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- A few yellowjackets are still buzzing around the ground near my tent, feeding on this "leaf"
It's not until after I take this close-up shot that I realize that this is not a leaf, but a dead cricket of some kind that the yellowjackets are slowly feasting upon. No wonder they're still here! - A lavender glow continues to illuminate the Castle Peaks for a few more minutes
- A little further down Butcher Knife Canyon, a green carpet covers the sandy ground
It's going to get greener as I descend further down the canyon. - A little further up the road, I climb up the edge of one of the lava flows to get a better view of the area
Last night's campsite is just off the left edge of the photo by those nearby hills. - A long straight segment of the road waits for me ahead
I stand here for a moment trying to guess where the really sandy part begins... I know it's not too far ahead. - A yellow-flowered buckwheat-like plant.
There are so few flowers blooming at this hot time of year that even small flowers like these can be noticeable. - About 10 minutes later, I notice a hillside that might make for a good descent down to a wash
Hiking the McCullough Mountains ridge line has been fun, but maybe I should explore a dry stream bed to end the hike. - After our visit to The Racetrack, we head over to the old Lost Burro Mine site
Interesting old cabin in a site that's quite isolated in its own little mini-valley. The little one mile road that leads into the Lost Burro Mine site is not in good condition! Lost Burro Mine is 10 miles from our stop at The Racetrack, just on the other side of the mountains via a pass called Lost Burro Gap. - After spending a couple of hours back at my tent by the lake and having lunch...
After spending a couple of hours back at my tent by the lake and having lunch and relaxing, I leave for a couple of hours on a ride toward Board Spring, a few miles south of Mississippi Lake. It is a hot day and I'm surprised at how much water I've drank already. I keep drinking and drinking, even though the water is quite warm and not refreshing... The road on the west side of the lake is quite shady in places south of the ramada camp site. - After the right fork, Gold Valley Road winds across the plateau, then drops down into Gold Valley
I stare longingly at this scene on top of the mountains, really wanting to follow this dead-end road to its end five miles further, down in Gold Valley. I know that Willow Spring probably has water for me to drink. But what if it doesn't? I have plenty of water with me to make it through today and part of tomorrow. If I had made it to the spring last night and found it dry, it wouldn't have been a problem. I would just come back over the hill today, which I would eventually need to do anyway. But what if yesterday's bike problem recurs while I'm down there? I'm brooding too much about this, which means that the only sensible thing to do is resign myself to the most prudent choice. I'll ride toward Furnace Creek Campground today, in the tourist area of Death Valley. I'll save Gold Valley for a future trip... I walk back down to my tent. - Ah! There it is, the gravel road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road)
The gravel road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road) leaves the highway near Daylight Pass and the Nevada border, but is still in California. - Along the Wee Thump Wilderness road, I see some yellow buckwheat-like flowers that I'm not familiar with
This might be a Sulfur flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum). - An old, unused stone park office sits across the road from the Emigrant rest stop
The old park building isn't being used anymore, but there is still a functional pay phone out front--a nice touch since cell phones don't usually work out here. Out front, a sign warns drivers of the long grade from here down to Stovepipe Wells that I trudged up early yesterday evening. - Any body of water out here in the dry desert, however small, beckons for attention
Grimshaw Lake here is no exception. There is still water here (too mineralized for humans to drink), but the part of Grimshaw Lake behind Tecopa Hot Springs campground is already dry for the summer. - As I rise, I enjoy the views across Macedonia Canyon over to Cima Dome in the distance
This stand of trees didn't survive the 2005 brush fires... - As Ivanpah Road comes out of the hills, views into the valley open up
A small cabin off to the right is part of one the old mining areas along here. - As the road gets closer to the mountains, it appears to be carved out of the land by a snow plow
This stretch of the road is sandier. I keep walking the bike and enjoying the hike. - At the base of these yuccas is a pile of twigs covered with gravelly rock
It could be that the twig pile was originally built for nesting or cover by critters. A flash flood passing through the area at a later date may have deposited the gravel layer on top. - At the bottom of the remote, cold and eerie Keystone Canyon Road, I look for a spot to pitch my tent
Awesome landscape, but I don't want to ride any further into the cold clouds and snow flurries that I can see just up the road. I follow a side road, which seems to be the road to the old Trio Mine, and set up camp here. I get a rear flat tire when I roll my bike over a big Joshua-tree sprout that is as tough as a dagger. What's left of daylight disappears and after a few hours of darkness, I realize that it's damn cold here. It feels colder than it was up at Mid Hills Campground a few nights ago, and it was in the low 30s then, so I'm guessing it must be in the high 20s F. The clouds that made the end of day so gloomy clear out suddenly after a few hours. The exposed moonlight tells me that a short walk out in the dark would be splendid, except that I'm really cold right now and didn't bring warm-enough clothes for this. I'm not sure how well I'll sleep tonight. - Back on a road, I ride for a while, then stash the bicycle in the brush and go for a hike to a rocky area
There's a lot to look at here, in addition to the scenery itself. - Bathtub Spring Peaks, New York Mountains hiking route
13.4 hiking miles plus about 2300 feet of elevation gain. - Broadwell Dry Lake at sunset
I'll leave all this beauty behind me as the sun sets and as I continue on toward the area where I want to camp. - Chamise chapparal on one of the knolls that lower Long Ridge Road bounces over.
