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- Cool rock formations abound on lower Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
It gets even better closer to the Hole-in-the-Wall visitor centre, and there's some good hiking there that I might do during the next few days. - Wild Horse Canyon Road is all scenic, but I especially enjoy riding down this part with the Providence Mountains in the distance
I'm riding Wild Horse Canyon Road down to Hole-in-the-Wall visitor Centre, where I'll recharge my phone and fill up on water before heading out to the Twin Buttes area for a backcountry campsite. - Wild Horse Canyon Road rolls along as it approaches the Barber Peaks area
I never get tired of this ride. - I reach a point where I have a view over to Bluejay Mine Road and Wild Horse Mesa above
That's another road I've ridden a few times on past trips here, and worth doing again, with good hiking at the end of the road. But it's not on my route today. The climb up to Wild Horse Mesa via the saddle just to the left of my glasses is memorable too. - I finally leave: on my way out of Mid Hills Campground, I run into Ranger Greg, and we have a great chat
He knows the less-visited areas of the Preserve that I'm interested in and shares some good information: thanks! I regret missing his geology talk the other day. I'm always so caught up in my own travels that I never go to any of the interesting visitor events here. - Black Diamond Spring hike from Barnett Mine, Mojave National Preserve
7.5 round-trip hiking miles with about 1200 feet of hiking elevation gain (plus 22.3 round-trip bicycle miles from Mid Hills Campground) - Route of Black Diamond Spring-Barnett Mine bike-hike from Mid HIlls campground
22.3 bicycle miles and 7.5 hiking miles with about 1200 feet of hiking elevation gain. (Bicycle track in red, hiking in blue.) - Hmmm, I'm not making as much progress climbing all these rocks as I would like
I'm spending a lot of energy going up and down to avoid rocks and trees instead of getting closer to the summit up there. - Up on the rock-pile hill, it seems that everything is steep going up and steep going down, with neither direction being best
It's getting close to sunset and this is not a place that I want to be forced to navigate in the dark. - 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 go into high-speed mode climbing the rocks and am happy when I reach the final, less rocky, uphill stretch, which feels like a 45-degree angle at times. I can climb uphill quite well, as long as I don't look back and let vertigo set in. - I need to climb up over that ridge to my right to get back to the Barnett Mine area
The rock climbing is fun, but it's slow and I'm not covering much distance at all. I'm having even more camera problems now, so I'm trying out my cell phone to take a few photos. - Nice views eastward across the Lanfair Valley as I reach the top of the fan above Watson Wash
In a few minutes, I'll be climbing some of those rock piles behind me, which seems like the best way to get over the hill and back to my bicycle. - A couple of stray boulders sit on this part of Upper Black Diamond Spring Valley
This area burned really hard in the 2005 brush fires. Almost 7 years later, there's still very little growing here. The desert recovers sooo slowly. - A row of vertical rocks outcrops above Barnett Mine frame a view of Table Mountain
Table Mountain is a prominent landmark visible from many parts of Mojave National Preserve. - 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
This squarish area with char on the ground looks like a possible site of an old structure or cabin. - 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
It's not quite as easy to come back up though, when the 10-ton bike is loaded up. But I'm carrying no gear on today's day ride. - The road to the Barnett Mine area, about 1.5 miles long, is rough and slightly uphill
Like most backcountry desert roads, it gets rougher as it gets closer to the end. - A bit of assorted debris is scattered around at the end of the Barnett Mine Road
Perhaps a cabin was once here, and burned? Good view across the valley to Pinto Mountain. - Gold Valley bicycle route
27 bicycle miles and about 2200 feet of elevation gain. - Elevation profile of Gold Valley bicycle ride
27 bicycle miles and about 2200 feet of elevation gain. - The views from here are excellent, and I can almost see down to the old Route 66 area from here
Route 66 is not all that far away; maybe I should go for a ride down that way while I'm out here. I haven't been down there in several years. - The 13-mile ride back to Mid Hills Campground up Black Canyon Road starts on pavement
I'll rise from about 3600 feet to about 5600 feet, a moderate grade. Best of all, I seem to have a tailwind behind me to help me along. - After about 3.5 miles, the pavement goes away; Black Canyon Road turns to dirt on the way back to Mid Hills Campground
