I hang out at the store a bit before leaving, chatting with the clerk and a customer. I'll ride seven miles across Ivanpah Valley, slightly downhill, then turn left on Ivanpah Road just before I reach the mountains ahead.
Today I'm carrying 12-13 litres of water: my four 1.5-litre water bottles and two-litre camelbak are full, and my 10-litre water bag is about half full.
Nipton Road is not in Mojave National Preserve, but all the land to my left is.