Looking west. In the background is Mustang Peak, which was on my "maybe" list of places to visit on this trip. Long Ridge Road eventually goes by Mustang Peak after climbing the mountain and following the ridge top. I'm out of drinking water now, but camp is only 3/4 mile away. Lo and behold, I pass a jackrabbit along here. - Climbing up toward the second summit of Wagon Road
It's a lot of work getting up this hill, but still quite not as tough as I thought it might be (I remember hiking up it a year ago). - Coming out of the reeds at Monarch Spring for a moment to look back up-canyon
I'm not finished walking through the reeds just yet and I'm wondering if there's more water in Monarch Canyon or if this is all there is. - Crash location while descending Poverty Flat Road
I slipped in the dust on the road here at this steep switchback and crashed. I rolled off the bike and got really dirty, but not injured. A big dust cloud lingers. - Crossing the floor of the Dumont Dunes valley
It must be over 100 degrees here in the valley; I'm used to that now. No more photos, but I still have 30 miles of riding ahead of me to Baker--the end. Really. - Eroded formations along Old Spanish Trail Highway
You could build imitations of these mounds in your backyard for a fake prehistoric look. - Finally, I reach a point from which the remainder of my route uphill is visible, following the rising ridge at centre-left
The high point, toward which I'm headed, is McCullough Mountains unnamed peak 6557. Time to switch into high gear and march onward. - Hill 1624 in the Providence Mountains boasts a robust rock outcrop stacked in layers
Hamburger marketers would see this and imagine the world's tallest hamburger. - I arrive at a stream flowing down from Cabin Springs and follow it for a short distance
Cabin Springs, spring #4 on today's hike. I wish I had more time to continue upstream and explore Cabin Springs, since this is my first time here. But it's already almost 16h30. - I arrive at the Mid Hills campground entrance kiosk; I'm happy to be back for yet another visit
It's Saturday, the "busy" time in this park, so I'm not surprised that my favourite campsites at the north end of the road 1/2 mile ahead are taken. I find one on the east side of the road, private and nicely sheltered from the winds that have picked up this evening. I end up chatting with a guy walking up the road who happens to be "the other bicyclist," the one who made those mysterious tire tracks I saw on the shortcut road off Cedar Canyon Road a couple of hours ago. he rode over to the Bert Smith rock house and back from the campground here. I get my tent set up just as it gets dark, make my add-boiling-water-to-bag meal and settle in for a chilly evening up here at 5600 feet elevation. It's rather windy all evening, but I'm tired from today's long ride and fall asleep easily around 23h30. - I arrive at the ruins of the old Thomas Place homestead
I have cell-phone reception here, so I change my outgoing message to inform callers of my whereabouts. I would linger here and explore some, but it's getting late and I still have several slow miles ahead of me to reach Butcher Knife Canyon (I probably won't make it by dark). - I begin backtracking and look for Murphy Trail along the way, an alternate route up to Robison Mountain
I don't see Murphy Trail, nor a sign for it, but I could probably just walk straight up the ridge to the top of the mountain. However, with my water and energy reserves evaporating, it's probably better not to. - I begin dismantling the tent by removing the large rocks that I placed inside at the corners
Staking down the tent here didn't work (and often doesn't in the desert), due to sand and gravel on the surface and hard-as-rock earth beneath that layer. - I cautiously approach the spring to test the yellow jackets, and then pump water to fill my Camelbak and water bottles
Fortunately, the yellow jackets are ignoring me, as is often the case when I'm pumping water at springs (I guess they're too busy). Filtering natural spring water from the land always makes me feel closer to my environment. The water is cool and tastes great after filtering. It is a bit odd to be in a grassy meadow in the desert. Right now I feel more like I'm on one of my trips in the dry grasslands of Henry Coe State Park than in the Mojave Desert. - I check my GPS and climb over a small hill to reach Bathtub Spring; there it is, in a wire cage!
This is the New York Mountains Bathtub Spring off Ivanpah Road, not the Bathtub Spring in the Mid Hills to the west. I'll visit them both during this trip, which may confuse this travelogue somewhat. - I climb back up onto the Ivanpah railway grade after the wash-out and it's another slice through the rocks
.. and a few more yellow Prince's plume flowers. But very little traffic here during the past few years! - I climb up another hill on the way to Indian Spring and recognize the valley of junipers and joshua trees in front of me
I hiked there last year, and around Malpais Spring in front of those rocky hills. - I climb up the hill a little, hoping to get around some of the brush along Piute Creek
This doesn't work out so well because the canyon walls are so steep, so I decide that I need to climb back down. - I coast down Coit Road to Mississippi Creek
It feels great to have air blowing on me, even though it's hot air. It must still be 100 degrees today... Pacheco Camp, where I'm headed, is over below the next ridge. - I cross over to another small drainage, then follow it uphill a short distance
I need to cross over the hill on my right, so I don't follow the little wash too far, as tempting as it is. - I don't spot another campsite nearby, so I return to the 10-ton bike back at the wash out
This doesn't look much like a road in places, but it is. Nice view across the desert highlands below: I'm up at 5300 feet now. - I enjoy passing through the badlands between Tecopa Hot Springs and Shoshone
- I enjoy the impending sunset as I slowly ride up Wild Horse Canyon Road
I've got 7.5 more bicycle miles ahead of me. - I get on with the business of filtering enough water for a couple of days from Bathtub Spring
My MSR Sweetwater filter is having problems again, acting like the filter is clogged, even though the filter is quite new. I think I'll replace this with a different brand of water filter for my next trip. - I go for a short walk up the trail from the campsite to Sierra View Spring to filter enough water to get me to Mississippi Lake.