...but I still have that nice tailwind pushing me up the slow grade. - Twin Buttes and Table Mountain: I've ridden past them many times around sunset while camping at Mid Hills Campground
I've been looking at these landmarks for years, yet haven't visited them. Maybe in a few days' time... - A motor vehicle pulls over while I'm taking photos by a big, old corral in the Gold Valley Ranch area: I meet Russ
He recognizes me from this web site. It's always good to chat with fellow Mojave fans. His party is on their way back to a campsite in the New York Mountains, and they give me a couple of oranges before leaving. Thanks! - The sun starts to go down as Black Canyon Road winds its way through the pass
I guess I'm early this evening: I've been in this pass several times over the years after dark, on the way back to Mid Hills Campground. I don't see any other vehicles on the road after Russ' vehicle. - It gets dark just as I approach Wild Horse Canyon Road for the final couple of miles back up to Mid Hills Campground
It's also getting chilly, which feels weird after so much heat recently. I need my sweater, long pants and jacket during the evening, and wear long underwear and sweater to bed! No flies, no ants, and a quiet evening at the nearly empty campground. I noticed people wearing heavy jackets huddled around a campfire for warmth at one of the few occupied sites. Supper is Backpacker's Pantry Chicken Vindaloo, yum again and I finish the end of a bag of Vietnamese spicy beef jerky. I don't sleep well tonight due to the sudden cold air. - I climb up a couple of hills near Grass Canyon at a leisurely pace, with no specific goal in mind
Perhaps I'll do a day hike in one of these canyons before this trip is over. There are things to see around here. - Lots of barrel cacti grow here in the hills near Rustler Canyon and Grass Canyon
They seem to love this dark volcanic rock that gets so hot in the sun. - Bicycle route: Mail Spring to Mid Hills Campground via New York Mountains Road
27.4 bicycle miles and about 1800 feet elevation gain. - Bicycle route: Mail Spring to Mid Hills Campground via New York Mountains Road
27.4 bicycle miles and about 1800 feet elevation gain. - Way off in the distance, I can see flat-topped Table Mountain, which I'll pass later on the way to Mid Hills campground
The road rolls up and down across drainage areas. I like this kind of terrain for mountain-biking. - An hour goes by, and I'm still riding, and pushing, the bike up the Sagamore Cut-off Road
I still haven't seen any people yet today (nor yesterday, nor the day before). Occasionally, there's a bit of shade to provide a spot for a brief rest. - Postcard view of the New York Mountains while mountain-biking through the Carruthers Canyon area
There are many nice campsites in this area; I'd consider camping here tonight if I were carrying more water. I'm tired already! - 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
It's hard to tell this is a an old railway grade extending into the distance because it's so grown in. - Elevation profile of hiking route: Mail Spring, Lecyr Spring and Keystone Spring, Mojave National Preserve
9.7 hiking miles and about 1200 feet of elevation gain. - Hiking route: Mail Spring, Lecyr Spring and Keystone Spring, Mojave National Preserve
9.7 hiking miles and about 1200 feet of elevation gain. - Despite today's hot weather in the 90s (F), the Lecyr Spring canyon looks rather green
I should come back here some time during the wet season to see how much water is here. - Lots of hiking possibilities on steep, scenic hillsides around Lecyr Spring
This area is on my list for a future visit. - While walking across the plain between Lecyr Spring and Keystone Canyon, I take a break under one of the big juniper trees
In today's midday heat in the 90s (F), I feel like I'm starting to fade already. Every short break in the shade helps! - An old rock wall sits above Lecyr Spring
What did this wall once enclose, long ago? - 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
Hiking down that way, I'd eventually arrive at the dry Slaughterhouse Spring area. However, due to the hot weather, I have to get more water today, and Keystone Spring, in the opposite direction, is my only sure source. - The views down Lecyr Canyon toward Ivanpah Valley are quite nice, with the Ivanpah and Clark Mountains in the background
A hot wind is blowing here. I take a short break to enjoy the views and send a couple of text messages, since I have a (weak) cell-phone signal here. - Pinon pines, low banana yuccas and junipers grow in this area overlooking the Ivanpah Valley
