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- From the hill above Juniper Spring are nice views across Ivanpah Dry Lake with the Clark Mountains to the left
The cholla cacti here on the hill glow in the bright afternoon sunlight. - I arrive at the unnamed wash leading into the Kelso Mountains which I had targeted on my maps and GPS
It's a bit wider and sandier than I was expecting. - Entrance to the small cave is via a narrow ledge
The ledge is just wide and flat enough for a human to use, carefully. - I arrive at my tent to find that strong Devil's Playground winds have blown it during the day over while I was out hiking!
It's going to be a windy evening! Everything in the tent has been rolled over and deposited into a big pile. After resetting the tent to an upright position, I place large rocks inside along the edges. Due to the strong winds this evening, it takes 45 minutes to boil water for my evening meal. Finally, it boils and I enjoy my Mountain House Beef Teriyaki and Rice meal; yum. Watching the water boil is like meditation. The wind makes being inside the tent really noisy, like living inside a flapping plastic bag. The wind dies down around 22h, thankfully. I seem to be catching a cold: uh oh. Imperceptibly, a dusting of sand is blowing into my tent and coating everything. I probably wouldn't notice this except that it has landed on my notebook while I write today's notes. Grit on paper. After a couple of short, chilly walks outside in the cold silence to admire the stars, silence and the waxing half-moon, I manage to get to sleep fairly easily. - Old refigerator in the back porch of an abandoned house at Cima, Mojave National Preserve
The back porch doesn't have exterior walls anymore. - After about 6 miles of bumpy Nipton-Desert Road, I'm happy to reach the relative smoothness of some residual old pavement
I'll have this pavement for the final 3-4 miles until I reach Nipton. Hurray! - I'm high enough now that I can see behind me to the Castle Peaks (center-left) and the Castle Mountains (center-right)
Interesting dark cloud shadow in the middle of my view... - Well, well, there turns out to be a series of big rollers here on the way down. I've just come down the first.
Actually, I walked the bike most of the way down this hill because the gravel was slippery and I didn't want to risk losing control. - The pale buckwheat flowers look pinker in the blush of sunset near Malpais Spring, Mojave National Preserve
These plants seem to love the gravelly soil up here. - The stucco exterior on the south exterior wall of the Gold Valley cabin is peeling off
The roof has already collapsed and the cabin is leaning. How much longer before the whole structure falls over with a big bang? Will anyone be around to hear the noise? - I reach a crest on Gold Valley Mine Road and try my cell phone: it works!
Since there is very little cell-phone reception here in the Mid Hills, I take advantage of the moment to send a few text messages. I also change the outgoing message on my phone to indicate where I am. - I walk back down Cedar Wash toward the road where I left my bicycle
It's wide-open and a bit downhill here, so the I move quickly along. - Also near the beginning of Ivanpah Road is one of those "entering Mojave National Preserve" monuments
Crap, I have a really strong headwind, which I have had in this area on previous Mojave National Preserve trips. It feels uphill already, even though I haven't even started the day's climb yet! - Some of the rocks need to be hopped over
However, nothing in this canyon yet requires mountain-climbing skills. - I park the bicycle where the spur road ends near Rock Springs and go for a walk
I'm at the lowest elevation of today's travels, about 4800 feet. - Bluejay Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve
A short but excellent mountain-bike ride in Mojave National Preserve. - Returning to my tent at Mid Hills site 22, I spot some tiny flowers along the road that I've never noticed before
Maybe I've seen these plants many times but didn't notice them because they weren't flowering... - The bumpy Nipton-Desert Road is starting to give me a headache, so I'm happy to take a break by this prickly poppy
I eat an energy bar and enjoy the quiet out here and the views of Castle Peaks in the distance. I'll visit there in a few days. I haven't seen a car or a person since leaving pavement back at Primm. - Once all is dismantled, the wind stops for a few minutes, which keeps my belongings from blowing away while packing
I've enjoyed my three nights here and haven't seen anyone else in the area. I could spend more time exploring nooks and crannies around here, but it's time to move on. Everything I'm carrying is unpacked and scattered about, so it's taking me a while to pack up. - The upper tunnel isn't carved very deeply into the hillside
It leads to a shaft with a ladder that presumably drops down to the lower tunnel; I didn't check to see where it goes. - I decide to spend another night at the Ludlow Motel to catch up on some needed sleep and avoid the cold
Temperatures dropping down into the 20s again tonight! I'm too late to eat at the Ludlow Café, so I visit the other place in town, Dairy Queen, for another hamburger. OK, I'm tired of hamburgers now; I usually rarely eat them. - I stop to take a quick look at an abandoned gas station in Newberry Springs, which also once housed a restaurant
Faded paint on the front of the building says, "Italian and American Dishes." This was once part of an old chain of gas stations called the "Whiting Brothers." - From the summit of the Mojave Road at about 4550 feet, I have a nice view across the Marl Mountains to the Kelso Dunes
... with the intrusion of a transmission tower. - I enjoy cold coffee and eat breakfast while packing up to leave Ivanpah Valley
Of course I would prefer iced coffee, but my water is refreshing enough, still cool from the overnight sweater-weather temperature. A few bees feast on the buckwheat flowers outside my tent; busy, they leave me alone. I usually dislike instant coffee, but this Starbuck's Via coffee is pretty good. - A GPS check shows that Taylor Spring lies somewhere past the large rounded hill ahead
No trails lie ahead, just fun cross-country hiking. - Malpais Spring Road tops out on a plateau at about 4600 feet elevation, so I park the bicycle and start looking for a campsite
Nice view of the town of Searchlight, Nevada from here. At this point, the meagre road turns northeast and continues back down to the corral on Walking Box Ranch Road that I passed a while ago. - A sign warns of mining traffic near the start of Walking Box Ranch Road
The mines referred to by the signs may be no longer operational, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll find out how much traffic there is. So far, no sign of life around here. - I ride almost five miles up the gentle grade of Kelso-Cima Road to the Cima Store, gaining about 450 feet in elevation
The slight uphill combined with patches of sunshine means that I'm starting to sweat; time to take off my windbreaker! I don't see any wetness on the road, but the distinct smell of summer rain is in the air. - The wash fizzles out, and now I'm on the foothills of Kelso Peak
I keep walking onward and upward. - Brilliant Indian Paintbrush never fails to get one's attention!
