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- It was fun checking out Slaughterhouse Spring; time to continue up the old road on today's hike
The old road passes through a gate as it leaves the area. - I pass a few buckwheat blossoms along the old road near Slaughterhouse Spring
They look fairly fresh, and I'm not expecting to see that out here at this time of year. A result of the recent big rains in the area? - Looking back behind me, I have a view of the old Goldome mine buildings off in the distance on the other side of Ivanpah Rd
I take note of the Bathtub Spring Peaks above it all, where I hiked in May 2011. - The old road here that serves as part of today's hiking route rolls up and down, and is rocky in places
A view of the New York Mountains peaks entertains me as I continue ahead. I quickly realize that I'd like to camp out in this area. - Nice views down to Ivanpah Valley behind me as I hike up the old road
Down in the distance is Primm, Nevada, where I started the night before last after getting dropped off by the Amtrak bus. - I run across some ruins on the way toward the canyon
An old corral? An outbuilding? - Nipton to Slaughterhouse Spring by bicycle, elevation profile
13.5 bicycle miles, about 1000 feet of elevation gain. - Nipton to Slaughterhouse Spring by bicycle, route
13.5 bicycle miles, about 1000 feet of elevation gain. - I decide I don't feeling like riding up Ivanpah Road any further and look for a campsite on adjacent Slaughterhouse Spring Road
I've always ridden past Slaughterhouse Spring Road without exploring this scenic area, so I'm happy to take this unplanned detour and relax a little. - Fluffy post-flower residue along Slaughterhouse Road
I wonder if this is a "winterfat" bush. - Almost a mile up Slaughterhouse Spring Road, I start looking for a campsite more seriously
I don't want to ride (walk the 10-ton bike) too far up into the mountains, and there are some good spaces around here. I choose one behind a couple of creosote bushes. - While setting up camp, a pickup truck drives by, not seeing me, and drives up the hill a bit (see the headlights at bottom-left)
I'll find out later that this truck belongs to someone I should know! We've read each other's web sites. Small world! They're really quiet up there and have a campfire later. It turns out that they didn't see the light inside my tent after dark. - I didn't travel as far as hoped today, but I'm very happy camping here by Slaughterhouse Spring, now planning tomorrow's hike
The night is super-quiet. I make Backpacker's Pantry Beef with Broccoli, but not hungry enough to finish it. I hear owls and distant coyotes in the moonlight. In bed at 23h30, mice fiddle with the corner of my tent; they leave after 1/2 hour. - I take several short breaks along Nipton-Moore Road, enjoying the solitude and the plant life
Many baccharis or rabbitbrush bushes (can't remember what they are) have just flowered in the washes and have puffy seed heads that catch the sunlight. - I don't pass any other vehicles while riding Nipton-Moore Road today, but it clearly does get some use
For a dirt road, it's mostly in pretty good shape. Still, there's a bit of sand accumulation and washboard to avoid. Since it's not difficult to ride, it's a good way to start a dirt-road trip into Mojave National Preserve and its rough back roads. - Against my will, I can't help but look across Ivanpah Valley to the Primm Brightsource solar plant under construction
I just hate to see nice virgin desert landscape plowed down for industrial uses. Solar power is usually great, but this isn't. - One of those long freight trains that crosses the Mojave Desert passes me on Nipton-Moore Road
It's always fun to watch these long trains. - A jet-exhaust stream glides by effortlessly in the sky while I rattle along Nipton-Moore Road, hugging the train tracks
Bump, bump, bump. - As a result of recent rains, Nipton-Moore Road has had recent washouts that have been freshly repaired
Some of these washouts tend to be huge sand-traps, but not today. - I arrive at the pavement of Ivanpah Road just after mile 10 and have over 3 miles of pavement ahead
It will be uphill from now on, but the pavement will make it easier for the first 3+ miles. - I ride past the old Ivanpah general store building, a landmark in this area
Sometimes I'll stop for a break here while passing by, but not today. Up the gentle hill ahead we go! - After more than 3 miles of pavement on Ivanpah Road, the pavement ends
Why am I so tired today, and how did I make it this far and beyond last May while suffering heat exhaustion?!?! Perhaps I'm just not feeling all that motivated today for some reason. Motivation can provide lots of energy when real physical energy lacks. - Yesterday, to get out here, I boarded the Amtrak train in Stockton, followed by an Amtrak bus to Primm, NV in the Mojave Desert
