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
One of my jobs as I pack up camp is to transfer all that extra water in my 10-litre black bag into my water bottles. The wind is still high this morning, and my tent still nicely sheltered from most of it. - Near my tent, this shiny black bug is having fun climbing a bush
I slowly eat one of my typical camp breakfasts: granola, some tamari almonds, dried apricots, dried pineapple, two cold cups of good Starbucks instant coffee (Tribute blend) and a cup of vitamin-C drink. - Camp slowly gets packed up, and I lazily leave my Pine Spring campsite around 11h30
Today I've decided to ride into nearby Searchlight, Nevada, skirting around the east side of the Wee Thump Wilderness on a dirt road. This is not part of my original plan, but it won't take me significantly out of my way. Plans are made to be changed! - The first part of the backtrack ride away from the Pine Spring area rolls in between some low hills
It's a remarkably green landscape, for the Mojave Desert, if not a bit grey, due to all the joshua trees, cholla cacti and blackbrush. - I've just climbed up the single short, steep hill on the way out of Pine Spring
I'm still quite tired this morning, so even this little hill, which I had to walk up, feels like a lot of work. I can't wait until my strength builds up as this trip continues! - From here, the high point of the day, at about 4925 feet elevation, it will be mostly gentle downhill until I reach Searchlight
Searchlight is down around 3550 feet. On the way, I'll cross that expanse of joshua tree forest ahead, the right portion of which is the Wee Thump Wilderness. The road here has a fair amount of loose rock. - 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
Parts of the road are clear of loose rock, but for much of it, I have to keep my speed really low, despite the gentle downhill. - It's a great ride rolling downward toward the McCullough Mountains powerline road
However, I am riding the brakes hard to keep my speed low, due to the loose rock. Without all the gear I'm carrying, this could be a fun faster-speed mountain-bike ride. - On the other side of Piute Valley is the Highland Range, about which I know little
I make a note to myself to look up information on the Highland Range when I get back home. The ridge-line profile is intriguing... - I take a short break at the junction of Pine Spring Road and the powerline road, looking back toward the McCullough Mountains
Time for an energy bar (yes, I need an energy bar already) and to give my hands a brief rest from all the braking I've done coming down that hill. - I'm still wearing my sweater as I ride along the Wee Thump Wilderness' northern boundary
I'm down at around 4400 feet elevation now, and the sun is coming out, but I can still feel that cold breeze. It's unseasonably cool here this year. - I spot a few Indian paintbrush flowers near the road on the northeast side of Wee Thump Wilderness
I thought I missed the wildflower season at lower elevations, so I'm pleased to see these. I've seen relatively few wildflowers this year compared to last spring's trip at about the same time of year. - The road along the northeast side of Wee Thump Wilderness is often (but not always) in good condition
It's a really enjoyable ride, even on the 10-ton bike, since it's mostly level. - At around 4200 feet, I'm starting to see just a few wildflowers in the Wee Thump Wilderness area
A patch of beavertail cactus blooms magenta under a joshua tree next to some familiar yellow flowers whose name I forget. - Nearby, a campsite and fire ring are on the other side of the road from the Wee Thump Wilderness
The McCullough Mountains, where I hiked yesterday, sit in the background. - I come across a road marked as a dead-end, only 0.2 miles long
Since it's such a short road, I decide to ride up that way and see where a 0.2-mile-long road would lead. It must have a reason to exist... - It turns out that the short dead-end road ends at a guzzler (a contraption for storing rain water for later use by wildlife)
I knew this road had to lead to something! - "This device for watering game birds was paid for with YOUR money"
No bullet holes in this sign yet. - This guzzler collects water and drains it into the container hiding below the "roof"
It appears that only birds, and not larger wildlife, can get to this water here. Not visible in the photo are the many, perhaps hundreds, of bees living on the edge of the little water reservoir. - Back on the "main road" on the east side of Wee Thump Wilderness, I stop for another quick break to take off my sweater
Another beavertail cactus puts on a solo flower show. My elevation is low enough now that I'm starting to see creosote bushes from time to time, and the day is getting warmer. - A moment of panic ensues when I drop my camera and it no longer takes good photos
I figure that the camera is dead, but after 15 minutes I decide to give the camera a few bangs, out of desperation. I then remove and reinsert the batteries and memory card. It slowly comes back to life. I hope it keeps working! - Along the Wee Thump Wilderness road, I see some yellow buckwheat-like flowers that I'm not familiar with
