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
I like this campsite in the Bristol Mountains foothills and had a great hike yesterday here, so I don't feel like packing up and leaving. Despite the moderate wind all night long, the temperature only dropped into the high 30s, and I slept well. - Oops! My unopened coffee packet falls into my cup of pomegranate-cranberry vitamin C drink while I prepare my breakfast routine
Dry granola, tamari almonds, a few pieces of dried fruit... On this quiet morning, I hear a few squeaking sounds, which I presume to be small birds, even though I don't see any outside. - Last night's winds surreptitiously blew a fine layer of sand into the tent which dusted everything laying flat near the door
... like my Camelbak and my sleeping bag. - Outside in the tepid desert morning sun, I look at a still-life of those things that matter most right now
Coffee powder in a cup waiting for hot water, propane bottle with burner heating water in a pot, black vinyl bag containing extra water, tent and bicycle. - The disorder inside my tent will be packed up shortly; perhaps I'll drink an extra cup of coffee as a way to procrastinate
I usually drink two cups of coffee in the morning; today will be three instead! I haven't seen anyone else for almost 48 hours, so I'm not really looking forward to backtracking into "civilization" (Ludlow) briefly to fill up on water. - OK, enough procrastination after drinking extra coffee "Everything out of the tent!"
I don't think there's anyone around to hear me yell this out loud. But in the desert, you never know... - The last job upon emptying the tent is to remove the large rocks I placed inside, in case the wind got really strong
Due to loose sand and rock in the desert, I find that large rocks placed inside the tent along the periphery are often more helpful than the tent stakes that work well in clay-based soils. - Everything has been packed into the saddlebags that will be attached to my bike, after I walk everything out to the road
My campsite tonight will be somewhere just on the other side of Broadwell Dry Lake, that sandy patch down there. I'll make a short detour to Ludlow along the way to replenish my water supply. - All packed up, I bicycle down the Bristol Mountains powerline road and reach the junction of the high road and the low road
It's slightly downhill, making the first 1.75 miles easier, but I still have to walk the bike occasionally. My bike tracks and footprints from two days ago have not been erased yet, so no other motor vehicles have come up this road since I did. - I look behind me as I push the 10-ton bike through the sand trap on the Bristol Mountains powerline road
Walking through this two days ago, I felt like I had reached a potentially major obstacle, not knowing how long the sand would last. Now that I know it's only a short distance, it's just like another bump on the road. - The sand accumulation comes to an end as the road rises up onto a firmer, more gravelly surface
I hop back on the 10-ton bike and start slowly coasting down the gentle slope beyond. - An hour later, past the bottom of the dip in the road, I look back at the Bristol Mountains powerline road
The wide-open desert makes the gentle slope of the road look rather steep. - 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
I'm sweating a little, even though it's not a warm day—only in the low 50s. Riding on this surface is a technical exercise. Sometimes, riding in tire tracks works best because the ground is better packed there, but sometimes the middle is firmer. - Approaching Ludlow again, the stop that I wish I didn't need to make today
I don't feel like seeing a freeway and its associated ecosystem today, but I need more water, so here I come! I'm all over the road as I try to guess whether to ride in the middle of the road or in the tire tracks for best traction. - 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
It feels odd to be temporarily riding away from my destination, Broadwell Dry Lake. Actually, I'm not always riding: loose gravel makes it necessary to walk the 10-ton bike here and there on Crucero Road. - Ludlow, California, seen from Crucero Road
Population: about 23, according to Wikipedia. - The 10-ton bike takes a rest behind the vacant outdoor seating (it's chilly today) at Ludlow's Dairy Queen gas station
While scenically watching people fill up gas tanks, I have a leisurely hamburger-and-french-fries meal at the Dairy Queen so I won't have to cook anything this evening when I reach Broadwell Dry Lake. - The Dairy Queen gas station doesn't have the large bottles of water that I want, so I visit Ludlow's other gas station