This is one plant I should try growing in my garden at home. - At the summit of Idora Mine Canyon, at about 2500 feet elevation, is a flat area, perhaps flattened by mining
I'm enjoying the commanding views across the Devil's Playground below and over to the hills in the Kelso Dunes Wilderness, beyond the Mojave National Preserve boundaries. The post at left is a claim marker, I think. - Aiken Mine Road continues to rise at about a 1% grade, with the Cow Cove area to the right and Button Mountain straight ahead
I might do a short hike over to the Cow Cove rock-art area tomorrow before heading back to Baker, but I'm open to change. - It turns out that a very small pool of water does exist here at Rock Springs after all
My MSR water filter could take care of this if I had to filter water here, but I'm glad I don't need to. I have filtered worse water than this, such as at Mid Hill's Cottonwood Spring last year, which had even less water than this. - Kelso Dunes paint a scenic backdrop for this moment of indecision
I don't want to turn back when I'm so close to Cornfield Spring. But I'm spooked by the prospect of running dry on a hot day, even briefly; I'm drinking a lot. With water, I could also walk two miles toward Kelso Dunes to check out the old Rex Mine site. - I make a small pot of tea, wondering if it will be enough to jumpstart my day; I would prefer some strong coffee, but have none
I still can't believe that the Starbuck's in Baker has closed after being open for only a year or two. I do like tea, but I like espresso more. - The drainage wash has fizzled out and I find my self hiking uphill and cross-country amidst some gangly joshua trees
According to my GPS, I'm almost at the high point of this stretch. - I stumble across these little red flowers that I'm not familiar with
This might be a scarlet gilia (ipomopsis), not sure. - While riding the I-40 freeway past the military base on the way back to Barstow, my GPS mysteriously crashes
My GPS won't restart until I'm almost past the military base. What's this? The many passing big rigs create strong side winds that, mixed in with the headwind, threaten to pull me out into freeway traffic. Yikes, time for serious focus while riding here! - I choose a spot about 150 feet in from the road; I don't like to be too close to the road in case visitors should pass by
I haven't seen anyone since I left pavement at Ludlow earlier today. However, there are plenty of tire tracks on the road, and this is the Thanksgiving holiday week, when there will probably be a few more explorers poking around than usual. - The moon is full enough tonight to cast shadows here near Malpais Spring, Mojave National Preserve
I settle into the tent for a relaxing evening. Supper is Mountain House Jamaican Style Chicken and Rice, which is spicy enough to be a real winner. It's a chilly evening, so I sleep with long underwear and double socks. I sleep so well. - After half an hour, I stop for a few minutes on the way up the hill: I'm in Nevada now
A new "Welcome to Nevada" sign has been posted since I last rode by here and entered Nevada briefly, two years ago, this one with fewer bullet holes. On the California side, it's called Nipton Road; from now on, I'll be on Nevada 164. - I decide to head down the wash to Beecher Canyon
If I had started this hike earlier, I would continue ridge-running for a while toward Summit Spring. However, I have no idea how long it might take to climb out of Beecher Canyon once I get down there. - On the way to Kelso Peak, a few joshua trees are scattered across this area dominated by creosote-bush scrub
I have several low hills go climb up and down to get over to a particular wash that penetrates into the Kelso Mountains. - The cactus, rock, yucca and brush obstructions in the canyon are mostly easy to get around
The downward hike in this Clark Mountain Range canyon is going faster than I expected. - After my break at Thomas Place, I get back on Death Valley Mine Road and ride north through the joshua tree forest
I have about four miles to ride on this road, some of which is slightly uphill, some slightly downhill. - A burned joshua tree in the Mid Hills a couple hundred feet above the south side of Cedar Canyon Road
It will be quite a few years before this burned landscape grows back to be as green as the areas around Live Oak Spring and Seep Canyon that I hiked earlier today. - The Howe Spring water tank is empty
From the appearance of the broken pipes scattered in the wash below, the Howe Spring water tank probably hasn't been operational in years. - Wild Horse Mesa summit lies just ahead
The last little bit is fairly steep, but the sun keeps hiding behind clouds and cool breezes blow, so I don't overheat as I hike quickly to the top. - I don't mind the dead moths in the Chicken Water Spring basin, but the dead lizard makes the water less appetizing
I pluck the dead lizard out of the water and leave it on the ground for the wildlife to eat. There's no algal growth in this spring tub, so the water would probably be fine after filtering, despite the dead lizard, which hasn't started to decompose. - I take a short break at Wildcat Spring and drink some of the water I brought with me
I carry a water filter on my trips, but the $12/night fee at Mid Hills campground pays for the luxury of being able to refill my water supply without effort for day hikes like this. Plus, the National Parks Service deserves our support, especially in a park like Mojave National Preserve which (fortunately for those of us who seek solitude) doesn't have huge visitation numbers nor an entrance fee (yet). - After approximately 2.5 miles on the freeway, I reach Nebo Street and one of those "bicycles must exit" signs
