Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Fall 2010: Route 66 and Kelso Dunes Wilderness Bicycle Camping / Day 4: South Bristol Mountains foothills campsite to Broadwell Dry Lake by bicycle, with a detour to Ludlow for water 32
I pack up my campsite in the Bristol Mountains, ride back to Ludlow to fill up on water, and then down to Broadwell Dry Lake to camp.
A chilly, sunny day with a cold night ahead. 18.8 sandy bicycle miles. Pedaling the last few miles around Broadwell Dry Lake in the peaceful desert dark before moonrise is memorable.
I sleep in until about 9h30 this morning and reluctantly peer outside, not really wanting to get up and start the day
Oops! My unopened coffee packet falls into my cup of pomegranate-cranberry vitamin C drink while I prepare my breakfast routine
Last night's winds surreptitiously blew a fine layer of sand into the tent which dusted everything laying flat near the door
Outside in the tepid desert morning sun, I look at a still-life of those things that matter most right now
The disorder inside my tent will be packed up shortly; perhaps I'll drink an extra cup of coffee as a way to procrastinate
OK, enough procrastination after drinking extra coffee "Everything out of the tent!"
The last job upon emptying the tent is to remove the large rocks I placed inside, in case the wind got really strong
Everything has been packed into the saddlebags that will be attached to my bike, after I walk everything out to the road
All packed up, I bicycle down the Bristol Mountains powerline road and reach the junction of the high road and the low road
I look behind me as I push the 10-ton bike through the sand trap on the Bristol Mountains powerline road
The sand accumulation comes to an end as the road rises up onto a firmer, more gravelly surface
An hour later, past the bottom of the dip in the road, I look back at the Bristol Mountains powerline road
A little further ahead, I'll make a left turn under the powerlines and ride the final two miles of dirt road back to Ludlow
Approaching Ludlow again, the stop that I wish I didn't need to make today
I ride up the subtle hill away from Broadwell Dry Lake, for my water stop at Ludlow, but I'll come back here around sunset
Ludlow, California, seen from Crucero Road
The 10-ton bike takes a rest behind the vacant outdoor seating (it's chilly today) at Ludlow's Dairy Queen gas station
The Dairy Queen gas station doesn't have the large bottles of water that I want, so I visit Ludlow's other gas station
It's the Thanksgiving holiday week, with an endless stream of cars and trucks racing past Ludlow on the I-40 freeway
The Cady Mountains pick up the chilly orange-purple sunset glow on the other side of the freeway from the Ludlow Chevron station
It's time for me to stop looking down toward Broadwell Dry Lake from the gas station parking lot and actually go there
Here I am again, leaving the pavement of Ludlow on Crucero Road, just like I did two days ago
Direct sunlight down at Broadwell Dry Lake (here I come) is already gone for the day, blocked by the surrounding hills
I cross the powerline road that leads off to the right to my Bristol Mountains campsite of the past two nights
I take a look behind me at the "city lights" of Ludlow, now two miles away
I pass the Kelso Dunes Wilderness sign at dusk, enjoying the views toward the Bristol Mountains, where I hiked yesterday
Darkness falls as I approach the southern tip Broadwell Dry Lake; it seems that the road is getting a bit better, not worse
Crucero Road by the dry lake turns out to be firm-surfaced (but rough), so I happily ride the final 4 miles at a cool 7 mph
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
My flashlight and bicycle light headlight assist me in setting up camp in the dark valley; the almost-full moon hasn't risen yet
Elevation profile of bicycle route from Bristol Mountains to Broadwell Dry Lake campsite via Ludlow
Bicycle route from Bristol Mountains to Broadwell Dry Lake campsite via Ludlow