Home 7119
- It's a steep 600-foot drop from Wild Horse Mesa down to Bluejay Mine and my bike
- I climb up onto Wild Horse Mesa and revel in the views toward Beecher Canyon and Providence Mountains
- Looking south across Wild Horse Mesa, Mojave National Preserve
- Looking southwest across Wild Horse Mesa, the plateau drops off into the southern end of Beecher Canyon
- My maps indicate that the summit of Wild Horse Mesa is only a half mile northeast, so I start walking that way
- Last chance to spontaneously change my route and walk straight ahead down Beecher Canyon...
- I cross the juniper-studded drainage that is Beecher Canyon's "headwaters" and begin the climb up to Wild Horse Mesa
- It's only a quarter mile up to the Wild Horse Mesa plateau, but it's a steep 300 feet elevation gain
- The Mojave storm clouds have brought high winds that try to blow the hat off my head
- I watch an agave on my way down toward Beecher Canyon
- Desert dudleya growing in rock on the way down toward Beecher Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
- I pack my backpack and hike up the steep hill above Bluejay Mine and the Winkler's Cabin site
- Atop the ridge, it's exciting to look over the other side to a world where it appears that man rarely visits
- A lizard scurries along a burned timber outside the entrance to the Bluejay Mine, Mojave National Preserve
- This low rock wall looks like it may be the remants of a foundation, or maybe it's just a retaining wall for a former garden
- Debris at the burned Winkler's Cabin site at the end of Bluejay Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve
- The entrance to the old Bluejay Mine appears to have been recently rebuilt with fresh wood
- I come around a bend and realize I'm at the end of the road, looking at the Bluejay Mine site
- Out here in the middle of nowhere, I stumble upon a memorial plaque dedicated to James Winkler
- Bluejay Mine Road enters a wash and I look at the tracks I've carved behind me
- The fearful motorists were correct; Bluejay Mine Road does worsen, as most dead-end desert tracks do
- Bluejay Mine Road rises out of the wash, sort of, but is really bumpy, and a bit uphill, so I'm now walking more than riding
- Bluejay Mine Road appears to my right about six miles from Mid Hills campsite 22, at about 4740 feet elevation
- Wild Horse Mesa, the target of today's hike, is the flat-topped formation ahead
- Wild Horse Canyon Road continues its twisty-windy descent, which is getting flatter
- 3/4 mile from campsite 22, I exit Mid Hills campground and turn right to start descending Wild Horse Canyon Road
- Wild Horse Canyon Road is one of my favourite mountain-bike rides in Mojave National Preserve
- I get ready to leave Mid Hills campground for a ride down Wild Horse Canyon Road
- Mid Hills campground to Wildcat Spring and Chicken Water Spring hiking route elevation profile (Day 4)
- Mid Hills campground to Wildcat Spring and Chicken Water Spring hiking route map (Day 4)
- I enjoy watching the sun go down behind the hills in the Eagle Rocks area
- Nice views of Eagle Rocks again as I get close to reentering Mid Hills campground
- And a mariposa lily...
