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- A pair of butterflies are having a great time in these sage blossoms
Several of these sages (probably salvia dorrii) are blooming profusely in this wash. - I stop at this small side wash and get out my map and compass to see if this might be the old road to Tough Nut Mine: wrong!
I know the old road is probably so eroded that it won't be recognizable as a road. Things aren't adding up... After a few minutes, I realize that I need to be in the next big wash south, not this one. Therefore, this side wash is definitely not the road to Tough Nut Mine! I use this small side wash as a route over the hill to reach the next wash, where I'm supposed to be. - I climb over the next hill and recognize my location as the end of the south fork of Globe Mine Road
At least I know where I am now, but after hiking for a bit over an hour, I was expecting to find that I'm half a mile east of here, beyond the end of this road. - After hiking 20 minutes up the big wash, I'm again getting that feeling that I may have missed the road to Tough Nut Mine
I leave the wash behind and am on my way hiking cross-country up an adjacent hill to get a better view of the area (looking behind me now). - It was a good decision to climb to this crest; I can now see part of the road to Tough Nut Mine in the distance on my left
According to my map, the low area ahead on my right should reveal the vestiges of an old road that connects to the road to Tough Nut Mine. I'll walk down that way and see if I can locate it. - Down at the bottom of the hill live many happy yuccas, some blooming, and spiky cholla cacti
Hiking cross-country through this area traces a very curvy line due to the constant need to edge past and between patches of yuccas and chollas. So far, I've managed not to get stabbed. - After climbing a gap between hills where the old connector road should be, I've ended up above the road to Tough Nut Mine
Yes, that is a pine tree in the desert. I didn't spot any tracks of the old connector road, but I know I'm in the right place, albeit higher up the hill than envisaged. From here, I'll be heading off to my right, up the eastward stretch of the road that rises to Tough Nut Mine (not visible here). My orienteering skills definitely need some practice, and practice is what I'm getting today. It's fun! - There aren't many pine trees up here, so it's odd to see that some of them burned recently
I'm guessing that this damage might be part of the 2005 "Hackberry Complex" fires that burned some of Mojave National Preserve. - I hike up the old road to Tough Nut Mine, which hasn't been used by vehicles in many years and is slowly returning to nature
The road was cut out of the hillside, so it rises quite gently. The old stone support walls that prevent the road from washing out are still in fairly good shape. I check the area around the pine tree here to see if there is any sign of spring water. Nope. I've brought my water filter and empty bottle on today's hike just in case. - It's a bit past 17h when I finally arrive at the Tough Nut Mine ruins
My meandering through the desert during the past four hours has been fun, but now that I'm here, I don't have as much time to explore as I'd like. I'll limit my visit here to 20 minutes in order to get back to camp before sunset. - Overview of the Tough Nut Mine area, Mojave National Preserve
There's a fair amount of debris scattered around here to entertain those of us who like looking at such stuff. - An open tunnel at the Tough Nut Mine
I think I'll get a little closer to see what's inside. - Entering the Tough Nut Mine tunnel
The entrance appears to be made of some kind of poured concrete, which leads to the excavated tunnel into the earth inside. I wonder if that drum of acetone still contains acetone... I don't continue any further into the tunnel than this, as alluring as it may be. - Another view of the Tough Nut Mine site
The road enters this area through a slot that was blasted through the hill just behind the debris pile here. You'll see a photo of the slot on the way out. - Perched up on this hill, the Tough Nut Mine site offers many great views, including this one to the northeast
The flat green area at the upper right between the two hills is the main wash that I hiked up and which leads back to the south fork of Globe Mine Road. - The outhouse here at Tough Nut Mine is a concrete structure
This is more substantial than usual for an old outhouse building. - Not far from the outhouse at Tough Nut Mine rest some rocks and a tiny wooden cross to mark a grave site
I don't see anything indicating the name of the person buried here. I wonder if history has been lost and perhaps nobody knows. - Apparently, Tough Nut Mine was truly luxurious, with two toilets in the outhouse rather than just one
Culturally speaking, we're not used to two toilets in the same room unless significant partitions have been built between them, so this is an interesting arrangement here. - It's 17h20, so I leave Tough Nut Mine and begin the hike back to camp, passing through the slot excavated into the hillside
I really wish I had enough time to continue just 1/2 mile further up the road to Tough Nut Spring to see possible water and anything else that might be there. But alas, time has run out. I'm carrying a flashlight in my backpack in case I need it, but I really don't like hiking after dark in an area that I don't know, especially when there's no moonlight. - These blue flowers are abundant wherever rock support walls exist along the old roadbed
These are probably the same kind of phacelia flowers that I saw earlier. - I continue my descent down the old road from Tough Nut Mine
The old road heads in a downhill direction and is just visible enough that it can be easily followed, so I'm able to hike at a good speed along here. - Reddish-pinkish-orange Indian paintbrush decorates the old roadbed here and there
The color of this plant always seems so intense in this largely green, brown and grey high-desert landscape. - I find the well that is marked on my map
