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- Plenty of cholla cactus also lives in Juniper Spring wash
...even though the junipers, desert mallows and desert sages tend to steal the show. - Plush green carpet in my room at the Royal Hawaiian Motel
Nice wrinkles provide additional texture, in case more is needed. - Poison oak woods on Willow Ridge Trail
Willow Ridge Trail passes through a woodsy area for half a mile or so, and there's no breeze in here, just heat. Beautiful scenery, but tough with a bike. A few downed trees provide obstacles to get the bike past, while encroaching poison oak all along this narrow section brush up against my saddlebags (a hiker could easily avoid it though). - Poison oak, Henry Coe State Park
- Pond at Wagon Road/Phegley junction
- Pond turtle, Henry Coe State Park
- Pool of water at Coyote Springs
I come across a number of trickles and small pools of water further up the stream bed of Coyote Springs, most of them a bit stagnant and muddy like this one. - Poor little cactus!
This small barrel cactus appears to have lost its footing in the adjacent hillside and tumbled down to the floor of the wash. - This small barrel cactus appears to have lost its footing in the adjacent hillside and tumbled down to the floor of the wash. - Postal boxes inside the old post office at Cima, California, Mojave National Preserve
Above the postal boxes is a yellowed map of the region served by the Cima post office. - Postcard view of the New York Mountains while mountain-biking through the Carruthers Canyon area
There are many nice campsites in this area; I'd consider camping here tonight if I were carrying more water. I'm tired already! - Postcard-suitable photo of the north end of Paradise Lake, Henry Coe State Park
Much of the Paradise Lake shoreline is not very accessible to people because of the steep terrain (it would be easy to slip down and fall in) and the tall tules growing at water's edge. - Posts mark the beginning of a Wilderness area at the base of Kelbaker Hills
I set up camp near here on last year's Mojave National Preserve trip as well. I set up camp just before the sun goes down and get to bed early for a change, exhausted from the long bus ride. I forget to try photographing the beautiful sunset that takes place. - Poverty Flat Road crosses Coyote Creek
At the bottom of Poverty Flat Road, around 1200 ft, the road crosses Coyote Creek, which is mostly dry at this time of year. I take note of the small pool of semi-stagnant water here in case I have to filter some of it to drink later during my trip on the way back out of the park. - Poverty Flat Road forks off to the left from Manzanita Point Road
Poverty Flat Road forks off to the left and then it's down, down about 1200 feet in 2 miles. You know that it will be tough coming back up this road once you start going down! - Poverty Flat Road rises steeply out of Poverty Flat
Poverty Flat Road rises steeply out of Poverty Flat at 1200 feet to reach about 1600 feet along the side of Jackass Mountain. I drag the 10-ton bike up most of this because it's too steep to ride. - Poverty Flat Road rolls up and down along Jackass Mountain
Poverty Flat Road rolls up and down, sometimes steeply, on the side of Jackass Mountain at around 1600 feet. - Precipitation system approaching
- Predictably unpredictable, the Cima store is closed, even though it should be open according to the posted hours
On a bikepacking trip, one needs to treat this store like a spring that might not have water: carry enough water so that you don't have to rely on the store, but if the store is open, you may may be able to fill up and dry-camp somewhere unplanned. - Predictably, I have to walk the bike across this sandy wash crossing on the way into the Hackberry Mountains
- Presumably, this rusty, old sign used to deliver a message of some kind
- Pretty curtains and dinette suite in my room at the Royal Hawaiian Motel
Another pretty painting and the faux-wood panelling on the ceiling complete the ambiance. - Primroses at my Mid Hills Campground campsite
I manage to sleep in until 10h30 this morning; I really needed the sleep. After a couple of cups of coffee, granola, nuts and vitamin C drink, I'm ready. - Profile of bicycle route from Pachalka Spring to Button Mountain, via Aiken Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve (Day 15)
22 bicycle miles, from 4875 feet at Pachalka Spring down to 3400 feet, up to 4235 feet, then down to 4150 feet. Average speed only 5.3 miles per hour! - Proud power-line boy reaches the de facto crest of his climb for the day
Actually, this power-line road will rise another 200 feet before reaching Kelbaker Road some three miles further, after which it will be downhill to the Kelso Depot visitor centre. - Pumping water at Board Spring.
