Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Spring 2011: Mojave National Preserve and area bicycle camping / Day 3: South McCullough Mountains Wilderness area to Searchlight, Nevada by bicycle 46
Today is an easy and scenic ride, often along the edge of the Wee Thump Joshua Tree Wilderness, from my campsite near Pine Spring in the McCullough Mountains to the town of Searchlight, Nevada. 19.2 miles and about 1500 feet of elevation loss.
I slept fairly well, but wake up early to a chilly, grey morning here in the McCullough Mountains foothills
Near my tent, this shiny black bug is having fun climbing a bush
Camp slowly gets packed up, and I lazily leave my Pine Spring campsite around 11h30
The first part of the backtrack ride away from the Pine Spring area rolls in between some low hills
I've just climbed up the single short, steep hill on the way out of Pine Spring
From here, the high point of the day, at about 4925 feet elevation, it will be mostly gentle downhill until I reach Searchlight
This part of Pine Spring Road is fun to descend, with a drop of about 600 feet elevation in 1.5 miles to the powerline road
It's a great ride rolling downward toward the McCullough Mountains powerline road
On the other side of Piute Valley is the Highland Range, about which I know little
I take a short break at the junction of Pine Spring Road and the powerline road, looking back toward the McCullough Mountains
I'm still wearing my sweater as I ride along the Wee Thump Wilderness' northern boundary
I spot a few Indian paintbrush flowers near the road on the northeast side of Wee Thump Wilderness
The road along the northeast side of Wee Thump Wilderness is often (but not always) in good condition
At around 4200 feet, I'm starting to see just a few wildflowers in the Wee Thump Wilderness area
Nearby, a campsite and fire ring are on the other side of the road from the Wee Thump Wilderness
I come across a road marked as a dead-end, only 0.2 miles long
It turns out that the short dead-end road ends at a guzzler (a contraption for storing rain water for later use by wildlife)
"This device for watering game birds was paid for with YOUR money"
This guzzler collects water and drains it into the container hiding below the "roof"
Back on the "main road" on the east side of Wee Thump Wilderness, I stop for another quick break to take off my sweater
A moment of panic ensues when I drop my camera and it no longer takes good photos
Along the Wee Thump Wilderness road, I see some yellow buckwheat-like flowers that I'm not familiar with
Yellow and peach cactus flowers next to the small pink blooms of range ratany, adjacent Wee Thump Wilderness, Nevada
Cactus-flower close-up, next to Wee Thump Wilderness, Nevada
This Mojave aster, growing at the edge of a creosote bush, still has a few fresh flowers
I keep riding along the edge of the Wee Thump Wilderness after passing another guzzler (same model as the last one I saw)
This part of the Wee Thump Wilderness road sports some pink buckwheat blooms
This range ratany at Wee Thump Wilderness is in full bloom
The so-scenic ride through the joshua-tree forest along Wee Thump Wilderness ends here; time to ride the highway for a bit
A few bouquets of yellow and orange dress up the seven-mile straight-line ride to Searchlight, visible even from here
Close to Searchlight along Nevada 164, I notice a few of these yellow domes
After seven miles, I arrive at the stop sign: I arrive at Searchlight, Nevada, population 576
I pull in at one of Searchlight's two gas-station convenience stores, but no propane bottles are sold here
Of course, there's a casino next door (this is Nevada!) and it has a McDonald's, the only fast food in town
At the south end of Searchlight, Hwy 95 leaves town for the open desert
Sweet! I stumble across another, smaller, general store and gas station that carries the propane bottle I want!
A lot of the older houses in Searchlight have a bit of old-style character, but need some work
Across the road from the little general store is Searchlight's laundromat
The hills in Searchlight provide a terraced effect in some neighborhoods
It makes a lot of sense to reduce the speed limit where it goes through town (crossing such a busy road can be interesting)
I decide to check in for a night at Searchlight's only motel; I'll check out that old miner's cabin across the road tomorrow
My room is clean, though the mattress rather worn-out, and it's bicycle-friendly
A billboard next to the Searchlight motel advertises a "luxury" motel elsewhere
After a bla meal at McDonald's, I settle in for an evening of TV and writing notes in my brick-walled room
Elevation profile of bicycle route from Pine Spring, McCullough Mountains to Searchlight
Bicycle route from Pine Spring, McCullough Mountains to Searchlight