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- Cool rock formations abound on lower Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
- Wild Horse Canyon Road is all scenic, but I especially enjoy riding down this part with the Providence Mountains in the distance
- Wild Horse Canyon Road rolls along as it approaches the Barber Peaks area
- I reach a point where I have a view over to Bluejay Mine Road and Wild Horse Mesa above
- I finally leave: on my way out of Mid Hills Campground, I run into Ranger Greg, and we have a great chat
- Black Diamond Spring hike from Barnett Mine, Mojave National Preserve
- Route of Black Diamond Spring-Barnett Mine bike-hike from Mid HIlls campground
- Hmmm, I'm not making as much progress climbing all these rocks as I would like
- Up on the rock-pile hill, it seems that everything is steep going up and steep going down, with neither direction being best
- I consider climbing back down to the wash and trying a less rocky route up over the hill, but I might as well continue upward
- I need to climb up over that ridge to my right to get back to the Barnett Mine area
- Nice views eastward across the Lanfair Valley as I reach the top of the fan above Watson Wash
- A couple of stray boulders sit on this part of Upper Black Diamond Spring Valley
- A row of vertical rocks outcrops above Barnett Mine frame a view of Table Mountain
- I walk down a rocky slope and join a brushy drainage that should lead to Black Diamond Spring
- Have a seat and relax at the end of the Barnett Mine Road
- More mining remains at the Barnett Mine
- All rides out of Mid Hills Campground start with Wild Horse Canyon Road, and I always enjoy the descent into Round Valley
- The road to the Barnett Mine area, about 1.5 miles long, is rough and slightly uphill
- A bit of assorted debris is scattered around at the end of the Barnett Mine Road
- Gold Valley bicycle route
- Elevation profile of Gold Valley bicycle ride
- The views from here are excellent, and I can almost see down to the old Route 66 area from here
- The 13-mile ride back to Mid Hills Campground up Black Canyon Road starts on pavement
- After about 3.5 miles, the pavement goes away; Black Canyon Road turns to dirt on the way back to Mid Hills Campground
- Twin Buttes and Table Mountain: I've ridden past them many times around sunset while camping at Mid Hills Campground
- A motor vehicle pulls over while I'm taking photos by a big, old corral in the Gold Valley Ranch area: I meet Russ
- The sun starts to go down as Black Canyon Road winds its way through the pass
- It gets dark just as I approach Wild Horse Canyon Road for the final couple of miles back up to Mid Hills Campground
- I climb up a couple of hills near Grass Canyon at a leisurely pace, with no specific goal in mind
- Lots of barrel cacti grow here in the hills near Rustler Canyon and Grass Canyon
- Bicycle route: Mail Spring to Mid Hills Campground via New York Mountains Road
- Bicycle route: Mail Spring to Mid Hills Campground via New York Mountains Road
- Way off in the distance, I can see flat-topped Table Mountain, which I'll pass later on the way to Mid Hills campground
- An hour goes by, and I'm still riding, and pushing, the bike up the Sagamore Cut-off Road
- Postcard view of the New York Mountains while mountain-biking through the Carruthers Canyon area
- I make a quick stop along Ivanpah Road to climb up onto an old railway grade that is marked as a road on some maps
- Elevation profile of hiking route: Mail Spring, Lecyr Spring and Keystone Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Hiking route: Mail Spring, Lecyr Spring and Keystone Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Despite today's hot weather in the 90s (F), the Lecyr Spring canyon looks rather green
- Lots of hiking possibilities on steep, scenic hillsides around Lecyr Spring
- While walking across the plain between Lecyr Spring and Keystone Canyon, I take a break under one of the big juniper trees
- An old rock wall sits above Lecyr Spring
- If you don't look closely while walking by, you might not even notice the old rock wall above Lecyr Spring
- A former alignment of the old road has turned into a drainage gulley over the years, so a new road was built to the right of it
- I arrive at a spot I'll call the Lecyr Overlook; my original plan was to hike down the canyon ahead
- The views down Lecyr Canyon toward Ivanpah Valley are quite nice, with the Ivanpah and Clark Mountains in the background
- Pinon pines, low banana yuccas and junipers grow in this area overlooking the Ivanpah Valley
