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Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / 2000: Mojave National Preserve Bicycle Camping Trip #2 / Day 3: Mountain-bike ride from Mid Hills Campground through Wild Horse Canyon Road, Mojave National Preserve /

At the top of Black Canyon Road, I go left on Wild Horse Canyon Road for the last couple of miles back to Mid Hills Campground

027_24-black-canyon-wild-horse-800px.jpg An antique sign for the Cima Store 10 miles beyond sits at the top of Black Canyon RoadThumbnailsAn antique sign for the Cima Store 10 miles beyond sits at the top of Black Canyon RoadThumbnailsAn antique sign for the Cima Store 10 miles beyond sits at the top of Black Canyon RoadThumbnailsAn antique sign for the Cima Store 10 miles beyond sits at the top of Black Canyon RoadThumbnailsAn antique sign for the Cima Store 10 miles beyond sits at the top of Black Canyon RoadThumbnails

Here, I get on the upper part of Wild Horse Canyon Road and return toward Mid Hills Campground a couple of miles to the west.

A little daylight remains when I get back to Mid Hills Campground, so I ride the road through the campground and note that only three of the other 20-some campsites are occupied.

I settle in at my campsite for another instant meal: Mountain High "spicy chicken stir fry and rice." I really like the reconstituted green beans in these meals, a tasty meal overall.

Heavy winds move in after dark, making noises like loud traffic, sometimes forcing my tent to suck in and out. Sometimes the whirring sound of the wind just passes overhead and doesn't actually touch down and move my tent around.

I go for a late-night walk, casting shadows under the full moon, to fill my water bottles in case the taps freeze up again tonight. The thermometer shows 32 degrees F (0 C).

Back in the tent, I'm cold, bundle myself up with clothing and fall asleep to the roars of the wind overhead that envelop my tent once in a while.