I wish I could keep walking down this canyon, but water needs come first! I must turn back and hike to Keystone Spring. There may be some water down below at Bathtub Spring today, but I don't know for sure. - I turn around to start my hike over to check out Lecyr Spring, and zoom in on the New York Mountains
High up on the hill above the mouth of Keystone Canyon is an old open-pit mine that I haven't visited yet. - An old road rises slowly toward Lecyr Spring
I'm following it, perfect hiking trail. Mojave National Preserve is full of these. - I'm just high enough now to have an expansive view across upper Lanfair Valley to the Castle Mountains
The Trio Mine tailings pile, where I was a little while ago, is prominent in the middleground. - From here, I can also see beyond the hills to Ivanpah Dry Lake
Primm, where I started this trip, is at the far end of that "lake." One of the great things about travelling by human power is getting views of the distances covered. - Lecyr Spring should be just down there in that little canyon
The "man and woman" rock pile on the hillside is an interesting visual. - I push through a few baccharis bushes, enjoying the shade of a pinyon pine, on my way to Lecyr Spring
Of course, I'm also watching for snakes in this shady area on a hot day! Many quail flutter off noisily when they hear me coming. - Lecyr Spring, Mojave National Preserve
Hardly any water here, and it doesn't appear to be flowing right now, even though it looks fairly clean. If I were to filter water here, there wouldn't be any left afterwards! Onward I go to Keystone Spring. - A few grey Range ratany bushes on the Trio Mine tailings pile still sport a few magenta flowers
... and there's a Joshua tree coming up behind it. - 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
It seems to have gotten stuck in this Desert trumpet buckwheat. - A barren patch of earth catches my interest as I walk past
I wonder why nothing grows right here. Do animals sleep here each night? - Here's the old road leading up to the main Trio Mine tailings pile
The little rock wall shoring up the road is still in fairly good condition. - From the Trio Mine site, a look across the valley sees a few houses over on the other side of the valley
That's the 'desert metropolis' of Barnwell, California, population close to zero. - Some debris from a former building at Trio Mine tumbles down the hill
A bit below is the road I walked up to get here. - 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
There's a hole in the ground here in front of me, so I don't get too close! - I leave the tent on today's Lecyr Spring and Keystone Spring hike before 10h30
I can't stay in the tent any longer because it has become too hot inside. I had a couple of cups of "cold" coffee and a cup of vitamin C drink, plus some granola and almonds. But I can't eat much due to the heat. - I start the hike by walking down Mail Spring Road, seeing the road that I rode two nights ago by headlight
I get to see my tire tracks along sandy stretches. - I think I remember pushing my bike up this little rocky hill a couple of nights ago, dazed in the dark
There's the Castle Peaks again off in the distance... - Straight ahead across the plain, halfway up the distant hill, is the old Trio Mine, today's first destination
I could walk cross-country, like I did yesterday, for a more direct route, but I feel like following the old road for a while. - While walking down Mail Spring Road, I recall good memories of last year's hikes in the distant hills
The high hills at center-left are the Bathtub Spring Peaks and the jagged hills at right are the Castle Peaks. - I walk past a rusty metal object on Mail Spring Road
I have no idea what this is. - 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 haven't been up this road since my second Mojave National Preserve trip back in year 2000. - I arrive at the dry Lecyr Well site, with low-growing daturas in the foreground, Mojave National Preserve
A big mahonia (berberis) is covered with yellow flowers, I walk over to it. - These flowering mahonia (berberis) bushes are noisy at this time of year, attracting lots of buzzing bees
Great scent! These were growing at Mail Spring also. - It's not just bees making noise: these mahonia (berberis) flowers also attract many large orange wasp-like insects
(tarantula hawk?) - 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
... that tailings pile on the hillside ahead - 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'
Another hot morning and I'm forced awake early by the sun shining on my tent, just as I fall into a deep sleep. Not enough sleep, I feel like I have a hangover! - My tent is somewhere in the area in front of that low brown hill in the middleground
The expansive juniper and joshua-tree forest between here and there is a lot of fun to hike through, even though it doesn't provide much shade. - I pass this juvenile Joshua tree while hiking back to my tent near Mail Spring, Mojave National Preserve