The 10-ton bike is happy to be traveling again, and I meet bicyclist Dan on the train, whom I met last year on this train as well. Small world and good times! - I considered staying at a Primm casino hotel last night, but they were full, so I rode 12 dark miles to Nipton and camped there
I don't like those casino hotels anyway. Nipton-Desert Road is really bumpy, and it took me almost 2 hours to ride the 12 miles to Nipton. The last few miles are old pavement, so much easier! I saw a bright light in the dark sky, a meteor, I presume. - Morning at Nipton is nice and sunny; the tent sits at the back of the cactus garden by some eucalyptus trees
I slept so well last night, undisturbed by the loud passing trains. I enjoy coffee at the general store, have a tasty plate of huevos a la mexicana at the café, and pack up slowly. I feel ready for a week in the adjacent Mojave National Preserve. - I recharge my cell phone and my headlight battery in the shower building before leaving Nipton
I don't have time to fully recharge my headlight battery, but hopefully this will be enough recharge time to get me through the trip. I'll try not to do too much riding after dark. I finally leave Nipton around noon. - Elevation profile of bicycle route from Twin Buttes campsite to Nipton via Cima: Day 15
50.9 often-downhill bicycle miles. High point of the day on Black Canyon Road: 5346 feet elevation; low point (near Nipton): 2624 feet elevation. - Bicycle route from Twin Buttes campsite to Nipton via Cima: Day 15
50.9 often-downhill bicycle miles. High point of the day on Black Canyon Road: 5346 feet elevation; low point (near Nipton): 2624 feet elevation. - I decide to stay in one of the Nipton tent cabins tonight; I'll get up early tomorrow and ride to Primm to catch the Amtrak bus
I've camped here many times in my tent and always wondered about these tent cabins. The showers and water are always an attraction for me here. It's nice that I don't need to unpack my tent tonight! The cool caretaker says he'll make sure I'm up early. - Just beyond my tent cabin at Nipton are a few others, but it's mostly quiet tonight
After more beer, I walk over to the café for a tasty meal of eggs and hamburger meat in a sandwich. Protein, yum, I seem to need it today. - I park the 10-ton bike inside my tent cabin at Nipton, titled the Surveyor, and settle in for the night
A nice way to end the trip (the cabin even has some A/C), so much better than at the Primm casino hotel! I have a lot to reflect upon tonight. I'll get up early tomorrow morning for the 10-mile ride over to Primm to catch the Amtrak bus. - Just around the corner here, I've got 10 miles of downhill, and about 1300 feet of elevation loss!
Woo hoo! I just love this long downhill ride here. However, it's really tough on the uphill in the reverse direction (which I'm not doing today), since there's often a headwind. - 35 minutes later: after 10 miles of gliding downhill (and pedaling too), I arrive at the stop sign and turn left on Ivanpah Road
My speed almost reaches 30 mph a couple of times here. That blot over on the foothills straight ahead is the town of Nipton, my destination. However, the road doesn't cut straight across the valley from here. - I exit Mojave National Preserve here, and am now headed over to Nipton, the village over there at the bottom of the mountains
Here in the lower area of the Ivanpah Valley, it's around 100F. I'm gulping down a lot of water on my short break here in preparation for the final 7 miles across the valley floor to Nipton. That 10-mile downhill on Morning Star Mine Road sure was nice! - Riding Nipton Road, just a few more miles until I reach Nipton village over there
The final few hot-and-sweaty miles ahead before I reach Nipton are slightly uphill. Desire to reach the destination in the heat of the day always increases along this stretch, but there's no way to get there more quickly! - I haven't had a flat tire yet on this trip, so I celebrate upon arriving at the Nipton store with a bottle of Fat Tire beer
One beer becomes two, and two bags of potato chips for some quick carbs. Maybe I should stay here tonight instead of at the casino-hotel at Primm, 10 miles away, where I need to catch the Amtrak bus early tomorrow morning. Yeah, that's what I'll do. - A residence and and old truck sit behind the Cima store, lost in time
- An old railway box car also sits next to the Cima store, with nowhere to go
- My break finished at the Cima store, it's time to hit the road again and ride on down the hill to Nipton: 25 miles ahead