Upon leaving the freeway, a "Historic Route 66" sign points me in the correct direction. - Feathery pinks and blues dust the sky looking northeast
I get out my pot of water that I'll boil for my evening meal once the sun goes down. - When sunset approaches, I walk up a hill near my site at Mid Hills campground to take in the views
The parts of the campground that were denuded by the 2005 brush fires look better under the golden glow of sunset. - I ride two miles down Wild Horse Canyon Road, then ride north on Black Canyon Road
The downhill is nice! I stop here to check out an old cistern at my left. Private property (some of it for sale) lies behind the fence to my right. - My hiking route today follows an old mining road that rises up over the pass ahead to the north side of the Clark Mountain Range
This highly eroded road (walk straight ahead) is almost invisible at first and rises up to about 5070 feet. - I continue the scenic descent down Seep Canyon
Walking here can be almost dizzying at times as I try to watch for obstacles on the ground and enjoy the texture festival around me at the same time. - I figure I have about 1.5 miles of descent ahead of me in this little canyon
This area is untouched by the fires that burned much of the Mid Hills back in 2005. Pristine! - Just to the east of the main part of Silver Lead Spring is an old conrete-and-rock retainer
The water held here is dark brown, perhaps tainted by something from the mine shaft. - Here's an old concrete cistern near Silver Lead Spring
...and some rubber piping that doesn't look all that old. Now I'm getting excited. Where exactly is Silver Lead Spring? Am I standing on it? - I continue walking up the wash toward Silver Lead Spring and Wild Horse Canyon Road
I need to calm down, but don't. The uphill here is steeper than it looks, rising about 1000 feet over two miles. Since it doesn't look steep, I unconsciously attack the hill as if it were flat, drinking lots of water, required by the 80s temperature. - I'm getting closer to the bottom, but each time I think I see an easy next-step-down, it turns out to be less simple
Of course, if this exercise were too easy, it would be less fun. - We start seeing the occasional Desert four o'clock bush with its intense magenta flowers
We're not too late for these flowers... - I arrive at the Route 66 Motel in Barstow and its collection of old cars 'n' such, and check in for another night
I didn't expect to be here as early as 16h, but here I am. A nice Indian couple runs this place and the smell of their home-cooking wafting out into the check-in office is making me hungry (unfortunately, there are no Indian restuarants in Barstow)! - Now that I'm getting closer to the town of Newberry Springs, I'm starting to see a few more cars on this part of old Route 66
I have to start paying more attention now to my position as I ride down the road. - I heat up water for my instant Starbucks coffee, eat granola, dried fruits and nuts, and prepare my backpack for today's hike
I'm not a morning person, but I want to get started early so I can hike as far as possible toward Broadwell Mesa with minimal hiking after dark on the return trip. - Back at Indian Spring for the second time today
I filter enough water to fill my four 1.5-litre water bottles, which should get me through tomorrow, before hiking back to my campsite. I drank about 2.5 litres since replenishing here this morning. - The sun sets, little by little, minute by minute, on the Castle Mountains and Hart Peak
I snap a lot of photos, trying in vain to somehow capture the moment in some meaningful way. - I enjoy the morning shade of the eucalyptus trees at Nipton campground on this cool morning
I don't need them in this morning's weather, but these non-native trees are really nice when one wants to sleep in a little and not be woken up by hot morning sunshine cooking the tent. - Near the bottom of Morning Star Mine Road, signs and cars pop up through the creosote-bush scrub
No rain on me yet! - I walk across to the other side of Woods Wash and note some pink cactus blooms
It's amazing that a plant can survive in this rock so hot that it almost burns my hand when I touch it. - Close-up of the barberry bush on the north side of Pinto Mountain
Some of the stems look rather old; perhaps this plant burned during the 2005 brush fires and has regenerated. - I catch the last vestiges of sunlight as I walk the final 1.3 miles down the power-line road back to camp
Looking westward toward Kelso Dunes Wilderness and Bristol Mountains Wilderness as I hike east on the power-line road. - Time to say good-bye to Rex Mine; it has been a long and interesting day exploring the area
I expect the sunset hike down the fan to be pleasant this evening, just like it was yesterday hiking back down Cornfield Spring Road. - After filtering 10 litres of Cornfield Spring water in the shade, it's time to climb under that tree again and out of the wash
I've been here for a peaceful 20 minutes or more. I once heard some noise in the brush while filtering water, but have no wildlife sightings to report. - During the first mile from Aiken MIne Road toward Kelbaker Road (southwest), the road drops about 300 feet
Most of this downhill is moderate and fun to ride down, despite the rough road, and a short segment reaches 20 percent grade. - I continue whooshing down Cima Road and can now see trucks on Interstate 15 in the distance
The lower part of Cima Road is paved with that brick-red material that one finds here and there in the Mojave. I'm guessing that it's a material native to the area, but I don't know what it is. - The front exterior of the collapsing house at Cima
The house has three front doors, an unusual arrangement (one of the doors is hidden by the post in the photo). - A nearby alcove in the rocks at Black Palisades harbours nesting materials rather than a tinaja