This one is probably a few years old now, and they can live for hundreds of years. - Beyond the Joshua trees and junipers, I have good views over to the Castle Peaks while hiking back to my tent near Mail Spring
Great vistas and so quiet; haven't seen another person today. I'm glad this area didn't burn in the 2005 Hackberry Complex brush fires like much of the juniper forest in Mojave National Preserve. - I arrive back at my tent before sundown and rest inside until the sun goes down and things cool off a bit
I'm too heat-exhausted to eat anything right now but a handful of almonds. Perhaps I should have stayed out hiking a little longer, since my tent is still pretty warm inside (the rain flap is on the sunny side to provide a bit of shade). - With sunset at Mail Spring comes a bit of relief from the day's heat, followed by thousands of stars in a moonless sky
After dark, I make Backpacker's Pantry just-add-boiling-water Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry, yummy. My hot drinking water eventually cools down to a more drinkable temperature. Quiet except for a burst of noise that sounds like an owl catching a rodent and a few gusts of wind. - On my way back down Keystone Canyon, I pass a few expiring purple flowers that I've seen before, but can't identify
I took a better photo of this plant on my 2008 Keystone Canyon visit. - On the way back down Keystone Canyon, I pause to take a look at interesting staining on a rock-outcrop turret near the trail
Perhaps there's more to this than stains on the rocks... - I'm hiking into spectacular views across Lanfair Valley to the Castle Mountains as I exit Keystone Canyon
I was thinking of camping over in that area on this trip, but with the hot weather that has set in this week, I'm more interested in aiming for higher ground. - Juniper berries on the hike back to my tent near Mail Spring from Keystone Canyon
There's no shortage of these in this upland area of the Mojave Desert. I have some just outside my tent. - I get out my water filter and pump a few litres of water from Keystone Spring
There's no shade here at the spring itself, so pumping water in 90 degrees and full sun feels like more work than the hike to get up the hill! Still, it's a quiet desert-wilderness moment, ultimately enjoyable. - I encounter a dense thicket of willows, or Desert willows (chilopsis), so I climb up the hill a bit to detour around it
No human footprints anywhere here. - 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
It's easy to follow an old pipe, but I nonetheless get sidetracked and walk a short uphill distance on the wrong trail before realizing I'm not on the trail to Keystone Spring. - OK, now I'm on the correct trail to Keystone Spring!
Short, but steep in places. If it weren't in the 90s F today, the hill wouldn't slow me down so much. Fortunately, there is a bit of shade to be had here and there. Awesome day of solitude. - And here it is: Keystone Spring!
A little hole full of water in a meadow in the New York Mountains. It looks the same as I remember it from a few years ago (2008). A large bird (small hawk?) is startled by my arrival and flies over to a tree branch on the other side of the spring. - A little hole full of water in a meadow in the New York Mountains. It looks the same as I remember it from a few years ago. A large bird (small hawk?) is startled by my arrival and flies over to a tree branch on the other side of the spring. - I presume the Keystone Spring water hole here has more (and fresher) water during the wetter season
The water here is a bit murky, but tastes OK after filtering, despite its appearance. The water is likely not very fresh, probably leftovers accumulated from the last precipitation. I should have brought more water bottles; I'm going through so much. - This appears to be the source of the spring
... at least this is where the hoses from the dry cistern lead. - I sit under the big oak tree at the spring for a few minutes to enjoy the shade
And to enjoy just sitting here at this high point of today's hike, at about 6000 feet elevation... The hot weather adds a certain stillness and serenity to the land. I've seen no other people today. - 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
I decide to follow the narrow rocky drainage 3/4 mile back down instead of the trail that climbs up and around the drainage. - A few little red flowers catch my eye as I walk quickly down the canyon: probably Scarlet gilia
I've read that this smells skunky, but I didn't crush the flowers to find out! - This is a great little canyon, full of rocks and trees, completely quiet and remote
Real wilderness, more than worthy of the federal designation as such. - I think I've found it: Bronze Mine Spring
