Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2008: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping and Hike / Day 4: Globe Mine Road to North Coyote Springs, Mojave National Preserve 30
A warm day in the 80s: in preparation for a day hike tomorrow to Bighorn Basin, I ride (and walk) 18.8 bicycle miles from my campsite near the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road at 3000 feet, down to Kelso Depot at 2100 feet, then up to North Coyote Springs at almost 3200 feet.
Today I sleep in a little extra. Acclimating to the weather here that's hotter than back home, combined with hiking up lots of short steep hills during the past two days, have left me a little tired.
To make things easier, I'll ride to Coyote Springs today, just under 20 miles away, instead of to Butcher Knife Canyon, which was originally my next planned destination. Strong north winds set in this morning which would have made the uphill route to Butcher Knife Canyon slower than anticipated.
- Good morning! A butterfly frolics in some encelia flowers by my tent
I see some purple flowers poking through the brush also (paper-bag bush, I think), so maybe he's trying to get to those as well. My breakfast ritual of strong coffee, granola, nuts and dried fruit was satisfying; now it's time to pack up and go. - Intermittent strong gusts of wind make taking down the tent a bit like launching a kite
The north wind creates a pleasant breeze on this rather warm morning. The only problem right now is that I'm almost out of water, but I'll be stopping at Kelso Depot to refill my supply in a while. - Once all is dismantled, the wind stops for a few minutes, which keeps my belongings from blowing away while packing
I've enjoyed my three nights here and haven't seen anyone else in the area. I could spend more time exploring nooks and crannies around here, but it's time to move on. Everything I'm carrying is unpacked and scattered about, so it's taking me a while to pack up. - One of thousands of crickets stays still long enough for me to snap a photo of it
Thousands of these crickets were hopping about on my way up Kelbaker Road a couple of days ago, but not nearly as many of them seem to call this area home. - I carry my bike, and walk my packed saddlebags, out of the Wilderness area over to the old road
I assemble the 10-ton bike and start riding slowly down the bumpy surface of the road. I haven't ridden my bike since three days ago and have forgotten how heavy it is. I drink the last few gulps of my water, which are already quite warm. - I head up "the shortcut" to check out a better road that I saw on my way here, but which is not on my maps
I dismount the bike to walk through the sand at the start of the shortcut road. I'm a bit confused because Wilderness barriers here block an intersecting wash not indicated on my maps as being within a Wilderness area. However, I will learn later from a ranger at Kelso Depot that the Wilderness boundaries have changed since publication of my maps. - The "good road" that is not on my maps turns out to be very short and dead-ends at a guzzler
Darn, the guzzler is dry. It would have been nice to stumble across unexpected water here since I don't have any left. - OK, I return to the middle fork of Globe Mine Road and start what will probably be a rather sandy two-mile ride down the fan
I was hoping that the road to the guzzler might provide a harder-packed alternate route. I have about two miles to ride until I reach the pavement of Kelso-Cima Road. - A couple of little lumps on Globe Mine Road add interest to the ride down the fan
Occasionally I lose momentum where there's a lot of sand on this road and have to stop and walk. I'm able to ride parts of this road, since it's a slight downhill, but I still end up walking or "scootering" the bike often. I wouldn't be able to ride this road in the uphill direction, at least not with a heavy load like I have. This road is indeed worse (sandier), as I expected, than the south fork of Globe Mine Road that I followed to get here. - I stop and look back up an especially sandy part of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road where I just skidded out
It can be fun "skiing" through the sand on a bicycle if one can get enough speed and momentum going. However, it is easy to lose balance and crash, given the weight of the loaded bike, so some care must be taken. I would be enjoying this more if I had some water left to drink. - As I approach the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, the north fork merges in on the right
The north fork is the main fork of the road and rises to the Bolder Spring area where I hiked yesterday, then up into Globe Canyon and the mountains above. - I cross the train tracks at the bottom of Globe Mine Road and am ready to get back on pavement
I'm out of water and getting thirsty, so the sooner I get to Kelso Depot to fill up on water, the better. - Riding down the gentle grade of Kelso-Cima Road to Kelso Depot
A strong north wind pushes me down the 3.5-mile, 400-foot descent and I exceed 30 miles per hour for a while. It is hotter here in the valley and I pass a four-wheel-drive group stopped for a shady break under the railway tracks. - I arrive at Kelso Depot in no time, chat with rangers, load up on water, rinse a wool t-shirt, and dump my garbage
The rangers are the first people I've spoken to since I last visited Kelso Depot three days ago. It's always good to chat with them as they often have extra information to share about the nooks and crannies of this huge park. A ranger explains how Wilderness boundaries have changed here and there, so I buy a copy of the new map. I linger at Kelso Depot for almost an hour, browse the library upstairs, and load up with another 18 gallons (40 pounds) of water from their downstairs utility closet. I rinse a wool t-shirt and lightweight undies while I have access to water. This is my first trip using highly touted merino-wool t-shirts and I must say that I'm getting to like them. - I leave Kelso Depot and begin the trudge up Kelbaker Road toward Coyote Springs
