Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2008: Mojave National Preserve Mountain-Bike Camping and Hike / Day 12: Keystone Canyon to Sunrise Rock near Cima Dome, Mojave National Preserve 28
My destination today is not set because I don't know if my rear rack repair will hold up or not. All I know for sure is that I'm riding toward Baker and need to get on pavement as soon as possible to reduce vibration on the bike.
I ride from Keystone Canyon at 5300 feet, down to Ivanpah Valley at 2650 feet. I ride up Morning Star Mine Road and end up taking a detour and camping at Sunrise Rock off Cima Road at 5000 feet due to strong wind. 40.3 bicycle miles.
- I get up a bit earlier than usual this morning in preparation for the potentially unpredictable day
The morning starts off a bit chilly, so my two cups of good strong coffee are soothing. A new addition to my cooking equipment is my wrench, which I need because the knob to open and close the valve of my propane burner disappeared a couple of days ago. - After a relaxing start to the morning, I empty the tent and begin packing up
I could easily spend another day here at Keystone Canyon, but the smartest thing to do is move on. I have to accept the reality that the 10-ton bike could become disabled should I have more problems with my rear rack between here and Baker, where my trip ends. - The last items to be removed from the tent are a big rock and my water bag
I placed these items in the corners of the tent to keep it from blowing away in last night's wind. - Last night's strong wind continues this morning and tries to push the tent around while I get ready to dismantle it
However, it doesn't cause much of a problem; I've gotten fairly good at taking the tent down in the wind! - All packed up, I begin walking the bike down Keystone Canyon; my tripod blows over and my camera lands face-first and dies
What a finale! I can't take any more photos during the rest of this trip, so I'll just fill in gaps with a few photos taken earlier, or during previous trips here. - I walk my bike down the mostly-bumpy two miles of Keystone Canyon Road
My original plan was to end this trip by riding across the middle of Mojave National Preserve on the dirt Cedar Canyon Road. Instead, to reach pavement as soon as possible because of my broken rear rack, I'm heading back toward Ivanpah Valley. I'm walking the bike on this road because I don't want to rattle the broken rack any more than necessary. As soon as I reach Ivanpah Road, a better dirt road, I'll start riding carefully again. - Well, I've been riding Ivanpah Road for a mile now and am passing the settlement of Barnwell again; so far, so good!
I'm taking advantage of the zero traffic on the road and ride all over the road to avoid the bumpiest, most washboarded parts. - Ivanpah Road rises over the pass and begins its slow descent down into the valley
It's really tempting to ride fast down these hills, but I'm afraid to let the bike take too much vibration on this rough road, lest my repaired rack break again. - I really like this area of Ivanpah Road where my bike broke down a couple of days ago
I still want to do a short side trip or two on the back roads in this area, but today I'm aiming for pavement and don't want to test my bike's strength any more than I need to. - As Ivanpah Road comes out of the hills, views into the valley open up
A small cabin off to the right is part of one the old mining areas along here. - I pass the worn sign to the old Goldome mine
This photo was taken in 2006, but the sign is still here in 2008. - With relief, I'm back on the paved part of Ivanpah Road now and I'm letting the bike gain speed as I ride down the smooth hill
The bike is handling well and I'm starting to feel like it might do just fine for the rest of the trip provided I stay on pavement. I'm approaching the abandoned store that I visited on the way up the hill two days ago. - The final slow descent to the bottom of Ivanpah Valley passes beautifully
I find myself riding at over 30 miles per hour a few times, forgetting than I'm riding a potentially disabled bike. - Good things do come to an end, and I reach the bottom of Ivanpah Valley and the beginning of Morning Star Mine Road
It has been mostly downhill today from my Keystone Canyon campsite at 5300 feet to the bottom of Ivanpah Road at about 2650 feet. I turn left here and it will be uphill for the rest of the day. - I have about 10 miles of uphill ahead of me on Morning Star Mine Road
"Caution: this road subject to flash-flood." The road cuts through creosote-bush scrub at the lower elevations as it slowly begins its climb up the hill. I'm heading south now, and the first thing I notice is that I'm pedaling hard into a strong headwind. - Morning Star Mine Road keeps climbing slowly up the fan
I've ridden up this long hill a couple of times in the past, and it's more long than it is difficult. However, today's headwind is making it a bit more demanding than I remember. - I stop a few miles up Morning Star Mine Road and look back to see how far I've risen
I'm perhaps halfway up the hill. The strong headwind is beating me back! - I take a break on the way up endless Morning Star Mine Road (at the old corral) and see a bicycle speed down the road
he bicycle looks to be fully loaded, the first other camping bicycle I've ever come across during my trips out here. The rider rings his bell and waves as he passes downward at hummingbird speed. It would have been fun if he had stopped for a chat, but the hill is so much fun to ride down that one doesn't want to stop! - I'm glad to finally be on the top of Morning Star Mine Road, but the headwind pushing me back is even more ferocious up here!