Flies floating in the well water cast a brackish appearance on the scene, but the water otherwise looks fairly clear. A few yellow jackets are buzzing around, catching the escaping vapour above. This water would probably be fine to use if I really needed more, but the intake hose on my water filter isn't quite long enough to reach the water. I chicken out and leave the water for the flies. The frame of the well appears to be built of old railroad ties. - In this narrow wash, I stumble across some old installations: a waterless cistern and a water tank, probably also dry
I wasn't expecting all this, so I get out my maps and notice that a well is also indicated at this location, which I hadn't seen while planning this trip due to the faint ink. - Close-up of the old water tank and the painted-on names of its owners
"Providence Mill Site, Joe and Al Pauley, P.O. Box 54, Mojave, California" - The old road that has been serving as an excellent trail so far drops into a narrow wash and disappears
My map shows the old road as being in this wash from this point downward. It will be easy to just follow the wash downstream, but there's no sign of any road existing here today. I'm always wary of snakes when hiking in tall grass like this. - I take one last look at the old corral and water tank and continue my hike down the narrow wash back toward camp
The rocky Providence Mountains sit in the background and the road to Tough Nut Mine, which I just hiked down, is visible cutting across the hill in the background. - At the bottom of the narrow wash, I rejoin the wide wash that will lead back to the south fork of Globe Mine Road
I look back toward the Providence Mountains and the Tough Nut Mine area up on the hill one last time before heading downstream back toward camp. - After hiking down the wash for 1/2 hour, I exit the Wilderness boundary and start walking down the south fork of Globe Mine Road
Motor vehicles may drive up to these posts, but not beyond. - I walk down the fan on the south fork of Globe Mine Road, enjoying the sun behind the Marl Mountains
The open space here on the fan is a nice contrast to the hills and washes where I've spent the afternoon. - I walk down the shortcut road that I followed last night and arrive again at the junction of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
This time I'll walk up the old road in the middle of the photo, which I missed last night, instead of in the wash to the left. Judging by the tire tracks heading up the wash, I'm not the only one who mistook the wash for the road. - Sunset, my favourite time of day, on the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, approaching my campsite
These orange moments at the beginning and end of the day are always special for desert lovers. - There's my tent, I'm back home and ready to settle in for the evening
It has been a long and enjoyable day in the desert, out hiking for a bit over six hours. I consumed all of the 3.5 litres of water that I brought with me and could have drank more (maybe I should have tried to filter some water out of that old well after all). I also ate three Clif bars. After dark, I make another instant hiker meal, which is Backpacker's Pantry Thai Satay Beef. I hadn't tried this one before, so I'm skeptical about the little pouches of salted peanut butter (I usually only like unsalted) that need to be mixed separately with the spices. It makes a very flavourful rice-based meal that is a bit heavier in the saddlebags and more expensive than many others. As soon as the sun goes down, the temperature drops a bit and within an hour it's time to put on a sweater. The beautiful silence is occasionally decorated by gusts of wind forcing my tent to flap its wings, or the rumble of a train labouring up Kelso-Cima Road three miles down the hill. Late in the evening, it can't be warmer than 60 degrees, and the moon rises. I step outside in the silence under the influence of a few swigs of brandy to ponder it for a few minutes before going to bed. Bliss. - Just before arriving at the mine sits a concrete platform on the side of the road
Some brick remains here appear to be used as a fire ring by campers. I see some recent tire tracks here in the dirt road, but no sign of anyone on this quiet Thursday afternoon. - Approaching the Good Hope Mine at the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve
This final stretch of road is really eroded and grown-in, but is clearly still used occasionally, as evidenced by the recent tire tracks in the sandy dry stream that crosses the road. A web site that I found claims that the name of this mine is the Good Hope Mine, but it is unnamed on all of my maps. - Can dump at the mine site at the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
Several old can dumps dot this area, so it seems to have been inhabited for a while. - A shaft at the mine site at the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
I'm not getting too close to this one. That big wire running out of the hole connects to the boulder in the previous photo. - Boulder with heavy-duty wire tied around it
The wire leads down into the adjacent mine shaft in the next photo. Hmmm... - Old concrete foundations for something
This concrete doesn't look as old as some of the ruins in this area. I have not come across any information yet on the years of operation of this mine. - A collapsed structure at the mine site at the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
This must have made a lot of noise when it fell over. - I look down at the remains of a structure up at the mine site
I'm also looking for my tent down there in the low area a half-mile from here, but don't see it. - Another mine shaft sits nearby
Again, I don't get too close to this one. Many white buckwheat flowers are growing here. I still can't see my tent, but it's down there on the fan somewhere. - Tailings from the mine at the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
Creamy-colored, these piles look like a miniature version of the natural environment at Golden Canyon in Death Valley. - Federal law prohibits sale
This intact bottle states "Federal law prohibits sale" and "half pint." What might have been in this that can't be sold? - Bluish turquoise glass
I'm noticing a number of broken glass pieces of this colour around this site. - Close-up of a few cans at the mine site at the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
