening. I end up chatting with a guy walking up the road who happens to be "the other bicyclist," the one who made those mysterious tire tracks I saw on the shortcut road off Cedar Canyon Road a couple of hours ago. he rode over to the Bert Smith rock house and back from the campground here. I get my tent set up just as it gets dark, make my add-boiling-water-to-bag meal and settle in for a chilly evening up here at 5600 feet elevation. It's rather windy all evening, but I'm tired from today's long ride and fall asleep easily around 23h30. - It was chilly again last night, and windy, but the sun is warm on my first morning at Mid Hills campground
I'm not a huge fan of developed campgrounds, but I often camp here because I like it so much. This is my first time at site #9. Old-growth juniper-pine forest on one side of my tent, a landscape that burned during the 2005 brush fires on the other. - 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
I set up my tent last night so as to get some morning shade from an adjacent juniper tree. I take the morning slow and easy. - Some of the juniper trees, like this one, at Mid Hills campground are quite old
However, people keep cutting off branches of these trees for their campfires! The forest fire of 2005 consumed a lot of the old trees around here as well. - Here and there, an orange mariposa lily pops up among the banana yuccas, junipers, and pinon pines at Mid Hills campground
I've always liked how yuccas (which look like desert) mix with the pines and junipers here (which look like a forest). I have my usual camp breakfast of granola, nuts, dried fruit, coffee and vitamin C drink. - I walk over toward the campground's overlook and stop at the campsite where "the other bicyclist" said he was camping
He has already left, so I walk up the hill to the right to take in the views. - From the Mid Hills campground overlook are open views across to Cima Dome
It's really windy up here, so I'm glad I'm not camping on this side of the campground. I can see Clark Mountain in the distance off to the right, and Cima Road climbing the hill in front of me. - I remember seeing patches of these small, daisy-like flowers when I was here last year
I think these are fleabane (Erigeron concinnus). - It's time to prepare the bicycle for a ride down to Hole-in-the-Wall campground, where I can recharge my cell phone
I don't need to carry a lot of water, since I can fill up there, but I do need to bring items like warm clothing for later, snacks, a spare tube in case of a flat tire, and epipens in case of yellowjacket sting. - Just before noon, I leave Mid Hills campground and ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road without the weight of my camping baggage
Mid Hills campground is about 10 miles away, downhill, a really nice mountain-bike ride. - On the way down Wild Horse Canyon Road, I pass the little road that leads to the Eagle Rocks area
I spent a couple of hours hiking Eagle Rocks last year; highly recommended. I wont be stopping there today however. - After a couple of miles, I reach the smaller "Gold Valley Road" on my left and leave Wild Horse Canyon Road
I rode part of today's route last year, and my photo from this location on Wild Horse Canyon Road looks almost the same! - The first part of Gold Valley Road passes through a meadow thick with mature sagebrush
Amazingly, this relatively small tract of land survived the brush fires of 2005, which burned everything around it. - I pass a herd of cows on Gold Valley Road, with Table Mountain in the background
Most of the greenery in the burned landscape here is Antelope brush (Purshia tridentata), which is sprouting from its roots after the 2005 brush fires here. - The bovines along Gold Valley Road look at me for a moment
... then they decide to trot away - The upper part of Gold Valley Road rolls up and down over gently folding terrain
Perfect for mountain biking! - 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
Much of this area has no cell signal, but I remember that I had a signal around here during last year's trip. - This old juniper tree was mostly burned, like everything surrounding it, during the 2005 brush fires, but its crown lives on!
Orange desert-mallow flowers are everywhere in the Gold Valley hills right now. Twin Buttes sit in the background on the far side of Gold valley. - Gold Valley Road rises up a gentle hill and arrives at a higher area with nice views of the surroundings
I'm at just under 5450 feet elevation here, and it will be downhill from here to the Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre. - Desert mallows bloom in the middle of Gold Valley Road near its summit
Presumably, not many folks drive through here. Good views from here ahead to Wild Horse Mesa, which I visited a couple of years ago. - Also at the summit of Gold Valley Road is a scattering of boulders
Also here is a sign for the hiking trail that passes by, connecting Mid Hills campground to Hole-in-the-Wall campground. - Finally, Gold Valley Road dips down into Gold Valley itself
This downhill is a mountain-biker's dream (in the downhill direction). Not quite single-track, but that's unimportant. There are plenty of small obstacles to keep you awake, and great mountain views. - On the way down the hill, I stop at the windmill and water tank near Gold Valley Spring
This windmill is still in operation, since cattle still graze in this area. - The Gold Valley water tank is overflowing
The ladder here invites me to climb up and take a look inside. - A tank of deep blue fresh water in the desert?