It's dry right now, except for a few green grasses by the source. I wasn't expecting to find water here, but I was hoping to be surprised and find some. - Rails once ferried a tram to the the top of the chute
Now it's an antique sculpture in an isolated corner of the Mojave Desert. - Looking in the opposite direction, the tram track leads from a storage building
The track is starting to fall off the eroding hillside. - As I walk around, looking for the spring, I come across a pile of acorns
Yep, a few oak trees grow in the New York Mountains. - OK, now I take a break under the shade of a big old pine tree and eat some almonds
... and drink more water, of course. I've been sweating a lot and it's in the 90s today, to which I'm not yet acclimated. Shade is such a treat when there isn't much! - 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
There's also supposed to be a spring nearby, so I'm looking for that too. - I keep hiking up the old road into the New York Mountains, looking forward to seeing the old mine site ahead
I'm at about 5800 feet elevation now, but it still doesn't feel much cooler than it was down below. - Ah, now I can see some old mining remains in the distance
Best of all, it looks like my road is almost level, and even a bit downhill, from here to there. - The road ends and I find a fire ring that hasn't been used for a while, and an abandoned truck
... and I think that's a building over there hiding in the trees. - I wasn't expecting to find anything at this site except for perhaps some old mining debris
Looks like I'll be spending a few minutes looking at stuff here... - I'm overheating and need a break, but I can't resist the urge to take a peek inside first
... then I'll take a break. - A stove and a broom
- A platform for sleeping and a shelf for food
Pretty basic, and there's even a bottle of raspberry syrup on the shelf. - Here and there in Keystone Canyon, I've been seeing the occasional red penstemon flower for hummingbirds
With so few flowers in bloom right now, these really stand out. - After a few minutes, I'm already high enough to have a view across to the other side of Keystone Canyon
Keystone Spring, where I'll stop for water later, is somewhere over around that meadow area halfway up the hill over there. - Striped boulder in lower Keystone Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- Here is some kind of manzanita bush growing in Keystone Canyon, New York Mountains
It's always interesting to see these growing in Mojave Desert mountains since I'm used to seeing them mainly in the Coast Range east of San José. - Rock wall in Keystone Canyon
It's a hot day (90s F) and all this rock and gravel seems to be adding a bit to the heat. - Time to hike uphill and gain a few hundred feet of elevation on another old road
I'm getting slower as the day gets hotter, so I take it easy on the uphill. - This small shrub in Keystone Canyon reminds me of Yerba Santa (Eriodictyon californicum)
... but it's not the Yerba Santa that grows in the San Jose area. It might be Eriodictyon angustifolium (Narrow-leaf Yerba Santa). - A few yellow flowers bloom in the gravel of Keystone Canyon (probably Groundsel, aka Senecio)
There's no coolness at all in the slight breeze today. I can only imagine how hot it must be down at Nipton and Primm! (I'll learn later that it reaches 104F today at Nipton) - Back on my feet after my break, partially rejuvenated, I start hiking up Keystone Canyon
This little sign wasn't here when I last visited this area a few years ago. - I look at sap on the bark of the pinon pine at my former Keystone Canyon campsite while drinking water and eating almonds
Some of the limbs of this tree have obviously been cut for firewood by campers over the years, but fortunately this tree has survived. - I luxuriate briefly in the shade of a big pinon pine at a campsite in Keystone Canyon where I've camped before
I just took a short break under a juniper 15 minutes ago, but in today's hot weather, I'm ready for another break, and many more. The shade here is better than my last stop. It's odd to be at this spot without my tent and bike this time. - 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 was hoping that just maybe there might be water at Mail Spring, but since there isn't, my next destination will be Keystone Canyon and Keystone Spring. I'm carrying 4.5 litres of water for today's hike, already luke-warm. - I've missed most of this spring's flower blooms, but there are still occasional cactus blossoms
Many of these will have a bee inside them, if you look closely. - Hiking cross-country here in the New York Mountains foothills provides views across to the Castle Peaks
I've hiked over there a few times, but probably won't hit that area on this trip unless I make a detour to a water hole over that way. - I haven't seen any people yet today, but I have found signs of people: a balloon
