Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2000: Mojave National Preserve Bicycle Camping Trip #2 / Day 1: Baker, California to Kelbaker Road campsite, Mojave National Preserve 5
The Greyhound bus drops me off at Baker, California and I reassemble my bicycle and pack it up. It's already getting late in the afternoon. I ride 10 miles into Mojave National Preserve on Kelbaker Road, gradually rising 1000 feet in the process.
I set up camp at the foot of one of the Kelbaker Hills. I'm about 1/4 mile from the paved road and not visible to what little passing traffic there is.
11.8 miles, 1:23 hours, 21.8 mph max speed, 8.5 mph average. Elevation gain from 925 feet to 2000 feet.
- I ride into Mojave National Preserve up Kelbaker Road away from Baker, California
I apparently forgot my helmet on the Greyhound bus, so I bought a hat at the general store in Baker before leaving town so that I'd have something on my head during the trip. A tailwind is pushing me nicely. Around the 10-mile point, which looks like the end of the road in this image, Kelbaker Road turns sharply to the right and continues into the heart of Mojave National Preserve. I turn left at that point and set up camp at the base of one of the Kelbaker Hills there. - Posts mark the beginning of a Wilderness area at the base of Kelbaker Hills
I set up camp near here on last year's Mojave National Preserve trip as well. I set up camp just before the sun goes down and get to bed early for a change, exhausted from the long bus ride. I forget to try photographing the beautiful sunset that takes place. - Wake up! After a rejuvenating sleep, I get up and snap a few photos of the Kelbaker Hills area before packing up
It was a bit chilly last night and windy enough that it made a lot of noise on the tent, which kept me from sleeping as much as I would have liked. Luckily it was not a downright cold night. The moon was nearly full, which made for a nice late-night walk around my campsite. Once the sun came up, it relaxed me and I managed to sleep in a bit more, very high-quality sleep. The Indian Springs area, which I won't visit on this trip, is in the hills in the background. - A different view of the Kelbaker Hills campsite showing the rocky hill behind it
I think I'll climb up that hill. - View northwest across the desert toward Soda Lake from Kelbaker Hills
The dirt road just below me is one of many that criss-cross this wide desert expanse. I prepare a quick breakfast and leave my Kelbaker Road campsite just before noon to head further into Mojave National Preserve.