Pumping water at Board Spring. - Pumping water at Indian Springs
I refill all my containers: four 1.5-litre water bottles, two-litre Camelbak, and 10-litre MSR water bag, all of which weighs almost 40 pounds when full! There will be no water at today's destination: Devil's Playground. The high level of particulate matter in this tiny stream requires that I clean my MSR water filter five times while filtering water due to clogging. - Pumping water from Bear Spring.
Pumping water from Bear Spring. - Puncture vine, I hate you: here's one of the many nondescript goathead (puncture vine) plants that cover this meadow
I'm still amazed that I haven't had a flat tire yet from the sharp thorn balls everywhere here. The thorn balls are those white gravel-like pebbles on the ground that are practically unnoticeable. - Purple desert sages dominate the foreground as I go for a short walk in the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness Area
Wee Thump Wilderness Area was established in 2002. Fields of desert mallows bloom almost invisibly in the background between here and the McCullough Mountains. - Purple four o'clock flowers poke through a Rhus trilobata bush laden with unripe berries in Saddle Horse Canyon
Soon, these berries will be red. - Purple phacelia flowers (Desert canterbury bells) as I approach Willow Wash
I haven't seen many of these during this trip (I'm probably too late in the season). - Purple sage in the foreground and bluer phacelias under a juniper tree
...set off by the orange desert mallow at the left - Quiet gas station in downtown Death Valley, March 2020
- Quiet moment at the end of a pristine dry lake
- Quiet visit to one of the small dry lakes in the Death Valley Park backcountry
- Quite a few Cliff roses (Purshia) grow in Saddle Horse Canyon
- Quite a few desert four o'clocks are blooming around my Keystone Canyon campsite
These plants look too green and plump to be growing in the desert! - Quite a few moths flutter about in the moist area around Malpais Spring
I'm guessing there are several hundred, and perhaps a few thousand, of these small moths here. - Quite a few thorns, probably from cholla cacti, are stuck to the bottom of my shoe and need to be removed (carefully)
I also have some burrs to pick off my socks from hiking through grassy areas. - Rabbit brush and volcanic rock
- Rabbitbrush and Crater Mountain, Inyo National Forest, California
- Rabbitbrush season
- Rabbitbrush, after the flood
- Rabbitbrush, California
- Rails once ferried a tram to the the top of the chute
Now it's an antique sculpture in an isolated corner of the Mojave Desert. - Rain, sagebrush and pines
- Rainbow
- Rainbow
- Rainy Day Mine Road is the location of my next short break
I pull in here off the pavement of Kelbaker Road, get off the 10-ton bike and walk around for a few minutes, drinking more of my hot water. I'm at about 2775 feet now; Kelbaker Road is a little steeper along here. The cinder cones make a scenic background. I've never been all the way down this road, which apparently rises up onto the lava flow and ends at the former Rainy Day Mine site, where there is supposed to be a good campsite. When taking breaks, I try to stay off main roads and I often pretend to be taking photos if a car passes by (sometimes I actually am taking photos). People in the desert have a tendency to stop and ask if you're OK if you're stopped along the road. They just want to make sure you're not having a dangerous breakdown in the desert, which is a wonderful thing, but it can be annoying if it happens every time you take a break. - Randomly, I decide to head up the rocky right fork
I guess I'm heading toward that lava flow off in the distance. - I guess I'm heading toward that lava flow off in the distance. - Rattlesnake tip
- Re-entering Mojave National Preserve, this time in the smaller part of the Preserve that's north of Interstate 15
This northern piece of the Mojave National Preserve consists mostly of the Clark Mountain Range. - Reaching the sign for Cedar Canyon Road after 15 miles: I'm happy and pull over for a break
I usually stop for a short break or two on the way up Kelso-Cima Road before reaching this point, but today I just kept pedaling. Today's tailwind really helped to push me along and keep me from overheating. - Reaching the turrets of Eagle Rocks from Mid Hills campground requires climbing down into an intervening wide canyon
I walk out to the edge of the plateau here to look for the easiest way down. - Ready to hit the road and leave Shoshone
The extra water bag is that black thing sandwiched between my sleeping bag and my hat on top of the rear rack. Death Valley, here I come. I will actually enter Death Valley National Park in a little while. - Ready to leave Emigrant Campground, the contents of my camp site are packed on the 10-ton bike again
I say my goodbyes and thanks to Phil and Renée and begin the glorious ten-mile downhill from 2000 feet to just below sea level at Stovepipe Wells. My stay at Emigrant Campground has been a memorable part of the trip. - Ready to pump some water at Board Spring.