The can with the key reminds me of some kind of canned-meat product, while the can at the right reminds me of the tins of evaporated milk that my grandmother used to use. - Mojave National Preserve map, Day 2: Globe Mine Road campsite to Tough Nut Mine day hike (8 miles)
- Tough Nut Mine hike route as viewed in Google Earth (8 miles)
- Morning #2 at my campsite off the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, I repeat the ritual of making coffee in the shade of my tent
I'm up a little earlier than yesterday because the morning sun is too hot and I can't sleep. Ironically, just before dawn, I woke up because I was too cold and had to pull the hood of my sleeping bag up over my head. I'm very stuffed up this morning and feel like I may be getting a cold or sinus infection. Ugh. Hopefully it's just me adapting to the low humidity out here. Breakfast is two cups of coffee, dried apricots, dried cherries, tamari almonds, granola and some freeze-dried bananas (not sure I like these). For some reason, the rear tire of my bicycle lost half of its air overnight. I pump it up and hope that it holds. - After breakfast, it's that wonderful moment I've been waiting for: digging a cat hole
There's often sand on the surface in these parts, but the soil just beneath tends to be almost rock hard. It sometimes takes longer than one might think to find a good spot to dig a hole. - I'm off early (for me) on today's hike to the Bolder Spring area, which begins with a 1/4-mile walk down Globe Mine Road
I'm not counting on finding water at Bolder Spring, but I'm carrying my water filter and an extra water bottle in my daypack just in case I do. - I arrive at "sand-pit junction" again, where the shortcut road joins up with the middle fork of Globe Mine Road
I'll walk just a little further down Globe Mine Road in the direction of Kelso-Cima Road, and then head north cross-country across the fan toward Bolder Creek. - OK, I guess this is a good place to stop descending Globe Mine Road and start hiking north across the fan toward those hills
The old road to Bolder Spring should be in the drainage just below the distant hills in the middle of the photo, about a mile away. - As I hike across the fan, I rise slowly and can see Kelso Dunes down below when I look behind me
I'm noticing that it feels a little warmer today than yesterday, but maybe that's just because I'm walking slightly uphill at a decent pace. - This mistletoe is covered with bright red berries
Some birds should be very happy with these. - Parts of this fan host fewer creosote bushes than usual, allowing many tufts of ankle-low grasses to grow
These open areas are easier to hike across since there's less vegetation to avoid. The old road to Bolder Spring should be just in front of those hills ahead. - And voilà, here it is: what's left of the old road to Bolder Spring
I'll head east up the road toward the mountains. Bolder Spring is located somewhere about a mile up the road. This road is in a Wilderness area, not open to motor vehicles, and hasn't been driven in years. - Some of the buckwheats growing around here look rather old
The gnarled trunk of this specimen wouldn't look like part of something alive if it weren't for the green growth coming out of it. - It's hard to resist touching (carefully) the hard spines of a barrel cactus once in a while
This is one of those plants that feels more like a sculpture than a living thing due to its external armour of spines. - I'm starting to see a few purple blooming sages in this area like the ones I saw yesterday on the way to Tough Nut Mine
This is probably salvia dorrii and I'd love to have it in my garden. The scent of this plant is amazing! - Naked buckwheat (eriogonum nudum) is fairly common around here
I like this plant for its unusual stems and lack of leaves. - Glancing north, I see a piece of the north fork of Globe Mine Road slithering around a hill
Once behind that hill, the Globe Mine Road heads east (right) up into the mountains toward Globe Mine. I'll be on the other side of that hill later this afternoon. Part of the curve of Cima Dome is visible ahead in the background. - Fire ring along the former road to Bolder Spring
With grass growing in it, and no ash residue from previous campfires, it doesn't look like this fire ring has been used in quite some time. - The former road to Bolder Spring is being erased by the forces of nature
The road is still visible at this point, but it drops into a wash a few hundred feet from here, and that's pretty much the end of it. - At the base of these yuccas is a pile of twigs covered with gravelly rock
It could be that the twig pile was originally built for nesting or cover by critters. A flash flood passing through the area at a later date may have deposited the gravel layer on top. - This nearby rock outcrop will serve as a nice spot for a short break
I enjoy a Clif bar here and the view of the Kelso Dunes below. - More white-flowered buckwheat
The old trunk of this one is pretty old and dead-looking, despite the healthy plant it supports. - I continue walking up the wash toward Bolder Spring
The old road that used to be in this wash has been washed away during years of non-use. - The old road to Bolder Spring is leaving the fan in favour of the foothills, and the scenery is becoming more intimate
I take a short walk up this narrow side wash which has obviously hosted a lot of flowing water during the years. - I return to the main wash and follow it further upward as it carves its way slowly into the base of foothills
I do see some greenery ahead, so I'm watching for signs of Bolder Spring, in case it actually has some concealed water to offer. - The "road" to Bolder Spring narrows
It's fun to look at a wash like this and imagine a primitive road located here. Of course four-wheel-drive vehicles can still drive "roads" like this today, but regular transportation vehicles cannot (and this route was likely used for transportation, not recreation). - Time for a map-and-compass check to see if I can figure out where Bolder Spring is supposed to be
The whole area is looking pretty dry, despite some green patches, so I'll be surprised if I find any water around here. - Well, there are some water-indicating grasses growing here...