I'm not measuring, but I fill my 10-litre water bag about 2/3 full, and fill up my two-litre Camelbak. There are quite a few leaves decomposing in the spring tub, some of which I remove, and a bit of algae floating on the surface, but the water is reasonably clean and tastes good when filtered. There is still a trickle of fresh water coming into the spring tub, and a trickling overflow on the other side of the trail attracts a few yellow jackets. - I haven't seen a lot of wildflowers in this area today, but here are a couple in the road to Pine Spring
I think this is a desert marigold and a small purple flower whose name I can no longer remember. - I hide in the shade of that oak at the bottom of Long Ridge Road, looking down at the gravel of Orestimba Creek Road.
I eat another energy bar and hide for 20-30 minutes in the shade to make sure that heat exhaustion doesn't set in. Fortunately, I'm reasonably well hydrated. I wish my water weren't so hot; I could really use something cool right now. I've done a bit of bicycle camping in 100+ degree temperatures in Death Valley, and enjoy the challenge. However, I was expecting today to be rather easy and wasn't mentally prepared for this! Just under two miles remains until I reach Jackrabbit Lake. Not far, but there will be a couple of hills along the way. I'll be taking this last short distance slowly to keep it enjoyable and to stay healthy. - I hike up the old road to Tough Nut Mine, which hasn't been used by vehicles in many years and is slowly returning to nature
The road was cut out of the hillside, so it rises quite gently. The old stone support walls that prevent the road from washing out are still in fairly good shape. I check the area around the pine tree here to see if there is any sign of spring water. Nope. I've brought my water filter and empty bottle on today's hike just in case. - I keep looking at the hawk-head rock formation as I walk past the hills near Cabin Springs
One could easily spend a couple of hours just there, climbing the rocks. - I leave the bliss of my Nipton tent cabin before sunrise for the 12-mile ride to Primm, purposefully, as if it were a work day
The sun is just barely starting to appear as I ride past the old corral on Nipton-Desert Rd, a bit before the old pavement runs out. My feet and fingers are already really cold! Since I'm not a morning person, I always forget how cold mornings can be! - I leave the heat of Stovepipe Wells and head up Highway 190 toward Emigrant Campground
The warning sign reminds me to turn off air-conditioning for the next 20 miles in order to avoid overheating. Since I only have ten miles left to go, I'll hopefully avoid the overheating problem. - I make a stop at one of several junctions on the old Mojave Road, another decision point
I rode past this intersection in the dark two nights ago on the way back to Piute Gorge from Hackberry Spring. It's nice to see it in daylight now. - I make it up to the crest of Wild Horse Canyon Road and a few orange desert-mallow flowers say "hello"
Just a short flat stretch of road ahead before I arrive at Mid Hills campground. I should be able to zoom in on the Providence Mountains over there... - I notice bird activity near my tent and locate a nearly invisible bird's nest in an elbow of this joshua tree at centre-right
Breakfast is the usual granola, dried apricots and pineapple, vitamin C drink, plus two cold coffees. Enjoying the Starbucks' Tribute Blend and feeling somewhat refreshed this morning. It's now day 5 of this trip, and my strength is starting to build up. - I pass a few brilliant Indian paintbrush plants as I further climb the hills above my tent
Joshua trees are scattered, but not dense here. - I pull off the road for a short break and to refill my Camelbak from my 10-litre water bag
It's a warm afternoon with the hot sun on my back, probably in the high 80s, and I've already drank two litres of water since leaving Kelso Depot almost an hour and a half ago. - I reach the junction of the paved Kelso-Cima Road and stop in at the Cima Store
It looks deserted, but I'll take a closer look anyway. The store is the double doors to the right, while the post office occupies the left end of the building. - I reach this muddy area on Red Creek Road and figure that this must be water coming down the hill from Hatch Spring
It's always a bit odd to come across mud and water in dry landscapes like this. I don't need any more water right now, but perhaps I'll stop here for a refill on my way back. - I reach this pass in the Castle Peaks and have an unexpected view to the north across the Ivanpah Valley
I'll continue hiking to my left here, up to the next Castle Peaks pinnacle area. - I ride a couple hundred feet on pavement, then pull over into the Nipton parking lot to rent for tent cabin for the night
I've stayed here quite a few times now, and I'm early today. Historic and a bit gritty without being ghetto; suits my style. I like watching the noisy freight trains go past. - I ride past one of the many cairns that mark the Mojave Road
I'm back on a solid road surface again, at least for a few minutes. - I ride up the road a little and stop again to look at the sculptural shadows of the trees on the next ridge (Wasno Ridge).
The afternoon sun is just right, and the trees there far enough apart, that their individual shadows can be discerned bending over the warped landscape. - I spend two hours at Kelso Depot, longer than expected, chatting with staff and a couple of bicyclists on their way to Las Vegas
It's always good to speak to Preserve staff to see what they can share about areas you plan to visit. I dump my trash, refill my water supply for the next two days from the basement utility closet, browse the art exhibit in the downstairs gallery, and buy a local history book from the book shop.
The bicyclists I've met here are a lot of fun. They rode from Portland, Oregon to Los Angeles, and are now near the end of their trip, always hungry of course. We chat and eat at The Beanery lunch counter, hoping that some day they'll start serving home cooking like they used to.
I forget to take photos, so I'll use one from later in the trip.
