Mojave National Preserve: Devil's Playground to Cornfield Spring Road via Jackass Canyon by bicycle (Day 3)
It will be a long day, with several tiring miles of walking the bike in parts of Devil's Playground and scenic Jackass Canyon. 31 bicycle miles and 2739 feet elevation gain; more hike-a-biking than I've ever done in a single day.
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Date: November 24, 2009, 08h12
Size: 34 items
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The cold I caught last night is pretty bad, but I'm up by 8h making coffee anyway; today I pack up and leave Devil's Playground
I'm expecting a long day, with several miles of walking the bike. Two good, strong cups of coffee are in order in addition to my breakfast of assorted dried fruit, granola, tamari almonds and vitamin-C drink.
Date: November 24, 2009, 08h12
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Enjoying the views down to Cowhole Moutain and Soda Lake, I ponder camping another night here at Devil's Playground
It's quiet and still this morning. I have enough water to get me through the night, but there's nowhere around here where I would be able to refill my reserves tomorrow morning. Oh well, time to pack up and move on...
Date: November 24, 2009, 08h27
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The last items to remove are the large rocks that I placed inside the tent last night to keep it from blowing over again
I'm carrying a number of cold-weather items on this trip to help me survive the evenings, and this has made my load a bit bigger than during my warm-weather Mojave bikepacking trips.
Date: November 24, 2009, 09h38
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I like the patterns that my sleeping pad has imprinted on the sand through the floor of my tent
With all the sand that blows around down here at Devil's Playground, traces of my campsite should disappear fairly soon.
Date: November 24, 2009, 09h42
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The bike all packed up, I begin the 5.5-mile trek down Old Kelso Road along the east side of Devil's Playground
Here's a sandy stretch (with some of my footprints from yesterday's hike) that's a wee bit too sandy for riding the bike, but I can see some firmly packed gravel just ahead that should be good for riding.
Date: November 24, 2009, 10h44
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Old Kelso Road occasionally crosses dry washes where it is suddenly rocky instead of sandy
This little wash crossing here would be fun on an unloaded mountain bike, but the 10-ton bike slipped in the loose gravel here and lost traction. I'm sweating a bit already, so I'm not wearing a sweater.
Date: November 24, 2009, 11h03
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I pause on Old Kelso Road to admire the views back toward Cowhole Mountain, Soda Lake, and my campsite of the last two nights
This road was graded many years ago, judging by the pile of rocks along the left side of the road. Creosote bushes have grown in the right-of-way since then. The surface here is nicely packed and rides well.
Date: November 24, 2009, 11h05
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I like this slightly downhill part of Old Kelso Road that heads toward the Old Dad Mountain block
... because it's slightly downhill and because it's a well-packed surface for riding. This road is otherwise mostly a slight uphill.
Date: November 24, 2009, 11h27
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Long and straight, Old Kelso Road heads toward the power lines that I can see three miles ahead, where I'll enter Jackass Canyon
The riding is slow, but going well here. However, I presume that I'll encounter more soft sand somewhere ahead. After all, this is Devil's Playground!
Date: November 24, 2009, 11h40
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I stare intently at the Old Dad Mountain block as I pass by, wishing I had enough time and water to do a day hike here
An orange post here marks an official Wilderness boundary, beyond which cars and bicycles are technically prohibited, but people obviously just drive around it. There's probably a nice campsite up there.
Date: November 24, 2009, 11h55
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A bit further down Old Kelso Road I notice another Wilderness marker that people drive around and ignore
There's probably a nice campsite at the end of this "illegal" road too, nestled against Old Dad Mountain. Too bad this road wasn't kept open as a "cherrystem" into the Wilderness like many others.
Date: November 24, 2009, 12h01
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Old Kelso Road has proven to be more rideable than I expected, but this final part before the power lines is a bit rough
It's bit uphill on this stretch, so I end up walking the 10-ton bike again. Old Kelso Road would be a fun mountain-bike ride for someone not carrying so much gear!
Date: November 24, 2009, 12h38
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Near the end of the slow 5.5 miles on Old Kelso Road, I stop for an energy bar and take in a final glance at Devil's Playground
It has been a fun couple of days down here and I'm glad I made it this time. I wanted to visit this area during my Mojave trip this past spring, but skipped it because it gets incredibly hot down here once the warm weather starts.
Date: November 24, 2009, 12h44
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Tire tracks go everywhere at the end of Old Kelso Road where it meets Jackass Canyon at the power lines
It's hard to tell exactly where the road is at first, but one easily joins up with the Jackass Canyon Road after a few minutes.
Date: November 24, 2009, 12h53
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Entering Jackass Canyon from Devil's Playground, Mojave National Preserve
This part of the Jackass Canyon Road is rideable, and there's even a bit of old pavement here and there, hiding under the dirt. However, I was here on my Xmas 2007 Mojave trip and know that a couple of miles of this road will be hike-a-biking.
Date: November 24, 2009, 13h06
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