These are the same grasses that were growing around the well in the wash below Tough Nut Mine. - A few more bone pieces
Perhaps these are bones from an animal with poor map-reading skills that was dying of thirst while trying to find Bolder Spring. - I'll make a guess that Bolder Spring is here to the left of those bones somewhere
Of course, it doesn't matter much today where the spring is if it's dry... However, for the sake of closure, I do need to assign a location to it. This is one of the greener spots around, and there aren't a lot more of those water-indicating grasses past here. - Beyond the dry Bolder Spring, the old "road" doesn't get any better
In disused locations like this, I always wonder how long ago the place was last used. I'm not seeing any human footprints around here at all. - Desert mallow growing in the Bolder Spring wash
Orange-flowered desert mallow is one of my favourite desert plants. - Blue flowers in the Bolder Spring wash
I think these are a phacelia species. I'm seeing quite a few of them around sometimes, but they're not as common as the more greyish phacelias that I'm also seeing around here. Maybe they're both the same plant. - I hike a little further up Bolder Spring wash and reach a fork
Oh, a decision to make. My main goal of the day was to check for water at Bolder Spring, and now that's done. I could climb the right fork into the mountains and make my way back to camp that way. Instead, I decide to head left up over a ridge of hills that overlook the north fork of Globe Mine Road. - Climbing out of the wash, I look back and see the crevice that I just hiked cutting across the foothills
I can even see the lower part of Globe Mine Road down in the distance from here. - As I approach a saddle on the hills, a large rock along the way invites me to sit on it a rest for a few minutes
I haven't planned my hike from this point on, so a few minutes spent here will help me prepare my route improvisation. I might as well eat another Clif bar while I'm seated here. - I've decided to aim for the top of the unnamed hills ahead between Bolder Spring wash and the north fork of Globe Mine Road
To get from this saddle over to the summit on the top right, I'll need to drop down into the drainage in front of me and climb upward from there. - Decomposed cactus remains, apparently
For some reason, a spiral pattern has formed in this debris. - View to the east from the summit of hill 1161 near Globe Mine Road
Even though these rolling hills look rather bleak from a distance with their green-olive-brown overtones, it's probably still an interesting area to hike through. Globe Mine Road rises up toward the Providence Mountains through the slot between the hills at the middle left and would probably make an excellent day hike. - I make it to the summit of "Hill 1161" (as labelled on my map) at 3700 feet and look to the north toward Cima Dome
I spend some time roaming on the summit, enjoying the views up above it all. My map indicates an old mine shaft up here, but I haven't seen it yet. - View to the northwest from the summit of hill 1161 near Globe Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve
The great thing about being atop an area summit is that the views are fantastic in all directions, even though I'm only up at 3700 feet. Kelso-Cima Road traverses the flat-looking area below, while the Marl Mountains provide a backdrop. - Looking southwest from the top of hill 1161 along a saddle that I'll follow to the next high point of the ridge
Kelso Dunes rest in the background. - Looking straight down into Bolder Spring wash from above around hill 1161
When I was hiking up that wash down there a couple of hours ago and looking at these hills, I wasn't thinking that I might find myself up at the top a while later (this part of today's hike was unplanned). - I pick my way along the ridge line, avoiding barrel cacti and other pricklies
The animal trail up here helps, but it's slow-going due to the thorns and the slippery gravel on the surface. With each step, it's important to position oneself to avoid the possibility of falling into a sharp cactus should one slip and lose balance. - A pink-flowering buckwheat attracts a butterfly
These pink-flowering buckwheats seem to grow only up in the higher areas; I didn't notice any down below. - I'm having a great time up here on the ridge top; the only question is how I'll get down
As is required during desert hiking, I'm often paying less attention to the views than where I'm walking. I'll continue on over to that pile of boulders at the upper-right and start looking for a route down. - Northwest view through the boulders on the ridge
The terrain is quite steep beyond the boulders; my map suggests that I skirt around the left side of the boulder pile to a less-steep descent. I see a train climbing the Cima grade down in the valley below. - Skirting around the boulders and barrel cacti
To get around to the other side of the boulders, I walk very carefully on slippery ground around that patch of baby barrel cacti. - Lots of scat around these boulders
Presumably, this comes from the same critter that made the animal trail that exists in places along the ridge. - I've found my route down: I'll tiptoe down the hill on the left side of the drainage in front of me
Down on a hill on the right side of the drainage is an old mine shaft that I don't see on my map. - Partway down the hill, I look behind me and see that I've already dropped below that mine shaft over on the other hill
It might be worth climbing up to that old mine shaft, but my real reason for descending the north side of this hill here is to visit two small mine relics below just off the north fork of Globe Mine Road. - A desert dudleya (perhaps Dudleya saxosa) pokes out from behind a rock on the way down the hillside
From what I have seen so far, these aren't very common in this area. I almost didn't see this little guy; he's so tiny. - Scattered flowers add some color to the descent toward Globe Mine Road
Areas that look brown from a distance sometimes have many flowers blooming. - Toward the bottom of the hill, I approach the first of two unnamed mine sites just off the north fork of Globe Mine Road