If the Cima store were open, I'd be finishing up a bag of chips, and maybe a bottle of Sioux City Sarsaparilla (in honor of Morongo Bill at http://morongobillsbackporch.blogspot.com/), right now before leaving. - As I ride down Morning Star Mine Road away from Cima, I take in the views of the New York Mountains
At centre-right are the New York Mountains peaks (I camped behind there the first few hot days of this trip), while the smoother peaks at the left are the ones I call the "Bathtub Spring Peaks" in last year's trip report. - On upper Morning Star Mine Road, I'm heading toward the Ivanpah Mountains, with Kessler Peak at the left
- Well, the Cima store might be closed right now, but it's an interesting place to take a break nonetheless
I always enjoy walking around the modest historic building here. - The board-and-batten structure of the old Cima store hasn't been whitewashed in a very long time
- The Cima store is closed today, or at least right now; the hours posted are basically meaningless
It's a great old-fashioned pit-stop, but never count on this place being open as a sure source of water if you might be running out on your bicycle trip! I'm carrying extra water today, presuming that this store might be closed. - After a nice, fast downhill on Cedar Canyon Road, I arrive at the famous stop sign at Kelso-Cima Road
That was a fun 700-foot downhill. Right turn for me here toward Cima, almost five miles away. Will the Cima store be open today? - I have almost five miles to ride up the gently rising Kelso-Cima Road until I reach Cima and the possibly open Cima store
The thermometer is supposed to reach 96 degrees F at Cima, and I'm feeling the heat on this little uphill here. - Oh, there's Cima just up ahead past that Joshua tree
- The rough washboard of upper Black Canyon Road prevents me from gaining any speed as I decend to the Cedar Canyon Road
I'll turn left at the three-way just ahead. - A jet flies overhead while I ride Cedar Canyon Road; the passengers note in unison that 'there's nothing down there'
From a distance, the desert looks brown and empty, so people often don't realize that it provides the same sense of quiet, beauty and solitude that one seeks on a nice empty beach (once you get away from the main roads). - This stretch of Cedar Canyon Road is always slow and rough (but scenic) on a bicycle
Just ahead, the road will rise out of the canyon. A couple of motor vehicles slowly pass me along this "busy" stretch of road in Mojave National Preserve. - Once Cedar Canyon Road rises out of the canyon, I can see across to the Cima Dome area
I've hiked slowly through some of this area, but am just riding through it today. - I have a 700-foot elevation drop ahead of me here on the west end of Cedar Canyon Road
Down we go! - Also noteworthy on upper Black Canyon Road is the Gold Valley Ranch that I'm passing right now
- Upper Black Canyon Road narrows somewhat before it crosses through the pass ahead at just under 5350 feet elevation
This is my high-elevation point for the day; it will be mostly downhill from now on. I most often ride through the pass here around sunset, on return rides to Mid Hills Campground, so it feels unusual for me to be riding here at midday. - The 10-ton bike enjoys the rocky backdrop at Hole-in-the-Wall one last time while my cell phone recharges
... and the shade on the porch. - I've ridden Woods Wash Road quite a few times while camping here this past week; this is my final commute out of the area
I've made a lot of bicycle tracks in the sand here this past week and most of them are still there due to a lack of motor-vehicle travel on this road. - My first stop is the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre (again) to fill up on water; it's over 80F in the shade already
... of course, I have to recharge my cell phone a bit more while here so I can take more photos on today's ride. - I've been at this great campsite by the Woods Mountains for a week now; this morning I pack up and leave
Of course, I don't really want to end this trip, but it has been hot weather and I really need a shower after two weeks out here. Off to Primm (or maybe only as far as Nipton) I go on this final day! - Everything is nicely packed up into my saddlebags and attached to the 10-ton bike
And off I go... Gee, I'm sweating already. Another hot day. - Borrego Canyon hike route, Mojave National Preserve, elevation profile
4.6 hiking miles shown, 16.7 bicycle miles not shown. - Borrego Canyon hike route, Mojave National Preserve
Bicycle route in red, hiking route in blue. 4.6 hiking miles and 16.7 bicycle miles. - Lots of shiny volcanic-looking rock and barrel cacti love the heat here on this little Borrego Canyon mesa
I'm thinking about how this is my last hike of this trip, and it will end shortly. - I pass some horizontal layers of rock on the way back to my bicycle parked near Borrego Canyon Road