The water at Board Spring is pretty good. The spring is still flowing a bit, and the basin doesn't have much algae in it. There are a few yellowjackets buzzing around the trickle of water entering the basin, so I pump my water from the other side. I fill up all my water containers: 10-litre water bag, two-litre Camelbak, 1.5 litre bottle, and a one-litre bottle. Suddenly the 10-ton bike and I are much heavier. Standing here pumping water makes me realize that it's even hotter today than yesterday, or maybe it just feels that way because this location is so exposed to the sun. I decide to cool down a little in the shade of a nearby oak before continuing my ride down County Line Road. - Ready, the 10-ton bike waits for its chauffeur to drive it to Jackrabbit Lake, on the other side of the Orestimba Wilderness.
Packed up and leaving my campsite by 12h15 is pretty good by my standards. Since much of the trip is downhill or level, I should have plenty of time to cover the 12 miles from here to there, even if I run into a few surprises along the way. I was hoping to get out toward the Orestimba Wilderness as part of last summer's bike trip in Coe Park, but getting to Mississippi Lake took all my energy! - Rear of Death Valley Mine house #2
Vandals haven't removed the boards off the doors of this house yet, so I don't get to take a peek at the interior. - Rear view, 2521 and 2525 Barrington St, Halifax, 1982
- Rear view, 2521 and 2525 Barrington St, Halifax, 1982
- Receding ridges stack up
- Rectangle
- Red bugs
I don't know what this plant is or what these neato red bugs are. - Red cactus flower buds near my tent
I've seen quite a few cactus flowers already on this trip, but these tight red buds have a glossiness that makes them look like plastic. I'm stopping to see if maybe they are just some kind of foreign matter that got stuck to the plant. - Red Cathedral
I can't get any closer than this! - Red Creek Road crosses Paradise Flat.
Flat land in Henry Coe State Park? - Red Creek Road merges with a piece of County Line Road, but is then blocked shortly afterward by a private-property gate
I park here and go for a short walk into the field on my right, which is inside Henry Coe Park boundary (even though the road is not). There exists another short piece of County Line Road half a mile north of here that is also part of the Park. I could hike over to it around the private property and then up the trail to San Antone Spring. I'm tempted to do it, but I'm feeling already beyond my limits in today's heat. Why don't all my photos indicate heat radiating off of everything (including me)? - Red Creek Road now descends a brief downhill into the Upper San Antonio Valley
I haven't been up into this northern part of the Park before, so there are no familiar landmarks. - Red Creek Road turns out to be a lesser road than I was expecting
This part of the road looks like it's underwater during the wet season. Red Creek Road follows Red Creek for over five miles and I'm wondering if most of it will look like this. - Red Indian paintbrush decorates the joshua tree forest on the old Indian Spring Road
And there's one of those ghostly whitish shrubs again... - Red-yellow light is cast across the lower western flank of Cima Dome at sunset near Button Mountain, Mojave National Preserve
All those dark clouds earlier in the day seem to have dissipated or blown away. The quiet is intense; even though I saw many birds on the way here, I'm not hearing many. - Reddish-pinkish-orange Indian paintbrush decorates the old roadbed here and there
The color of this plant always seems so intense in this largely green, brown and grey high-desert landscape. - Redfern Pond
- Refreshed after my break, I'm ready to start the ride up Cedar Canyon Road when a freight train passes by
I enjoy the spectacle while the road is blocked by the passing train for a few minutes. - Regeneration of a previously burned area (perhaps a prescribed burn).