It's already almost 17h and I haven't decided where I'm going to end the day yet. I think I'll keep going and head down toward Kelso Depot, since I know there's water there, and I may need that by the end of tomorrow. I stop by the power lines for another short break and a chocolate energy bar. - After a couple of miles, I pass the Cima Store at 4200 feet, and it's actually open this time, at this late hour!
I'm thrilled and instantly come up with a plan to buy extra water at the store here and then ride up the hill six miles to spend the final two nights of my trip camping by Sunrise Rock on Cima Dome. Ironically, the strong wind will push me up the hill on Cima Road such that it paradoxically won't be any harder than riding down the hill toward Kelso Depot with the wind beating against me. I had been wanting to stop at the Cima Dome area on this trip anyway, but couldn't fit it into my original route schedule. I stop in at the Cima Store for three 1.5-litre bottles of water to top off my supply, and a six-pack of Corona Extra beer that I can't resist. I also buy a souvenir t-shirt ("Where is Las Vegas? 75 miles from Cima, CA") and a bag of chips and a 7up to consume while repacking my bike with the new supplies. Just when I thought maybe my trip was winding down to its end, I've got an unexpected exciting new segment of it beginning! - The six-mile crawl up Cima Road rises another 800 feet up to 5000 feet elevation and is quite pleasant with very little traffic
After the tough 10-mile ride up Morning Star Mine Road with the wind pushing me back, this uphill feels easy with the wind behind me. It helps that I'm filled with the excitement of a positive change in my schedule after the setback of my broken rear rack. - On the way up Cima Road, I pass the little dirt road that leads over to Cut Spring
I have no idea if Cut Spring contains water, but I might check it out while doing a day hike tomorrow. When I took this photo two years ago, I didn't know there were potentially useful springs in this area. - After six more uphill miles, I reach the little plateau at the top of Cima Road and turn down the dirt road to the campsites
I've only passed through this area once during my past Mojave National Preserve trips and have always wanted to come back since. Well, here I am again! - There's a lot of rock in this area, and this juniper tree growing in a crack between rocks is striking
I ride down the road a bit further to choose a campsite. - The first campsite has this beautiful tree for shade, but is too close to the paved road for my taste
I keep riding down the dirt road a little further. - A half-mile down the dirt road, I select a campsite to left of the big rock pile here
When I was in this area two years ago (when this photo was taken), I chose a campsite a bit further down the road. Fresh tire tracks are everywhere, but I'm not seeing any people anywhere. - Sunset in the Cima Dome area is always beautiful, and tonight is no exception
It's windy and chilly up here at 5000 feet, so I change into full-length jeans and a sweater as soon as the sun goes down. I sip on the beer that I bought earlier at the Cima Store and prepare a pouch of Mountain House Beef Stew. Dessert is beef and turkey jerky, and some Trader Joe's chili-lime cashews as well. As I fall asleep later in the evening, wishing I could take a shower first, I enjoy the serenade of singing crickets and some very distant coyotes howling somewhere in the valley below. - Mojave National Preserve map: Day 12: Keystone Canyon to Cima Dome via Ivanpah Road and Morning Star Mine Road