This is another one of those route segments which I've ridden several times. This climb of 900 feet over 8.5 miles is not very steep and always goes well for me, yet it always ends up being a tad more demanding than I think it should be. This may be because I've usually climbed this hill late in the afternoon, in the heat of the day, with the sun on my back, and today is no exception. Coyote Springs, today's goal, sits at the base of the mountains at the centre-right. - With Kelso well-behind me now at the bottom of the hill, the heat of the day is catching up with me a bit
I'm guessing that temperatures are in the low 80s right now, so I'm working up a bit of a sweat. I still have the strong wind behind me, so I'm pedalling heartily in my second chain-ring as if I'm not heading uphill at all; usually I've climbed this in my lower chain-ring. It hasn't helped that I didn't drink enough water during the earlier part of the day. - Just a couple more miles of climbing Kelbaker Road remain
What I like least about this climb is the fast traffic on this road. There's not a lot of it, but there's just enough that I can't focus all my attention on the climb itself. - And finally—ta da—here we are, the road to Coyote Springs
Actually, my climbing isn't completely over for the day, but I do get to leave traffic and pavement now. The road to Coyote Springs rises another 200 feet over about three miles to my campsite at the base of the mountains ahead. - The road to Coyote Springs is a bit rough, but not too bad compared to some other old desert roads
Even though most of this road could probably be driven by a sedan, there are a couple of obstacles that make a high-clearance vehicle pretty much de rigueur. - Looking back at a wash crossing that the 10-ton bike and I just walked through on the road to Coyote Springs
This isn't super-deep sand here, but there's enough that it's not rideable in my current uphill direction. Perhaps on the way back down this road a couple days from now I can approach this wash with built-up momentum and sail through it. - Parts of the road to Coyote Springs are fairly smooth and well-graded
To my surprise, I find myself walking the bike most of the way, even though the road is hardly uphill at all. The sand layer on the road is sometimes just thick enough to create loss of traction. I rode my bike here during my Xmas 2007 Mojave National Preserve trip, and didn't have too much of a problem. I wrote in my travelogue that, "The sand on this road is well-packed and easy to ride, except in soft spots where drainages cross the road." But that was on a day ride without the extra weight of all my gear, and that can make all the difference. That's not what I'd write today. - As the road gets closer to the mountains, it appears to be carved out of the land by a snow plow
This stretch of the road is sandier. I keep walking the bike and enjoying the hike. - Almost at Coyote Springs!
I'll take the right fork here, which is not on most maps and turns back at a campsite 1/4 mile away. The real Coyote Springs, which is on most maps, is actually a little further down the road at the next right fork. - On my way down the road to the north Coyote Springs campsite, I come across a festival put on by hundreds of bugs
This must be a mating season for these bugs; many of them are attaching themselves to each other at the rear end. [I didn't know what these were, but Richard saw this photo and reported that these are Arizona blister beetles, whose juice can be very irritating to human skin.] - There are hundreds, if not thousands, of these bugs playing here in the middle of the road to Coyote Springs
It's a display that's worth watching. - The bugs seem especially fond of these plants
My campsite for the night is just down the road, so I'm hoping that these bugs haven't claimed it. Of course, it's not just bugs I need to worry about; other humans may also have claimed my campsite. It's Saturday night, when Preserve visitation is at its peak, and this site is fairly close to a main road. - The last little bit of road up to the campsite is a bit washed out
I'll call this spot North Coyote Springs, since it doesn't have a name and is just north of the real Coyote Springs a little further down the road. - Happy camper arrives at North Coyote Springs
I breathe a sigh of relief that my chosen campsite is unoccupied by humans or a bug festival and is sitting here waiting for me. When I discovered this spot during my last Mojave National Preserve bike trip four months ago, I thought it would be a great spot to camp and use as a base for a day hike. So here I am again; it's nice to be back. It took me over 1.5 hours to come up the dirt road to here because I walked the bike so much while enjoying the scenery. I drank a full two litres of water just on this road; I guess I was a bit dehydrated from rationing my water earlier today. - Now that the tent is set up, it's time to make a backpacker meal and settle in for the evening
Once darkness falls, moths and flies come out in full force, attracted to the light inside my tent. Their flitting against my tent walls sounds like light rain. Before going outside, I turn the light off for a few minutes to stop attracting them before opening the tent screen. As at my Globe Mine Road campsite, I hear the trains rumble through the Kelso Valley below. What's different here is that I'm only a couple of miles in from Kelbaker Road, so I occasionally hear a passing car. Another difference here is the soothing chorus of singing crickets that seems to envelop the tent, which was nonexistent up on Globe Mine Road. Supper is Mountain House Sweet and Sour Pork with Rice; very good and not excessively sweet. It's interesting how dried pork takes on a gamey taste, which I like. Is this why we never see pork jerky? Dessert is dulse, tamari almonds and Trader Joe's chili-lime cashews, which seem less spicy than the last time I ate them. It's warmer here tonight, so I don't put on any long undies before curling up in my sleeping bag. - Mojave National Preserve map, Day 4: Globe Mine Road campsite to North Coyote Springs campsite