- I start by walking up the road toward Howe Spring, spring #1 of 5 on today's hike
A few old junipers survived the 2005 brush fires here, even though much of the vegetation burned. - I stop for a quick break across from the road that crosses Silver Dry Lake (very dry right now)
I don't really need a break here, only seven miles outside Baker, but I want to check to see if my cell phone still works. It does, but I know I'll be out of range shortly. - I stop for a Vietnamese-deer-jerky break in the Joshua tree forest along Hart Mine Rd
In a few minutes, I'll be leaving this old railway grade that I like so much, to ride over to the Hart Mine area. - I visit the general store in Shoshone across the road from the Crowbar Café
I replenish the ten-ton bike's water reserves, which amounts to a bit over two gallons (8-9 litres). I use use four 1.5 litre bottles (two in the pocket of each rear saddlebag), two small drinking bottles mounted to the frame, and a two-litre Camelbak "water bladder" that straps onto my back like a backpack. In preparation for the potentially dry trip ahead, I also fill my usually empty, supplementary two-gallon water bag and strap it onto the top of my rear rack with bungee cords. Whoa, the bike is suddenly really heavy! Each gallon of water weighs a bit over eight pounds (roughly 3.75 kilograms). I drink a cold Sobe grapefruit drink while I pack up, and round out my grocery order with a bottle of wine and a small loaf of date-nut bread from the China Ranch date farm and bakery. - I walk back down to Cottonwood Spring to filter some water
It looks like the wilderness camera is going to get some choice shots of me and my water filter instead of a deer or a mountain lion. At the Mojave National Preserve Visitor Centre at Kelso Depot is an album of photos that were captured by cameras like this, so maybe I'll find my photo there one day. - I walk down the fan on the south fork of Globe Mine Road, enjoying the sun behind the Marl Mountains
The open space here on the fan is a nice contrast to the hills and washes where I've spent the afternoon. - I walk down the short creek trail behind the China Ranch bakery and store
I'm surprised how lush this creek trail is. The small stream gives off a lot of humidity through evaporation and seems to attract lots of insects. - I walk over to that old headframe, or whatever it is, with the New York Mountains backdrop
...and how old is that big juniper tree anyway? - I walk up a boulder-strewn drainage area toward that pass in the Castle Peaks
What will I see up there? - I wander around the junction of Coit Road and County Line Road and take in the fine views
From here I can see back to Pacheco Ridge, which I just crossed, and the part of Coit Road that I just rode down to Mississippi Creek. - I'm boiling water for my backpacking meal tonight at dusk; usually I wait until after dark for some unknown reason
Tonight's meal is Backpacker's Pantry Jamaican BBQ Chicken, which is pretty good, but I remember it being better for some reason. Perhaps the heat has killed my taste buds, despite my desire and need for calories. More `groups` of ducks (if that's what they are) return to Paradise Lake tonight with the whistle of pre-explosion fireworks and I'm amused again. After dark, I keep hearing coyote yips and howls. It sounds like they are in different hillside locations and calling to each other across the little valley here. Crickets hum and I write notes about today's hike, which is the longest I've ever hiked in this kind of heat. - I'm officially at the bottom of the New York Mountains foothills now
The familiar Howe Spring pinnacles are not all that far ahead now, and I'm hiking on what's left of the old road here. - I'm packed up and ready to leave my Ivanpah Road campsite near Bathtub Spring
I camped here last night near Bathtub Spring in case I would need more water. However, I still have enough water to get me to Nipton later today, so I'll pass on one final walk up to the spring. - I'm temped to try hiking up a slot in the rugged cliffs adjacent to the drainage above Willow Wash
According to my GPS, a few potential slots in the cliffs might be hike-worthy, but if not, I would have to return to the drainage here. - I've decided to call this The Lost Road, since I'm not exactly sure where it's leading me
The Lost Road is now heading toward the Castle Mountains, as hoped, but it's deteriorating significantly. - In no time at all, I find myself looking down at the lower part of Red Creek Road where I came from
This is getting exciting. - It might be interesting to count how many old cars and trucks sit on this Barnwell property!
A few of these vehicles are rather old. - It's not only sand here: rocky patches on Death Valley Mine Road provide quite a contrast to the slippery sandy segments
Suddenly I have too much traction instead of not enough. I remember these rocky stretches from when I rode here during my fall 2000 trip. - It's past 16h30 now, and I realize I have to climb up over the ridge and skip a side trip to Live Oak Spring
This was going to be a six-springs hike, but I guess it will just be five. A steep 600-foot climb up over the ridge here will get me over to the other side of the mountains where I'm camped. - Looking back down Highway 178 to verify that I really am rising
I always enjoy looking back down a hill that I'm riding up. It's somehow very rewarding to see that the work of pedalling and burning calories is actually transporting me. The Resting Spring Range (or is it a layer cake?) rests in the background at the bottom of the hill. - Looking back down the Canteen Trail to take in the view.
Because the trail is steep and in open terrain, I get the impression of having climbed more than I've really done. That's fine by me. Great views. That should be Willow Ridge on the other side of the canyon, whose ups and downs I rode in the moonlight on the way to Mississippi Lake five nights ago. - Me, trying to figure out how to get through or around the thick brush that engulfs Monarch Spring
The grass is taller than me; I try to follow the faint tracks that I find here and there from people or animals who have been here before me. - My cross-country hiking ends temporarily when I hit the old closed road to Indian Spring, which serves as a nice trail
I have about a quarter mile to go until I reach Indian Spring. I try my cell phone since I remember having reception in some of this area, but it doesn't work right here. - My final morning at Mid Hills campground, I hear a noise outside my tent, and guess who it is?
