Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2007, Christmas: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping / Day 5: Devil's Playground to Kelso Dunes via Jackass Canyon Road and Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve 28
I'm heading toward Kelso Depot, back up Jackass Canyon Road, and will get to see what I missed after the sun went down on my way here. At Kelso Depot, I chat with Park staff and decide to ride over to Kelso Dunes. 37.1 bicycle miles.
My miles of walking the bike through kitty litter come to an end when Jackass Canyon Road rises out of the wash
Many of these flat primroses dot the sand around my campsite, but this is the only one that's flowering
It's time to dismantle the tent and pack up the bike, while making and drinking coffee
I step outside into the bright sun of a chilly morning at Devil's Playground
Hike-a-biking through sand on the way up Jackass Canyon Road
Looking back down Jackass Canyon Road as I walk the bike up the gentle grade
These plants are quite abundant here in the wash
Gravel on lower Jackass Canyon Road
As I'm drawn into the canyon ahead, I look back to Devil's Playground one last time and say goodbye
Heading up Jackass Canyon Road, I see a car coming toward me!
The 10-ton bike packed to go, I start the trek back up Jackass Canyon toward Kelbaker Road
I pass a short-cut up over Rocky Ridge that follows the power lines to the ridge top where I'm going
To get out of the sandy wash, I opt for a "high road" that looks like a short bypass
I pass by an area of subtly colourful hills
Getting darker as I climb Kelbaker Road toward Kelso Dunes Road
The power-line road crosses Kelbaker Road and I get back on pavement here
Proud power-line boy reaches the de facto crest of his climb for the day
Despite old residual pavement on this road, surface sand and gravel makes it impossible to ride up the gentle slope
Excellent views of the cinder-cone landscape from the road that links upper Jackass Canyon Road back to the power-line road
A happy-Mother's-Day balloon rests deflated near the road
Looking at the final few hundred feet of elevation gain in front of me on the main Jackass Canyon Road climb
It's a race against time as I ride up Kelbaker Road toward Kelso Dunes
At Kelso Depot, I'm happy to learn that they do sell AA batteries, and I chat with Preseve staff
Once in Kelso Valley, the silo near Kelso Depot comes into view
Most of this Kelbaker Road descent is fairly gradual as it drops into the Kelso Valley
I start the 12-mile downhill to Kelso Depot after a short break to eat a Clif bar and put on my sweater and windbreaker
My race against time is over when I reach the gravel of Kelso Dunes Road and head toward the camping area at the end of the road
I'm just a couple of miles from Kelso Dunes Road