The second mine site is visible in front of the hill a little further beyond. - A tunnel at the first unnamed mine site off Globe Mine Road
The track to the tunnel is quite grown in with grasses. - Mine shaft at the first mine site
The wood is still in pretty good condition. - A lonely flower near the mine site
A Mariposa lily, I think. It looks lonely to me because the plant seems to have no leaves. - I walk over to the second mine site, closer to Globe Mine Road
The old road leading up to the mine is still quite visible. - Two large timbers span the opening of a shaft at the second mine site
This is another of those big holes that I don't think I'll get too close to. - I'm finished browsing mine remnants, so it's time to begin the hike back to my campsite
I rise up to the top of the low hill behind the mine and start walking down to the fan. I can see lower Globe Mine Road from here heading down the fan to its beginning at Kelso-Cima Road. - I come across a number of old cans as I hike over the little hill and leave the mine area
This flat can reminds me of a cat-food can, or some similar meat or fish product. - I drop down onto the fan and head south toward Kelso Dunes
My campsite is about 1.5 miles away, beyond the first low hill protruding onto the fan and to the left. I try my cell phone here and it works, so I call in and change my outgoing message to let callers know where I am. The only areas around here where my phone has worked are high on the fan, like right here, but not much higher. I have no phone reception back at my campsite. - The hike across the fan back to camp is fast and easy compared to the ups and downs of today's hike into the hills
I'm almost out of water now, and the little that remains in my Camelbak is very warm. Maybe some of my water back at camp will be a little cooler than this, but I'm not counting on it. The heat of the day, probably high 80s, is getting to me a little. This probably just means that I didn't drink enough water today. - On the way across the fan, I cross the old road to Bolder Spring again
I stop for a moment to look up the road in the direction that I hiked several hours ago. My map indicates that there's a corral somewhere around here, but I haven't run across it. - Close-up of one of the small grasses that populate this area
These grasses are distinguished by their horizontal, needle-like parts. They aren't as thorny as they look, but some of them have gotten stuck in my socks. - Continuing my hike across the fan, I walk past a couple of hills and arrive in the "valley" where I'm camped
I'm again passing through that area which has lots of low grass, but fewer creosote bushes than usual. - I get back to camp around 17h and happily find that my bicycle is still here waiting for me to use it tomorrow
The air I added to my half-flat rear tire this morning seems to have stayed. Good! I didn't drink quite enough water today and feel a bit headachy. However, I still have a couple of hours of daylight left, so I take a short rest at the tent, then go for a walk up to the Good Hope Mine at end of the road to shoot a few photos to replace some overexposed ones from yesterday. - On the way back to camp from the Good Hope Mine, I notice a cactus that has green flowers
Relatively few plants have noticeable green flowers, so this one stands out for me. - Time for another picture-perfect desert sunset near Globe Mine Road
My third and final night up here off the middle fork of Globe Canyon Road. I'm running a little low on water, so I'm being careful about how much I use this evening. After sunset, I make tonight's meal: Backpacker's Pantry Kung Pao Chicken and Rice. It's OK, but despite the promising name and the slight heat added by the chillies, this meal is actually rather bland. I'll try to remember to not buy this one again. For dessert, I eat a 3.5-ounce pouch of Trader Joe's buffalo jerky: tasty. I'm thinking I might visit the Coyote Springs area tomorrow on the other side of Kelso Depot, which I originally scheduled for the end of the trip. Something to think about tonight while I write in my journal and browse the photos I took today... - Bolder Spring hike route viewed in Google Earth
- Mojave National Preserve map, Day 3: Globe Mine Road campsite to Bolder Spring day hike
- Sometimes, the colors in the desert all run together
- Good morning! A butterfly frolics in some encelia flowers by my tent
I see some purple flowers poking through the brush also (paper-bag bush, I think), so maybe he's trying to get to those as well. My breakfast ritual of strong coffee, granola, nuts and dried fruit was satisfying; now it's time to pack up and go. - Intermittent strong gusts of wind make taking down the tent a bit like launching a kite
The north wind creates a pleasant breeze on this rather warm morning. The only problem right now is that I'm almost out of water, but I'll be stopping at Kelso Depot to refill my supply in a while. - Once all is dismantled, the wind stops for a few minutes, which keeps my belongings from blowing away while packing
I've enjoyed my three nights here and haven't seen anyone else in the area. I could spend more time exploring nooks and crannies around here, but it's time to move on. Everything I'm carrying is unpacked and scattered about, so it's taking me a while to pack up. - One of thousands of crickets stays still long enough for me to snap a photo of it
Thousands of these crickets were hopping about on my way up Kelbaker Road a couple of days ago, but not nearly as many of them seem to call this area home. - I carry my bike, and walk my packed saddlebags, out of the Wilderness area over to the old road
I assemble the 10-ton bike and start riding slowly down the bumpy surface of the road. I haven't ridden my bike since three days ago and have forgotten how heavy it is. I drink the last few gulps of my water, which are already quite warm. - I head up "the shortcut" to check out a better road that I saw on my way here, but which is not on my maps
