Nipton to Malpais Spring by bicycle via Walking Box Ranch Road, Mojave National Preserve (Day 9)
The striking Malpais Spring area of Mojave National Preserve has been on my to-visit list for a few years. I hope to find water in the area. Near-perfect temperatures today: warm sun, a bit chilly at times, but never cold.
I rode the unpaved Walking Box Ranch Road on an earlier trip, almost 10 years ago, but I didn't stop near Malpais Spring.
27.6 bicycle miles today. The 3500 feet of elevation gain reported is probably exaggerated as usual by the Topo 7 software that I use.
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Date: May 24, 2010, 08h48
Size: 56 items
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I'm up reasonably early and walk over to the Nipton store for some breakfast snacks and coffee
I slept so well last night that even the booming trains passing a few hundred feet from my tent barely woke me up. I miss Bill's home-cooked breakfast at the Nipton café. Bill passed away just recently and the new management isn't open for breakfast yet.
Date: May 24, 2010, 08h48
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I enjoy the morning shade of the eucalyptus trees at Nipton campground on this cool morning
I don't need them in this morning's weather, but these non-native trees are really nice when one wants to sleep in a little and not be woken up by hot morning sunshine cooking the tent.
Date: May 24, 2010, 08h49
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Time to brush my teeth and pack up for the ride from Nipton to Malpais Spring, Mojave National Preserve
The morning sun is already heating up the quonset hut behind me that houses the washrooms.
Date: May 24, 2010, 09h42
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A datura blooms at Nipton campground while a long freight train squeals by
Daturas grow all along the train route that crosses Mojave National Preserve.
Date: May 24, 2010, 11h08
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The outdoor sink at Nipton is decomposing after many years of service in the hot Mojave sun
I fill up my four 1.5-litre water bottles, my two litre Camelbak and my 10-litre water bag. I'm hoping to find water at Malpais Spring, my next stop, but I don't know for sure if there will be any.
Date: May 24, 2010, 11h16
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From Nipton campground, I look across the train tracks and up Ivanpah Valley toward Cima
Wide-open space for miles... I was up there just yesterday.
Date: May 24, 2010, 11h34
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The cactus garden in front of the Hotel Nipton is artfully built of multi-coloured rock
Coloured rock creates spaces and patterns in the garden.
Date: May 24, 2010, 11h39
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The 10-ton bike awaits departure at Nipton's outdoor sink after the final, heavy addition of my water supply
I bungee the weighty 10-litre water bag on my front rack to avoid overloading the rear rack. This saves my rear rack from breaking, but makes steering more difficult, and more demanding on the arm muscles.
Date: May 24, 2010, 12h07
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Across the road from the Nipton General Store is a rock-display yard
Rocks for sale from the nearby Lucky Dutchman Mine; maybe some of the colourful rocks in the Nipton cactus garden came from there.
Date: May 24, 2010, 12h28
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The 10-ton bike and I wobble up Nipton Road away from the campground and pass a few antique buildings while leaving town
Back on the highway, I begin the next phase of this year's adventure.
Date: May 24, 2010, 12h28
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I head east up Nipton Road toward Crescent Pass, Nevada, up in the hills at centre-left
I'll climb almost 1850 feet over the next 4.5 miles. The cool breeze helps to moderate the hot sun. A tailwind makes the climb easier.
Date: May 24, 2010, 12h32
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After half an hour, I stop for a few minutes on the way up the hill: I'm in Nevada now
A new "Welcome to Nevada" sign has been posted since I last rode by here and entered Nevada briefly, two years ago, this one with fewer...
Date: May 24, 2010, 13h05
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At the Nevada border, I notice that my 10-litre MSR water bag is dripping a bit from the nozzle
Hmmm... it didn't leak when I last used it almost six months ago. I guess the plastic is finally reacting to being stuffed in my overheated saddlebags for days on end while bicycle touring.
Date: May 24, 2010, 13h04
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From the Nevada-California border on Nipton Road/Nevada 164, I look back down the hill to the tiny town of Nipton
On the far side of the Ivanpah Valley are the Ivanpah Mountains, and behind that, the Clark Mountains.
Date: May 24, 2010, 13h07
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Just beyond the "Welcome to Nevada" sign is an "Area of Critical Environmental Concern" sign
Perhaps it's referring to the Wilderness areas that I'll pass soon.
Date: May 24, 2010, 13h13
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