This might be a Sulfur flower buckwheat (Eriogonum umbellatum). - Yellow and peach cactus flowers next to the small pink blooms of range ratany, adjacent Wee Thump Wilderness, Nevada
A small piece of a joshua tree lays on the ground at the upper-right. - Cactus-flower close-up, next to Wee Thump Wilderness, Nevada
Cactus flowers sometimes remind me of roses. - This Mojave aster, growing at the edge of a creosote bush, still has a few fresh flowers
... but it's almost finished for the year. - I keep riding along the edge of the Wee Thump Wilderness after passing another guzzler (same model as the last one I saw)
The sky has cleared up, and most of the dark clouds have departed, but it's still a very windy day. - This part of the Wee Thump Wilderness road sports some pink buckwheat blooms
Off in the distance is the Castle Mountains, on the eastern edge of Mojave National Preserve. - This range ratany at Wee Thump Wilderness is in full bloom
Magenta-on-grey is an unusual plant combination, hence I always enjoy catching these plants in bloom. - The so-scenic ride through the joshua-tree forest along Wee Thump Wilderness ends here; time to ride the highway for a bit
It has been about 10 miles of fairly easy dirt-road riding, since it was almost all downhill. I'm at about 3960 feet elevation here, about 1000 feet below where I started near Pine Spring. - A few bouquets of yellow and orange dress up the seven-mile straight-line ride to Searchlight, visible even from here
The strong wind is sometimes behind me here, but it's sometimes a cross-wind that tries to blow me out into the middle of the road. Good thing there's hardly any traffic here this afternoon! - Close to Searchlight along Nevada 164, I notice a few of these yellow domes
These might be paper daisies (Psilostrophe cooperi)... - After seven miles, I arrive at the stop sign: I arrive at Searchlight, Nevada, population 576
Oh, look, a pedestrian! I haven't spoken to anybody since leaving Nipton two days ago. I ride down Hwy 95 through the middle of town to see what's here. This only takes a few minutes. - I pull in at one of Searchlight's two gas-station convenience stores, but no propane bottles are sold here
I send a couple of text messages and enjoy a can of soda and a bag of chips, while I decide what to do next. The next building is a motel; maybe I'll stay there tonight. - Of course, there's a casino next door (this is Nevada!) and it has a McDonald's, the only fast food in town
The "Terrible's" casino chain must be everywhere in Nevada... - At the south end of Searchlight, Hwy 95 leaves town for the open desert
I turn around and decide to check out a smaller road (Cottonwood Cove Rd) to see if there's anything I missed here. - Sweet! I stumble across another, smaller, general store and gas station that carries the propane bottle I want!
I buy another can of pop here and chat with the nice gal who runs the place. I wish I had found this store on Cottonwood Cove Rd first. - A lot of the older houses in Searchlight have a bit of old-style character, but need some work
It's great to see some of these old places hanging on a few years longer. - Across the road from the little general store is Searchlight's laundromat
It's too early in my trip to do a full load of laundry, but I'm glad to know this is here. There aren't many places where a camper can do laundry around Mojave National Preserve. - The hills in Searchlight provide a terraced effect in some neighborhoods
A lot of the newer houses in town are of the prefabricated type. - It makes a lot of sense to reduce the speed limit where it goes through town (crossing such a busy road can be interesting)
But the road is designed more for 50-mph traffic than 25. - 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
It's a bit late in the day to start a ride into Mojave National Preserve (next destination Castle Peaks), especially given the strong headwind that I would face right now. - My room is clean, though the mattress rather worn-out, and it's bicycle-friendly
In fact, the woman at the office said she was thinking I might be a biker, once she saw the bicycle. She said that a fair number of cyclists stay here while passing through town, mostly during the bicycle-friendly spring weather. - A billboard next to the Searchlight motel advertises a "luxury" motel elsewhere
... at the same price that one pays here. But I prefer these old "main-street" motels. - After a bla meal at McDonald's, I settle in for an evening of TV and writing notes in my brick-walled room
It's hard to get a special order done right at McD's! Watching TV is always strange, since I rarely do it. I recharge my phone, send a few messages, hand-wash a few clothes, and sip Newcastle beer. My room cools down nicely overnight; I sleep well. - Elevation profile of bicycle route from Pine Spring, McCullough Mountains to Searchlight
19.2 miles and about 1500 feet of elevation loss. - Bicycle route from Pine Spring, McCullough Mountains to Searchlight
19.2 miles and about 1500 feet of elevation loss.