Mr. or Ms. Cottontail! The morning shade from the juniper tree is so nice, and has allowed me to sleep in until 8h30! - My final morning at Paradise Lake, I'm up early in an attempt to get packed up before the hot sun becomes unbearable
It's cool enough by Paradise Lake this morning that I have to wear my sweater for the first time during the trip. But only for an hour, and then the heat sets in. I only drink one cup, instead of two, of my beloved strong Peets coffee this morning due to the heat. I sometimes wish I could be a morning person and get up earlier and still enjoy the day. - Near some patches of Fleabane (I think) is a bright yellow flower that I haven't seen before
It looks like a Mariposa lily, but it's not orange like the ones I usually see. Lee suggests that this is a Munz' mariposa lily (Calochortus kennedyi var. munzii): thanks for the ID! - Oh, I like this: I get out of the sand for a short stretch
It only lasts a few hundred feet, however. - Old Spanish Trail Highway cuts through the earth
Old Spanish Trail Highway rolls up and down across the landscape. - On South Campground Peak, Mid Hills Campground, I discover a couple of juniper trees that survived the 2005 brush fires here
I also find an installation (a weather station?) in between the hills, which may be the source of mysterious loud noises I've heard when camping here during high winds. It's rather windy up here now too, even though not so much down at the campground. - On the road out of beautiful Monarch Canyon
After a short walk down the canyon to take a few photos that I missed yesterday after my film ran out, I'm finally on my way. On the way out, I pass a couple in a large pick-up truck coming down the road, the first people I've seen in two days. It turns out that they are headed up toward Chloride Cliff and didn't realize that they made a wrong turn down Monarch Canyon Road. I encourage them to continue to the end of the canyon to see it, since it's so short and scenic, before returning to their route on Chloride Cliff Road. - On the way back down Keystone Canyon, I notice a few Scarlet gilias blooming
Stopping to look at them is a good excuse to profit from a bit of shade and put down "the baby" (the full 10-litre water bag in my arms) for a few minutes. - On the way back to my campsite at Mississippi Lake, I stop to take photos along County Line Road on the ridge top
On the way back to my campsite at Mississippi Lake, I stop to take photos along County Line Road on the ridge top. - On the way down to Broadwell Dry Lake, I stop briefly at the junction of a powerline road that leads into the Bristol Mountains
I don't recall this nice BLM "Heart of the Mojave" sign when I rode down this way last year. I'd like to ride up that road again and explore more, like I did last year. - One of the shower stalls at Nipton
I've always camped overnight when passing through Nipton, but an even cheaper option is to just stop here and take a shower, which costs about five dollars. The temperature has really cooled down during the evening, so I don my sweater and long underwear and wear them to bed in my sleeping bag. The wind has died down, so the land basks in silence tonight. Even the crowd of dirt bikers is quiet and they retreat to their sleeping quarters a bit after 21 h. However, the couple staying in the tent cabin across from me has a baby that cries from time to time and wakes me during the night. This is why I try not to spend too much time in developed campgrounds during my trips. - Phil walks out toward The Grandstand
The Grandstand is this large rock "island" out in the middle of The Racetrack playa. - Rising out of the burned area at dusk, I look for somewhere decent to set up camp for the night
I'm disappointed that I won't make it to Willow Spring tonight as hoped, and feel somewhat defeated and deflated. But I still feel much success in having made it this far into the mountains up above Death Valley. Camping out should be really nice up here at about 4700 feet. I'm expecting almost no moon in the sky tonight, and therefore, near total darkness. Given that I've only seen one other vehicle since leaving the pavement of Highway 178 some seven hours ago, I'm expecting silence and a wilderness experience tonight, even though I'm camped out along a "road." I set up camp quickly and decide not to bother preparing a meal. By the time I get to eat, it's already dark. I just eat lots of nuts and beef jerky and wash it down with a glass of wine, enjoying the silence and the darkness. - Signage at the entrance of the road toward Monarch Canyon (Chloride Cliff Road)
All that's here is a small "4x4 high clearance needed" sign and a jeep graphic. - Since I'm between a couple of hills, I don't get to see a full sunset here at the end of Castle Peaks Road
I go for a walk up on a nearby hill, make my add-boiling-water-to-bag meal, then settle in for the evening. Beautiful moonlight later shining into my tent, and the high winds of the day have disappeared. I go to sleep in the serenity at around 23h30, rather tired and a bit sore. But not all is completely silent. In the distance, I can hear the murmur of freight trains down in Ivanpah Valley on the other side of the New York Mountains, a familiar sound in much of Mojave National Preserve that I've come to enjoy. Also, occasional airplanes undo the silence. After dark, the temperature drops significantly, probably into the low 40s(F). Suddenly I'm cold! I wear double socks, long underwear, my sweater and my outer shell to stay comfortable in my sleeping bag. My add-boiling-water-to-bag meal tonight is Natural High "Classic BBQ Chicken and Rice." The sauce is good and robust, but that's all you can taste. Would I buy it again? Maybe, but only to add variety to my menu on a long trip; it's too one-dimensional. - Since I'm in no rush today, I decide to take a short detour over to Government Holes, that big tree up the dirt road here
It's just a 1/4 mile in off Cedar Canyon Road, yet I've never stopped there during the many times I've ridden by. - Street sign in the Mojave Desert at the junction of Ivanpah Road and New York Mountains Road
The New York Mountains sit in the background; last night's campsite next to Trio Mine Road is off to the right in this photo. Further down, near Cedar Canyon Road, I stop at the hard-to-find phone booth to call a friend and a neighbour to let them know that my trip is going well. The neighbour is almost paranoid about me travelling alone (he watches too much TV), while my friend who grew up in dry country doesn't find the idea scary at all. - Sunset from Mid Hills campground through a pinyon pine; that should be the Kingston Range way over there