- My short cross-country hike comes to an end when I reach the road through Mid Hills campground
- Back at Mid Hills campground site 22 after today's hike to Eagle Rocks and Wildcat Spring
- I crawl under a barbed-wire fence so I can walk up Wild Horse Canyon Road
- I walk up Wild Horse Canyon road and cross a cattle guard
- I decide to follow the small dirt road to my left instead of staying on the main road back to Mid Hills campground
- After a 1/4 mile on the dirt road, I begin heading cross-country through the partially burned desert forest
- I walk the final 1/2 mile up from Silver Lead Spring to Wild Horse Canyon Road at 5500 feet elevation
- Silver Lead Spring: I almost missed it, but here it is on a small hill just above the wash
- Just to the east of the main part of Silver Lead Spring is an old conrete-and-rock retainer
- Firecracker penstemon (Penstemon eatonii) in the wash below Silver Lead Spring
- Bones in wash near Silver Lead Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- A broken-down gate near Silver Lead Spring
- I stumble across an old rusty water trough near Silver Lead Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Here's an old concrete cistern near Silver Lead Spring
- I continue walking up the wash toward Silver Lead Spring and Wild Horse Canyon Road
- I pass a meticulously contructed bird's nest in the wash on the way up to Silver Lead Spring
- The wash leading up to Silver Lead Spring and Wild Horse Canyon Road is wide
- I start hiking up the wash that will pass Silver Lead Spring on the way up to to Wild Horse Canyon Road
- After Chicken Water Spring, I look for an uphill wash on my left that will take me up to Wild Horse Canyon Road
- A broken-down brick cistern sits in the corral at Chicken Water Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Chicken Water Spring, to my surprise, drips into this shiny, new steel basin
- The basin at Chicken Water Spring is mostly full, though the water may not be the freshest
- I don't mind the dead moths in the Chicken Water Spring basin, but the dead lizard makes the water less appetizing
- An old foundation near the end of Chicken Water Spring Road
- Chicken Water Spring Road is quite indistinct here and doesn't look like it has been driven often in recent years
- A stark pinnacle just south of Coyote Spring on the way to Chicken Water Spring
- Chicken Water Spring is off to my right, but I decide to walk straight ahead for a short loop around this end of the valley
- Many buckwheats are still flowering up on this ridgelet between Coyote Spring and Chicken Water Spring
- The descent into the valley of Chicken Water Spring is so short and easy that it's almost not a descent
- I climb up the hill above Coyote Spring and try my cell phone
- Small blue flowers peer out from between some rocks on the ridge between Coyote Spring and Chicken Water Spring
- Map and GPS check at the the top of the low ridge 200 feet above, and just south of, Coyote Spring
- Wildcat Spring is not completely dry, yet, upon further inspection
- I take a short break at Wildcat Spring and drink some of the water I brought with me
- I leave Wildcat Spring and start hiking toward my next stop, Coyote Spring, about 1/2 mile beyond
- My GPS leads me around a bend toward Coyote Spring; I'm at the lowest elevation of today's trip, 4430 feet
- All this greenery says that this must be Coyote Spring, but I don't see any water here, not even a bit of mud
- Looking back again at the Eagle Rocks and Mid Hills area
- My Delorme GPS leads me into a small wash as I look for signs of Wildcat Spring
- Wildcat Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- The toughest part for me is just before the bottom, where I'm left with no choice but to jump down a few boulders
- I reach the bottom of the boulders and look back to see what I've just climbed down; I expect sore knees and thighs tomorrow
- Entering the next phase of today's hike, I start heading down toward Wildcat Spring, Mojave National Preserve
- Oh good, a level spot, but perhaps followed by a steep drop...
- I'm a bit stuck right here and will have to squeeze behind the manzanita (and other) brush here to reach the next step down
- 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
- Looking back up the boulder pile as I get closer to the bottom
- I pass an unexpected manzanita shrub as I begin my way down the boulder pile
- It looks a bit steeper going down than I was hoping for
- Three bugs are enjoying this thistle blossom
- The texture of the Eagle Rocks area is perhaps even more interesting on their back side
- My next stop will be down in the hidden valley at Wildcat Spring; perhaps it's that tiny green spot down there, I'm not sure yet
- Maybe this one should be called Buttock Rock
- I begin hiking beyond Eagle Rocks into new territory that I've been looking forward to visiting
- There's no shortage of quirky rocks in the Eagle Rocks area to look at
- Palmer's penstemon blooms on the way up the gulley toward Eagle Rocks
- Eagle Rocks, Mojave National Preserve
- A patch of asters on the way down to the gulley between Mid Hills campground and Eagle Rocks
- A bee tightens up and launches itself toward a thistle bloom
- Mid Hills campground's 26 campsites are all nicely deserted this morning, except for mine
- Across the road from the water tap, I ponder the wiew of the Eagle Rocks, which will be the first stop on today's hike
- I'm being watched!
