Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2008: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping and Hike / Day 9: Day ride from Nipton to Nevada State line and power-line road, Mojave National Preserve 39
I'm still affected by last night's beer. I've slept in late thanks to a cool breeze, but still have a bit of a headache anyway.
I'll spend another night here at Nipton and just go for an afternoon ride through a nearby area that I haven't visited yet: the power-line road from Nevada State line to Nipton-Brant Road. 12 bicycle miles.
For a change, my first concern of the morning is not boiling water for coffee or digging a cat hole
I haven't chosen a destination yet for today's ride, so I go for a walk to look at some of Nipton's buildings
This old roadside building at Nipton looks like it may have been a store at one time
This trailer-like building looks to be a former residence
The old Nipton school house is a building worth saving
Just across the road from the Nipton General Store along the train tracks is a rock and gravel display yard
The Hotel Nipton bed-and-breakfast cactus garden is always worth a walk-through
While in my tent choosing my afternoon ride, the dirt-bike tour group members arrive at Nipton in a cloud of noise
OK, I've finally chosen a ride route for today on the power-line road above Nipton, starting at the Nevada border
I start the climb up the hill away from Nipton toward the Nevada border
Three miles up the hill of Nipton Road, I reach the "Welcome to Nevada" sign that makes a perfect tourist photo
The views back down to Nipton and across Ivanpah Valley from the Nevada State line are superb
I ride another half mile beyond the Nevada State line and then turn south on this dirt road with a cattleguard
I see that I'm approaching a mining area with red soil that is not on my map and may still be active
Here I am at the top of the gravelly power-line road, and I'll descend this road about four miles to the train tracks
Nipton is still visible a few miles away down below
Loose rock is the dominant surface on the upper portion of the power-line road
I pass one of those little "Entering Mojave National Preserve" signs that are used on less-travelled routes
I notice a Wilderness marker and a closed road
Off in the distance further down the power-line road, I see wafting trails of dust
Up the closed road, I come across small piles of mine tailings
Now the dust trails from the dirt bikes are soaring across the Ivanpah Valley below
A fire ring up above the mine tailings doesn't look like it has been used in quite a while
The remnants of an old road climb a little further up the hill
The road ends at the top of the hill where the soil is a rich red color
This little canyon feels very remote even though it's not far from the busy road
More rough road along the power lines above Nipton
This antique sign has seen better days
A little further down the power-line road, a distant black hill gets my attention
At the bottom of the hill, the power-line road passes through an old ranch fence
The power-line road goes right under the train tracks
I ride the Nipton-Brant Road two miles along the train tracks to get back to Nipton
Resting at my tent at Nipton: the pinkish glow of the desert sunset is always a welcome end of the day
Some of that pink light spills across the hills in the background that I visited this afternoon
The sun is going down and it's time for another juicy hamburger at the Nipton café
Tonight is laundry night, since I didn't get to it last night because of the festivities
Inside the Nipton bathrooms: I end up not soaking in the outdoor hot tub after all, but I do take a shower in the quonset hut
One of the shower stalls at Nipton
Day 9: Mojave National Preserve map: Day ride from Nipton to Nevada State line and power-line road