I'll guess that this is a rat nest, but I really don't know. I would be very surprised to learn that it's a bird nest. - I walk up the drainage to the campground and almost resurface at the back of the wrong campsite at Mid Hills
Approaching the campsite, which I can't see due to the trees, I hear voices, realize where I am, and make a quick detour over to my own campsite. The campers probably hear me and think I'm an animal in the brush. Maybe I am. - Cows grazing near Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve
Much of Mojave National Preserve has historically been used as cattle-grazing land and some of it will therefore continue to be used as such until grazing licenses are bought out by the Preserve. - Atop the ridge, it's exciting to look over the other side to a world where it appears that man rarely visits
I see the Providence Mountains and canyons that I've never seen before. I'm going to walk down that way a bit and see if I can climb up to Wild Horse Mesa from there. - This desert wind storm seems to be getting a kick out of playing with my flexible tent, just to see what shapes it can make
It seems that the wind is getting worse. Given how many times I woke up overnight, I think I would have noticed if the tent got as flattened as this and threatened to suffocate me. - I cross the powerline road that cuts through the Cady Mountains just a few miles north of my campsite at Broadwell Dry Lake
I could follow it from here up into the Rodman Mountains, where I'm thinking of camping tonight. However, knowing how fickle the powerline roads can be, I may use a more direct and ridable route a bit further on from Newberry Springs. - I take a look behind me at the "city lights" of Ludlow, now two miles away
I'm not seeing any headlights yet down in the expanse around Broadwell Dry Lake, but I have been noticing some fresh tire tracks on the road here. - The Bristol Mounatins powerline road is looking good again, with a just bit of kitty litter on its surface
I'm excited, and start riding again, a little further toward the Bristol Mountains. - I walk down the old road, enjoying the sunset
This is a transition zone, where the cholla cacti and buckwheats common down below, mesh with the pinon-and-juniper forest above. - I make it back to my tent overlooking Ivanpah Valley just before dusk
The 10-ton bike with its flat front tire rests peacefully along the road. - I watch a small RV rattle its way up, at about 5 miles per hour, the washboarded hill of Black Canyon Road that I just descended
This is only the second vehicle I've seen this morning. - The old cistern here by Holliman Well off Black Canyon Road, with Pinto Mountain in the background, is full
The water is looking a bit stagnant, but nothing that a water filter couldn't take care of, if necessary. Still, I prefer my chlorinated water from Mid Hills campground, if only because I'm too lazy to pump water unnecessarily. - I climb down into the wash and start walking up into the Kelso Mountains
There are a lot of footprints in the sand, but it looks more like animal traffic than human footprints. In places, I detect faint tire tracks, which shouldn't exist here, given that this is a designated Wilderness area. - More rocks to avoid in Bull Canyon
Walking here allows me to avoid thick brush on the other side of the boulders. - A tree that I've never seen before is blooming profusely in the moist area just below Pachalka Spring
The twisted trunk of the tree is vaguely manzanita- or madrone-like, but the leaves don't look like either of those trees. - I get back on Black Canyon Road and start the 10-mile ride up the gentle hill back to Mid Hills campground
There's a campground here at Hole-in-the-Wall, but it's often full of RVs, so I rarely stay here. The pavement on Black Canyon Road ends just after the campground, and I'm happy for that. - Map and GPS check at the the top of the low ridge 200 feet above, and just south of, Coyote Spring
I'm on my way now to Chicken Water Spring, a mile or so away over in the next hidden, unnamed valley. - The climb up Cedar Canyon Road into the Mid Hills starts out well
Behind me here at about 3800 feet, the old Mojave Road is clearly visible winding up toward Marl Springs in the Marl Mountains. - I'm heading up a small drainage now toward that rounded hill on my way to the Bathtub Spring Peaks area
To keep the grade as gentle as possible, I'll soon veer a bit to the right, then back to the left when it's time to climb the big hill. - I've decided to aim for the top of the unnamed hills ahead between Bolder Spring wash and the north fork of Globe Mine Road
To get from this saddle over to the summit on the top right, I'll need to drop down into the drainage in front of me and climb upward from there. - Oops, just when I'm not expecting any further obstacles, I encounter a 15-foot drop-off in the drainage that I'm hiking
However, it's easy to walk over a nearby hill to get around this. - I have a delicious supper at Rosita's on Barstow's Main Street
Mexican-American can be bland, but they seem to do it well here. Homemade corn tortillas, generous spicy salsa on the side, Mexican rice in which you can actually taste tomato, and generous machaca portion, nothing over-salted (soup is blah, however) - Zooming in, I can make out the tidbit of civilization that is Ludlow, California along old Route 66 and I-40
The snow-capped mountains in the distant background remind me that this is the beginning of winter in the desert. It was close to freezing last night here in the lower, warmer parts of the desert. - The sun is dropping and the first glimmers of sunset in Ivanpah Valley are hitting my beard
