Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2010, Mojave National Preserve / Day 8: Mid Hills campground to Nipton by bicycle, Mojave National Preserve

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Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2010, Mojave National Preserve / Day 8: Mid Hills campground to Nipton by bicycle, Mojave National Preserve 47

I ride down to Nipton for a shower, food and beer, to begin the second week of this trip. I was fearing heat down in Ivanpah Valley, but the cold-weather system makes for a nice ride. 41.7 bicycle miles, mostly downhill, from 5600 to 3030 feet elevation.

I'm up early this morning, enjoying the warm morning sun on my very cold tent; it must have dropped down into the 30s last night
I walk up the hill near my campsite to take in the views from around 5600 ft elevation before leaving Mid Hills campground
After spending five nights at Mid Hills campground, the contents of my tent have become quite disorganized
The 10-ton bike is ready to leave Mid Hills campground for Nipton
One last look at Eagle Rocks before I leave Mid Hills campground
Goodbye Mid Hills campground for this year
As I exit Mid Hills campground, I notice what looks like rain clouds over in the area of the Providence Mountains
I head east, downhill, a couple of miles on Wild Horse Canyon Road until it reaches Black Canyon Road beyond the pinnacle ahead
I ride through the shade of a dark cloud as I descend Black Canyon Road toward Cedar Canyon Road
The north end of Black Canyon Road is a nice straight downhill to the "T" intersection at Cedar Canyon Road
I watch a small RV rattle its way up, at about 5 miles per hour, the washboarded hill of Black Canyon Road that I just descended
Riding west on Cedar Canyon Road, I get views of the Eagle Rocks area from down below
Riding through Cedar Canyon is scenic, but my fingers are getting cold!
The road pops out of Cedar canyon and begins its way down the foothills toward Kelso-Cima Road
Beyond the purple sage, it looks like the area around Death Valley Mine might be getting a shower right now
Many fallen joshua trees are seen along Cedar Canyon Road where the 2005 brush fires burned
I'm now in the small area of Cedar Canyon Road where I can usually get cell-phone reception
I turn down the little road off Cedar Canyon Road for a short break and watch the rain clouds approach
I shove my cell phone up to my mouth and enjoy the reception here, as well as the view of Cima Dome in the distance
The moist clouds blow past; what first looks like a bit of pollen in the breeze are a few snowflakes
After my cell-phone break, I speed down the final 2.75 miles of Cedar Canyon Road at about 20 mph; pavement begins just ahead
I cross a cattleguard, then the train tracks, then turn right (north) on Kelso-Cima Road at the stop sign
I ride almost five miles up the gentle grade of Kelso-Cima Road to the Cima Store, gaining about 450 feet in elevation
Outside the Cima Store is a pay phone and a very worn sign telling us to preserve our desert (good message)
Also by the Cima Store sits an old boxcar or trailer
Cima Store is open today, so I stop for a bag of chips and a bottle of blogger Morongo Bill's esteemed Sioux City Sarsaparilla
I finish my snacks from the Cima Store and start riding Morning Star Mine Road, which is flat at first
From the upper stretch of Morning Star Mine Road, I enjoy the views across miles of joshua-tree forest to the New York Mountains
I stop briefly off Morning Star Mine Road where the power lines cross
Looking across Ivanpah Valley from upper Morning Star Mine Road, I wonder if maybe I will experience rain after all
I begin the stimulating descent down Morning Star Mine Road into Ivanpah Valley, and I don't stop until I reach the bottom
Near the bottom of Morning Star Mine Road, signs and cars pop up through the creosote-bush scrub
I reach that stop sign in the middle of nowhere at the bottom of Morning Star Mine Road, at the junction of Ivanpah Road
I pause at the end of Morning Star Mine Road to look east up Ivanpah Road into the New York Mountains
I ride 3 miles on Ivanpah Rd, then 7 miles across Ivanpah Valley on Nipton Road, and arrive at Nipton, population 20
I pull up at the Nipton store and sign up for a campsite for the night
The tent camping area at Nipton is right along the tracks, which provides stimulating late-night noise when freight trains pass
Adjacent to the tent-camping area is the Nipton Bed-and-Breakfast and the café
Beyond the Nipton campground, I see storm clouds over the Castle Peaks, those pointy distant mountains
I set up my tent in the shade of some eucalyptus trees and buy some cold beer at the Nipton store
From Nipton, I see rain clouds over the area of Morning Star Mine Road, site of my nice downhill ride a couple of hours ago
It looks like there might be rain over in the New York Mountains as well, in the area of Garvanza Spring
The washrooms in the fibreglass-clad quonset hut at Nipton are aging, but doing reasonably well
One of the shower stalls for campers at Nipton
The quonset hut at the Nipton campground houses toilets, sinks and showers; an outdoor hot tub is nearby, to the right
Elevation profile of bicycle route from Mid Hills campground to Nipton via Cima and Morning Star Mine Road
Bicycle route from Mid Hills campground to Nipton via Cima and Morning Star Mine Road