Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Fall 2011: Route 66 bicycle-camping—Cady Mountains, Sleeping Beauty and Kelso Dunes Wilderness / Day 1: Route 66 bicycle ride from Barstow to Sleeping Beauty Mountains foothills near Ludlow, CA 31
After yesterday's train and bus ride to Barstow, CA, to start this trip... 48 miles, cool, cloudy weather, but I'm riding into a strong headwind all day long (the wind direction here is usually in the opposite direction). Ugh!
Hardly any sun today because of heavy clouds, but the temperature reaches a comfortable 60F anyway. Late-night temperatures drop down into the mid 30s.
- It's time to leave the gritty, but interesting Route 66 Motel in Barstow, CA and start another week of bicycle camping
I arrived here late yesterday afternoon via Amtrak with the 10-ton bike and had a relaxing evening last night at the motel after a two-mile ride from the bus station. - So what's in that old car in front of the Route 66 Motel anyway?
Litter and old junk, naturally! There are a number of old cars on this property, worth checking out. - An old vending machine sits in an alcove between units at Barstow's Route 66 Motel
My motel room is old (which I like, but everyone wouldn't, in the age of Walmart), and there's a lot of neat old stuff to check out here on the Route 66 Motel property. - OK, it's time; I pack up the 10-ton bike and leave the Route 66 Motel—I'll be in sleeping in a tent tonight; I can't wait
It's always hard getting started, and it takes a day or three to get used to the weight of all my gear on the bike. Later today, I'll increase the weight by adding water, so heavy. - I start by riding the two miles down Barstow's Main Street (Route 66) to the end of the east side of town
The bike lane here only lasts a few blocks, and is substandard because a third of it is taken up by the gutter, but I realize on a slow, uphill stretch that I prefer it to none at all. - Before leaving Barstow, I stop at Walmart (a place I usually avoid) to buy a new Camelbak
I didn't realize until last night at the motel that the drinking tube of my Camelbak was starting to decompose. Blech. I also pick up a gallon of drinking water. - I leave Barstow eastbound on a frontage road and then ride the I-40 freeway for 2.5 miles to get past the naval base there
I'm riding into a strong headwind today, the opposite of the most typical wind pattern in this area. I'm often riding at under 10 miles per hour, though I do reach briefly 15 on a slightly downhill stretch of the freeway. - I get off the I-40 freeway at the Nebo Street exit, turn left, then go under the freeway and rejoin old Route 66 eastbound
The shoulder of the freeway is really wide, so there are no conflicts with automobile traffic while riding here. In fact, I get pulled along a little by the wind created by the passing cars, which is nice. - Old Route 66 passes through the interesting little village of Daggett, California
Here's an old "storybook" house that you'll see in many photos of Route 66 in Daggett. - Daggett has numerous unused structures, such as this old gas station
It even had a "food mart." - The Daggett post office is decorated with heavy bars on its windows
However, this isn't south-central Los Angeles or Detroit! - On the other side of the train tracks from Route 66 is Daggett's general store, the Desert Market
There are a few more interesting historic buildings over in that part of Daggett. - East of Daggett, one of several long cargo trains passes by
The area is quite wide-open, punctuated by occasional houses and trailers, a few of which are abandoned. - To my right, not far away, is the I-40 freeway, and just beyond that, the Newberry Mountains are now close by
I almost hiked up there at the end of last year's trip, but a wind storm cancelled that plan. - It's almost 2 pm; I've just passed under I-40 again on Rte 66 near Newberry Springs and here's a gas station
After 20 miles on the bicycle, I stop in for a quick Subway meatball sandwich and a can of Mountain Dew for some additional caffeine at the gas station by the freeway. With 25 miles ahead of me and a strong wind, it's a very slow ride. - There's a bit of traffic on Route 66 in the Newberry Springs area
I ride over the occasional Route 66 insignia painted on the road. I bought some brandy at the gas station stop behind me, for later consumption, but haven't drank any yet. - The abandoned Henning Motel in Newberry Springs appeared in the famous Bagdad Café movie years ago
Today, it's open to the weather, and it's metal roof cover is being stripped by vandals. The property is also for sale. - Next door is the famous Bagdad Café itself
It's still open and serving food. - An old Italian restaurant and gas station sits in Newberry Springs behind a fence
Guard dogs protect the property (and many others in Newberry Springs for that matter). - I stop to look across a dry lake on the east end of Newberry Springs toward the I-40 freeway on the opposite shore
Off in the distance are the Cady Mountains, where I hope to camp and hike later this week. - The worn-out pavement on old Route 66 makes for rather rough riding east of Newberry Springs
Bump, bump, bump. It goes on like this for miles. The mountain patch in the distance is Sleeping Beauty, my destination today. - Some of the remaining structures along Route 66 east of Newberry Springs are deteriorated or no longer in use
The strip of land between old Route 66 and the I-40 freeway seems to be undesirable. - This prefabricated house in east Newberry Springs has no front steps
I guess they don't use the front door often. Or perhaps nobody lives here anyway? - Old motel sign east of Newberry Springs
No building remains exist at this location, just the sign. - A different kind of no-trespassing sign: an entire trailer
It doesn't look like the power line goes to the trailer... - I ride up a gentle hill through the lava field area of old Route 66 east of Newberry Springs
This wouldn't even count as hill if you're driving it in a car, but with the wind pushing me back, I'm surprised that this "hillette" feels so big. - It has been cloudy most of the day, but a bit of sun is peering through the clouds as sunset approaches along old Route 66
The strong wind against me has made today's ride really slow (and tiring), so I take several very short photo breaks along here to enjoy what's left of the sun before it disappears less than an hour from now. - It's getting close to darkness here on Route 66 and my cheap camera is trying to compensate by turning everything blue
I still have 10 miles to go, some uphill, after 35 miles of pedalling today. Getting tired, I stop for an energy bar before sunlight vanishes. After dark, and only a few cars pass by (everyone is on the nearby freeway, and there's little reason not to be). - It has been dark for an hour now, and I'm finally on the dirt road off Route 66 leading up toward Sleeping Beauty mountain
No people around up here and it feels better and quieter as I get further from the nearby I-40 freeway. The only light out here now in the desert is my headlight. As the road gets steeper, I start walking the bike, and it's time to look for a campsite, not too close to the dirt road. - Tired when I get near the top of Sleeping Beauty road, I walk around in a fog for a while looking for a campsite not by the road
Rain sets in around 21h, about an hour after I set up camp, and lasts a couple of hours. I don't remember this being in today's forecast! However, the pitter-patter is soothing on my tent roof, and it keeps excessive numbers of tourists away. - The rain on my tent makes it look metallic with the camera flash; the rain has stopped and it's time to go to sleep!
With the hum of the freeway below me, the rain has stopped before midnight, and it feels good be to be camping in the desert again. I eat some jerky, sip some brandy, and go to bed, satisfied. Temperature drops to mid 30s F.