It looks like a lot of the burned brush may have been chamise, but I see a lot of young coyote bushes popping up. - Relieved that I don't have to pass a toxic-waste dump here, I get back on the 10-ton bike and pedal onward toward Ludlow
Broadwell Dry Lake survives. - Remnant of old switchback road near Cornfield Spring, Mojave National Preserve
The old rock wall supporting the 360-degree turn in the road at the lower-left of the photo is still intact. Creosote bushes grow in the old roadbed today. - Replenished with lots of water in case there is none at Pachalka Spring, I ride over the bridge above Interstate 15
After not seeing all that many cars during the past week and a half in Mojave National Preserve, these vehicles speeding down the I-15 freeway are quite the spectacle. - Replenished, I begin the slow 12-mile descent to the Mojave National Preserve Kelso Depot visitor centre 1700 feet below
Some of the pavement here is a bit rough and has been patched many times. - Residual flowers on a cactus; these may become cactus pears soon
These fading flowers stand out amid the dearth of other desert flowers so late in the spring. - Residual pavement exists here and there on Walking Box Ranch Road
Now that there is no longer much mining activity in the area, I'm guessing that the pavement is no longer being renewed. In my notes from my 2000 trip here, I recorded that someone called this an "oiled road," not a paved road. - Resting at my tent at Nipton: the pinkish glow of the desert sunset is always a welcome end of the day
A car is parked at the tent cabin across from my tent; I won't be alone tonight. - Retro 70s furniture in my room at the Royal Hawaiian Motel at Baker, California
After checking in at the Royal Hawaiian, I walk over to Los Dos Toritos, one of the only non-chain restaurants in town, to officially end my trip and start reminiscing over a tasty chile verde plate. After a quiet evening at the motel, the 10-ton bike and I will spend tomorrow on the Amtrak bus and train to get back to San José, the land of employment, mortgages and suburban sprawl. I'll even get to speak to some French tourists at the bus stop here in Baker before I leave. This trip will become another well-earned deposit in the memory chest. - Returning to Jackrabbit Lake, I see that steep grade again further up Long Ridge Road that I was looking at this morning.
That road really is steep, and I congratulate myself again for not including it in my travel plans. It would probably be fun to ride down in a toboggan, if the hill were heavily snow-covered. - 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... - Returning to the main road, I decide to call it a day and set up camp by the power lines around 18h30
I've just hit thick sand on the road, and can't tell if it's just a patch or if it goes on for miles. If the full moon rises in a couple of hours and isn't obscured by clouds, I'll better see my surroundings; if not, I'll see more tomorrow morning. From here I can see some lights in the distance from Baker, or from Interstate 15, but it's as quiet and dark as can be at my campsite. I was expecting some humming sounds from the power lines and am glad that I'm not hearing anything like that. A constant moderate wind is coming down the canyon that makes boiling water for my evening add-water-to-bag meal take forever. Tonight is Mountain House Beef Stew, one of my favourites. Like a can of Copenhagen, it satisfies as always. - Rhus trilobata bushes at Macedonia Spring instead of water
I've noticed that rhus trilobata grows in dry areas which get water during the earlier months of the year. Even though this plant spooks me because it looks a lot like (and is related to) poison oak, I planted a couple of these in my garden in San José, where they don't grow into dense bushes like they do here. - 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. - Ribs close-up
The meat has been freshly picked off, but is mostly dry. Still, the residual meat is moist enough that I recognize the unmistakable scent of lamb meat in the air. - Ridge line
- Riding (and walking the 10-ton bike) up the Black Canyon Cut-off Road as the sun goes down
A few desert mallow flowers are blooming. Sometimes there are thousands of these orange flowers here. I like this short-cut road, only .75 miles long, excellent for mountain bikes. - Riding (and walking the 10-ton bike) up the Sagamore Cut-off Road, looking for shade under a Joshua tree
Time for an energy-bar break. The heat is still killing my appetite, so I might not be able to eat it all, but I'll eat as much of it as I can. - Riding a winding road in a quiet joshua-tree forest is always enjoyable
The best part is that it's slightly downhill on Castle Peaks Road, so the slightly sandy road doesn't pose any traction difficulties for the 10-ton bike. - Riding across Woods Wash Valley, cattle-grazing land, I come across another of several water tanks
- Riding along Bear Spring Road back toward Mississippi Lake.
