Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2008: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping and Hike / Day 8: Butcher Knife Canyon to Nipton via Death Valley Mine, Cima and Morning Star Mine Road, Mojave National Preserve 51
Last night's wind storm was quite an event and it kept me up late, so I've slept in late again. I'm looking forward to the facilities at Nipton and my first shower in a week. 33.1 mostly downhill bicycle miles from 4600 feet to 3000 feet.
I heat up a boil-in-bag Indian-style breakfast, happy that my tent survived last night's wind storm
After two cups of good strong coffee, my Tasty Bite spinach dal and rice breakfast is ready; mmmm
Puncture vine, I hate you: here's one of the many nondescript goathead (puncture vine) plants that cover this meadow
One other unavoidable item around the Butcher Knife corral is small droppings
I begin dismantling the tent by removing the large rocks that I placed inside at the corners
Almost everything is packed up now, so it's time to take the tent down and make departure from Butcher Knife Canyon official
I assemble the 10-ton bike just beyond the goathead-infested meadow at the Butcher Knife corral
I ride down the Butcher Knife Canyon road, satisfied that I've managed to leave my campsite by 13h
The last mile or so before Death Valley Mine in the sand trap is tough again, so I drag the bike through parts of it
After 4.5 miles, I stop for a short break at the old Death Valley Mine site at 4400 feet elevation
I walk up the road to the old house at the Death Valley Mine site
The front of the old house at Death Valley Mine has a row of joshua trees planted in front of it
At the base of the joshua-tree grove are rocks and a few other native plants
Approaching the front door of the old house at Death Valley Mine
Front porch of the Craftsman house at Death Valley Mine, Mojave National Preserve
The house is very warped, and a glance inside one of the "basement windows" explains why
Behind the house at Death Valley Mine is a tank presumably for stove and furnace oil, and an exterior bathtub room
Vandals have removed the boards off the back door, so I walk in and see old stairs to the basement
Old knob-and-tube wiring once provided power to the light fixture outside the rear porch door
Inside the old Death Valley Mine Craftsman house
Behind the main house at Death Valley Mine are an old corral and a big shed
Pickles! In addition to some old paint cans and wood trim pieces, some old bottles of home-made pickles are in the shed...
The back side of the main house at Death Valley Mine viewed from the corral
A big raven's nest sits in the eaves of the main house at Death Valley Mine
Just beyond the main house at Death Valley Mine is a second, smaller house
Death Valley Mine house #2 also has drought-tolerant vines growing in front of it
The decaying front porch of Death Valley Mine house #2
Rear of Death Valley Mine house #2
The walls around the corral out back send a prominent "keep out" message
I return to the 10-ton bike in the sand trap on the old Cima Road
I ride down the old 2.5-mile-long road toward Cima, my next stop
I reach the junction of the paved Kelso-Cima Road and stop in at the Cima Store
Indeed, the Cima Store is closed
The post office is closed, but the lobby is still open
Postal boxes inside the old post office at Cima, California, Mojave National Preserve
Mounted on the map is a roster of the postmasters of the Cima post office here since 1905, printed by typewriter
I end my 15-minute break at Cima and get the 10-ton bike and I back on pavement at Cima Junction
At the start of the long ride down Morning Star Mine Road, I stop to look up toward Butcher Knife Canyon
After the big curve coming up, the fun hill down Morning Star Mine Road will begin
Wheeeeee, Morning Star Mine Road descends into the Ivanpah Valley and the haze of the day
I stop briefly at the old corral on the way down Morning Star Mine Road
Back on pavement, the 10-ton bike and I fly gracefully down Morning Star Mine Road
Darn: "stop ahead," complete with skid marks on the pavement
For three miles, I skirt the western edge of Ivanpah Valley on the paved Ivanpah Road
Ivanpah Road ends
The final seven miles to Nipton crosses the dusty bottom of Ivanpah Valley
The scrub at the bottom of Ivanpah Valley is different from most areas in Mojave National Preserve
I reach Nipton around 17h15 and check in at the general store for a tent-camping site
The small campground at Nipton, with New York Mountains in the background, is almost empty tonight, which suits me just fine
After setting up camp, I sit down with a couple of cold beers from the store, enjoy the sunset and listen to the passing trains
Mojave National Preserve map, Day 8: Butcher Knife Canyon corral to Nipton