After spending time in the dry desert, this looks like an ocean in a can. - After my stop at the Gold Valley water tank, I still have a bit more downhill mountain-biking ahead
The Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre, my first destination, is a few miles further, down in that valley, behind the hill on my right. - The lower part of Gold Valley Road has more sand; I sometimes lose traction and need to walk the bike occasionally
Several clumps of flowering sages (Salvia dorri) bloom along here, along with tiny chia sages, those tiny stems poking up in the middle of the road. - After crossing the valley, Gold Valley Road comes to an end and I join the larger Black Canyon Road
There's even a bit of pavement here, briefly, on Black Canyon Road, before I turn in on the short dirt road to the Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre. - At the Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre, I recharge my cell phone and chat with Preserve staff and a couple of visitors
Chats with staff and visitors are enjoyable and insightful. I buy a bag of beef jerky and vegetable chips, and eat it all while waiting for my phone to recharge. By the time I leave, it's almost 15h00, a bit late in the day for starting a hike. - Before leaving Hole-in-the-Wall, I refill my water bottles
There are always a lot of bees around the water spigot at Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre! - I ride a few hundred feet on pavement on Black Canyon Road before turning off toward Saddle Horse Canyon
I was considering hiking the popular nearby Rings Trail, which I still haven't done, but want to explore Saddle Horse Canyon a bit too. Today I see pavement, though only briefly, for the first time in several days. - I start riding the lower part of Wild Horse Canyon Road and will park just before those hills almost two miles ahead
Saddle Horse Canyon is off to the left in those hills. I've been up on the flat-topped Wild Horse Mesa ahead, but I hiked up to it from the other side. - I pull over at a turn-out on Wild Horse Canyon Road, stash the bicycle in the bushes and begin the hike
Saddle Horse Canyon is that opening in the hills at the left. - A few desert sages (Salvia dorrii) are still blooming here on the approach to Saddle Horse Canyon
It's already late in the day, so I won't have time for a long hike, but a short hike should give me a good impression of the area. - On the approach to Saddle Horse Canyon, I pass another flowering plant that I like: Paper-bag bush (Salazaria mexicana)
This plant seems to like these areas between the high and low desert elevations. - I walk over to some rocky outcrops along the way and see something that I thought I might see in an area like this
Lots of lime-yellow lichen on these rocks, amongst other things. - Dramatic rock erosion at the entrance to Saddle Horse Canyon
It must have taken many fast-moving high-water floods to wear down the rock wall into this shape! - A few small holes in the rocks near the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon
Volcanic? - At the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon is a guzzler (a pad of concrete), dry right now due to lack of rain
It's as ugly as a shopping-mall parking lot on a small scale, but it collects water during rain and makes it available for wildlife after the rain is gone. Very useful. Some feel that the ugliness is worth it in a wilderness landscape, while others don't. - I pass a budding milkweed in Saddle Horse Canyon
... and a few orange Desert-mallow flowers. - 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
It's an easy hike, with perfect weather. - Paper-flower bush (Psilostrophe cooperi) in Saddle Horse Canyon
This looks like an obsessively manicured garden plant, an interesting contrast to the rugged desert surroundings. - Buckwheat flowers pop out between dark rocks that absorb the hot sun in Saddle Horse Canyon
These plants seem to love getting fried in the sun! Rocks like these often become hot to the touch during the hotter season. - The 2005 brush fires passed through Saddle Horse Canyon, but a few juniper trees survived
I'll keep hiking up around the next bend ahead. - 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'd like to continue all the way up to the top of Saddle Horse Canyon, only a mile further, where it reaches Wild Horse Mesa. That would also be an interesting place to be at sunset. - I turn around and start my way back down Saddle Horse Canyon, wondering if I shouldn't be turning around so soon
I made the mistake of not wearing long pants on this hike, the consequence being that I'm constantly stopping to pull out grass pieces from my socks that poke into my ankles like little thorns. - This bushy desert oak shrub in Saddle Horse Canyon seems to have grown back despite being burned in the 2005 brush fires
Charred branches stick out through the fresh foliage. - I take a closer look at that regenerated oak in Saddle Horse Canyon
I'm guessing this is a turbinella oak. - Purple four o'clock flowers poke through a Rhus trilobata bush laden with unripe berries in Saddle Horse Canyon
Soon, these berries will be red. - I'm enjoying these parts of Saddle Horse Canyon where I can walk in the dry drainage channel
There are no grasses in the dry drainage to get stuck in my socks! - Here's another part of Saddle Horse Canyon that allows me to avoid getting more grass stuck in my socks
