Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Fall 2012: Mojave National Preserve bicycle-camping and hiking, Lanfair Valley loop / Day 8: Ivanpah Rd to Nipton and then Primm the next morning 27
15 easy bicycle miles to Nipton from my campsite near Bathtub Spring. I break along Ivanpah Rd when I meet Ken. After an overnighter in a tent cabin at Nipton, I'm up super-early to ride the final 12 miles to Primm at dawn, to catch my Amtrak bus.
- It was cold overnight, but I wake up to one last beautiful desert morning in Mojave National Preserve
It's my last morning and I only have 15 miles to get to Nipton, and it's mostly downhill, so there's no rush this morning. A couple of cups of instant Starbuck's coffee, the usual dried fruit and granola, and a cup of vitamin C drink get me started. - I'm packed up and ready to leave my Ivanpah Road campsite near Bathtub Spring
I camped here last night near Bathtub Spring in case I would need more water. However, I still have enough water to get me to Nipton later today, so I'll pass on one final walk up to the spring. - Time for some fun: downhill riding on Ivanpah Road toward Ivanpah Valley, leaving the inner part of Mojave Preserve
Such a great downhill ride, my reward for the not-so-easy task of riding up this with the 10-ton bike a week ago. A car driving up the road pulls over, and it's Ken, who apparently stumbled across this web site a few days ago. Conversation time! - Ken and I chat for a while on the side of Ivanpah Road while his dog discovers roadkill nearby
Probably a coyote, hard to tell what it is for sure! - After our hearty chat, Ken drives away and I remount the 10-ton bike for the ride down Ivanpah Road on my way to Nipton
I'm glad I didn't do my planned walk over to Bathtub Spring earlier; I wouldn't have met Ken. - Back on the 10-ton bike, riding down the dirt of Ivanpah Road, the pavement starts by that sign just ahead
Counting the seconds until I reach smooooth pavement... And, enjoying staring ahead at the Ivanpah Mountains in the middleground, and the Clark Mountain Range in the background. Gotta explore those places more. - I zoom down the short paved stretch of Ivanpah Rd between Slaughterhouse Spring and the train tracks
1.5 miles of gentle downhill in a glorious 10 minutes, remarkable in its ease compared to most parts of these usually slow desert trips. I pass the old Ivanpah store before arriving at the train tracks. Then on to another dirt road. - Back on a dirt road (Nipton-Moore Road): straight ahead are the McCullough Mountains; I wish I had time to head up there today
I explored a corner of the southern McCullough Mountains on my 2011 trip out here. Today, I'm headed to Nipton, that blit of buildings at centre-left in the photo. I'm still riding along the railway tracks, which are just outside the photo on the right. - 10 beautiful-but-bumpy miles of riding along the train tracks from Ivanpah Rd to Nipton
I always like riding this stretch of road, especially in the downhill direction like now, and I pass no other vehicles along here this afternoon on my way to Nipton, which is usually the case. - Gotta love the bureaucrat sign here: This road is not maintained by San Bernardino County, etc
I snap a photo almost every time I pass by here. This is near the old Moore siding (no buildings here), so Nipton is just another 5 miles further. - Next stop Nipton!
After 10 miles on the Nipton-Moore Road that hugs the train tracks, Nipton is that patch of trees just up ahead. I keep seeing a few of my tire tracks on this road from a week ago. - My dirt-road riding comes to an end today as I arrive at the highway that is Nipton Road
I've ridden the sometimes-busy Nipton Road many times during previous trips. Today I've preferred the slower. bumpier Nipton-Moore Road than the smooth pavement of Nipton Road. but sometimes I like the pavement better. - I ride a couple hundred feet on pavement, then pull over into the Nipton parking lot to rent for tent cabin for the night
I've stayed here quite a few times now, and I'm early today. Historic and a bit gritty without being ghetto; suits my style. I like watching the noisy freight trains go past. - Time to get acquainted with my tent cabin at Nipton where I'll be spending the night
I've arrived quite early, so I have lots of time to imbibe in good beer and relax before having supper at the café. They sell Fat Tire beer here, just for the 10-ton bike perhaps. - I can see the New York Mountains peaks from the porch of tonight's tent cabin at Nipton
Gee, I've been over in that area during the past few days, propelled by human power... - The other tent cabins on the Nipton property are vacant tonight, so it should be a quiet evening
Looking forward to supper at the Nipton Café shortly; I'm hungry again. A Hispanic family now runs the café (Bill, the former operator, passed away last year), so there's some good home-style Mexican food to be had. - The nearly full moon is up already over the New York Mountains, waiting for the sun to go down
... and I'm waiting for the café to open for my evening meal. - After a good meal at the Nipton Café with good company, the real luxury is a shower for the first time after 8 backcountry days
The shower building is an interesting semi-permanent quonset hut with wood planks over the natural sand floor. - I get a good fire going in the stove in my Nipton tent cabin, but it takes me a while; I'm in bed before midnight
Though the thermometer hit 70F today, it's in the 40s tonight, so the added warmth feels luxurious after a week of chilly backcountry nights. I get to bed before midnight and get up at 5h for the 12-mile ride to Primm to catch my Amtrak bus. - I leave the bliss of my Nipton tent cabin before sunrise for the 12-mile ride to Primm, purposefully, as if it were a work day
The sun is just barely starting to appear as I ride past the old corral on Nipton-Desert Rd, a bit before the old pavement runs out. My feet and fingers are already really cold! Since I'm not a morning person, I always forget how cold mornings can be! - After passing Desert siding, no more pavement, and the final 7 miles to Primm will be on this bumpy surface
The ever-so-slight downhill here means the road is slightly faster in this direction, but I still can't ride at more than 10 mph. Too bumpy, and I'm still half-asleep. The rough road should be making me more awake, but isn't. - As the sun begins to rise, the Clark Mountain Range catches a nice pink light
Since I'm not much of a morning person, I don't get to see sunrise all that often. It's a treat, despite my cold toes as I pedal onward toward Primm. And that industrial solar installation over there, bleh... - I'm enjoying the sunrise glow, but anxious for the sun to rise completely and warm up my cold fingers!
The bumps on the road are definitely waking me up, even though I didn't have enough sleep last night. - As the sun rises, the light cast on the Clark Mountain Range slowly morphs from pink to orange
The solar plant being built at the foot of the mountains permanently scars the landscape. Funny how you can plow a natural landscape down and then call it green, just because it's *solar* plant being built (a government land give-away, really). - Pink and orange morning light have disappeared; now it's merely golden light
The industrial solar plant over there is interesting in a techno way, but the area was so much better without it. This kind of techno crap belongs in the city, so we can have real natural landscapes to explore when we leave town to visit public lands. - Arriving Primm, end of dirt road, entering the new suburban wasteland
Almost at Primm, just a bit more dirt-road pedalling to go. Always sad to see another great Mojave trip end, but the satisfaction of completing the trip is a good feeling. - At Primm, I stop for breakfast at the Mad Greek, and follow up with coffee at the Starbuck's; see y'all next year...
Nice to have a big lazy breakfast and hot coffee again! After this, I ride over to the other side of the freeway to catch my Amtrak bus. After a few hours on the bus, I'm back on the Amtrak train heading up the Central Valley; I'll arrive home around 22h. The amazing thing is that I meet someone on the train who was on the train on my way out here. Furthermore, we met on this train last year at the same time! I keep meeting interesting people on the train that I would never have met had I driven out here in my own car. Like Alex, last year... Yes, I've met a few duds on Amtrak too, but meeting great people is always nice.