It's time to turn around for the two-mile hike back to my tent at Nipton, and enjoy the Ivanpah Valley sunset. - I manage to photograph this zebra-tailed lizard near Indian Spring before he scurries away
I've seen dozens of lizards today... - Rhus trilobata is common in many desert washes like Juniper Spring wash
This is "the plant that looks like poison-oak, but isn't." These berries are supposedly edible. I planted one of these at home, but it doesn't get enough sun to produce flowers or grow properly. - I climb up the hill above the slot canyon and look back down into the area above Malpais Spring
Gee, I was way down there just a few minutes ago. - After a short distance, I climb up out of the canyon to circumvent a thicket of willow, desert willow and catclaw
I hope Malpais Spring isn't in the middle of all that greenery, which would require bushwhacking to penetrate. - I ride two miles on Black Canyon Road on the way back to Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve
My bones rattle while I absorb the road's washboard texture, but sometimes I can avoid it by riding at the right edge of the road, or in the middle of the road. - As I start hiking across the creosote-bush scrub, a fluffy winterfat bush (Krascheninnikovia lanata) catches my attention
I saw a few of these on my way up Kelbaker Road yesterday, but none as fluffy as this one. - A few miles further up Kelbaker Road is the "watch for tortoises" sign; I still haven't seen one yet
Kelbaker Road is a slow, gentle uphill, and I'll rise 1000 feet during the first 10 miles to reach those low hills ahead. The rise is almost imperceptible to someone driving a car. With close to 100F forecast, I need to get to higher, cooler ground. - I take another detour to avoid a brushy area in Bull Canyon and now need to climb back down to the wash
The afternoon has been rather grey so far, but some sunshine is starting to poke through the clouds. - I decide that what I really want is to hike back down Old Dad Canyon the way I came, and then hike a bit of Idora Mine Canyon
The views will be great on the way back down Old Dad Canyon, and I've been curious about Idora Mine Canyon for a while now. - The brilliant pink Mojave Desert sunset is reflecting in the clouds to the east of me
Now that the sun is going down, it seems that the temperature has already dropped five or ten degrees. - There's just a bit too much sand on this stretch of Aiken Mine Road for me to ride the bike
A few more raindrops fall. I can almost get enough traction to ride in the tire tracks in the middle of the road, but not quite. - From the low point of today's hike at about 4350 feet elevation, I walk north across the fan for about a quarter of a mile
Patches of agaves grow on some of the higher mounds between drainage areas on the rocky fan. - From the ridge, I look down into the steep canyon that descends from Clark Mountain
Prior to this trip, I plotted a route partway up that canyon in case I decided to do a hike toward the summit of Clark Mountain. - I stop at the old Valley Wells town site to check out the final remnants of the wall of a mud-brick building
Of course, one wonders how long ago there was an actual building here and how long it took to deteriorate this much. Was the deterioration due to weather or vandalism, or both? - On the way up Black Canyon Road, I pass the Gold Valley Ranch
This is one of the old ranches that has been here for many generations, long before Mojave National Preserve came into existence. - I climb up the hill above Coyote Spring and try my cell phone
No reception here. Oh well... I guess I won't be changing my outgoing message today to let people know exactly where I am (I know there will be no reception further up near Wild Horse Canyon Road). - Black Canyon Road rises up from Cedar Canyon Road toward the Mid Hills, Mojave National Preserve
It's not all that steep, but on a heavily loaded bike near the end of a long, warm day, it can feel like a sharp uphill. The heavy 2.35" Serfas Swoop mountain tires that I put on the bike for this trip are really helping. - I plant myself in the sitting area of the little library and go about browsing the books and maps
It's not a huge collection, but all the library materials here are relevant. I spend about an hour and half with my head in the books, enjoying the air conditioning all the while. - The four-mile climb up Nipton Road to Crescent Pass isn't too steep, but it does take some time pedaling in the lower gears
I'm fortunate to have today's strong winds behind me, helping me up this hill. With a full water load (about 18 litres), the 10-ton bike is at it's heaviest. I'll gain about 1800 feet elevation during these four miles. - From this spot on Bathtub Spring Peak, I get a view of Cima Dome's distant, gentle curve that I haven't had before
The hills in the middle ground are in the Slaughterhouse Spring area, which I haven't visited yet. I hear a hawk screeching occasionally and then see it flying around. Maybe there are nests up here. - The final slow descent to the bottom of Ivanpah Valley passes beautifully
I find myself riding at over 30 miles per hour a few times, forgetting than I'm riding a potentially disabled bike. - Hmmm.... The city lights of Barstow are not so far away as I start my way up the road into the Newberry Mountains foothills
It didn't occur to me that I'd be so close to Barstow and "city life" tonight. The clear skies send no harbinger of the stormy weather system that will be here within a couple hours. - I pause in the shade of a juniper with its juniper berries at the pass in the New York Mountains
It's nice to retreat from the hot sun for a few minutes. I rest briefly, eat an energy bar, suck back some water, and try my cell phone. It works! So I compose a text message. - Riding through Cedar Canyon is scenic, but my fingers are getting cold!
