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Near those crumbling rock walls is a hole in the hillside
The 10-ton bike waits for me back on Indian Springs Road
Back on the pavement of Kelbaker Road, I begin the slow, easy climb up toward Jackass Canyon Road
2.5 miles up Kelbaker Road, I make a brief stop at Black Tank Wash to remove my scarf and winter jacket
About 30 minutes later, and another 2.5 miles up the road, I stop at Rainy Day Mine Road to put on a windbreaker
Dismantling the tent; time to move on and continue my bikepacking trip
Around 13h, I ride down Indian Springs wash, away from my quiet campsite of the past two nights
A mile or so down Indian Springs Road, I stop to look at some stone ruins in a hillside on the north side of the road
At the stone ruins off Indian Springs Road
I take a look into the hole that goes into the hillside
Whatever this was, there's practically no mortar left at all between the stones
Bladderpod (Isomeris arborea) flowering and fruiting on the hillside behind my tent near Indian Springs
Unidentified alyssum-like plant
Looking back down to my campsite from my outhouse with a view
Before packing up, I head back up to Indian Springs 1/2 mile up the road to refill my drinking-water supply
Pumping water at Indian Springs
Ice in my water bottles this morning at Indian Springs!
After 1/ 2 mile or so, I'm relieved to stumble across Indian Springs Road as hoped
OK, I admit it--I'm lost, but not totally
I nervously hike cross-country by flashlight toward the lights of Baker, in search of the road back to my tent
Dusk is closing in here in Eyeball Rock Wash
Where am I?
Sunset near Eyeball Rock
A quick stop at "Eyeball Rock," as I've decided to call it, for a photo break
Desert mallow
Yet more neato rock layering effects
Nice views, but there's a really steep drop between here and that wash down there
This must be an animal trail along the ridge
Ah! Just beyond the end of the animal trail, I spot a wash worth aiming for on the valley floor
Almost down at my chosen wash!
Now that I'm in the wash, I just have to follow it all the way down to Indian Springs Road
A big hole dug by an animal in a quest for water
Faint pink light in the wash
Further along atop the next hump
Looking to the northwest, I can see another wash that looks like it drains toward Indian Springs
I'm partially descending the back (south) side of the ridge to avoid the cold wind on the ridgetop
Heading back up to the ridgetop for a moment
I keep seeing these diminutive buckwheat-like plants
Great views across to Soda Lake from the ridgetop
So it's down the back side of the ridge again for a short distance to avoid the wind
OK, back up the hill a little again
I climb back down to the wash below
I feel like taking a different route back to camp, instead of returning the same way I came
I start walking up the low ridge to the west of me to get an overview of the area
At the top of this low ridge, I contemplate my next steps
Behind me is one of the cinder cones for which this area is well-known
"Painted-dot" rock
The tip of one of the old lava flows lies a short distance ahead
Approaching the base of the lava flow from the knoll that it rests on
I make it almost to the top of the lava and am taking in the excellent views across the Indian Springs area
More eroded walls in the wash
I'm seeing animal tracks all over the place
Another trickle of water
The wash forks and gets narrower, then I stumble across these bones
I think I'm at Cane Spring, but maybe not; Cane Spring might be over in the next wash
Just beyond Cane Spring, I come across more surface ice
Another one of many splits in the wash
Randomly, I decide to head up the rocky right fork
The colourful yellow lichen on these rocks is quite painterly
A little further up Indian Springs wash, I come across another seep and a bit of ice that today's sun hasn't reached, and melted
I continue up Indian Springs wash
More cool rock layering effects
Erosion along the walls of Indian Springs wash
Poor little cactus!
After breakfast, I dig a cat hole up on the hillside above Indian Springs Road
I pack a day bag and start today's hike by walking 1/4 mile up to Indian Springs to filter the day's drinking water
I refill my two-litre Camelbak and an empty 1.5-litre bottle with water from Indian Springs
With no set destination, I start walking up the wash past Indian Springs and notice some intriguing rock layers
Late-morning coffee and breakfast (brunch, really). It was cold last night and I didn't sleep so well, and then I slept in late
The fire is burning nicely, but it's getting late, so I'm thinking about letting it die down and retreating to my tent
The heat feels great, but it's time to let the fire burn out and prepare for sleeping
Hillside cactus garden at Indian Springs, Mojave National Preserve
Looking back down the Indian Springs wash toward my campsite
Barrel cacti catching the last light of day on the hill above Indian Springs
The sun sets on me at Indian Springs
After supper, at 21h50, it's time to start my Indian Springs Xmas campfire
Woohoo, the fire is starting to burn!
Trying to warm up in front of the fire
I add another piece of junk plywood to the fire
Indian Springs wash enters a small narrows
There are a lot of barrel cacti on the surrounding hillsides, which isn't apparent at a distance
A little further beyond Indian Springs, I notice a side wash that looks interesting
This rock formation immediately catches my attention
This side wash near Indian Springs gets narrower
I notice a little cave up on the hillside on the way out of the side wash
Rock layers in Indian Springs wash
I continue walking up the Indian Springs wash in the glow of the setting sun
After about three miles, Indian Springs Road turns toward the hills up a sandy wash
About a quarter mile before the end of Indian Springs Road, I notice a fire ring and a possible campsite
An ugly pile of debris sits on the hillside just above my chosen campsite near Indian Springs
I begin dismantling my rig and setting up camp
Camp is set up near Indian Springs!
With an hour of daylight left, I walk up to the end of Indian Springs Road to explore a little
Wow, there's a trickle of water here at Indian Springs
There's just enough water at Indian Springs that I'll be able to use my water filter to get extra drinking water here tomorrow
The first ten miles of Kelbaker Road into Mojave National Preserve out of Baker looks flat, but it actually climbs 1000 feet
After ten miles, Kelbaker Road bends sharply away from civilization
After 13 miles, I reach the little dirt road to Indian Springs and turn off here
Indian Springs Road: the road surface is a bit rough and rocky
A drainage rut across Indian Springs Road
Leaving the Royal Hawaiian Motel in Baker to start my Mojave National Preserve trip
Damage to the corner of one of the motel units
The 10-ton bike is packed up and ready to go to Mojave National Preserve on Xmas day
Baker's "world's tallest thermometer" says that it's 50 degrees F this morning
Leaving Baker on Kelbaker Road and crossing the Interstate 15 freeway to enter Mojave National Preserve
Freeway traffic behind me now, I enter Mojave National Preserve
My Amtrak bus out of San José leaves me at Stockton, where I transfer to an Amtrak train to Bakersfield
I spend 4.5 hours on the Amtrak San Joaquin train, occasionally staring at the tray-table instructions in front of me
The Amtrak bus leaves me at Baker, California at around 20h30, gateway to Mojave National Preserve
After checking in at Baker's Royal Hawaiian Motel for Xmas Eve, I walk back up the road to get a meal at the Mad Greek
The Royal Hawaiian Motel is the cheapest motel in Baker, and for good reason (at $49/night it's not exactly cheap, however)
Even the message telling the visitor that this heater is no longer in use appears to be many years old
Overview of my room at the Royal Hawaiian Motel
The stained ceiling in the bathroom tells a story of a shower in the room above that leaked
The particle-board door on the bathroom has never been painted
Fluorescent bulbs above the beds (and almost everywhere else) create a retro 1970s fashion
The 10-ton bike and I are ready to leave downtown San José and head to Mojave National Preserve again!
Across the tracks from the Stockton Amtrak station is an old house that looks abandoned, but isn't
My pile of supplies and gear dumped in the spare bedroom the night before leaving home