- Borrego Canyon is quite pristine, except for the cow grazing and this fresh roll of barbed wire
Looks like someone constructing a range fence in the area hasn't finished the job yet... Since nobody ever comes back here, nobody is likely to steal the goods! - Just before I arrive at my bicycle at the end of Borrego Canyon Road, I run into a big herd of cows
The cows don't like me, and run away. I grab my bicycle, ride up to the visitor centre, recharge my cell phone and drench my sweaty self with cold water from the tap--sooo good. It's still almost 90F in the shade. I nibble on almonds and dried apricots. - One final quiet evening of solitude in Mojave National Preserve near Twin Buttes
As soon as I get back to my tent, I make a cup of tangerine vitamin-C drink. This feels so good. Crickets crick, a few flies wish they could get into my tent, and a few birds damage the silent evening by chirping. Warm evening with a comfortable breeze, supper is Backpacker's Pantry Kathmandu Curry, a tasty vegan lentil-rice dish, delicious as always. - Borrego Canyon hiking: climb over the rocks
During the midday heat, the rocks are warm, almost hot, to the touch. - I look back at the mouth of the south fork of Borrego Canyon across a field of dry grey-pink buckwheat twigs
And there's the flat Wild Horse Mesa up there. - I walked around this mini-mesa on the way up Borrego Canyon; now it's time to walk up it
- On the way back down Borrego Canyon, I get a good view of some rock igloos a bit like the ones I saw near Cave Spring yesterday
- As I pass the rock igloos in Borrego Canyon, I take a look back
It almost looks feasible to climb up to Wild Horse Mesa straight up the rocky hillside here. Almost. - I like this rock outcrop in Borrego Canyon because it briefly gives me a smooth surface to walk across, for a change
- It's fun climbing down the rocks here at a small dry waterfall on the way back down Borrego Canyon
- A typical moment while hiking in Borrego Canyon
Climb up a rock and pass between a couple of bushes. - I take a look up the dry waterfall in Borrego Canyon and the small boulders clogging the drainage
Maybe one day they'll get washed down into the lower channel like the rest of all the boulders around here. - I decide that the dry waterfall is a good place to turn around and start heading back down Borrego Canyon
It would be nice to try to make it up to the top of the canyon and onto Wild Horse Mesa, but hiking here is going slowly and I'm starting to feel the midday 90+F heat. My drinking water is getting really hot, as it always does at this time of day. - Hiking Borrego Canyon is a bit faster in the downhill direction
... but the rocks and vegetation that require slower "avoidance hiking" are there in the downhill direction too. - On the way back down Borrego Canyon, I climb up a hill on the side of canyon and take a look back
Of course, I have to climb back down into the canyon soon enough. I'm not tracing my exact steps on the way back down (in a hopeless quest for a better route through this rocky, brushy area), so some of my views are different than on the way up. - I pass a cavelet in the rocks on the way back down Borrego Canyon
- I guess it's time to stumble upon a stray balloon, since I haven't seen one yet today here in Borrego Canyon
- A closer look shows that the lost balloon blew in from a Red Robin restaurant
- Borrego Canyon is quite rocky, making for slow hiking, as I thought might be the case
It's usually impossible to walk in a straight line here! - I like this stretch of Borrego Canyon because there isn't as much vegetation to avoid, due to the rocky floor
Just in front of me is a small natural water tank, dry right now. - I see fragments of animal trails here and there in Borrego Canyon, probably created by animals like these cows
A few Mojave yuccas here are burned, perhaps victims of the 2005 brush fires that burned part of The Preserve. - A couple of aggressive yellowjacket wasps follow me as I slowly rise up this part of Borrego Canyon
The two-weeks worth of salt and sweat on my skin is really attractive to them. I pick up my hiking speed a little here, despite the 90+-degree heat of the day, hoping to evade the wasps that I'm allergic to! - I sit down for a moment in the little bit of shade provided by this tree in Borrego Canyon
The breeze today is nice, but it's hot today, mid 90s F. - Much of Borrego Canyon is rocky and brushy like here, offering no obviously good hiking route up the canyon
Sometimes I walk along the edge of the rocky canyon floor to avoid the biggest accumulations of rocks and vegetation, but sometimes that gets too steep and I return to the rocky channel. - Hiking up Borrego Canyon is getting slower and slower as I encounter obstacles like these large rocks with increasing frequency