Now that I'm starting to relax and lose the day's sweat-and-adrenalin rush, I realize that it's almost cold here. And I'm hungry and exhausted. I munch on some beef jerky while anticipating supper after sunset. I still have more than a litre of water left; probably consumed about 3.5 on the way here today. I walk over to the tap up the road to fill up and find that it's more heavily chlorinated than it should be. Blech, tastes like a swimming pool; this can't be normal! - Switchbacks on the way up Chloride Cliff Road
I guess they decided that the road would have been too steep if it went straight up the hillside when they built it. - The first campsite has this beautiful tree for shade, but is too close to the paved road for my taste
I keep riding down the dirt road a little further. - The men's washroom at Barstow Station
It's located in one of the old train cars. - The rocks at the mouth of Saddle Horse Canyon are more interesting than further up the canyon
However, I didn't hike all the way up the canyon to Wild Horse Mesa, so I may have missed the best. - The tent is now set up at Emigrant Campground and the ten-ton bike relieved of its load
For a short while, the light of a gorgeous desert sunset casts its special mood on thoughts of the day's events. - There's a lot of rock in this area, and this juniper tree growing in a crack between rocks is striking
I ride down the road a bit further to choose a campsite. - Waiting on the train platform at Stockton after the Amtrak bus ride from San Jose
An old neighbourhood of late Victorian-era houses, much like mine, sits on the other side of the tracks. - We arrive at Goldbelt Spring and its thicket of head-high wild roses (the dark green patch in the middle of the photo)
I don't think I've ever seen wild roses so tall and bushy. The species around San José (rosa californica, I think), is a dwarf compared to these. Maybe they aren't as huge as they seem. Maybe the illusion of hugeness is being created by the contrast of their green lushness with the very dry surroundings adjacent to them. I had read about Goldbelt Spring's wild roses in Hiking Death Valley, so I was expecting them. I've heard that there is sometimes some usable water here at the spring--that's what keeps the wild roses so green and healthy. So I walk over to see if I can locate some water. I just have to know: could I have come here by bicycle and used Goldbelt Spring as a water source? - Whew, the worst is over as I reach the upper stretches of Poverty Flat Road, which aren't quite as steep.
Whew, the worst is over as I reach the upper stretches of Poverty Flat Road, which aren't quite as steep. - Wild California fuschias around a rocky outcrop opposite Bear Spring.
This is one of few California wildflowers that blooms during the hot late-summer months. I really like these and have planted quite a few of these on my property at home. These plants spread by the roots. If you want to have hummingbirds in your yard, plant a big patch of these. - Wild Horse Canyon Road pops out of the canyon and onto higher ground, where I catch the beginning of sunset
Here, I'm looking east at an area sometimes known as Lobo Point. I'm at about 4500 feet elevation here, about 1000 feet below home (Mid Hills campground). - With relief, I'm back on the paved part of Ivanpah Road now and I'm letting the bike gain speed as I ride down the smooth hill
The bike is handling well and I'm starting to feel like it might do just fine for the rest of the trip provided I stay on pavement. I'm approaching the abandoned store that I visited on the way up the hill two days ago. - "Bench Canyon" in the White Mountains
- "Shoe tree" on Highway 127 across from Saratoga Springs Road
It needs to have more shoes hanging off it to be truly effective!!! Unfortunately, I have nothing today that I can contribute to this important collective work of art. - "The Scream"
- "This device for watering game birds was paid for with YOUR money"
No bullet holes in this sign yet. - "For flat base truck rim only"
Rayon. Dipped. - "Painted-dot" rock
The dark spot isn't the only interesting feature of this rock; it's also supporting the protruding slab above it. - The dark spot isn't the only interesting feature of this rock; it's also supporting the protruding slab above it. - "So far, so good," I say to myself as I stop to enjoy a desert mallow and the views; I keep climbing
This is scenic. It has been steep, but not insanely difficult, but the next part up toward Kelso Peak looks like it may be tougher. - 1.5 downhill miles on the old Mail Spring Road, then 3.5 miles down Ivanpah Rd into the Lanfair Valley
I rapidly lose a few hundred feet of elevation as I ride down Ivanpah Road, but due to the bumpy, washboarded road, I ride almost as slowly as if I were riding uphill. A bit sweaty even on the downhill! - 1.5 miles beyond Interstate 15, I reach the dirt road that will take me to Pachalka Spring and bear right
There are several minor roads in this area, so I've loaded my route into my Delorme GPS and am careful to make sure I take the correct road. - 1/2 mile up the road to Old Dominion Mine, I start looking for a good campsite near another road that I also can't locate
I find a fairly smooth spot in this rocky area and start setting up camp. I go for a short walk to make sure I'm not camping in the road that I can't see, but which is probably right here somewhere, according to the USGS quad overlay on my Delorme GPS. It will be interesting to see tomorrow, in daylight, where I am. - 1/3 mile up the main road, I turn down the short road that dead-ends at Coyote Springs
This area obviously gets some visitation, judging by the tire tracks around here. - 10 beautiful-but-bumpy miles of riding along the train tracks from Ivanpah Rd to Nipton
I always like riding this stretch of road, especially in the downhill direction like now, and I pass no other vehicles along here this afternoon on my way to Nipton, which is usually the case. - 10 miles up Kelbaker Road out of Baker, I stop for a break at "the big curve," where the road turns almost 90 degrees
I'm already hot and sweaty, after only 10 miles in the sun. It's getting hotter. At 1000 feet above Baker, a slight breeze blows now, not enough yet to cool me, but it's almost refreshing. My sweatband falls off my handlebars, which I'll realize later. - 10 minutes later, as I approach the base of the New York Mountains, lush juniper trees like the one on the left begin to appear
Pinyon pines also begin to appear in this area, mixed in with the joshua trees, banana yuccas and cholla cacti. This is classic native vegetation in the Mid Hills and New York Mountains area of Mojave National Preserve. - 10 minutes later, I'm almost at the next landmark, where Castle Peaks Road arrives at the slot in the rolling hills
In wide, open areas like this, it's always exciting to approach a feature that will probably completely change my views. - 100 degrees F in the smoky haze
- 15 miles on Coyote Creek Trail, then another seven miles on nasty San José streets, and I'm home!