I feel like I've spent as much time stopped, picking grass out of my socks, as I have hiking! - I'm back in an open, grassy area as I hike out of Saddle Horse Canyon
That means I'll have more grass in my socks in a few minutes, poking into my ankles, ugh. - A few small barrel cacti are on the side of Saddle Horse Canyon, some living, some burned
The cacti that were charred in the 2005 brush fires are interesting to look at. I presume they didn't actually ignite due to their high moisture content. - This charred barrel cactus is slowly resprouting after being burned in the 2005 brush fires
The living part of this cactus represents six years of growth since the fire. - Near the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon is a small stand of Desert trumpet buckwheats
(Eriogonum inflatum.) - Thamnosma montana (Turpentine-broom) in Saddle Horse Canyon
A twiggy, leafless plant that looks like a psychedelic hairdo... - On the way back out of Saddle Horse Canyon, I decide to walk along the rock walls
Texture, and more interesting stuff... - Bubbles in the rocks
... erosion and more. The rocks break apart, and then fall. - I've passed through the Hole-in-the-Wall area here so many times without stopping to take it in on foot
I'll have to try the popular Rings Trail over by the campground one of these days... I almost went there today instead of hiking over here. - A bush of some kind manages to grow up on top of these rocks at the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon
I walk around a stand of thorny Catclaw acacia here to get closer to the rocks. - More big bubbles and fractures in the rocks
If you stare at the left outcrop long enough, you might start imagining a lizard head. Funny how rocks can be so evocative... - One of several rock shelters in the Hole-in-the-wall area
The vegetation on the hill above appears to have burned heavily in the 2005 brush fires. - Camouflaged in the rocks is a small concrete dam to retain water running down from the hills
I take a peek, and it's dry right now. - From another rock shelter in the area, I peer out into the sunshine
I look around for snakes, but don't see any. - The rocks at the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon are more interesting than further up the canyon
However, I didn't hike all the way up the canyon to Wild Horse Mesa, so I may have missed the best. - 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
Light cloud cover this afternoon is creating a pale, diffused golden light in the pre-sunset hours. - I pass a tangle of white and purple flowers on the way back to the bike near Wild Horse Canyon Road
The purple is Desert sage (Salvia dorrii) and the white is Desert wishbone bush (Mirabilis bigelovii). - 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
I always set a GPS waypoint when I leave the bike concealed in bushes so I can find it when I get back! Yes, I have had difficulties finding my bike in previous situations like this... - Before I start the ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road, I pick out some of the annoying stickers in my socks and shoes
The stickers are small, but they keep stabbing my feet. It was a mistake to hike here in my short pants; I should have kept my long legs on, to protect my shoes, despite the warmer temperature in this area today. - I start riding up Wild Horse Canyon Road, the lower part of which is washboarded and sometimes sandy
Since there's no traffic here except me (so far), I ride on whatever part of the road that looks like it provides the best riding surface. - I look behind me as I climb up the lower part of Wild Horse Canyon Road
I have to walk the bike up this stretch because there's too much sand for me to get traction (see my tire tracks?) However, not too far ahead, I'll be back on well-packed sand and gravel. - Wild Horse Canyon Road pops out of the canyon and onto higher ground, where I catch the beginning of sunset
Here, I'm looking east at an area sometimes known as Lobo Point. I'm at about 4500 feet elevation here, about 1000 feet below home (Mid Hills campground). - I enjoy the impending sunset as I slowly ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road
I've got 7.5 more bicycle miles ahead of me. - The Wild Horse Mesa area picks up a warm glow as I ride past
I'm looking forward to tomorrow's hike into the northern Providence Mountains, during which I'll pass through that area. - A car passes me along this stretch of Wild Horse Canyon Road, the only one I'll see on the way back to camp
The road does roll a bit, so it's nice to have these brief almost-downhill segments on the way up the hill. - Bovines along Wild Horse Canyon Road
I wonder if these are the same cows that I saw earlier today while riding Gold Valley Road, not far from here. - This bull poses for a portrait along Wild Horse Canyon Road
White Desert thistle flowers (Cirsium neomexicanum) bloom in abundance at this location. - 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
Hmmm... this looks like a promotional product-placement image... - Wild Horse Canyon Road dips down into the upper part of Macedonia Canyon as I ride back to Mid Hills campground
It's great to have a little downhill on the way uphill! That spot down on the road ahead is a cow, I believe. - After passing Columbia Mountain, I look back at what remains of sunset and ride on to Mid Hills campground