Borrego Canyon is narrow here, but it's not hard to climb over that smallest boulder at the right. - Hmmm, my next few steps in Borrego Canyon will be climbing over that boulder at the left
Looks like there might be a flat area up on top of it. Or maybe not. - I take a look behind me and realize I am slowly gaining elevation in Borrego Canyon
- I arrive at a small dry waterfall in Borrego Canyon and ponder my next steps
I could probably get up around this one, by climbing through the brush at my left. And it looks like there might be a flatter area just above this. But maybe not. - I pass a few small stands of Desert senna flowers in lower Borrego Canyon
I saw a few of these in the Cave Spring area as well. - Borrego Canyon splits into a north and south fork; I choose to follow the south fork
Since I'm not familiar with this area, I randomly choose to follow the south fork of Borrego Canyon. The south fork looks like it might make an easier ascent up to adjacent Wild Horse Mesa, should I decide to hike that far. - A couple of bees are swimming (or are they drowning?) in the spring tub at the end of Borrego Canyon Road
Well, this is the end of the road, so it's time to stash the bicycle and become a hiker for a while. - I stash the bicycle behind some Catclaw bushes with fragrant flowers and begin the hike up Borrego Canyon.
It looks a lot like the Cave Spring area where I hiked yesterday for good reason: it's just a few miles away. - It's Saturday, so the Hole-in-the-wall Visitor Centre is open; this Say's Phoebe nest is nearby whether open or not
It's always a pleasure to chat with the gal who works at the Visitor Centre, who tells me what kind of bird is living here. I hang out and buy a book, as well as a bag of jerky and some chips to eat, while charging my cell phone. - Here's one of the butterflies I see in the Desert willow (Chilopsis) flowers on Black Canyon Road: probably a Monarch butterfly
- I stop briefly at a stand of Desert willows (Chilopsis) while riding almost 2 miles down the paved Black Canyon Rd
These small trees are still putting out a lot of slightly sweet-smelling flowers, and attracting insects and bees. - Desert willow (Chilopsis) flowers are also popular with hummingbirds, but I can't seem to catch one on camera here
Although it's not native to the San Francisco Bay Area, this deciduous California tree can grow in a San José backyard without any supplemental water and bring you hummingbirds: I have one. - I ride the 3/4-mile rough road into the mouth of Borrego Canyon off Black Canyon Road
I pass a nice campsite along the way that appears to be frequently used. - I'm surprised to find a spring and water tank at the end of the road: it's not marked on my maps
The spring is maintained because I'm in cow-grazing territory again, with lots of cow manure around. - Breezes keep the tent somewhat cool after the hot sun wakes me at 7h30, then I ride over to Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre
I'm a bit tired this morning because I had a hard time getting to sleep last night: it stayed warm until late. It's hot again today, so I think I'll skip a considered ride to Foshay Pass and do a short hike in nearby Borrego Canyon instead. - Elevation profile of Cave Spring hike, Mojave National Preserve
4.7 hiking miles. - Bicycle route (red) and hiking route (blue), Cave Spring, Mojave National Preserve
4.7 hiking miles, plus 17.6 bicycle miles. - After a stop at Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre to recharge my phone and fill up on water, I ride over to Woods Wash Road
I pour cold water over myself and drink a litre of the cold stuff here. It's always nice to see Table Mountain around sunset. The thermometer on the porch at the visitor centre is 90F in the shade. A tailwind pushes me nicely up the gentle slope. - Great views behind me of Woods Mountains (left) and Wild Horse Mesa as I ride back to camp
I'm getting used to this ride "back home" and have never camped in one spot for a week like this before. Comfort and familiarity! - Back at the tent on Woods Wash Road for sunset, I crawl inside, home again for the night!
Almost no wind this evening, I listen to crickets and a few flies trying to get into the tent, and the occasional cooing owl. I send a couple of satellite messages since email doesn't work here. - A close-to-full moon sits above the Woods Mountains just before sunset on this hot day
The sun goes down, some significant, but warm, moderate winds pick up, and I make Backpackers' Pantry Chicken Vindaloo, tasty and spicy. Tomorrow will be my last night here; where should I go tomorrow on another hot day like today? I study my maps. - Hmm, a leaning barrel cactus ahead
- I suppose this leaning barrel cactus will eventually fall over like the one I saw on the trail a short while ago...