It's typically cooler up in the mountains here, but this is unusually chilly for late May! On the way down, I'm noticing how badly the road is washboarded; on the way up, my speed was so slow that it didn't seem so bad. - Just a few more boulder piles to climb before I'm completely up out of Beecher Canyon
I stick my hand in a patch of dried phacelias on the way up here. Ouch! They're not thorny, but they have tiny hairs that are as irritating as thorns. Then I stab a finger with three cactus spines. Sloppy hiking! - Bumpy, bumpy, slowly uphill pedaling on the upper part of Black Canyon Road
I'm getting tired, going down with the sun. The peace and quiet is most enjoyable; I haven't seen a motor vehicle since meeting the French tourists before getting on the dirt road to Woods Wash. - While at the Rex Mine headframe, I get out my maps and decide where to go next
It's only 12h30, so I still have a few hours of hiking time ahead of me. - Now at the summit of Cornfield Spring Road, I have a nice partial view across to Cima Dome on the other side of Kelso Valley
It's all downhill from here, and downhill can be quite scenic at sunset. - Near 17-Mile Point (the big hill at left) are a few stretches of old pavement that haven't yet returned to nature
Of course, I like these brief hard-surfaced stretches, since I'm expecting some sand ahead which may require that I hike the 10-ton bike. - My road splits, and I follow the right fork leading toward the Clark Mountain Range and Pachalka Spring
This road to my right doesn't appear in the maps in my GPS, so I had to record it in advance of my trip as an off-road route. - I leave Wildcat Spring and start hiking toward my next stop, Coyote Spring, about 1/2 mile beyond
Note the faded track here of an old road. This is not the same Mojave National Preserve Coyote Springs that I visited during my 2008 Mojave National Preserve trip. That one is situated in the lower Granite Mountains, south of Kelso Depot. - Something doesn't feel quite right on the 10-ton bike, so I pull over on the sandy power-line road for a moment
I'm not imagining things... I notice that couple of the screws attaching the robust Old Man Mountain rack to my bike are very loose and need to be tightened. - I finally get past the rocky part of the road to a more ridable stretch
This part of the road is a bit sandy and eroded, but it is slightly downhill and rides reasonably well on the 10-ton bike's fat 2.3-inch tires. However, I wouldn't try driving a passenger car up this road! - I wake up early and look outside to another warm sunny day: sadly, the final morning of this trip
With about 50 miles of riding ahead of me today, much of it downhill and some of it on roads I haven't travelled before, the trip is definitely not done yet, even though this is my last day. - I continue zooming down Nevada 164 toward Nipton, California: miles of excellent downhill riding
Mojave National Preserve's Ivanpah Mountains, which I've barely explored, jut upward on the other side of Ivanpah Valley. - The water in the Indian Spring cistern is clean, aside from minor algal growth in the tank
I'm thrilled by the discovery of usable water here. I thought Malpais Spring would be my only possible source of water in this area, and it's almost dry. - Riding west on Cedar Canyon Road, I get views of the Eagle Rocks area from down below
A group of three vehicles passes me here, slowly, creating a minor dust cloud. Most people do not drive very fast on these washboarded roads! - I zoom down the 12 miles of gentle Cima Road grade to Valley Wells at Interstate 15
With the wind behind me, I hit 30 miles per hour while descending from 5000 feet elevation down to 3730 feet. - Nice view from here at Black Palisades toward Cima
Tomorrow I'll ride up Morning Star Mine Road and over that pass; I rode down that way yesterday to get to Nipton. - I notice a few moist spots here and there as I climb over the rocks in what I've decided to call Seep Canyon
The moist spots aren't big enough to be considered as springs, so it's no surprise that they're not indicated on my maps. - Manzanita regrowth in the burned area below Wild Horse Mesa, Mojave National Preserve
I'm always amazed when I find manzanitas in the Mojave Desert because it's a plant usually associated with the California coast ranges. - A little further ahead in Willow Wash is a small rock ruins, probably another extinct cistern
Some old rusty metal pipes can also be found nearby. - Roadside view of the Royal Hawaiian Motel, my home last night while waiting to begin the bikepacking trip
I often stay here while passing through Baker because it's the cheapest motel in town at $49 if you pay cash. It's a bit seedy and the oldest part of the motel is abandoned, but its well-worn 80s decor lends a special character to the place. I've taken more photos of this place during my earlier trips here. - The old pipe continues along the ground along the old road to Keystone Spring
There's really not much left of the road! - Next to the crumbling exterior of the add-on at the rear of the house at Ivanpah is an open window
What's inside? - I discover an abandoned, deflated balloon under a creosote bush in Ivanpah Valley, not far from Nipton Road
Happy something to someone somewhere! Earlier today, I saw a ribbon along a road, but with no balloon attached; this is my first balloon sighting of the day. - From Nipton campground, I look across the train tracks and up Ivanpah Valley toward Cima
Wide-open space for miles... I was up there just yesterday. - The cactus garden in front of the Hotel Nipton is artfully built of multi-coloured rock
Coloured rock creates spaces and patterns in the garden. - I do a test ride to a nearby campsite after fixing the bike's misaligned rear wheel; nice view of Cima Dome from this site