- I turn around to start my hike over to check out Lecyr Spring, and zoom in on the New York Mountains
- An old road rises slowly toward Lecyr Spring
- I'm just high enough now to have an expansive view across upper Lanfair Valley to the Castle Mountains
- From here, I can also see beyond the hills to Ivanpah Dry Lake
- Lecyr Spring should be just down there in that little canyon
- I push through a few baccharis bushes, enjoying the shade of a pinyon pine, on my way to Lecyr Spring
- Lecyr Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- A few grey Range ratany bushes on the Trio Mine tailings pile still sport a few magenta flowers
- I climb up the hill a little further to get a better view of the main Trio Mine tailings pile
- Turquoise veins in rock at Trio Mine, Mojave National Preserve: copper, presumably
- Turquoise-coloured bits in tailings at Trio Mine, Mojave National Preserve
- I start hiking down the hill from Trio Mine toward my next stop and come across an old balloon
- A barren patch of earth catches my interest as I walk past
- Here's the old road leading up to the main Trio Mine tailings pile
- From the Trio Mine site, a look across the valley sees a few houses over on the other side of the valley
- Some debris from a former building at Trio Mine tumbles down the hill
- I take a look at one of the major shafts at the Trio Mine site
- A few Joshua trees are starting to grow atop the tailings pile at Trio Mine
- I take a peek at some excavations before walking over to the main Trio Mine area
- I leave the tent on today's Lecyr Spring and Keystone Spring hike before 10h30
- I start the hike by walking down Mail Spring Road, seeing the road that I rode two nights ago by headlight
- I think I remember pushing my bike up this little rocky hill a couple of nights ago, dazed in the dark
- Straight ahead across the plain, halfway up the distant hill, is the old Trio Mine, today's first destination
- While walking down Mail Spring Road, I recall good memories of last year's hikes in the distant hills
- I walk past a rusty metal object on Mail Spring Road
- When I reach the road to Lecyr Spring, I turn and hike up that way, with the New York Mountains peaks in the background
- I arrive at the dry Lecyr Well site, with low-growing daturas in the foreground, Mojave National Preserve
- These flowering mahonia (berberis) bushes are noisy at this time of year, attracting lots of buzzing bees
- It's not just bees making noise: these mahonia (berberis) flowers also attract many large orange wasp-like insects
- A windmill, a defunct wilderness camera and a dry cistern all sit at the old Lecyr Well site, Mojave National Preserve
- Next stop on today's hike is the old Trio Mine site
- I get closer to the tailings pile at the old Trio Mine site
- I follow an old road briefly beyond the Trio Mine site to another old tailings pile
- A good day of backcountry camping usually begins with a roll of toilet paper and a 'sanitation trowel'
- My tent is somewhere in the area in front of that low brown hill in the middleground
- I pass this juvenile Joshua tree while hiking back to my tent near Mail Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Beyond the Joshua trees and junipers, I have good views over to the Castle Peaks while hiking back to my tent near Mail Spring
- I arrive back at my tent before sundown and rest inside until the sun goes down and things cool off a bit
- With sunset at Mail Spring comes a bit of relief from the day's heat, followed by thousands of stars in a moonless sky
- On my way back down Keystone Canyon, I pass a few expiring purple flowers that I've seen before, but can't identify
- On the way back down Keystone Canyon, I pause to take a look at interesting staining on a rock-outcrop turret near the trail
- I'm hiking into spectacular views across Lanfair Valley to the Castle Mountains as I exit Keystone Canyon
- Juniper berries on the hike back to my tent near Mail Spring from Keystone Canyon
- I get out my water filter and pump a few litres of water from Keystone Spring
- I encounter a dense thicket of willows, or Desert willows (chilopsis), so I climb up the hill a bit to detour around it
- Another interesting find is what appears to be the remains of a small building
- In Keystone Canyon, I come across an old cistern that I remember from when I was here in 2008
- An old pipe leads up to Keystone Spring from the dead cistern that I just passed
- OK, now I'm on the correct trail to Keystone Spring!
- And here it is: Keystone Spring!