The dark volcanic rock here is shiny and hot to the touch in the late-afternoon sun. - Life in a tilted world for this barrel cactus near Cave Spring, Mojave National Preserve
I think I understand the feeling. - I think I understand the feeling. - On my way back to my bicycle near Black Canyon Road, I pass a rather svelte Mojave yucca
- Cholla cacti and barrel cacti pick up the late-afternoon sun while I walk across this area above Cave Spring
- I walk though the Cave Spring area again on this short and pleasantly aimless hot-weather hike
- Oops, this barrel cacti fell over and, I think, died
- Bighorn-sheep-head rock?
- Maybe it's a seahorse head?
...out here in the desert? - No, it's a hawk head!
- I decide to walk down the hill and around this volcanic outcrop, since I have no hike plan for the day
- So many little holes in the rocks provide shelter for wildlife
- I hike a short distance up an adjacent canyon near Cave Spring, but decide not to continue too far, given the heat of the day
Lots of barrel cacti in this area! - Barrel cacti and layered rocks near Cave Spring
- Since I've seen so few flowers on this trip, it's great to come across a few barrel-cactus flowers
- The beginnings of a nest in one of the igloos near Cave Spring
- Close-up of one of the rock igloos (I guess it's a natural arch, really) near Cave Spring
The green area in the background is by Cave Spring itself. - I catch a good front-on view of the Cave Spring area from the rock igloos
- I walk away from the rocks igloos to further explore the area near Cave Spring
- I find that many big air bubbles made holes in the volcanic rock in the area beyond the rock igloos
- More little natural arches in the Cave Spring Hills area
- Cave Spring rock igloos
- Cave Spring igloos
- You could crawl through this rock igloo near Cave Spring
- Apparently, water has flowed over this rock at Cave Spring for a very long time
It's so smooth. - I think I'll walk over to that rock outcrop over there and see what I find...
I passed by there on my way here and saw some interesting features. - I stumble across some cool rock igloos in the Cave Spring area
Why have I never heard anything about this place before? - I see a bit of greenery over there; that must be Cave Spring
Onward go the feet! Anything bright-green in the desert is worth checking out. - Yes, Cave Spring, Mojave National Preserve, just ahead
Will there be water here? - There it is, the old road leading to Cave Spring, closed by a couple of Wilderness markers; I stash my bike behind some bushes
I've passed by here several times over the years and never noticed this old road because I wasn't looking for it. I like the feeling of discovering something that has actually been here for decades. That sweet orange-like smell is catclaw blossoms. - The old road to Cave Spring is easy to lose at first, but I eventually find it and follow it up a gentle hill
The old road hasn't been used in a long time and is washed-out in places. That looks like a water tank up there... - This old water tank on Cave Spring Road is dry and shot-up, but has great views over to the Woods Mountains
There's flat-topped Table Mountain in the background, where I hiked yesterday, and Black Canyon Road in the middleground. My tent is behind those mountains. - There are so few flowers on this hot late-spring trip that a few expiring Desert senna flowers here are an exciting find
Desert senna flowers sometimes give off a sweet scent, but I think it's too late in the season this year for that. - I recharge my phone and headlight battery from the outdoor plug at the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre, which is closed today
The adjacent campground is almost empty in today's heat, and there's nobody around. I eat a 1/2 pound packet of Vietnamese deer jerky, generously seasoned with lemongrass, sesame and chili. I was only going to eat a few pieces, but I can't stop. - I arrive at the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre after 5.5 bicycle miles, 3 cups of coffee and granola breakfast
Another hot day, high of 102F at nearby Cima, so I'm taking it slowly. I slept well last night, perhaps because I ate a lot of granola after not being able to fall asleep at first. - Elevation profile of Table Mountain hike
9.8 hiking miles and about 1800 feet of elevation gain. - Table Mountain hike route
9.8 hiking miles and about 1800 feet of elevation gain. - A snake!