Expecting to replace a damaged axle, I find instead that the quick-release on the rear axle has loosened a bit. The spring on my rear brakes also seems screwy, so I try to straighten it out, but don't force it too much in case I make it worse. - More Mojave asters along the powerline road near Kelso Peak
I try taking a few more close-up photos, but the light breeze keeps the flowers moving just enough to make focusing with a cheap camera impossible. - From my tent on Cima Dome, I watch a jackrabbit hop around a lot, digging small holes along the way
The jackrabbit doesn't notice me at first. I'm not sure what he was looking for, but it doesn't look like he found it. - Black Canyon Road climbs up above the wash while passing through the canyon
This keeps the road from getting too water-damaged, but the road surface is heavily washboarded nonetheless. My bones rattle. - Bluejay Mine Road enters a wash and I look at the tracks I've carved behind me
It's a bit sandy here. Other tracks here indicate that motor vehicles have come this far a few times and turned around, probably fearing that the road would worsen. - Hmmm... this installation on the Bristol Mountains fan is interesting
An old wooden grave marker next to some upright modern plastic pipe? - Yellow desert marigolds and purple desert four o'clocks grow by this juniper near Indian Spring, New York Mountains
A few phacelias are hidden in the juniper's shade. - Near the dry Juniper Spring trough is a pipe leading up a wash
It's worth following, just to see where it goes; probably not far. - I get excited when I discover this little stream; I'm close to the source of Malpais Spring
Is this it, or will there be more water than this? - The relatively smooth gravel in this part of the wash is a nice break from all the rock higher up the canyon
My hiking speed picks up accordingly. - My 10-litre MSR black water bag is nice and full and fat now
I now have plenty of water for the rest of the day and probably most of tomorrow too. No yellowjacket wasps were buzzing around this spring like they often do: sweet! - When I think of the Cima Dome area, I think of gorgeous sunsets, and tonight is no exception
Whenever the wind dies down for a moment, I hear crickets singing. A bird whistles so perfectly a few times that it sounds like a human nearby. Aren't I the only human around here right now, except for the occasional passing car on Cima Road? It is a bit chilly tonight. Chilly in the Mojave Desert in June? Yes, because I'm in the desert mountains. I would need to put on my long pants and sweater if I were spending a significant amount of time outside tonight. Spring evenings are beautiful up here at 5000 feet, but it can snow sometimes during the winter months. - I ride briefly through the sagebrush in Watson Wash, then rise out of the wash after turning onto Cedar Canyon Road
It will be pretty much all uphill from here at 4800 feet back to my Mid Hills campground site at 5600 feet. - Entering the next phase of today's hike, I start heading down toward Wildcat Spring, Mojave National Preserve
I pre-recorded a route through this area on my Delorme GPS and am also carrying a good topo map from mytopo.com to assist me. A couple of jackrabbits run away when they detect me. - Kelso Depot baggage office, from staff's view
Customers would stand on the other side of the wicket. - Kelso Depot, second storey: the real reason I'm here today (besides the air conditioning)
Most of the small rooms off the long corridor were sleeping rooms for staff. I'm most interested in the two small rooms that are now used as a library on the Mojave Desert theme. - Lots of scat around these boulders
Presumably, this comes from the same critter that made the animal trail that exists in places along the ridge. - 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. - A little further ahead, I'll make a left turn under the powerlines and ride the final two miles of dirt road back to Ludlow
I'm sweating a little, even though it's not a warm day—only in the low 50s. Riding on this surface is a technical exercise. Sometimes, riding in tire tracks works best because the ground is better packed there, but sometimes the middle is firmer. - It's time for me to stop looking down toward Broadwell Dry Lake from the gas station parking lot and actually go there
Of course, it would be easier to stay here and enjoy looking at the sunset, instead of jumping into the photo. - I almost walked past this old, fallen-down, unhewn-wood fence around the Taylor Spring site without noticing it
I'm here at Taylor Spring, so says my GPS, but I don't see a spring yet. - I'm enjoying the rocky constrictions in Malpais Spring wash, and I find myself hiking toward another one
... just when I thought I may have reached the end. - Deposits of sand and silt fill the drainage between the rocks
No footprints here. - Also still blooming in the lower north fork of Beecher Canyon are a few phacelias
Most of the phacelias I've seen so far on this trip are drying up and not as fresh-looking as these. - I'm happy to wake up and find myself at Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve
I lose a layer of dirt, sweat and sunscreen as I wash myself down for the first time since leaving Baker; it feels great. Always a nice place to wake up. It was cool overnight and I slept incredibly well. Other than some tired muscles from yesterday's climb up from Kelso, I'm surprised that I feel in good shape this morning. - I have to put my sweater on for the hike back down Old Dad Canyon
Strong, chilly winds have set in, so I have to put my sweater on before starting the walk back down. I wonder if it's just windy up here, or if it's windy down at my campsite as well. - On the half-mile walk up the old road to Copper World Mine, I notice a lonely old cabin nearby
I'll visit the cabin on my way back down the road. - I walk up toward the closest turret of Black Palisades
I'm not feeling too ambitious in today's 90-degree heat, so I probably won't attempt to walk across the entire ridge of Black Palisades. - At the junction of two old roads, I take the one that heads off to my left, toward the Mid Hills