- I presume the Keystone Spring water hole here has more (and fresher) water during the wetter season
- This appears to be the source of the spring
- I sit under the big oak tree at the spring for a few minutes to enjoy the shade
- Presumably, this rusty, old sign used to deliver a message of some kind
- This wood block looks like it was used as a base for pounding things
- A couple of signatures adorn the inside of the door
- Time to head back down to Keystone Canyon; next stop Keystone Spring
- A few little red flowers catch my eye as I walk quickly down the canyon: probably Scarlet gilia
- This is a great little canyon, full of rocks and trees, completely quiet and remote
- I think I've found it: Bronze Mine Spring
- Rails once ferried a tram to the the top of the chute
- Looking in the opposite direction, the tram track leads from a storage building
- As I walk around, looking for the spring, I come across a pile of acorns
- OK, now I take a break under the shade of a big old pine tree and eat some almonds
- Slightly refreshed from my break, I go for a walk around the site and note a fairly intact old chute
- Timbers prop up the old chute
- I go for a walk to see what the chute looks like from above
- I keep hiking up the old road into the New York Mountains, looking forward to seeing the old mine site ahead
- Ah, now I can see some old mining remains in the distance
- The road ends and I find a fire ring that hasn't been used for a while, and an abandoned truck
- I wasn't expecting to find anything at this site except for perhaps some old mining debris
- I'm overheating and need a break, but I can't resist the urge to take a peek inside first
- A stove and a broom
- A platform for sleeping and a shelf for food
- Here and there in Keystone Canyon, I've been seeing the occasional red penstemon flower for hummingbirds
- After a few minutes, I'm already high enough to have a view across to the other side of Keystone Canyon
- Striped boulder in lower Keystone Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- Here is some kind of manzanita bush growing in Keystone Canyon, New York Mountains
- Rock wall in Keystone Canyon
- Time to hike uphill and gain a few hundred feet of elevation on another old road
- This small shrub in Keystone Canyon reminds me of Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum)
- A few yellow flowers bloom in the gravel of Keystone Canyon (probably Groundsel, aka Senecio)
- Back on my feet after my break, partially rejuvenated, I start hiking up Keystone Canyon
- I look at sap on the bark of the pinon pine at my former Keystone Canyon campsite while drinking water and eating almonds
- I luxuriate briefly in the shade of a big pinon pine at a campsite in Keystone Canyon where I've camped before
- I take a look back at the tent down there as I get going on today's hike to Keystone Spring; hot sun, slight hot breeze
- I've missed most of this spring's flower blooms, but there are still occasional cactus blossoms
- Hiking cross-country here in the New York Mountains foothills provides views across to the Castle Peaks
- I haven't seen any people yet today, but I have found signs of people: a balloon
- By 9h, it's too hot in the tent, and I have no choice but to get up and start today's hike to Keystone Spring
- The first stop on today's hike is nearby Mail Spring; a pair of deer stare at me as I approach
- Hmmm... a rubber glove near Mail Spring
- Well, here's how much water remains at Mail Spring in late spring 2012
- There's a wildlife camera here at Mail Spring; I wonder if my photo has been taken
- Several large mahonia (berberis) bushes at Mail Spring are covered with thousands of yellow flowers
- This old cistern at Mail Spring was probably frequented by cattle back when this was still grazing land
- An inscription in the concrete at the Mail Spring cistern reads 'Bob + Louise'
- Another inscription in the concrete at the Mail Spring cistern reads 'Ed Shirey'
- I wake up in the Mail Spring area of Mojave National Preserve and realize I'm still alive after yesterday's hot bicycle ride
- I'm tired and not feeling refreshed, but the New York Mountains up the road from my tent look good in the early morning sun
- Mojave National Preserve: Primm, Nevada to Mail Spring, 3000 feet of elevation gain
- Mojave National Preserve: Primm, Nevada to Mail Spring, 3000 feet of elevation gain
- Close-up of my fuzzy shadows caused by the eclipse
- A few years ago (2008), my overloaded bike rack broke while riding on the washboarded road here on Ivanpah Road
- As the sun goes down on Ivanpah Road, I pull over to look at the Bathtub Spring Peaks area where I hiked last year
- The sunset light on upper Ivanpah Road is incredible; tired, I'm walking the bike sometimes, enjoying the colours