They're always out here, but I rarely see them. - Well, I exit the Wilderness boundary and take a look back at Twin Buttes and Table Mountain before hiking back up Woods Wash Rd
That was fun! - It has been quite windy all day, and still is, as these windblown shrubs show
- Several patches of buckwheat display their white flowers along a stretch of Woods Wash Road
Considering that the temperature is in the 90s F today, this area is quite lush and green. - On the final 1.3 miles hiking up Woods Wash Rd, I think about how no motor vehicles have come down this road in a few days
- It's always nice to see that my tent is intact when I return from a day hike!
I'm "home" before sundown, so my tent is still hot. I open the screens and stay inside, protected from a few late-afternoon flies and one particularly pushy wasp. The sun goes down and I experience temperature drop one degree at a time. - Another memorable day in paradise closes: sunset near Twin Buttes; my first time camping in this area and I love it
Wishing for cold and fizzy, I drink a cup of very hot orange vitamin-C drink, happy to be acclimating, no heat exhaustion. Quiet evening, barely a breeze, the moon is almost full: beautiful. Crickets are singing and I hear an owl. But no human noise. Since I have no cell-phone signal here, I send a couple of satellite InReach messages, eat some almonds, and boil water for a bag of Mountain House Chicken Teriyaki with Rice. The temperature drops down into the 50s F after midnight for better sleeping. A minor 2.4 earthquake shakes the ground that I'm laying on just before midnight while I'm ready to fall asleep. I'll find out later that there had been a few small tremors out here today that I didn't feel. - More false-teeth rocks between Table Mountain and Barnett Mine
- I walk down into a brushy area that is the headwaters of Upper Black Diamond Spring Valley
There seems to be a spring here that is dry right now, though it isn't marked on my maps or GPS. I smell moisture, but see no water. - OK, it's time to start going back down; my tent is behind rocky Twin Buttes South in the middle of the photo
- One last vista down into Woods Wash before starting the climb back down
- Looks like I should be able to carefully zigzag my way down the steep canyon ahead
- It's steep, but I haven't run into any major obstacles yet: good!
Careful, careful... - Lots of rock, but coming down the hill has been feasible so far
Only a couple of minor dry waterfalls, easy to jump down. - Since it's steep, the downhill behind me from Table Mountain has passed rather quickly
- A few Brittlebrush flowers add a rare bit of colour to this hot-weather hike
Some of my late-spring visits to Mojave National Preserve are quite colorful flower-wise, but not this one. - I come across shit and a lost deflated balloon on the plateau area northeast of Table Mountain; weird combination
Right now, I'm not far from the Barnett Mine area where I hiked several days ago. - Fist rock, with New York Mountains in the background
- I take a look at Table Mountain from the northeast side
I study this view and see a spot that might make for an easier ascent should I decide to try to get up there again. - This scorched pinon pine survived the 2005 brush fires here
- False-teeth rocks on the plateau between Table Mountain and Barnett Mine
False teeth tend to fall out eventually. - Well, I guess I'll keep looking at Table Mountain and wondering what's up there, since I didn't make it to the top
- As I wind around the flank of Table Mountain, I start to see across to the New York Mountains; this is as high as I can go
I'm at about 5900 feet elevation here. Vertigo is starting to annoy me up here on this steep slope, and I wish it wouldn't, since I'm quite close to climbing up to the summit of Table Mountain. - Spectacular views across Upper Black Diamond Spring Valley, and all around
It's great to be here. Now looking for a way down! - Hmmm... the Table Mountain summit is just up there, yet I'm going to pass and head downward... I hate vertigo!
The crazy part is that I'm physically capable of climbing the short steep hill up there to top (hell, I've made it this far...), but the vertigo is making me feel not so good. - One of several burned trees on the flank of Table Mountain looks toward Hackberry Mountain
- One last view down toward Woods Wash for a while as I walk around the flank of Table Mountain toward its east side
- Now I can see down into Upper Black Diamond Spring Valley, where I hiked a few days back
... down between those two sets of hills ... - Wow, I've never seen all of Gold Valley like this before...
... and I can see Woods Wash Road heading over toward the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre. - Boulders frame this view over to Hackberry Mountain from the south flank of Table Mountain
- Another view around boulders on the side of Table Mountain, this time down to Woods Wash
I hiked down there a couple of days ago on the way to Tortoise Shell Mountain... - An interesting collage of rocks and ridgetops from the flank of Table Mountain
Twin Buttes in the middle, with a few trees on it, and the Woods Mountains beyond. - Woods Wash Road is visible in this view from the side of Table Mountain
- The views across Gold Valley are even better now!