This road will eventually cross the power-line road in the distance. It is on my maps, but I didn't notice passing it when I rode down the power-line road during last year's Mojave National Preserve trip. Black Palisades is visible at the left edge of this photo. - I reach the unnamed pass in the Mid Hills above Live Oak Spring and get a glimpse south across Round Valley to Table Mountain
I hope that hiking down the other side toward Cedar Canyon Road and Mid Hills campground won't have too many obstacles! - Looking back up to Wild Horse Mesa as I continue back down to Bluejay Mine
Many little yellow desert marigold flowers dot this area. - The basin at Chicken Water Spring is mostly full, though the water may not be the freshest
Perhaps I could have bike-camped here and purified the water with my water filter. I had been worried that there might not be water here. Mojave National Preserve is so large that staff usually doesn't know if smaller springs like this contain water. Mojave National Preserve is not a backpacker-friendly park in that respect. - It looks a bit steeper going down than I was hoping for
I'll try my luck and continue downward, but if it gets too treacherous, I may have to climb back up to the ridge and try descending somewhere else. - Beyond Willow Spring, my goal is to hike over the hills and be back at my campsite at the end of Castle Peaks Road before dark
I check my GPS and decide to follow a small drainage out of Willow Wash that briefly heads toward the cliffs here before climbing a hill to the left (eastward). - Looking southwest from the top of hill 1161 along a saddle that I'll follow to the next high point of the ridge
Kelso Dunes rest in the background. - If I stand back far enough, I can see both the north and south natural arches at the same time
...but if I stand back too far, or at the wrong angle, one or both of the arches tend to disappear. - My return hike back down "South Broadwell Wash" comes to an end as I approach the fan above Broadwell Dry Lake
Sunset is getting dressed for the occasion. - Finding a campsite is tricky in this area above Ivanpah Valley because there are hardly any open spaces between plants
I end up cautiously pitching my tent tightly between two yuccas and try not to crush the flowering buckwheat in front of my tent as I go in and out. - I've just coasted blissfully down 6 miles of Nevada 164 and reach unpaved Walking Box Ranch Road, where I'll turn off
I've dropped 900 feet to about 3950 feet elevation. I can see the town of Searchlight, Nevada 7 miles further down the hill. Searchlight is not on my route for this trip, but I might end up visiting there if I don't locate water at Malpais Spring. - The quonset hut at the Nipton campground houses toilets, sinks and showers; an outdoor hot tub is nearby, to the right
Time to walk over to the café for supper! Though not a huge meat-eater, I order the New York strip steak meal, which is delicious and fills my protein craving. I chat with a couple who have visited many of the same places as I, then do my laundry and take a much-needed shower. I have cell-phone reception here, so I make a couple of calls and send a few text messages to declare that I'm alive and really enjoying this spring's trip. Of course it's warmer down here at Nipton than it was up in the mountains at Mid Hills campground, but I go to bed with all my clothes on anyway. I fall asleep around 0h15, and sleep wonderfully, despite being woken up by the occasional passing trains. - My headlight goes on as Black Canyon Road turns black
Just a few more uphill miles to Mid Hills campground. I've eaten enough energy bars today and am now running on endorphins. - After an hour on Pinto Mountain, I start my way back down to the valley on the easy north side through a boulder patch
Further down the hill are still-green juniper trees that escaped the 2005 brush fires here, while those closest to the camera did not. - The open space at the bottom of Bull Canyon is easy to hike after all the dense brush and large rock in the upper canyon
Sure, there are still some rocks and creosote bushes to dodge here, but not nearly as many. Still, I'm not sure I'd recommend this hike to a newbie hiker due to the ankle-breaking potential. - How cool, a little dry waterfall in middle Bull Canyon; it must be 15-20 feet tall
It's odd that I should encounter a natural obstacle just at the time that I'm thinking of turning around and returning to camp. It looks steep and slippery, but I could probably make it up if done carefully. - Rising up the lower switchbacks in Idora Mine Canyon away from Devil's Playground down below
The road has risen to bypass the little slot canyon, which is now just below and to my left. - In front of the Nipton store is a Mojave National Preserve information kiosk; the Preserve begins just beyond the train tracks
The pass straight ahead in the distance is the top of Morning Star Mine Road near Cima, my route today out of Ivanpah Valley, and it's also the way I came here two days ago. - And a mariposa lily...
This quirky plant is so small that it's almost non-existent, except for its flashy poppy-like flower. - Boulder glow
- At the junction of Lucky Dutchman Road, I look back down into Ivanpah Valley and Ivanpah Dry Lake
Soon, I'll leave these views behind me as I enter the McCullough Mountains. - I spot a nice clump of pink buckwheat flowers along Highway 164 on the way out of Searchlight
Suddenly, while checking my cell phone, I realize that I had a one-hour time-zone change while I was in Searchlight. I hadn't even noticed, since my life out here isn't all that time-oriented. - On the way up Juniper Spring wash, I pass a really colourful area with Vanderbilt Peak in the background
Mostly a lot of desert sages with orange desert mallows, but a few flowering yuccas and yellow blooms as well.