It's pink, but it's not a flower. A hummingbird will likely approach this to see if it's a flower or not. - 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
It's hot inside my tent and I've opened "the lid" to get more air inside without bringing in flies, or having the hot sun shine on me. I sweat a bit while eating breakfast (hard to swallow) and drinking two cups of cold coffee. - The first stop on today's hike is nearby Mail Spring; a pair of deer stare at me as I approach
Mail Spring supposedly has water sometimes. However, I'm not expecting to find any water here now that the dry season is well underway. But you never know... - Hmmm... a rubber glove near Mail Spring
Usually I find stray balloons or their remains in remote places like this, but not rubber gloves! - Well, here's how much water remains at Mail Spring in late spring 2012
It's not enough for me to filter, and it's probably just barely enough for the wild animals that use it, like those deer I saw a few minutes ago. - There's a wildlife camera here at Mail Spring; I wonder if my photo has been taken
Judging by the greenery, there's obviously a fair amount of moisture here during wetter times of the year. - Several large mahonia (berberis) bushes at Mail Spring are covered with thousands of yellow flowers
Hundreds of bees are buzzing around the flowers and their sweet scent. - This old cistern at Mail Spring was probably frequented by cattle back when this was still grazing land
It looks like it has been "improved" a few times over the years. - 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
When I set up camp in the dark last night, I thought this juniper tree outside my tent might help cut the sun. It help doesn't much though. It's still early; I should try to sleep a while longer, if the sun permits. I'm still tired. - 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
It's only 7 a.m. and the morning is already quite warm. It was dark when I arrived here last night, so it's fun to take a look around and see where I am. - Mojave National Preserve: Primm, Nevada to Mail Spring, 3000 feet of elevation gain
33.3 bicycle miles and about 3000 feet of elevation gain. - Mojave National Preserve: Primm, Nevada to Mail Spring, 3000 feet of elevation gain
33.3 bicycle miles and about 3000 feet of elevation gain. - Close-up of my fuzzy shadows caused by the eclipse
Disorientation. - A few years ago (2008), my overloaded bike rack broke while riding on the washboarded road here on Ivanpah Road
I learned a lesson. I now try to distribute more of my extra water weight on the front rack, which I hate doing, since it makes the bike even harder to ride. - As the sun goes down on Ivanpah Road, I pull over to look at the Bathtub Spring Peaks area where I hiked last year
Great area to explore on foot, humans apparently don't go up there often! - The sunset light on upper Ivanpah Road is incredible; tired, I'm walking the bike sometimes, enjoying the colours
I still have several miles ahead until I reach the Mail Spring area where I intend to camp the next few days. Take it slowly, but take it. I don't want to use what little energy I have left all at once. - Finally, I've reached the flatter, upper part of Ivanpah Road, still with blurry shadows due to the eclipse
I'm exhausted, but I can pedal a bit more now with the lower sun and slightly cooler air. Some phony positive-packaging folks would call this moment a renaissance; I call it running on empty with stamina. - The sun goes down behind me with a nice belt-of-Venus over Ivanpah Valley below as I continue riding up Ivanpah Road
It gets dark, and I ride past only one other oncoming car on my way to the Mail Spring area. I'm tired beyond tired, but I want to keep going to higher ground as originally planned in the hope that it won't be so hot up there tomorrow! - 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 was hoping to make it further up this road, but too exhausted to go any further. Just happy to be here in the land of junipers and Joshua trees, hot here, but high enough to not be in the hotter area that I passed through below earlier today. - 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)
I send a couple of messages by satellite (Delorme InReach satellite beacon system) since I'm off the grid, and fall asleep exhausted, hungry but unable to eat, looking forward to a hike tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be able to wake up! - As I ride (and sometimes walk) the 10-ton bike up Ivanpah Road, I notice the light somehow seems a bit weird