I can even see across to the jagged Providence Mountains now. - Hmmm... it's getting a bit steep along here....
Do I feel vertigo setting in? Crap, I hate that. - As I reach a saddle between Twin Buttes North and Table Mountain, it looks like Table Mountain isn't that far away
I guess I'll keep going and see how far I get. - Nice view back down the canyon I just climbed up between Twin Buttes North and Table Mountain
Now that I'm warming up, this uphill part of the hike feels a bit easier than the flatter part down below where I started. Maybe that's because there's a bit of breeze up here. - Wow, I can now see across Gold Valley to the Hole-in-the-Wall area where I hiked yesterday
I love these perspectives where I can build a visual map in my head of places that I've visited, and those that I haven't yet. - Table Mountain is getting a bit closer now; I didn't expect to come this far up
The easy route, for a while at least, seems to be to head toward my upper right, so I continue. - Today's hike up into the rocky Twin Buttes area starts with a walk down Woods Wash Road
It was chilly enough overnight that I slept with my long underwear on, but as soon as the hot sun hit my tent this morning it was an emergency to open the screen and take off the long undies ASAP! - I pass the remains of an old corral fence in front of the Woods Mountains made from unhewn wood
I drank three cups of coffee with breakfast in my tent, instead of the usual two, feeling that I need the boost to stay in shape today, with temperatures forecast in the 90s. I'm carrying 4.5 litres of water. - I leave the road and cross the Wilderness boundary to begin walking toward flat-topped Table Mountain
I'm walking slowly, to warm up, though I'm warm enough from the hot sun already. I'm headed toward that slot between the Twin Buttes and flat-topped Table Mountain. - Shade! A big boulder with a few pinon pines around it in the canyon between Twin Buttes and Table Mountain
I want some, I'm getting hot already! - I take five minutes under the pinon pine and behind the rock, might be the last shade I get for a while!
- Elevation profile of Mojave National Preserve: Rings Trail and Barber Mountain Loop Trail day hike: Day 11
7.8 hiking miles and 11 bicycle miles. - Mojave National Preserve: Rings Trail and Barber Mountain Loop Trail day hike: Day 11
7.8 hiking miles and 11 bicycle miles. - Walking down the Barber Mountain Loop Trail, slowly approaching Black Canyon Road
The heat is starting to get to me, so I'm glad to have a bit of downhill ahead! I can see waaaay down across the valley toward the Fenner area where I rode my mountain-bike yesterday. - After a break at Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre to recharge my phone, I ride the 5.5 miles back to camp on Woods Wash Road
Nice belt-of-Venus tonight, again. A 3/4 moon provides lots of light back at the tent after sunset. I catch up on some journal notes and drink that other bottle of Sierra Nevada beer that I bought yesterday. Crickets are singing, beautiful evening. After a week and a half out here, I'm happy and relaxed. Supper is Backpacker's Pantry Beef and Broccoli Stir-Fry again, delicious again. - The Flintstones would be proud to live here!
- I take a final look at the hotel as I continue my way along the Barber Mountain Loop Trail
- The next stretch of the Barber Mountain Loop Trail dips down into a familiar part of Gold Valley
Here, I'm really close to the dirt road I rode from Mid Hills Campgrounds a few days ago, but I've never been in this area on foot before, which makes for a new experience. - Gold Valley burned pretty bad in the 2005 brush fires here, but 4/5 of this tree survived
1/5 didn't. - 1/5 didn't. - This patch of Gold Valley by Barber Mountain is still largely devoid of vegetation almost 7 years after the brush fires
I could probably climb up to Barber Peak up there fairly easily, but I'm interested in following the trail and seeing what else it has to show me. - For a while, Barber Mountain Loop Trail follows an old road
I like this part of the hiking route on an old ranch road as much as I like the preceding segment which was a foot trail. I like the variety. Obviously, not many motor vehicles use this road. - Well, this is as close as I've ever been to Lobo Point, Mojave National Preserve, that outcrop in front of me
Usually I just see it off to the side while riding down Wild Horse Canyon Road, contributing to the great scenery. Future potential backcountry camping area!