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Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2009, Spring: Mojave National Preserve / Day 1: Baker, California to Cornfield Spring, Mojave National Preserve 46

Yesterday, Amtrak train and bus rides took me from home in San José to Baker, California, just outside Mojave National Preserve, where I stayed at the Wills Fargo Motel waiting for my trip to start today.

Today I ride from Baker to Mojave National Preserve's Kelso Depot on the paved Kelbaker Road, and then a couple of miles up an old, rocky track toward Cornfield Spring.

I incur a bit of heat exhaustion along the way and need to take frequent rest stops all day long. The high temperature recorded today in Baker is 98F (36C), which is a bit much for a largely uphill first day during which I'm trying to acclimate to the 10-ton bike.

37.1 bicycle miles with elevation changing from 925 feet at Baker, to 3700 feet at the Kelbaker Road summit, to 2120 feet at Kelso, to 2300 feet on Cornfield Spring Road. Total elevation gain: about 2950 feet.