Riding along Bear Spring Road back toward Mississippi Lake. - Riding around the bend toward the power lines at a blazing 6 miles per hour, I interrupt the supper of two vultures and a crow
They fly away before I'm able to take portrait photos, but I do get to see the former jackrabbit (?) upon which they were dining. They wait for me to leave before resuming their meal. I apologize for the interruption and continue onward. - Riding away from Howe Spring, I find myself thinking that, yes, it would be worth camping here one day
Beyond the pleasure of touring and sightseeing, I came here today to check out water availability and the suitability of the area as a possible home base for a hike on a future Mojave National Preserve trip. - Riding by Piute Gorge, looking for a campsite
Maybe the next campsite will be better. The GPS listing of campsites in Mojave National Preserve posted on the Preserve web site has proven to be quite useful, though I didn't think it would be. Thanks! - Riding down Highway 127 through the badlands between Shoshone and Tecopa Hot Springs
Again, but at sunset this time. - Riding down Monarch Canyon Road in search of a camp site for a night or two
I'm in awe; it's very scenic up here. I wonder if I'm the only person around. - Riding down Monterey Road in south San José.
About five miles south of home, riding through suburban sprawl. It's not pretty, and there's lots of traffic, but it's a flat and efficient ride, without too many traffic signals. And a nice bike lane much of the way. - Riding down Route 66 through Newberry Springs, a tour bus that just passed me has pulled over on the side of the road
Hmmm... there are people in the middle of the road up there. It looks like they might be photographing something. - Riding down the gentle grade of Kelso-Cima Road to Kelso Depot
A strong north wind pushes me down the 3.5-mile, 400-foot descent and I exceed 30 miles per hour for a while. It is hotter here in the valley and I pass a four-wheel-drive group stopped for a shady break under the railway tracks. - Riding down the old road just west of I-15
I ride just a mile or so to get a taste of what the area looks like in case I decide to venture into the area beyond one day. This is my "day off" and I'm not intending to do serious distance or climbing today. It is a very scenic area, but significantly marred by the presence of the freeway passing through. To seriously enjoy this area, I would need to continue on much further, which I'm not prepared to do today. - Riding down the road toward Badwater
I'm not exactly sure where I'll stop, but I don't plan on going all the way to Badwater on my "day off." - Riding east on Route 66 away from Daggett, one of many long freight trains passes by
With strong winds pushing me along, cool weather, and hardly any traffic on this road, it's a great ride today. Most of the traffic is on the freeway that runs in front of the Newberry Mountains at my right: just far enough away that I can't hear its roar. - Riding east toward Crescent Pass on Nevada 164, I pass under the power lines that cross Mojave National Preserve
Oddly, the sign for Crescent Peak Road is misspelled, with an unnecessary "a." (Creascent?) - Riding from Shoshone to Tecopa Hot Springs near sunset
Tecopa Hot Springs is just another eight miles down Highway 127 from Shoshone. Sunset, with its golden and rosy glows, is always a great time to be riding out here. - Riding Nipton Road, just a few more miles until I reach Nipton village over there
The final few hot-and-sweaty miles ahead before I reach Nipton are slightly uphill. Desire to reach the destination in the heat of the day always increases along this stretch, but there's no way to get there more quickly! - Riding south from Tank 3 on Aiken Mine Road, the road is slightly sandy with occasional volcanic debris
I'm heading toward two cinder cone hills that I recognize from views when riding up Kelbaker Road, but which I've never seen from this (the north) side before. - Riding the bicycle back to camp on Woods Wash Road
Almost there! - 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. - Riding toward the Piute Range
I've just left that sandy area behind me and can get back on the 10-ton bike and ride again! - Riding up Cedar Canyon Road, I spot an abandoned house, so the 10-ton bike pulls over to allow a few minutes of exploration
Any excuse for another break! - Riding up Ivanpah Road, Mojave National Preserve