Then I remember that an eclipse is happening right now, blocking a bit of the sun, responsible for the fuzzy shadows that I'm seeing--which is not because of impaired vision due to heat exhaustion. Relief, I'm not crazy nor about to pass out! - Scape sunscreen: I feel like a chemical test site: it's bubbling and foaming in the extreme heat (high 90s F), how weird
I brought some of this new-to-me brand of sunscreen, which is supposed to be good under athletic conditions, because I was running low on my preferred brand (REI), which was out-of-stock. I won't be buying this again. - Just ahead on the other side of the tracks is the old Ivanpah store, which means this segment of today's ride is ending
I'll be on pavement again for a couple of miles. - Here in the Ivanpah area, I'm at about 3500 feet elevation, about 1000 feet above where I started down at Primm
I'm just high enough now to see across Ivanpah Dry Lake to a few specks in the distance that are probably the casino buildings at Primm, NV where I slept last night. - I'm back on pavement for a couple of miles and ride past the former Ivanpah store on Ivanpah Road
I've often stopped for a break at this building during past trips, but today I'll pedal on past it. I'm already tired and want to keep going. - 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
A couple of miles of pavement here makes the ride a bit easier. A bit of heat exhaustion is setting in, which I clearly recognize, so it's time to do something about it. Any shade around here? - I pull over for a heat-exhaustion break where the pavement ends on Ivanpah Road
Great views down to Ivanpah Valley from here, but all I care about right now is getting a bit of shade. There are some low hills to my left and and old building a few hundred feet off the road to my right. I start walking around, looking for shade. - Hmm, there will surely be some shade over by that old building over there that was probably part of the Goldome Mine complex
I like checking out old buildings and have never looked at that once up close before (I've ridden my bike past here several times over the years). I go for a walk toward there. - I'm hungry for shade right now, so I approach the old building as if it were a piece of food
From a distance, I thought it was a cinder-block building, and it is. - I take refuge from the hot sun on the shady side of the abandoned cinder-block building that I've been eyeing
Just as I arrive at the building, I notice a park-ranger vehicle stopping on the road over where my bike is parked. I wave over to her/him, hoping to somehow make a "all is fine" signal, and s/he sees me and then drives away. - Someone has set up a fire ring in front of the old building
With the nice views across the Ivanpah Valley below, and New York Mountains behind, this would be a great place for an evening campfire. - Perhaps this old building once served as a kitchen or showers for the adjacent Goldome mine
The building has a lot of plumbing in it. - Large window openings open onto big views of the Ivanpah Mountains and the Clark Mountains in the distance
Of course, there are no longer any windows in the window openings! - Somewhat rejuvenated from my break in the shade, I return to the 10-ton bike to continue the ride (or walk) up Ivanpah Road
The sun is a bit lower, thus not quite so hot, and the temperature has probably dropped into the low 90s F at this point, maybe even the high 80s. I try to eat an energy bar, but can only eat half of it. - This short stretch of Nipton-Moore Road is extremely sandy where it crosses a wash near the power lines
I'm getting off here anyway to take a break under the train tracks. - I hide under the train tracks for a few minutes to get out of the hot sun
While I'm here, I send another text message, since I'm still in cell-phone range, and won't be for much longer. - Back on the road, I pedal onward, slowly, toward the New York Mountains
I see another railway siding up ahead. - I pass by a road leading down into the Ivanpah Valley toward private property
"Road not maintained," I am warned, in case I decide to head on down that way (I don't). - Ooo, another railway undercrossing along Nipton-Moore Road; I think I should stop here for a moment to check it out
Anything for another quickie break out of the hot sun! - I'm happy when I get past Desert siding, cross under the tracks, and reach some old pavement
I stop to take a quick look at the old corral here, as I've done before. One of those really long freight trains is passing me on the right. - A few Coyote-melon vines extend out into the road along Nipton-Desert Road
That "baseball" on the ground is one of the coyote melons. - That patch of buildings ahead is Nipton; I'll take a break there in a few minutes
And there in the background is the New York Mountains. I expect to be in that area by the end of the day. - Nipton, California, population 20; I take a half-hour break here