Perhaps I should have eaten at the Ludlow Café across the road here, instead of at Dairy Queen, but I wasn't planning on crossing under the freeway to this side of "town." - It's the Thanksgiving holiday week, with an endless stream of cars and trucks racing past Ludlow on the I-40 freeway
A few of those cars will stop here for gas, paying their duty to corporate America and helping to keeping alive what remains of this old village. - The Cady Mountains pick up the chilly orange-purple sunset glow on the other side of the freeway from the Ludlow Chevron station
Despite all the people speeding by on the busy freeway, not experiencing the land, you just know it's a wild and unvisited place up in those hills. - It's time for me to stop looking down toward Broadwell Dry Lake from the gas station parking lot and actually go there
Of course, it would be easier to stay here and enjoy looking at the sunset, instead of jumping into the photo. - Here I am again, leaving the pavement of Ludlow on Crucero Road, just like I did two days ago
The yellow "road not maintained" sign is still here. I like how the yellow dividing line continues right up to the beginning of the narrow dirt road. - Direct sunlight down at Broadwell Dry Lake (here I come) is already gone for the day, blocked by the surrounding hills
Crucero Road doesn't look so sandy at dusk, but it's still awkward to ride, even downhill, especially now that I'm loaded down with 10-11 litres of water. But I'm getting better at it after a few days out here. - I cross the powerline road that leads off to the right to my Bristol Mountains campsite of the past two nights
I'm excited to be heading to a new location, but it's also with a sense of resignation. I presume that the road will worsen and I won't be surprised if sand accumulations prevent me from reaching my planned campsite near Old Dominion Mine. - I take a look behind me at the "city lights" of Ludlow, now two miles away
I'm not seeing any headlights yet down in the expanse around Broadwell Dry Lake, but I have been noticing some fresh tire tracks on the road here. - I pass the Kelso Dunes Wilderness sign at dusk, enjoying the views toward the Bristol Mountains, where I hiked yesterday
I plan to do another hike up that way tomorrow. Only the land on the right side of the road is inside the Wilderness area, which doesn't include the Kelso Dunes, despite its name. - Darkness falls as I approach the southern tip Broadwell Dry Lake; it seems that the road is getting a bit better, not worse
There seems to be a bit less gravel on the road, and I seem to be having fewer problems maintaining traction here. I'll enjoy it while I can; it will probably get worse again once I reach Broadwell Dry Lake. - 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
Disbelief: traction problems gone! But in total desert darkness, I can't find the side road to Old Dominion Mine when I reach it. I follow the GPS route I prerecorded, not sure if I'm on the road or hiking the bike cross-country through the creosote bushes. The road has probably moved a bit over the years since the USGS maps were made, and I'm probably right next to it, but I still don't see it after bike-hiking it for half a mile. I don't want to go all the way up to the former Old Dominion Mine site in case there is old debris there that makes loud noises in the wind and disturbs my sleep. - 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. - My flashlight and bicycle light headlight assist me in setting up camp in the dark valley; the almost-full moon hasn't risen yet
It's already getting cold (high 20s forecast tonight) and strong winds are starting to blow. A few slugs of cognac add important warmth while I write notes in my journal. I wear all my layers tonight: short-sleeve shirt, long-sleeve shirt, fleece sweater, winter coat, long underwear, blue jeans, two pairs of socks, wool hat, and scarf. Tired and looking forward to my second hike into the Kelso Dunes Wilderness Area tomorrow, I fall asleep easily, despite the wind banging on my tent. I don't sleep well, however. - Elevation profile of bicycle route from Bristol Mountains to Broadwell Dry Lake campsite via Ludlow
18.8 bicycle miles with about 500 feet of elevation gain. - Bicycle route from Bristol Mountains to Broadwell Dry Lake campsite via Ludlow
18.8 bicycle miles with about 500 feet of elevation gain.