I'll turn off soon to stop at Bathtub Spring to filter some water. This part of the road is a bit more level, and easier to ride. This is good because my energy is still not as high as I would like this morning! - Riding up Kelbaker Road in the sunset is pleasant; of course, it helps that there is no traffic, which is often the case
For some reason, I'm feeling energized now; must be today's energy bars kicking in. I have 600 feet of elevation gain ahead over the next 3.5 miles and a slight tailwind cheering me on for moral support. - 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! - Ring of rocks
- Rings Trail curves and I'm now staring straight ahead at Wild Horse Mesa
I'll still have a few days left on this trip, so I might end up on that plateau during the coming days before going back to work. - Rings Trail moves straight ahead toward those hot bubbly rocks
More anticipation. - Rings Trail, Mojave National Preserve: buckwheats blooming
The scenery is Mojave-nice, but I'm not seeing any rings yet. Anticipation. - Rising higher on China Hole Trail, I still have some grandiose views down into the Coyote Creek canyon below
This won't last much longer though, as I enter more manzanita forest and get on the ridge that climbs toward Park headquarters. - Rising out of the wash just past Stagecoach Well, the road is really rough, with loose rock on the surface
I drag the 10-ton bike up this little hill. My rear wheel is rubbing against the bike's frame again. I would stop and adjust it now, but with only a mile or so ahead of me, I decide to just put up with it. - Rising slowly up Blue Ridge Road and looking back down toward the Coyote Creek canyon where I started a while ago.
Rising slowly up Blue Ridge Road and looking back down toward the Coyote Creek canyon where I started a while ago. A lot of this road is too steep for me to ride with the loaded-down bike, so I drag the bike and take many water breaks under the oak trees along the way. - Rising up into the Funeral Mountains on Highway 190
I'm now up around 2000 feet. - Rising up Manzanita Point Road toward Park Headquarters. A small low-flying airplane passes overhead.
Because it's at the end of my trips, I always forget that a few of the short hills on this road are actually rather steep. I don't ever recall seeing a low-flying aircraft crossing this area like I'm seeing now. - Rising up the end of Willow Ridge Road away from Mississippi Lake, to meet County Line Road on the ridge.
Wow, I've worked up a sweat already and I'm barely half a mile away from the campsite. Those greenish-reddish chamise bushes that are everywhere around here don't provide much shade, but sometimes one can sit on the ground and snuggle up to a patch of it to get out of the hot sun if need be. - 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. - River of rocks
- Road users have placed rocks in this gully to facilitate passage over it
One of my older maps shows this part of the road as being inside a Wilderness area and therefore closed to vehicles. However, the new map that I purchased last week at Kelso Depot visitor centre corrects that error. - Road, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest
- 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. - Rock assortment
- Rock bubbles and crack
- Rock House Ridge, Henry Coe State Park
- Rock island in the sand
- Rock layers in Indian Springs wash
It's one rock texture after another up here in this wash. - Rock outcrops and irregular joshua trees create endless visual interest on the high plain between Teutonia Peak and Kessler Peak
We've lucked out catching sunset while on Teutonia Peak Trail; we didn't specifically plan our hike this way. - Rock pile
- Rock piles along the wash attract my attention
In particular, I notice the etching-like horizontal lines in one rock at centre-left. Hmmm. A pinon pine grows on top of the rock pile. - Rock shelter
- Rock wall at Cornfield Spring, Mojave National Preserve
I'm not sure if this is part of the old switchback road near the spring or independent of that. - Rock wall in Keystone Canyon
It's a hot day (90s F) and all this rock and gravel seems to be adding a bit to the heat. - Rock walls
- Rock-scrambling at Mojave National Preserve's Eagle Rocks can include scrambling under boulders, not just over them
Some of these dark nooks and crannies feel almost cave-like. - Rocky canyon
- Rocky hills along the road into the Hackberry Mountains
I'm really enjoying my first visit in this landscape, which feels quite different from the areas around it that I already know. - Rollin' down the river
- Rolling terrain on Long Ridge Road between Orestimba Creek and Jackrabbit Lake.