I stop at a Vietnamese tofu shop on Senter Road for a tasty snack of fresh fried onion tofu cubes and hop in the shower as soon as I get home. Another tough Henry Coe trip is over! Once I recover (give me a few days!), I'll probably feel inspired again and start thinking about doing another trip at Henry Coe next year. - 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. - 2.5 miles up Kelbaker Road, I make a brief stop at Black Tank Wash to remove my scarf and winter jacket
I'm putting on just my fleece sweater over my t-shirt. My winter coat and scarf were perfect while I was descending Indian Springs Road, but now I'm getting wet from all the sweat, which is not great in cold weather. I camped here at Black Tank Wash during my Spring 2006 Mojave National Preserve trip, but at the time I thought it was part of adjacent Willow Wash. - 20 minutes later, I stop for another break further out on Broadwell Dry Lake
Time to stop for an energy bar; I send a text message. I listen to silence. And the wind. - 20 minutes later, I'm around the bend on Kelbaker Road, with the Providence Mountains further and further behind me
The pavement is quite worn-out on this section of Kelbaker Road (and many others). - 2013 Creighton Street (formerly 3 Creighton St), Halifax, 1982
Donna Kasdan and Leonard Kasdan had bought this house and were doing significant repairs to keep it going another few decades. They kept its original style and the house still stands today in 2024. - 2093 Brunswick Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2111 Brunswick Court, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2120 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2195 Barrington Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1982
One of the last buildings remaining on the southeast corner of Barrington and Cornwallis in 1982 before it was demolished for the urban-renewal road-widening project. - 2369-73 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2370 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2376 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2387-80 Gottingen Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2390-92 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
At the corner of Buddy Daye Street (formerly named Gerrish Street). - 2404 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2406 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2447-49 Creighton Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2507-11 Brunswick Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 2521 and 2525 Barrington St, Halifax, 1982
- 2565 Barrington Street, Halifax
- 2577 Maynard Street (formerly 229 Maynard), Halifax, 1983
- 2577 Maynard Street (formerly 229 Maynard), Halifax, 1983
- 3/4 mile down the road, I stop at the old Orestimba Corral for a Clif-bar-and-water break at the semi-shady picnic tables.
I'm surprised how sweaty I am because I haven't done any uphill riding for a while now. The temperature has definitely risen, or perhaps it's typically hotter down in this valley than up above. - 3/4 mile from campsite 22, I exit Mid Hills campground and turn right to start descending Wild Horse Canyon Road
From 5620 feet at site 22, the 100-foot drop to the campground exit is made even more pleasant by the perfect 76-degree temperature. - 3000 feet, I'm almost at the top of my climb out of Death Valley
I still have a couple of miles and a few hundred feet of climbing left, but it's so gentle that it almost feels level to me at this point. As always, take it slow, but take it! - 34 miles into today's ride, just before arriving at Fenner, I exit Mojave National Preserve for a while
I take a look back at where I came from. I'm having so much fun that it's easy to forget that I have a long ride to get back home to my tent. - 35 minutes later: after 10 miles of gliding downhill (and pedaling too), I arrive at the stop sign and turn left on Ivanpah Road
My speed almost reaches 30 mph a couple of times here. That blot over on the foothills straight ahead is the town of Nipton, my destination. However, the road doesn't cut straight across the valley from here. - 3865-coyote-melon
The melons are small and apparently not edible. - 5 miles later, it's time to cross I-40 again, this time by crossing under it
I've just left Old Route 66 and am on my way into the Cady Mountains toward tonight's campsite. This is my first time up this road. Will it be rideable after the pavement runs out ahead? - 5524 Gerrish Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia (rear), Fall 1982 (now Buddy Daye Street)
- 5524-32 Gerrish Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982 (now Buddy Daye Street)
- 5527 Buddy Daye St, Halifax (formerly 5527 Gerrish Street)
- 5531-5533 Buddy Daye St. (formerly 113-115 Gerrish St), Halifax, 1982
- 5534 Gerrish Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982
- 5559-61 Buddy Daye Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Fall 1982 (formerly Gerrish Street)
- 92 degrees in the shade, according to the thermometer on the side of the shower house.
No wonder it feels so hot today. It must have been close to 100 degrees when I was up on the ridges earlier today. The thermometer is marked, "Donated by Mike." - 94 degrees down here in the shade where it feels "cool"
During the past several days, I've been presuming that it was over 100 degrees, but didn't really know for sure. Now I know. - 95 degrees in the shade at Pacheco Camp at 19h.