- Back at my tent, a lizard pretends to hide from my camera under a nearby pinon pine
- I consult my maps and have breakfast and hot tea (which makes me sweat) inside my tent
- I prepare my backpack for the day and begin by walking down the short steep hill into the gulley behind Mid Hills campground
- Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve before today's hike to Eagle Rocks and Wildcat Spring
- Sunset haze drifts over the Ivanpah Mountains and the Clark Mountain Range beyond
- Mid Hills campground sunset; I set up my burner on the picnic table and get ready to boil water for tonight's meal
- Returning to my tent at Mid Hills site 22, I spot some tiny flowers along the road that I've never noticed before
- Wild Horse Canyon Road junction, and Mid Hills campground is just two miles away
- The last couple of miles before Mid Hills campground bring a few short hills just when you have little energy left
- Almost at Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve
- Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve, entrance kiosk
- I ride through Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve, and select site 22, where I've camped previously
- Desert four o'clock flowers
- A pinon pine infant grows near a banana yucca at Mid Hills campground, Mojave National Preserve
- After selecting site 22, I ride through the deserted Mid Hills campground back to the entrance kiosk to deposit my fees
- Cedar Canyon Road is scenic, but I'm always so happy when I reach the junction of Black Canyon Road at 5000 feet
- Black Canyon Road rises up from Cedar Canyon Road toward the Mid Hills, Mojave National Preserve
- Black Canyon Road's grade here ranges from three to seven per cent, with a bit of loose sand on a hard washboard surface
- After climbing out of Cedar Canyon Road, Black Canyon Road reaches the plateau of Round Valley
- Cedar Canyon Road's famous "pavement ends" sign
- Cedar Canyon Road dips down into Cedar Wash for a couple of miles
- The climb up Cedar Canyon Road into the Mid Hills starts out well
- I pull in at the road to Chicken Water Spring and try my cell phone; it works here as hoped
- Mojave Road and Marl Mountains in the background, I try my cell phone here, but there's no reception
- While at Cedar Canyon Road junction, I notice an indecisive SUV, so I go speak to its driver; maybe he needs directions
- Refreshed after my break, I'm ready to start the ride up Cedar Canyon Road when a freight train passes by
- Cedar Canyon Road junction, another much-needed break, at 3725 feet on Kelso-Cima Road
- Information plaque on Mojave Road marker at junction of Cedar Canyon Road and Kelso-Cima Road
- Kelso-Cima Road isn't too busy, but traffic is fast and there's no paved shoulder, so cars have to change lanes to pass me
- Datura flowers along Kelso-Cima Road
- Globe Mine Road; I camped three nights up this road on my 2008 trip
- I pedal slowly upward and take a Clif-bar-and-water-break about an hour later off Kelso-Cima Road along the train tracks
- The break helps a lot, and I get back on Kelso-Cima Road for the last few miles to Cedar Canyon Road and watch a train pass by
- I pass my favourite old house in Kelso, the one with the rounded roof and the cabin in the backyard built of railway ties
- It's already 84 degrees and I've cooled down as much as I can in Kelso Depot's air conditioning; it's time to ride on!
- I'm officially on my way to Mid Hills now as I leave Kelso Depot and head north on Kelso-Cima Road
- I take a one-hour break and cool down in Kelso Depot's air conditioning before starting the climb up to Mid Hills campground
- Downstairs in Kelso Depot is a model that shows how Kelso was back in the 1940s
- Also downstairs at Kelso Depot is a gallery featuring work from a new artist-in-residence program by photographer Bob Killen
- Next to Kelso Depot is an old metal structure that was formerly used as Kelso's jail!
- Dead tree along Cornfield Spring Road near Kelso Depot, with Kelso Dunes in the background
- My tires hiss gently as I ride through the sand at the bottom of Cornfield Road toward Kelso Depot
- Just before Kelso Depot and the train tracks, I cross Kelso's back street where sit a few inhabited houses
- Looking behind me up Cornfield Spring Road toward Providence Mountains as I ride down the rough road to Kelso Depot
- I pass an ant hill on Cornfield Spring Road
- By 9h, the contents of my campsite on Cornfield Spring Road has been decisively packed into my bloated saddlebags
- I start the two-mile trek down Cornfield Spring Road toward Kelso Depot
- I'm irreversibly awake and sweating as soon the hot sun rises around 6h; by 7h, I'm outside taking a "dry shower"
- Sunset at Kelso also means removing the tent's outer flap to let the hottest air escape through the screen
- Heat does kill the appetite, but a good meal after exertion in the heat is still satisfying, if taken slowly
- After dark, the wind picks up a little; it's a beautiful warm evening and the stars are bright
- My air-conditioning festival melts away when I refill my water supply at Kelso Depot and begin the ride back to camp
- In addition to the four now-full 1.5-litre water bottles in my backpack, my 10-litre black water bag is mostly full now too
- Back at the tent, I decide to rest silently for a while and enjoy the mind-and-body debilitating drug that is the heat
- Sunset finally approaches like I knew it eventually would; I've been imagining its arrival from inside my tent for a while now
- Like the Providence Mountains behind me, I stretch, and I stretch, upward and outward, the cool 90-degree air enveloping us all
- From Kelso Depot, view northeast up Kelso-Cima Road from the door at the end of the second-floor corridor
- Kelso Depot baggage office, from staff's view
- Kelso Depot, second storey: the real reason I'm here today (besides the air conditioning)
- I plant myself in the sitting area of the little library and go about browsing the books and maps
- A couple of the small sleeping rooms are furnished in the simple style of the period
- So, what in the desert is worth surrounding with barbed wire like this?
