Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Spring 2012: Mojave National Preserve Bicycle-Camping and Hiking / Day 15: Twin Buttes / Woods Mountains to Nipton by bicycle 34
Another hot one for the final day of the trip, with a high of 96F at Cima, and 103F down at Nipton. I'm glad that much of this is downhill today! 50.9 bicycle miles, about 30 of which are downhill riding, almost 4000 feet of downhill elevation loss: fun!
- I've been at this great campsite by the Woods Mountains for a week now; this morning I pack up and leave
Of course, I don't really want to end this trip, but it has been hot weather and I really need a shower after two weeks out here. Off to Primm (or maybe only as far as Nipton) I go on this final day! - Everything is nicely packed up into my saddlebags and attached to the 10-ton bike
And off I go... Gee, I'm sweating already. Another hot day. - I've ridden Woods Wash Road quite a few times while camping here this past week; this is my final commute out of the area
I've made a lot of bicycle tracks in the sand here this past week and most of them are still there due to a lack of motor-vehicle travel on this road. - My first stop is the Hole-in-the-Wall Visitor Centre (again) to fill up on water; it's over 80F in the shade already
... of course, I have to recharge my cell phone a bit more while here so I can take more photos on today's ride. - The 10-ton bike enjoys the rocky backdrop at Hole-in-the-Wall one last time while my cell phone recharges
... and the shade on the porch. - I stop to watch a cow and her calf as I ride up Black Canyon Road
... against a Twin Buttes and Table Mountain backdrop. - Also noteworthy on upper Black Canyon Road is the Gold Valley Ranch that I'm passing right now
- Upper Black Canyon Road narrows somewhat before it crosses through the pass ahead at just under 5350 feet elevation
This is my high-elevation point for the day; it will be mostly downhill from now on. I most often ride through the pass here around sunset, on return rides to Mid Hills Campground, so it feels unusual for me to be riding here at midday. - The rough washboard of upper Black Canyon Road prevents me from gaining any speed as I decend to the Cedar Canyon Road
I'll turn left at the three-way just ahead. - A jet flies overhead while I ride Cedar Canyon Road; the passengers note in unison that 'there's nothing down there'
From a distance, the desert looks brown and empty, so people often don't realize that it provides the same sense of quiet, beauty and solitude that one seeks on a nice empty beach (once you get away from the main roads). - This stretch of Cedar Canyon Road is always slow and rough (but scenic) on a bicycle
Just ahead, the road will rise out of the canyon. A couple of motor vehicles slowly pass me along this "busy" stretch of road in Mojave National Preserve. - Once Cedar Canyon Road rises out of the canyon, I can see across to the Cima Dome area
I've hiked slowly through some of this area, but am just riding through it today. - I have a 700-foot elevation drop ahead of me here on the west end of Cedar Canyon Road
Down we go! - After a nice, fast downhill on Cedar Canyon Road, I arrive at the famous stop sign at Kelso-Cima Road
That was a fun 700-foot downhill. Right turn for me here toward Cima, almost five miles away. Will the Cima store be open today? - I have almost five miles to ride up the gently rising Kelso-Cima Road until I reach Cima and the possibly open Cima store
The thermometer is supposed to reach 96 degrees F at Cima, and I'm feeling the heat on this little uphill here. - Oh, there's Cima just up ahead past that Joshua tree
- The Cima store is closed today, or at least right now; the hours posted are basically meaningless
It's a great old-fashioned pit-stop, but never count on this place being open as a sure source of water if you might be running out on your bicycle trip! I'm carrying extra water today, presuming that this store might be closed. - Well, the Cima store might be closed right now, but it's an interesting place to take a break nonetheless
I always enjoy walking around the modest historic building here. - The board-and-batten structure of the old Cima store hasn't been whitewashed in a very long time
- A residence and and old truck sit behind the Cima store, lost in time
- An old railway box car also sits next to the Cima store, with nowhere to go
- My break finished at the Cima store, it's time to hit the road again and ride on down the hill to Nipton: 25 miles ahead
If the Cima store were open, I'd be finishing up a bag of chips, and maybe a bottle of Sioux City Sarsaparilla (in honor of Morongo Bill at http://morongobillsbackporch.blogspot.com/), right now before leaving. - As I ride down Morning Star Mine Road away from Cima, I take in the views of the New York Mountains
At centre-right are the New York Mountains peaks (I camped behind there the first few hot days of this trip), while the smoother peaks at the left are the ones I call the "Bathtub Spring Peaks" in last year's trip report. - On upper Morning Star Mine Road, I'm heading toward the Ivanpah Mountains, with Kessler Peak at the left
- Just around the corner here, I've got 10 miles of downhill, and about 1300 feet of elevation loss!
Woo hoo! I just love this long downhill ride here. However, it's really tough on the uphill in the reverse direction (which I'm not doing today), since there's often a headwind. - 35 minutes later: after 10 miles of gliding downhill (and pedaling too), I arrive at the stop sign and turn left on Ivanpah Road
My speed almost reaches 30 mph a couple of times here. That blot over on the foothills straight ahead is the town of Nipton, my destination. However, the road doesn't cut straight across the valley from here. - I exit Mojave National Preserve here, and am now headed over to Nipton, the village over there at the bottom of the mountains
Here in the lower area of the Ivanpah Valley, it's around 100F. I'm gulping down a lot of water on my short break here in preparation for the final 7 miles across the valley floor to Nipton. That 10-mile downhill on Morning Star Mine Road sure was nice! - Riding Nipton Road, just a few more miles until I reach Nipton village over there
The final few hot-and-sweaty miles ahead before I reach Nipton are slightly uphill. Desire to reach the destination in the heat of the day always increases along this stretch, but there's no way to get there more quickly! - I haven't had a flat tire yet on this trip, so I celebrate upon arriving at the Nipton store with a bottle of Fat Tire beer
One beer becomes two, and two bags of potato chips for some quick carbs. Maybe I should stay here tonight instead of at the casino-hotel at Primm, 10 miles away, where I need to catch the Amtrak bus early tomorrow morning. Yeah, that's what I'll do. - I decide to stay in one of the Nipton tent cabins tonight; I'll get up early tomorrow and ride to Primm to catch the Amtrak bus
I've camped here many times in my tent and always wondered about these tent cabins. The showers and water are always an attraction for me here. It's nice that I don't need to unpack my tent tonight! The cool caretaker says he'll make sure I'm up early. - Just beyond my tent cabin at Nipton are a few others, but it's mostly quiet tonight
After more beer, I walk over to the café for a tasty meal of eggs and hamburger meat in a sandwich. Protein, yum, I seem to need it today. - I park the 10-ton bike inside my tent cabin at Nipton, titled the Surveyor, and settle in for the night
A nice way to end the trip (the cabin even has some A/C), so much better than at the Primm casino hotel! I have a lot to reflect upon tonight. I'll get up early tomorrow morning for the 10-mile ride over to Primm to catch the Amtrak bus. - Bicycle route from Twin Buttes campsite to Nipton via Cima: Day 15
50.9 often-downhill bicycle miles. High point of the day on Black Canyon Road: 5346 feet elevation; low point (near Nipton): 2624 feet elevation. - Elevation profile of bicycle route from Twin Buttes campsite to Nipton via Cima: Day 15
50.9 often-downhill bicycle miles. High point of the day on Black Canyon Road: 5346 feet elevation; low point (near Nipton): 2624 feet elevation.