Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007, Christmas: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping / Day 4: Mountain-bike ride across Devil's Playground to Sands, California and back, Mojave National Preserve 36
I have enough water to last into tomorrow, so I'll stay here today and ride over to the abandoned settlement of Sands. I had hoped to camp at Sands last night, but I didn't make it that far. 13.5 bicycle miles.
The first thing I do upon waking up is peer outside to see where I am, without leaving the comfort of my hooded sleeping bag
An hour later, I step outside for a short walk around my new surroundings at Devil's Playground
This wavy-leaved plant reminds me of the "soap root" plant that grows in the Bay Area
These plants look like a cross between a daisy and a milkweed
My scenic morning cat hole with Soda Lake in the background
Leaving my campsite at the bottom of Jackass Canyon to ride across Devil's Playground over to Sands
And away we go toward Sands down the power-line road...
I reach heavy sand a quarter mile down the road and a pile of paint cans that were recently dumped here
Some of the old pavement on the power-line road still functions as originally intended
A couple of miles down from my tent, a branch in the road to the left will take me to Sands
A few low hills jut up from the relatively flat landscape along the road to Sands
On the way to Sands is the remains of an old plank road, built ages ago to provide "permanent" traction in the sand
The pristine sand layer on this segment of the road to Sands leaves the impression that nobody has come down here recently
A few hoops like these are mounted on sturdy metal posts in a sandy area a short distance from the road
A carpet of low, ground-hugging plants casts an almost lush green tint over this area near Sands
Sands should be just over there where the road comes to an end at the railroad tracks
The railroad tracks at Sands cross the wash on a bridge
I cross the train tracks to Sands and check out the remains of an old corral
Beyond the corral at Sands is an old ranch fence that heads off into the distance
On the other side of the corral crumbles part of an old wall
I see just one extant structure at Sands: a shed next to what looks like part of an old water tower
Inside the well-built shed sit some serious-looking mechanics
Etched into the sheet metal wall is an oil-change reminder
A large trough just outside the shed looks like it was intended to collect water pumped from the well
Before heading back to camp, I ride 3/4 mile down the service road alongside the train tracks toward Kelso Dunes
I'm not seeing new points of interest along the service road, so I cross the tracks and ride back up to Sands
Back at the road between Sands and my campsite on the other side of Devil's Playground, I re-enter Mojave National Preserve
Crossing a dry mud flat near Sands on the way back across Devil's Playground
I'm back at that area of virgin sand, which I walk the bike through again
One of the rocky hills along the road tempts me, so I get off the bike and climb up it
This little hill provides expansive views across the Devil's Playground
To the east sit the Kelso Dunes
I look north toward Old Dad Mountain, the power-line road and my campsite at the bottom of Jackass Canyon
On the way back down the hill to the bike, I notice a few verbena-like flowers
I head back up the power-line road to camp, looking back toward Sands
I arrive back at the tent just in time to enjoy a perfect Devil's Playground sunset