- On the way back to my tent, I notice a very distinct animal trail running across the fan
- I fetch my bike at the tent and ride the almost two miles down to Kelso Depot
- Close to Kelso Depot, I notice that Cornfield Spring Road crosses an old washed-out paved road
- Approaching Kelso Depot, and air conditioning!
- I suck back a glass of cold iced tea at the just-opened first-floor lunch counter, then go exploring Kelso Depot's many rooms
- Several of the Kelso Depot exhibits introduce visitors to various distinct areas of Mojave National Preserve
- Old Kelso Depot office space
- Now that I'm back at my tent, one of the things I want to see is that fenced-off structure a quarter-mile in front of me
- Near the structure are many old cans strewn about
- Peering through the wire, I see a large, dry concrete reservoir
- On the approach, this thing looks like an abandoned skating rink surrounded by barbed wire
- I pass again through the stand of desert willows on the way back to the tent
- As I approach the tent, I'm overcome by a feeling of disappointment due to not having reached Cornfield Spring
- I reach inside my tent to get some water and notice yesterday's heavily salt-crusted t-shirt
- A wasp, or some kind of big fly, is sitting outside my tent, obviously attracted to something
- As I hike up Cornfield Spring Road, I come across this collection of old pipes
- I keep hiking up Cornfield Spring Road and realize that I'm almost out of water already; not good on a hot day like this
- Kelso Dunes paint a scenic backdrop for this moment of indecision
- Break time! A Clif bar, and more water, which is already rather warm
- Desert-horned-lizard break! Quite different from my Clif-bar-and-water break a few minutes ago
- The 2.5-mile hike back to the tent is pleasant, and I'm enjoying the gentle downhill as I sweat under the hot sun
- Residual flowers on a cactus; these may become cactus pears soon
- 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
- It's a hot morning, probably in the high 70s; I mount the rain cover on the sunny side of the tent to get some shade
- Time to dig my first cat hole of the trip
- I pack my backpack and start walking up the road toward Cornfield Spring
- Hmm... no water here at all, just a nice patch of desert willows (chilopsis linearis)
- Chilopsis linearis flowers in close-up
- Mojave National Preserve wake-up call near Kelso Depot: morning sunshine
- Cornfield Spring Road becomes a track of small rocks plowed out of the alluvial fan
- I'm still a couple of miles away from Cornfield Spring when I notice a small clearing that might make a good campsite
- My Cornfield Spring Road campsite is born in time for me to enjoy the colourful end-of-day glow of the desert sunset
- The beauty and serenity of a desert sunset tends to recompense for any hardships incurred during the day's work
- I glance back at Kelso Depot as I start riding up the sandy road to Cornfield Spring
- The road to Cornfield Spring gets a bit rougher
- Still heading downhill into the Kelso Valley, now approaching the town of Kelso, that ribbon of buildings
- Desert willows bloom and attract hummingbirds outside the Kelso Depot bathroom building
- While lingering in the shade of the Kelso Depot waiting platform, I chat with a couple on their first visit to the Preserve
- Kelso Depot Visitor Centre, Mojave National Preserve, former 1920s train station restored in 2005
- I look across the tracks and beyond the handful of houses that are Kelso toward Cornfield Spring, my destination
- The final four miles of the normally easy climb to the Kelbaker Road summit at the power lines have never been so challenging
- Kelbaker Road summit at 3700 feet elevation; I'm there, finally!
- The 12-mile gradual descent to Kelso is fun, but I usually have a headwind that slows me down considerably, like I do today