Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2010, Mojave National Preserve / Day 14: Brant Hills to Baker by bicycle via Mojave Road, Mojave National Preserve 75
Excellent day of riding just over 50 miles, much of it downhill, to get back to Baker, California for tomorrow's Amtrak trip back to San Jose. I ride a dirt powerline road on the flank of Cima Dome for the first time and love the downhill on the old Mojave Road.
The easy 11 miles of dirt road along the train tracks to Cima, and the Mojave Road downhill, are memorable. Mojave National Preserve can be a mountain-biker's paradise, with careful planning, but it can just as easily be a death march.
Nice temperatures, though it does heat up quite a bit during the final 25 miles into Baker. Since I'm mostly going downhill, I barely notice, except for the extra sweat. End of this late-spring trip!
I wake up early and look outside to another warm sunny day: sadly, the final morning of this trip
The first major task of the day is to fix my flat front tire, so I can actually go somewhere
A colourful and very long freight train crosses the Ivanpah Valley a couple of miles down the fan from my tent
Something seems to have bitten my leg yesterday, but I don't remember it happening
I enjoy cold coffee and eat breakfast while packing up to leave Ivanpah Valley
On my way back to the tent after brushing my teeth, a yucca spine impales the tube of toothpaste protruding from my pocket
The job is almost done: tent disassembled, my supplies hop into my saddlebags one item at a time
The 10-ton bike packed up, off I go down the hill toward Ivanpah Valley
The old road doesn't stand out much as it crawls down the fan toward the Ivanpah Valley train tracks
I finally get past the rocky part of the road to a more ridable stretch
As I approach the bottom of the road, I look back up toward the New York Mountains and the area where I camped last night
I zoom in for a closer look at the New York Mountains
I ride through the sandy area at the end of the road and arrive at the train tracks in Ivanpah Valley
Several of the rail supports are crooked and one has cracked
The 10-ton bike breaks briefly under the train trestle at Brant Road
I start riding up lonesome Brant Road toward Cima, my next stop, and a train passes
I slam on the brakes while coasting down to a wash crossing on Brant Road, due to a "special rock" in the road
The tortoise appears to see me approaching
Close up, I notice that the tortoise is pinkish around his mouth, and it doesn't look like part of his natural complexion
Tortoises shouldn't be touched, but they also shouldn't be left in a rocky road where a passing car might inadvertently crush it
I pick up the tortoise and put him down amidst some flowers, encelias perhaps, off the road
A bit further up Brant Road, I stop to look across the tortoise's habitat, and down toward Ivanpah Dry Lake
Brant Road dips down again to cross a wash, with the adjacent train tracks crossing the wash on an old concrete bridge
I look across the train tracks from Brant Road toward the Sacaton Spring area
Brant Road hugs the train track as it curves to follow the route toward Cima, Mojave National Preserve
The conductor of an oncoming train toots his horn and waves at me at Joshua siding, Mojave National Preserve
The 10-ton bike hides in the shade of the trestle at Joshua siding while a freight train rumbles overhead
This is a pensive, scenic ride on Brant Road toward Cima
A handmade sign warns of the dangers of the Mojave Green rattlesnake
Across upper Ivanpah Valley is the summit of Cima Dome, so subtle that it can only be perceived from a distance
Roughly two miles before Cima, I cross an intersection with an unsigned dirt road to my right; I continue straight ahead
Nice to see a few cheerful orange desert-mallow flowers again, this time framing my glance toward Butcher Knife Canyon
The double culvert under this trestle along Brant Road near Cima bears two different date inscriptions
As I approach Cima, another freight train churns by, a few feet away from me as I ride along Brant Road
Several of the tanks whooshing by me are labelled as "corn sweetener"
I reach the end of the unpaved Brant Road and rejoin asphalt near the three-way stop at Cima, and automobile traffic
I take a break at the Cima Store; it's open!
I start the 1.5-mile ride up Cima Road to the powerline road, passing an abandoned house on the way out of "town"
Despite the fairly high elevation (over 4000 feet here), Cima Road is apparently subject to flash floods during heavy rains
Approaching the power lines that cross Cima Road, I start looking for the dirt road that I'll follow somewhere at my left
One of several primroses blooms on the shoulder of Cima Road
Before turning off at the unpaved powerline road, I take a look behind me back down toward Cima
I start riding up the powerline road, pass an electrical substation, then reach a closed gate
The powerline road starts out evenly, but I run into a short steep hill, as expected
The power lines here add extra height to the joshua-tree forest
I'm high enough now on the flank of Cima Dome that I can see across Kelso Valley to the Granite Mountains
I zoom in past the transmission tower for a closer view of the Kelso Dunes
To the east I can see Macedonia Canyon Road climbing the fan out of Kelso Valley into the Mid Hills
I've crossed the high point of the powerline road and now have a bit of downhill ahead of me; this will be a fun change
I pause when I cross the junction of Rainbow Wells Road to enjoy the view across to the Providence Mountains
I take a break near the Mojave Road junction for an energy bar, water, and to apply more sunscreen
I turn here and begin the short climb up to the summit of the old Mojave Road, after which the big downhill of the day begins
From the summit of the Mojave Road at about 4550 feet, I have a nice view across the Marl Mountains to the Kelso Dunes
Nice view across the flank of Cima Dome and the powerline road that I just finished riding, from the summit of the Mojave Road
I'm ready to start the Mojave Road downhill ahead of me
The old Mojave Road heads briefly southwest; I'm heading toward the Old Dad Mountain area for a short while
Parts of the old Mojave Road are like a roller coaster, rising and falling gently over the desert terrain
Up, down, up, down, on the old Mojave Road; my fat tires hiss in the sand
The old Mojave Road continues rolling onward downhill; the loose sand on the road surface makes it feel a bit like skiing
I arrive at the famous Mojave Road mailbox in the middle of nowhere and sign its guest book
I pull out the guest book from the Mojave Road mailbox and sign in
The old Mojave Road gets a bit more sandy as I head westward (and downward) after my stop at the Mojave Road mailbox
I like the occasional rocky stretches on the old Mojave Road because they add traction to the sandy road
A few purple sages bloom on this part of the old Mojave Road amongst the yellow flowers
I zoom in across an expanse of yellow creosote-bush blooms to one of the nearby cinder cones
I reach the junction of Aiken Mine Road, ending the enjoyable ride down the old Mojave Road
Scattered lava rock, sand, and washboard texture define the half-mile-long ride on Aiken Mine Road, my final unpaved road
I take an energy-bar break when I reach the pavement of Kelbaker Road at 3000 feet elevation
I pass lots of desert senna flowers exuding their sweet scent as I ride down Kelbaker Road
I stop briefly at Kelbaker Road's 10-mile curve, which means just 10 more miles until I reach Baker
From Kelbaker Road's 10-mile curve, the town of Baker doesn't look like it's still 10 miles away
On the way to Baker, I look back at the cinder cones and the Kelbaker Hills several times
There it is: Baker, California, the end (and beginning) of this trip
Elevation profile of bicycle route from Brant Hills to Baker via old Mojave Road, Mojave National Preserve
Bicycle route from Brant Hills to Baker via old Mojave Road, Mojave National Preserve