Sometimes I camp here, but today I'm just filling up on water (my 10-litre water bag), having a cold drink, eating some chips, and passing through. A kind European tourist who doesn't speak much English offers me a small bottle of water. Thanks! - After my break at Nipton, I return to the dirt road parallel to the train tracks for the next 10-mile segment
My bike is so heavy now after adding 10 litres of water to the front rack, bleh. This part of the road is commonly referred to as Nipton-Moore Road. New York Mountains, here I come! - 2.5 miles beyond Nipton, I'm feeling hot again and notice some potential shade as I cross under the power lines
It hasn't been long since my break at Nipton, but I think it's time for another short break. - Sunscreen on, and the 10-ton bike packed up, I pull away from the hotel at Primm
After a quick boring breakfast at the McDonald's in the hotel, my first stop will be the Starbucks on the other side of the freeway, and the gas-station store for water. It's amazing how terrible the tap water in the hotel tastes. - 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
The morning is already quite warm, and temperatures in the high 90s F are forecast for today. Hitting the dirt road feels really good. - It's nice to see the I-15 freeway and its traffic getting smaller as I ride down the dirt road away from Primm
It's less nice though to see the giant towers of the new solar-power plant under construction that is ruining a chunk of Ivanpah Valley over there below Clark Mountain by blanketing it with mirrors. - 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 send out a couple of text messages to let folks know that I've left Primm, I'm in the Mojave Desert for real now, and I'm sweating already. - I've got about 7 miles of bumpy dirt road to ride on the way to Nipton (the last 3 are old pavement)
It's a slow ride due to the road's roughness, and it's ever so slightly uphill, rising about 500 feet from Primm to Nipton. But it's *my* road, essentially traffic-free except for me. - I pass a few old household items dumped along Nipton-Desert Road
A suitable foreground for the freeway and solar-power-plant towers in the background, I suppose. - After almost an hour and a half in the heat, I'm already getting hot, and grab some shade under the railway tracks
This is going to be interesting... I'm only partway into today's ride and I'm already starting to overheat! - 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
These days, people just drive around the cattleguard, instead of over it! - I spent last night at Whiskey Pete's Casino Hotel in Primm, NV and I'm more than ready to get going this morning
I'm not a fan of casinos, so I don't have a fun benefit from staying here like many people would. However, the Amtrak bus stops here, so it's a good place to start a Mojave National Preserve bicycle-camping trip. - Tomorrow morning, I look across the train tracks at Barstow Station toward old cabins while waiting for my Amtrak bus
They're all boarded-up now; I wonder when they were last occupied. - I'm always intrigued by the airplane graveyard here at Mojave, CA when the Amtrak bus drives by
Today's highlight is meeting Alex on the train out of Bakersfield, who has also been bicycling in Southern California. One train-rider presumes we're a couple travelling together and another suggests that we get married since we've connected so well! A fine ending to another great Mojave-Desert bicycle-camping trip that I wish could last longer. - Bicycle route elevation from Cady Mountains to Barstow via Route 66
46.2 bicycle miles and about 1000 feet of elevation gain. - 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
Maybe I should go back to bed for another hour though! I slept well and want more. The wind stayed calm all night and I only woke up once. Because it was warmer last night (high 40s instead of low 40s), I didn't need to wear my wool hat to bed. - This stretch of old Route 66, heading into Newberry Springs, parallels the I-40 freeway, clearly visible to my right
Newberry Springs is straight ahead in front of the Newberry Mountains. Barstow is over by those distant hills. Here I come. By bicycle. - A number of old trailers dot the outskirts of Newberry Springs along old Route 66
Some of these are starting to feel like icons now that I've travelled this stretch of road a few times during the past couple of years. - I pass a lava field along old Route 66 east of Newberry Springs
Maybe I'll get around to hiking out onto that black expanse one day; I'm usually on my way to somewhere when riding by here, so I haven't yet stopped here to explore on foot. - Near the lava field east of Newberry Springs is the end of Troy Dry Lake
The I-40 freeway is just over there, crossing the middle of the dry lake. Minerals rise to the surface, creating snowy white crusts in places.