The road just came over that knoll in the background and crossed the creek at the bottom of it. I'm almost at the point where I turn off Long Ridge Road onto the Jackrabbit Lake Road. Clark Spring should be somewhere around here. - Rooster Comb Trail meanders through another open area and crosses a small dry creek
The gentle grade and numerous switchbacks of Rooster Comb Trail suggest that this trail was built in recent decades. Modern trail design often incorporates these features as a way of minimizing erosion. - Rooster Comb Trail rides a ledge through a bit of chamise and a few oaks
I wasn't expecting such nice vistas along this trail since it's only about 250 feet above Orestimba Creek. - Rooster Comb Trail rises slowly up grasslands with occasional oaks
The heat of the day is kicking in and all the dry, yellow grass smells like it's being gently roasted by the sun. Because it is. - Root system
- Rosy buckwheat flowers overlook a smoky canyon in the highlands of Death Valley National Park
- Roughly two miles before Cima, I cross an intersection with an unsigned dirt road to my right; I continue straight ahead
According to my maps, this side road leads over to Morning Star Mine Road, passing an old corral along the way. I should try that road some day. - Round-trip bicycle route, Piute Gorge to Hackberry Spring via Rattlesnake Mine
36.5 bicycle miles and about 1500 feet of elevation gain. - Round-trip hiking route from Mid Hills campground to Thomas Place, Live Oak Spring and "Seep Canyon" (Day 8)
14.1 hiking miles and 2585 feet of elevation gain (and loss). Follow the route in the clockwise direction. - Rounding "the big curve" on Kelbaker Road, I begin the 10-mile home stretch toward Baker
I've exited the hilly areas into the glory of open-desert sunset light. Baker is over in front of those mountains ahead. Even though this road drops another 1000 feet between here and there, it looks pretty flat as it rolls out across the desert floor. - Route 66 closely parallels the I-40 freeway the rest of the way to Ludlow, my destination today
It's 16h20 and the sun is already starting to go down. I love the late fall sunlight, but not the short days. I still have about 15 miles ahead until I reach Ludlow. - Route 66 in Newberry Springs sports a number of old buildings, some abandoned, some not: welcome to "The Barn"
"The Barn" is a bar that is still operational, and is for sale for a price in the $500,000 range. The strong wind blows against the palm tree, indicating its (and my) eastward direction. - Route 66 Motel, Barstow, California
It rained here in Barstow just before I arrived and more cold rain was forecast for the overnight hours. Upon checking in, I was given a bottle of drinking water because the city's water supply has been contaminated. - Route 66 Newberry Mountains bicycle route
40.5 bicycle miles plus about 1200 feet of elevation gain. - Route 66 reaches a stop sign as it passes through the little town of Daggett, California
Every now and then, one comes across a big Route 66 logo painted on the pavement. Supposedly, it's mostly Europeans who come here to see Route 66, not Americans. - Route 66's road surface gets really rough east of Newberry Springs; I'm glad I'm riding a mountain bike with suspension!