I dismount the bike to walk through the sand at the start of the shortcut road. I'm a bit confused because Wilderness barriers here block an intersecting wash not indicated on my maps as being within a Wilderness area. However, I will learn later from a ranger at Kelso Depot that the Wilderness boundaries have changed since publication of my maps. - The "good road" that is not on my maps turns out to be very short and dead-ends at a guzzler
Darn, the guzzler is dry. It would have been nice to stumble across unexpected water here since I don't have any left. - OK, I return to the middle fork of Globe Mine Road and start what will probably be a rather sandy two-mile ride down the fan
I was hoping that the road to the guzzler might provide a harder-packed alternate route. I have about two miles to ride until I reach the pavement of Kelso-Cima Road. - A couple of little lumps on Globe Mine Road add interest to the ride down the fan
Occasionally I lose momentum where there's a lot of sand on this road and have to stop and walk. I'm able to ride parts of this road, since it's a slight downhill, but I still end up walking or "scootering" the bike often. I wouldn't be able to ride this road in the uphill direction, at least not with a heavy load like I have. This road is indeed worse (sandier), as I expected, than the south fork of Globe Mine Road that I followed to get here. - I stop and look back up an especially sandy part of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road where I just skidded out
It can be fun "skiing" through the sand on a bicycle if one can get enough speed and momentum going. However, it is easy to lose balance and crash, given the weight of the loaded bike, so some care must be taken. I would be enjoying this more if I had some water left to drink. - As I approach the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, the north fork merges in on the right
The north fork is the main fork of the road and rises to the Bolder Spring area where I hiked yesterday, then up into Globe Canyon and the mountains above. - I cross the train tracks at the bottom of Globe Mine Road and am ready to get back on pavement
I'm out of water and getting thirsty, so the sooner I get to Kelso Depot to fill up on water, the better. - Riding down the gentle grade of Kelso-Cima Road to Kelso Depot
A strong north wind pushes me down the 3.5-mile, 400-foot descent and I exceed 30 miles per hour for a while. It is hotter here in the valley and I pass a four-wheel-drive group stopped for a shady break under the railway tracks. - I arrive at Kelso Depot in no time, chat with rangers, load up on water, rinse a wool t-shirt, and dump my garbage
The rangers are the first people I've spoken to since I last visited Kelso Depot three days ago. It's always good to chat with them as they often have extra information to share about the nooks and crannies of this huge park. A ranger explains how Wilderness boundaries have changed here and there, so I buy a copy of the new map. I linger at Kelso Depot for almost an hour, browse the library upstairs, and load up with another 18 gallons (40 pounds) of water from their downstairs utility closet. I rinse a wool t-shirt and lightweight undies while I have access to water. This is my first trip using highly touted merino-wool t-shirts and I must say that I'm getting to like them. - I leave Kelso Depot and begin the trudge up Kelbaker Road toward Coyote Springs
This is another one of those route segments which I've ridden several times. This climb of 900 feet over 8.5 miles is not very steep and always goes well for me, yet it always ends up being a tad more demanding than I think it should be. This may be because I've usually climbed this hill late in the afternoon, in the heat of the day, with the sun on my back, and today is no exception. Coyote Springs, today's goal, sits at the base of the mountains at the centre-right. - With Kelso well-behind me now at the bottom of the hill, the heat of the day is catching up with me a bit
I'm guessing that temperatures are in the low 80s right now, so I'm working up a bit of a sweat. I still have the strong wind behind me, so I'm pedalling heartily in my second chain-ring as if I'm not heading uphill at all; usually I've climbed this in my lower chain-ring. It hasn't helped that I didn't drink enough water during the earlier part of the day. - Just a couple more miles of climbing Kelbaker Road remain
What I like least about this climb is the fast traffic on this road. There's not a lot of it, but there's just enough that I can't focus all my attention on the climb itself. - And finally—ta da—here we are, the road to Coyote Springs
Actually, my climbing isn't completely over for the day, but I do get to leave traffic and pavement now. The road to Coyote Springs rises another 200 feet over about three miles to my campsite at the base of the mountains ahead. - The road to Coyote Springs is a bit rough, but not too bad compared to some other old desert roads
Even though most of this road could probably be driven by a sedan, there are a couple of obstacles that make a high-clearance vehicle pretty much de rigueur. - Looking back at a wash crossing that the 10-ton bike and I just walked through on the road to Coyote Springs
This isn't super-deep sand here, but there's enough that it's not rideable in my current uphill direction. Perhaps on the way back down this road a couple days from now I can approach this wash with built-up momentum and sail through it. - Parts of the road to Coyote Springs are fairly smooth and well-graded
To my surprise, I find myself walking the bike most of the way, even though the road is hardly uphill at all. The sand layer on the road is sometimes just thick enough to create loss of traction. I rode my bike here during my Xmas 2007 Mojave National Preserve trip, and didn't have too much of a problem. I wrote in my travelogue that, "The sand on this road is well-packed and easy to ride, except in soft spots where drainages cross the road." But that was on a day ride without the extra weight of all my gear, and that can make all the difference. That's not what I'd write today. - As the road gets closer to the mountains, it appears to be carved out of the land by a snow plow
This stretch of the road is sandier. I keep walking the bike and enjoying the hike. - Almost at Coyote Springs!
