Mojave National Preserve: Baker to east side of Devil's Playground, northwest of Old Dad Mountain, by bicycle (Day 1)
I was hoping to visit the Old Dad Mountain area while visiting Mojave National Preserve a few months ago, but hot weather was already setting in at the lower elevations.
20.8 bicycle miles with an average speed of just 6.1 miles per hour and elevation gain of 1560 feet. I left Baker with a full load of water to last two days (about 16 litres) and drank three of those while en route today, but probably could have drank more.
Temperatures recorded in nearby Baker, CA today were a high of 67F and a low of 38F.
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Date: November 22, 2009, 07h00
Size: 34 items
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The 10-ton bike waits at the Amtrak bus stop at the San José train station
Yesterday morning I took Amtrak from San José to Baker, which involves a bus ride to Stockton, train to Bakersfield, then a bus to Baker.
Date: November 21, 2009, 06h48
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Inside my room at Baker's Wills Fargo Motel last night, the 10-ton bike still waits patiently for today
Motel prices are a bit higher this week due to the Thanksgiving holiday this week. I eat a big roast-chicken supper at the Mad Greek and buy four 1.5-litre bottles of water and two propane bottles for the trip.
Date: November 21, 2009, 20h22
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Morning in Baker, CA after filling up on needed calories from the breakfast buffet at the Big Boy restaurant
The "world's tallest thermometer" looms behind me, showing off a balmy 50 degrees F. The breakfast buffet here isn't the most exciting, but it's fresh, ready and plentiful, and the fried potatoes are really good.
Date: November 22, 2009, 08h40
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Across the road from the Big Boy restaurant sits the sprawling Mad Greek, where I had supper last night
It's a tacky 24-hour restaurant with decent food, but it is a bit overrated.
Date: November 22, 2009, 08h41
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All packed up, I finally leave Baker and ride over the I-15 freeway and enter Mojave National Preserve in the brilliant sunshine
Mojave National Preserve is one of the largest parks in the USA, but isn't all that popular or well-known. Most of the traffic on the busy freeway here speeds by oblivious to the Preserve en route to the Los Angeles or Las Vegas areas.
Date: November 22, 2009, 10h47
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The Mojave National Preserve entrance sign just outside Baker is my first stop
My odometer is not working, which turns out to be due to interference from my GPS, mounted next to it. I'll keep the GPS unit in my rear pocket for the rest of the trip to prevent this. So much for the cool GPS mount I bought for my handlebars!
Date: November 22, 2009, 10h56
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About a mile into Mojave National Preserve, I pass a sandy unpaved road (Old Kelso Road) that goes where I'm going today
I'll be riding part of that sandy road later today, but I'm staying on the longer paved route (Kelbaker Road) as far as possible to avoid walking the bike through more sand than necessary.
Date: November 22, 2009, 11h20
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I pause to stare toward today's destination: the Old Dad Mountain area on the east side of Devil's Playground
Old Dad Mountain the tallest hill in the distance. Due to the searing heat in the area in late spring and summer, this is the best time of year to visit there on a bicycle.
Date: November 22, 2009, 11h29
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A sign on Kelbaker Road alerts me to watch for tortoises
I haven't had the privilege of seeing one of the endangered tortoises out here yet.
Date: November 22, 2009, 11h56
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It's a long, mostly straight, 10 miles from Baker to the hills ahead of me, where Kelbaker Road turns sharply to the right
The road gains 1000 feet of elevation during those 10 miles, even though it looks rather flat.
Date: November 22, 2009, 11h58
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I take a short break and sit in the middle of Kelbaker Road for a few minutes to assert my sovereignty over the road
I've only seen a couple of motor vehicles since leaving Baker over an hour ago.
Date: November 22, 2009, 12h12
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I'm getting close to "10-mile bend" on Kelbaker Road, where the road turns sharply right after the little dip ahead
The day has been warming up rapidly, and it's probably around 70 degrees F now.
Date: November 22, 2009, 12h29
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I take a break at Kelbaker Road's "10-mile bend," entering the hills of Mojave National Preserve, sweating lightly
I often take a short break here to eat an energy bar. It's an easy 1000-foot "climb" from Baker to here over 10 miles, but on the first day of a trip, loaded down with supplies and extra water, it always feels good to reach this point.
Date: November 22, 2009, 12h47
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From "10-mile bend" on Kelbaker Road, I can see the dust from four-wheel-drive vehicles travelling the old Mojave Road
I'll be riding down that way shortly. The old Mojave Road crosses Mojave National Preserve and has become quite popular for four-wheel-drive excursions, especially on weekends.
Date: November 22, 2009, 12h58
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About 1.75 miles past "10-mile bend," I turn right at the blink-and-you-miss-it dirt road to 17-Mile Point
No more pavement today (nor tomorrow). I'm at about 2100 feet elevation now, the high point for today, and have a few hundred feet of gentle downhill ahead (to be followed by a bit more uphill).
Date: November 22, 2009, 13h08
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