I've been making excellent time so far today due to the rather flat terrain and strong tailwind, often riding 20 mph. However, the miles of rough pavement here, in addition to a slight uphill, are slowing me down considerably. - Route of Black Diamond Spring-Barnett Mine bike-hike from Mid HIlls campground
22.3 bicycle miles and 7.5 hiking miles with about 1200 feet of hiking elevation gain. (Bicycle track in red, hiking in blue.) - Route of Gold Valley bicycle ride from Mid Hills campground, plus a short hike in Saddle Horse Canyon
19.7 bicycle miles plus 3.4 hiking miles. - Route of Old Government Road day hike to Piute Spring from Piute Gorge campsite
5 hiking miles and about 1000 feet of elevation gain. - Route of round-trip mountain-bike ride from Woods Wash, Mojave National Preserve, to Fenner and Essex, CA: Day 10
73 bicycle miles and about 3500 feet of elevation gain. - Route of short Cornfield Spring Road day hike and ride down to Kelso Depot (Day 2)
5.1 hiking miles up Cornfield Spring Road and back with 650 feet elevation gain (and loss), plus 3.5 bicycle miles down to Kelso Depot and back. - Route of today's hike to Malpais Spring, Indian Spring and Taylor Spring, Mojave National Preserve
7.9 hiking miles with about 1700 feet of elevation gain. Lots of little ups and downs along the way. - Route: Piute Gorge to Bathtub Spring by bicycle via Mojave Road and Ivanpah Road
26.3 bicycle miles and about 1500 feet of elevation gain. - Ruins, Madrone Soda Springs
- Running down the middle of Broadwell Dry Lake is the remains of the former Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad bed
Looking south toward Ludlow and Route 66. This railroad was built a few years before 1910. Apparently, this segment of the railroad to Ludlow was abandoned in 1933 after a major flood in the area. - Rust and grey-blue in Piute Canyon
- Rusted tin can and rock outcrop
- Sagamore Canyon Cut-Off Road is rather rough in places
... but it's a pretty nice ride on a mountain bike, at least in the downhill direction, even fully loaded with all my travel gear. - Sagamore Canyon Cut-Off Road rolls over many low humps, since it cuts across drainage areas from the New York Mountains
I still have the strong Mojave winds pushing me from behind, which makes the ride out here in the middle of nowhere on the 10-ton bike even better. - Sagebrush and dry waterfall
- Salt Creek is indeed wet enough to sustain a marshy area
... right here in the dry Mojave Desert! - Salt excretions on my skin too, not just on my helmet straps!
I'm glad I'll get a shower and a soak in the warm mineral water at Tecopa Hot Springs in a few hours. Unfortunately, one doesn't have the opportunity to shower every day on trips like these. Perhaps that's one reason why I like doing these trips solo! - Salt mine, Nevada
- Salvia dorrii: I thought I detected the distinctive smell of desert sage earlier, and here's some
Possibly I've also been walking on Chia sage to produce the aroma; I've seen a few of those today as well. - Sand outpour, Mojave Trails National Monument area
- Sand patterns
- Sand platform
- Sand platform
- Sand-dusted
- Sands should be just over there where the road comes to an end at the railroad tracks
... if I understand my maps correctly. - Sandstorm, Eureka Valley
- Sandy road
- Sarah and Heather check out a really huge "pancake cactus"
Most of the ones I see aren't as big as this one. - Sarah discovers a rock shelter at Teutonia Peak and tries it out
It works! - Sarah moseys around in the rock outcrops as we get close to the top of Teutonia Peak Trail
Some end-of-day haze is blowing in, dulling the view of the distant Kingston Range. - Sarah takes a break on Teutonia Peak, overlooking the subtle curve of Cima Dome
I have a cell-phone signal here, so I send a few text messages and make a quick phone call. I haven't had any phone service for the past couple of days, so I've been wanting to let people know that I haven't vanished. - Scape sunscreen: I feel like a chemical test site: it's bubbling and foaming in the extreme heat (high 90s F), how weird
I brought some of this new-to-me brand of sunscreen, which is supposed to be good under athletic conditions, because I was running low on my preferred brand (REI), which was out-of-stock. I won't be buying this again. - Scarecrow Joshua tree, Mojave National Preserve, York Fire zone.
Only the upper part of this tree burned. - Scattered flowers add some color to the descent toward Globe Mine Road
Areas that look brown from a distance sometimes have many flowers blooming. - Scattered lava rock, sand, and washboard texture define the half-mile-long ride on Aiken Mine Road, my final unpaved road
I rode most of Aiken Mine Road's 20 miles last year and it deserves another visit. - Scattered old trash is also found on the other side of the tracks at Brant siding
A datura blooms.