I'll take the right fork here, which is not on most maps and turns back at a campsite 1/4 mile away. The real Coyote Springs, which is on most maps, is actually a little further down the road at the next right fork. - On my way down the road to the north Coyote Springs campsite, I come across a festival put on by hundreds of bugs
This must be a mating season for these bugs; many of them are attaching themselves to each other at the rear end. [I didn't know what these were, but Richard saw this photo and reported that these are Arizona blister beetles, whose juice can be very irritating to human skin.] - There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these bugs playing here in the middle of the road to Coyote Springs
It's a display that's worth watching. - The bugs seem especially fond of these plants
My campsite for the night is just down the road, so I'm hoping that these bugs haven't claimed it. Of course, it's not just bugs I need to worry about; other humans may also have claimed my campsite. It's Saturday night, when Preserve visitation is at its peak, and this site is fairly close to a main road. - The last little bit of road up to the campsite is a bit washed out
I'll call this spot North Coyote Springs, since it doesn't have a name and is just north of the real Coyote Springs a little further down the road. - Happy camper arrives at North Coyote Springs
I breathe a sigh of relief that my chosen campsite is unoccupied by humans or a bug festival and is sitting here waiting for me. When I discovered this spot during my last Mojave National Preserve bike trip four months ago, I thought it would be a great spot to camp and use as a base for a day hike. So here I am again; it's nice to be back. It took me over 1.5 hours to come up the dirt road to here because I walked the bike so much while enjoying the scenery. I drank a full two litres of water just on this road; I guess I was a bit dehydrated from rationing my water earlier today. - Now that the tent is set up, it's time to make a backpacker meal and settle in for the evening
Once darkness falls, moths and flies come out in full force, attracted to the light inside my tent. Their flitting against my tent walls sounds like light rain. Before going outside, I turn the light off for a few minutes to stop attracting them before opening the tent screen. As at my Globe Mine Road campsite, I hear the trains rumble through the Kelso Valley below. What's different here is that I'm only a couple of miles in from Kelbaker Road, so I occasionally hear a passing car. Another difference here is the soothing chorus of singing crickets that seems to envelop the tent, which was nonexistent up on Globe Mine Road. Supper is Mountain House Sweet and Sour Pork with Rice; very good and not excessively sweet. It's interesting how dried pork takes on a gamey taste, which I like. Is this why we never see pork jerky? Dessert is dulse, tamari almonds and Trader Joe's chili-lime cashews, which seem less spicy than the last time I ate them. It's warmer here tonight, so I don't put on any long undies before curling up in my sleeping bag. - Mojave National Preserve map, Day 4: Globe Mine Road campsite to North Coyote Springs campsite
- The road to Coyote Springs from my campsite is really sandy in places
I considered riding my bike to Coyote Springs, but it's probably easier to walk. - Along the road, I see a few butterflies of a sort that I haven't seen yet on this trip
This butterfly would be well-camouflaged in a yellow-flowering plant due to its lemon-lime color. - 1/3 mile up the main road, I turn down the short road that dead-ends at Coyote Springs
This area obviously gets some visitation, judging by the tire tracks around here. - The road ends at a cul-de-sac and a campsite overlooking Coyote Springs
I like this campsite just as much as where I'm camped 1/2 mile down the road. Maybe next time... - I begin my walk through the Coyote Springs area and come across these two dry cisterns
I don't see any water yet, so I'll walk upstream a bit to see what I find. - Ah, water at Coyote Springs!
It's not much, and it's rather green, but I suppose it would do in an emergency (if run through a water filter). - Butterflies like this moist sand along the edge of the drying-up creek bed
I've seen a dozen or two butterflies in this immediate area. There's a lot of bug life around here, and some birds too, including quite a few mourning doves. - I walk upstream to see if there's any more water here at Coyote Springs
I find that it's easier to walk across the clear area on the other side of the creek than up through the brush in the creek bed. - Desert dudleya growing in the rocks not far from the creek bed
- This area is almost dry right now, but is apparently a large pool of water during the wetter months
I can feel some cool air emanating from this patch of dry grass and shrivelled algae, so there may a bit of water or moisture left in there somewhere. - Pool of water at Coyote Springs
I come across a number of trickles and small pools of water further up the stream bed of Coyote Springs, most of them a bit stagnant and muddy like this one. - One flower that I'm surprised to find here at Coyote Springs is blue-eyed grass (sisyrinchium bellum)
This plant in the lily family is native to the San Francisco Bay Area, and I've planted a few in my garden, but I didn't realize that it is also native to the Mojave Desert. - I climb up an adjacent boulder pile at Coyote Springs to start my walk back to the tent 1/2 mile down the road
Camp is more or less to the right of the small hill protrudes from the left. I don't have more time to explore here right now, but this area could make a good day hike, perhaps while also exploring nearby Twin Springs higher up in the hills, further up the road. - I arrive back at my tent and prepare my backpack for the afternoon hike up to an old mine in the Bighorn Basin area
It's turning out to be a warm day, mid 80s again: I just drank a litre of water during my walk over to Coyote Springs, in addition to the water in my soup and coffee from earlier this morning. My backpack contains the usual items: epipens in case of yellow-jacket sting, sweater, flashlight, three Clif bars, dried apricots, camera batteries, water filter in case I find water, empty water bottle, and a full 1.5-litre water bottle. I wear my full 2-litre Camelbak under my backpack. - OK, here we go; I've been looking forward to this hike over the hill into the Bighorn Basin area of the Granite Mountains
The old road to the mine is in a Wilderness area, so motor vehicles and bicycles are prohibited. Where they exist, these closed roads serve as excellent hiking trails. - A few desert dudleya grow in the rocks along the old road
I like these subtly colorful succulents and have a few in my garden of other species. - The old road crosses the dry creek here in the grasses and then begins its ascent up the hillside
Vegetation is now growing in the old road, which is still visible in the centre-left if you look closely. - Today, some moisture, mud and algae remain in the otherwise-dry creek at North Coyote Springs
When I was here during my Xmas 2007 trip, this stream was flowing with fresh water. I thought that this was Coyote Springs, unaware that the real Coyote Springs is a little further up the road. - The road rises steeply up from the North Coyote Springs creek; I look behind me to see how much I've risen in such a short time