I've obviously acclimated to the heat during this trip. If it's 95 down here in the shade now, it must have been over 100 in the midday sun while I was up on the ridge. But it didn't occur to me that it might be another triple-digit day. A bit before sundown, a small pick-up truck drives past and heads up Pacheco Creek Trail. Shortly after, I hear voices and can see two men wearing Camelbaks, but no backpacks, over by the horse camp. They disappear, but a few minutes later the pickup trucks passes by camp again, apparently leaving. The driver sees me in the tent peering out and waves. Supper tonight is Mountain House Beef Stew, good as always with its rubbery carrot, meat and potato pieces. Around 20h30, a vehicle passes through camp and it turns out to be a ranger on patrol. We speak for about 15 minutes, the first time I've spoken to anyone in five days. I notice that my speech is rapid, so I guess this is an exciting event for me. She tells me that it was 102 degrees at Park Headquarters today and gives me a couple of 1/2 litre bottles of water. - A 24-hour donut shop on Barstow's Route 66 is closed due to the water contamination
You can't make donuts or coffee without potable drinking water. - A Banana yucca sends out a fresh bouquet on the way up Teutonia Peak Trail
We're high enough now to see down into the valley where the minivan is parked, and all the way beyond to the Ivanpah and Clark Mountain ranges. - A barrel cactus has detached from its hillside garden and tumbled down into Juniper Spring wash
The root system is quite shallow for such a bulky plant; no wonder they lose their footing once in a while - A barrel-cactus garden at the mouth of "West Edgar Canyon #3," Providence Mountains
Like most Mojave National Preserve canyons, this one is unnamed. Depending on how you count, it's the third canyon draining the Providence Mountains area west of Edgar Peak, hence the unofficial "West Edgar Canyon #3" name. - 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? - A BBQ grate hangs from that lone pinon pine in the wash
This area feels rarely visited, but people have obviously camped here before! In fact, the USGS maps show this wash as hosting an old "drive-in road." - A beam of warm desert light shines down through the ceiling into the main room at the Lava Tube
The light enters through a small hole in the ceiling. Too bad my cheap camera doesn't like it much down here. - A beautiful sunset illuminates the Providence Mountains behind me as I climb Kelbaker Road out of Kelso Valley toward Baker
Sunset is one of my favourite times to be out on a bicycle, but it also means that darkness will be here soon. - A bee sits on the edge of the Indian Spring cistern, enjoying the water's edge
Actually, several bees are here, but none of them seem interested in my visit, thankfully. - A bee tightens up and launches itself toward a thistle bloom
There are quite a few white thistle flowers in the gulch between Mid Hills campground and Eagle Rocks. - A benign switchback on Willow Ridge Trail just beyond the log in the poison oak grove gives me a few more problems.
I'm trying to keep the bike (and myself) on the two-foot wide trail without it slipping and falling into the adjacent poison oak while I negotiate the tight corner. Why is such a simple concept proving to be so difficult in execution? - A better view of that switchback in the previous photo.
It looks almost flat in this image. - A big grass tuft (muhlenbergia, I think) sits in the dry creek bed.
I see a big grass tuft (muhlenbergia, I think) sits in the dry creek bed, waiting for the fall rains that will begin in earnest in a month or two. - A big hole dug by an animal in a quest for water
Animal footprints are all around, but no human ones. I wonder if any water was obtained from this hole--there's no water in the hole right now. - Animal footprints are all around, but no human ones. I wonder if any water was obtained from this hole. Moisture in the sand is clearly visible, but there's no water in the hole right now. - A big patch of paperbag bush (Salazaria mexicana) in the wash leading into the Kelso Mountains
The textures, lines and dots are fun to look at; a photorealistic painting of this would probably look non-representational. - The textures, lines and dots are fun to look at; a photorealistic painting of this would probably look non-representational. - A big raven's nest sits in the eaves of the main house at Death Valley Mine
I might not have noticed the nest if a big startled raven hadn't flown out of it as I walked by. A lot of chicken wire surrounds the house, serving as a trellis for the drought-tolerant vine that uses it for support. - A big sage is sprouting some fresh-looking growth
Smells great; probably Salvia dorrii. - A big tree, partly broken, near the old Valley Wells town site
There's even a bit of small green grass around this tree, probably due to the spring nearby. Native vegetation is absent right here, so perhaps it was once somebody's lawn. - A billboard next to the Searchlight motel advertises a "luxury" motel elsewhere
... at the same price that one pays here. But I prefer these old "main-street" motels. - A bird feather is stuck in this cholla cactus
Permanently? - A bird flies past and lands in this cholla cactus
He seems undisturbed by my passing, probably knowing innately that I have no way of bothering him through all the thorns! - A bird's nest in a catclaw bush in Kelso Dunes Wilderness
I wonder who lives up there... - A bit above Hell's Gate, I turn back to see how much I've climbed since my rest stop there
Yes, I have risen. Yes, this is steeper than Beatty Cutoff was. Yes, I'm glad that endorphins have kicked in because I don't seem to have much real energy left and I'm not there yet. It's a beautiful day. - A bit beyond the OX Ranch site is a private, by-reservation-only campground called 'Mojave Desert Outpost'
Maybe I should camp here one day... I stop here to refill my Camelbak with more of my plastic-tasting water. I'm looking forward to better water at the end of the day! - A bit beyond the Pine Spring corral is an old water trough and a rusty water tank
It appears that a smaller water trough was installed inside the larger one when it rusted out. - A bit disappointed at having discovered only dryness at Macedonia Spring, I walk back down the drainage
I scare a lot of quail while walking here. Cackle, cackle. The views from here across the hot Kelso Valley below are quite nice with the gentle curve of Cima Dome on the horizon. - A bit down the fan sits a fire ring next to which I was going to set up camp last night until I noticed goathead thorns all over
The fire ring probably hasn't been used yet this year judging by the young plants sprouting in it. This area seems seldom visited. Goathead thorns (puncture vine) are everywhere in this meadow; I don't think I've ever seen so many. My tires, shoes and saddlebags picked up lots of them just from passing through here last night. My tent rests in the background, with the New York Mountains a couple of miles further beyond. The two springs that I want to hike to today sit near the base of the mountains. Cottonwood Spring is roughly straight ahead two miles beyond, while Butcher Knife Spring is to the left, about two miles behind the corral in this view.