- Finally, I've reached the flatter, upper part of Ivanpah Road, still with blurry shadows due to the eclipse
- The sun goes down behind me with a nice belt-of-Venus over Ivanpah Valley below as I continue riding up Ivanpah Road
- Well after dark, I find a nice campsite along a road near Mail Spring, Mojave National Preserve, and set up for a couple of days
- I set up the tent and lay down, too tired to boil water for an instant meal tonight (I just eat a lot of roasted almonds)
- As I ride (and sometimes walk) the 10-ton bike up Ivanpah Road, I notice the light somehow seems a bit weird
- Scape sunscreen: I feel like a chemical test site: it's bubbling and foaming in the extreme heat (high 90s F), how weird
- Just ahead on the other side of the tracks is the old Ivanpah store, which means this segment of today's ride is ending
- Here in the Ivanpah area, I'm at about 3500 feet elevation, about 1000 feet above where I started down at Primm
- I'm back on pavement for a couple of miles and ride past the former Ivanpah store on Ivanpah Road
- Ivanpah Rd slowly climbs toward a pass in the New York Mountains: I look for another place to escape the sun for a few minutes
- I pull over for a heat-exhaustion break where the pavement ends on Ivanpah Road
- Hmm, there will surely be some shade over by that old building over there that was probably part of the Goldome Mine complex
- I'm hungry for shade right now, so I approach the old building as if it were a piece of food
- I take refuge from the hot sun on the shady side of the abandoned cinder-block building that I've been eyeing
- Someone has set up a fire ring in front of the old building
- Perhaps this old building once served as a kitchen or showers for the adjacent Goldome mine
- Large window openings open onto big views of the Ivanpah Mountains and the Clark Mountains in the distance
- Somewhat rejuvenated from my break in the shade, I return to the 10-ton bike to continue the ride (or walk) up Ivanpah Road
- This short stretch of Nipton-Moore Road is extremely sandy where it crosses a wash near the power lines
- I hide under the train tracks for a few minutes to get out of the hot sun
- Back on the road, I pedal onward, slowly, toward the New York Mountains
- I pass by a road leading down into the Ivanpah Valley toward private property
- Ooo, another railway undercrossing along Nipton-Moore Road; I think I should stop here for a moment to check it out
- I'm happy when I get past Desert siding, cross under the tracks, and reach some old pavement
- A few Coyote-melon vines extend out into the road along Nipton-Desert Road
- That patch of buildings ahead is Nipton; I'll take a break there in a few minutes
- Nipton, California, population 20; I take a half-hour break here
- After my break at Nipton, I return to the dirt road parallel to the train tracks for the next 10-mile segment
- 2.5 miles beyond Nipton, I'm feeling hot again and notice some potential shade as I cross under the power lines
- Sunscreen on, and the 10-ton bike packed up, I pull away from the hotel at Primm
- After my coffee and water stop at the gas station (I don't need gas), I leave pavement and ride down this dirt road out of Primm
- It's nice to see the I-15 freeway and its traffic getting smaller as I ride down the dirt road away from Primm
- I reach the main dirt road from Primm to Nipton, often called Nipton-Desert Road, and note that I'm 10.5 miles from my next stop
- I've got about 7 miles of bumpy dirt road to ride on the way to Nipton (the last 3 are old pavement)
- I pass a few old household items dumped along Nipton-Desert Road
- After almost an hour and a half in the heat, I'm already getting hot, and grab some shade under the railway tracks
- While taking my shade break under the train tracks, I notice a washed-out cattleguard on the old road to the Lucy Gray Mine area
- I spent last night at Whiskey Pete's Casino Hotel in Primm, NV and I'm more than ready to get going this morning
- Tomorrow morning, I look across the train tracks at Barstow Station toward old cabins while waiting for my Amtrak bus
- I'm always intrigued by the airplane graveyard here at Mojave, CA when the Amtrak bus drives by
- Bicycle route elevation from Cady Mountains to Barstow via Route 66
- I'm awake somewhat early this morning since I have the 45-mile ride back to Barstow today and I might have a big headwind
- This stretch of old Route 66, heading into Newberry Springs, parallels the I-40 freeway, clearly visible to my right
- A number of old trailers dot the outskirts of Newberry Springs along old Route 66
- I pass a lava field along old Route 66 east of Newberry Springs
- Near the lava field east of Newberry Springs is the end of Troy Dry Lake