A little bit of heart-pounding after hiking up this steep incline... The lower part of the road on the other side of the creek that leads back to my campsite is visible down at the centre-left in the photo. Today's destination is somewhere to the right of the front of the mountains in the background. - After another steep switchback and a bit more climbing, the views get even better
My campsite is down at the bottom of this view, somewhere to the left of my hat. - The steepest part of the climb is over for now and the old road switchbacks gently around the crest of the hill on a ledge
It's a steep drop off the ledge on the left side here. - Flowers growing in the middle of the old road
Orange desert mallow and blue Mojave aster. - From Hill 1114, I get my last glimpse of the Providence Mountains before I head down into Devil's Playground Wash
My campsite is down there somewhere in front of that boulder pile in the centre of the photo. - I get my first view down into the gorge of Devil's Playground Wash and the old mining road that rises up the other side
I feel like I'm entering a secret world where nobody goes as I begin the steep hike down the switchbacks to the bottom of Devil's Playground Wash. The road drops 375 feet in just over 1/3 mile. Part of the old descending road is visible on the left. - I reach the summit of the old road at "Hill 1114"
The road that I just ascended from North Coyote Springs arrives from the left, while the road leaving at the right drops down into Devil's Playground Wash, the next segment of today's hike. All routes lead downward from here, so I take a short break up here to absorb the wonderful views. - Hill 1114 also offers an excellent view of the Kelso Dunes from above
I haven't seen Kelso Dunes from this vantage point before. - On the way down, but still up high, I pass a mine tunnel that's not indicated on my map
Painted on the rock near the tunnel entrance is a word that looks like "Hen." - I continue walking down the middle of the old road, which is almost invisible in places
Devil's Playground Wash below drains into the area of the Kelso Dunes beyond. - I arrive at the bottom of the hill in Devil's Playground Wash and look for the road rising up the other side
For a few hundred feet, the old road apparently went down the wash before rising up the other side, but there's no longer any trace of it here. - One very small pool of water remains between some rocks in Devil's Playground Wash right now; it's otherwise dry down here
Apparently, a lot of water (and rocks) from the mountains runs down this wash during the wetter months. This must have hindered access to the old mine up on the mountainside. - Apparently, a lot of water (and rocks) from the mountains runs down this wash during the wetter months. This must have hindered access to the old mine up on the mountainside.
The lower part of the road here is quite steep, but it was presumably the best route the miners could carve out of such rugged surroundings. - As I climb up the other side, I look over to the hill that I just descended
The old road passing over the tailings pile and then zigzagging down the hill is very difficult to discern from here because it's so eroded and grown-in. - Splashes of color begin to appear as I get a little higher
Pink cactus, orange desert mallow and yellow encelia are fairly common in this area. - The highly eroded road gets confusing to follow in a few spots
Here, the road rises and winds to the right part way up the hill. - I stop for a break and a Clif bar on a small flat area to take in the view of the Kelso Dunes that has been behind me
It's so peaceful and quiet here. It doesn't appear that this area gets visited often. - I notice a scattering of scat just behind me
Even though I don't see many signs of humans up here, someone obviously comes here often. - Other splashes of color are provided by the fairly abundant phacelia flowers in the area
One could have fun here photographing the various flower colours in the area alongside each other in different combinations. All the colours of the rainbow are represented up here. - I come around a bend and it looks like the road will end at the mine tunnel and tailings pile ahead
Then I notice that the road seems to go beyond and switchback up to a higher ledge straight ahead. - Approaching the tunnel at the Bighorn Basin Mine
It seems that they used the tailings from the mine to construct this flat area that I'm standing on. - Outside the tunnel entrance on the flat area composed of tailings sits a big tank of some kind
The site is high enough to have views over the ridgetops beyond Devil's Playground Wash with Providence Mountains in the background. - An old track leads into the Bighorn Mine tunnel
I'm not going in any further than this... - A rock at the entrance to the mine is painted with "Merle Young 74"
I know nothing about this mine, when it was last used (1974?), nor its name (maybe I should be calling it the Merle Young Mine?) - I see the remains of something up on the hill above the tunnel, perhaps an old roof
It's time to go for a short walk up that hill. - The views were already great, but now I'm way above the main mine road below as I climb the switchback to the upper area
Gee, I can almost see to where my tent is at the base of the other side of the near hills, I think. - Debris from an old collapsed cabin, including its refrigerator, sits at the top of the road at Bighorn Basin Mine
As is the case with many old desert mines, getting supplies and equipment to a location as isolated as this must have been a lot of work! - Near the collapsed cabin is a platform in front of another tunnel, which happens to be right above the lower one
An old rusty bed frame sits on the platform. - Entrance to the upper tunnel at the Bighorn Basin mine
The timbers look to be in pretty good condition. - Just inside the upper mine tunnel is another signature from "Merle Young 74"
Perhaps this is just graffiti and has nothing to do with the mine... - The upper tunnel isn't carved very deeply into the hillside
It leads to a shaft with a ladder that presumably drops down to the lower tunnel; I didn't check to see where it goes. - One of the support beams in the ceiling of the upper tunnel has cracked
Most of the surrounding wood framing looks fairly stable at first glance, however. - I sit down for a break on a boulder just beyond the upper Bighorn Basin mine and take in the visuals at about 3875 feet
I feel like I could sit here for hours and just stare out into the silent openness around me. But what I'd really like to do is continue exploring this area beyond road's end here. - While sitting here, I ponder the view to my right further up Devil's Playground Wash in Bighorn Basin
A spring on my map (possibly dry right now) a couple of miles up the wash in the left fork would make a good target for further hiking through these appealing hills if I had more time today. - Alas, all good things must come to an end, so I begin my hike back toward camp at the end of my short break
I do prefer to get back to my tent before sunset, even though I'm carrying a flashlight in my backpack in case I should need it. I'll drop down to the bottom of the wash, and then over to the other side of the next set of hills.