I make it back to Mid Hills campground a bit after dark, at 20h25. It's predictably windy again tonight while I enjoy another add-boiling-water-to-bag meal. The campground is rather empty tonight (Sunday); it's great to be here again. However, the evening silence is broken for a couple of hours. One of the few campsites occupied on this Sunday night is the one across the road from mine. A family camping there is singing campfire songs. I'm really happy to hear these folks enjoying themselves with their kids out here, and with no TVs or cell phones (a lost skill these days). Still, I wish I didn't have to listen to them. Regardless, tomorrow night I'll be back in the wilderness, and probably alone for a few days, perhaps remembering how cool this family across the road is. I get to sleep before midnight and wear my long underwear and sweater to bed again. I didn't expect to be wearing my long undies almost every night when I brought them along on this trip! I should have brought a scarf too, but didn't. - Another beautiful morning at Mid Hills campground; it's nice to have a water supply, so I heat up water to wash myself
I don't always have the luxury of extra water for washing! It was less chilly last night, so I slept well. After a slow breakfast of coffee, granola, nuts and dried fruit, I pack the bicycle and ride to the Providence Mountains foothills for today's hike. - 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
Of course, I'm bringing along the usual items as well: maps, cell phone (which usually can't get reception), hiking hat, energy bars, epipens in case of a yellowjacket sting, bicycle tube and pump... - After leaving Mid Hills campground, I ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road and cross over this cattle guard
I'll be reminded soon that cows still graze in this area and that this cattle guard is not just a remnant from the past. - A pick-up truck passes me on Wild Horse Canyon Road, a major event
The lack of traffic on this road makes it a pleasure to ride. I always enjoy riding this part of Wild Horse Canyon Road with the high peaks of the Providence Mountains poking up in the distance. - As I ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road, a few cows start to cross, but I end up inadvertently chasing them
The cows have decided to stay on the road, and they run away from me, spooked. It's like I'm rounding them up on my bicycle! - After 5 minutes, the cows are still running down Wild Horse Canyon Road, with me chasing them on my bicycle
They ran briefly into the brush, but returned to the road immediately thereafter. It's funny to watch; cows don't run very gracefully! Is the earth here vibrating? - We come around a bend by Macedonia Canyon Road and start heading uphill; the cows aren't running quite so quickly anymore
And I'm not riding so quickly anymore either. Finally, the cows disperse into the brush and I pass by them as I continue riding along Wild Horse Canyon Road. Should this be called Wild Cow Canyon Road instead? - I continue riding down Wild Horse Canyon Road toward the Wild Horse Mesa area, watching for the easy-to-miss Bluejay Mine Road
A few puffy Desert thistles (Cirsium neomexicanum) grow along the road here. If I were camping at Hole-in-the-Wall campground, I would be much closer to today's hike, but I just don't like that campground as much as Mid Hills. - And there it is: Bluejay Mine Road; I leave Wild Horse Canyon Road here
I've been here a couple of times now, and it's a fun ride on a mountain bike: about 1.5 miles to the end of the road, which will be the trailhead for today's hike in the north end of the Providence Mountains - A short stretch of Bluejay Mine Road is in a sandy wash, and I'm glad it doesn't last too long
Four-wheel-drive vehicles can drive this easily enough, but it's just uphill enough that I occasionally lose traction and have to walk the bike a short distance. - Bluejay Mine Road gets a bit better after rising out of the sandy wash
It's slightly uphill, but has good traction here, so it's good mountain-bike riding again, at least for a few feet. - Like so many desert backroads, Bluejay Mine Road deteriorates as it approaches its end
Yes, this is a road! - Bluejay Mine Road ends here, so I stash my bike in the brush, lock it up, and begin today's hike
Before I begin climbing the big hill, I'll make a quick stop at the entrance to the old Bluejay Mine over there. - I take a look into the old entrance to the Bluejay Mine before I start climbing up the hill
Hey, I took this photo last year also, while hiking through this area. I take a peek inside the opening, but it doesn't go in very far. - A yellow-chested bird watches me begin the hike up the steep hill above Bluejay Mine
The branches of the tree may have burned during the 2005 brush fires here, but they still provide a nice perch. - My first stop on the way up the hill is the upper shaft opening to the Bluejay Mine
Some birds live here; they fly away when I approach. Presumably, this opening once communicated with the lower opening that I just visited. - Because the upper opening to the Bluejay Mine is treacherous, it's surrounded by barbed wire
I try to imagine how green this area used to look before the 2005 brush fires that swept through here. - I soon make it high enough up the hill to have a view across the Providence Mountains to the subtle curve of Cima Dome
Sprays of orange Desert mallow flowers contrast nicely with the brown soil and blue sky.