With a bit of sadness, I pack up and leave my Cima Dome campsite to mark the last day of this Mojave National Preserve trip

Packing up is intentionally slow on this nice quiet morning because I want to stay longer. I leave at noon. As I reach the pavement of Cima Road, a camper vehicle pulls in and claims the closest campsite to the road: the first humans I've seen in 24 hours

The six-mile ride down the Cima Road hill to the Cima Store, 800 feet below, is a blast

On the way down, I pass a small group of police and rangers investigating a car wreck whose driver is nowhere to be found. To my surprise, I have a significant headwind pushing against me as I ride down the hill (there was hardly any wind at all earlier).

To my left while descending Cima Road are views across the valley to the Butcher Knife Canyon area of the New York Mountains

The two nights I spent at Butcher Knife Canyon last week were an enjoyable exercise in solitude and weathering strong winds.

About 1.5 miles before reaching the Cima Store, I pass that power-line road again that crosses Mojave National Preserve

If my bike rack weren't broken, I could shave a few miles off today's ride (though it would probably take longer) by riding this rough road. A stop at remote Marl Springs to filter some water would be a fun diversion along the way.

I'm lucky again when I pass the Cima Store because it's open

I stop in and buy a bag of chips and a can of 7up for a sugar rush. For a change, I don't need to buy any water: I still have some left and I'll fill up down at Kelso Depot in a while. I chat briefly with a ranger who has also stopped at the store.

I start the 19-mile ride down Kelso-Cima Road to Kelso Depot and stop after 5 miles at the junction of Cedar Canyon Road

This is downhill (from 4200 feet to 2100 feet over 19 miles), but the strong south wind pushing me back means that I'm pedalling a lot just to maintain a decent speed.

As I descend into the Kelso Valley, it's becoming noticeably warmer

Compared to the last few days spent at cooler, higher elevations, this is beginning to qualify as a "hot day" for me. I'm working up a bit of sweat on this downhill.

Just a few miles to go before reaching Kelso Depot...

Sometimes I'm pedalling lazily, or just letting the bike coast slowly on its own, so I can focus on the views of the distant hills around me. In the haze ahead stand the Granite Mountains and the Coyote Springs area where I spent two nights last week.

Here I am yet again taking a break at Mojave National Preserve's Kelso Depot visitor centre

I end up chatting with another visitor outside Kelso Depot who happens to pass through Mojave National Preserve often enough, but hasn't gotten around to exploring any of the back roads yet.

I stop in at Kelso Depot to buy a souvenir t-shirt and donate my half-full propane bottle to someone who can use it

I'm not allowed to carry the propane bottle on tomorrow's Amtrak bus and train trip. I chat with the ranger on desk duty, but don't have to bother him to let me in to the downstairs closet again to fill up my water.

Back on the road at 14h30 to start the climb up to the summit of Kelbaker Road

Over 12 miles, I'll rise from 2125 feet at Kelso Depot to 3800 feet at the summit. It's mostly not very steep, but it does take a while, and the sun is hot.

The climb is going really well, probably because it's the end of the trip and I'm stronger now after two weeks of this

It must be close to 90 degrees this afternoon, or at least it feels like it in the hot sun.

The pavement is wearing out on parts of Kelbaker Road, but that adds to the character of the area (we don't need a freeway here)

I suddenly feel water splashing on my thigh, which feels good in this heat, but I shouldn't be feeling it. The drinking nib has dropped off my Camelbak's drinking hose and water is running out in a small, steady stream.

I'm up out of Kelso Valley now

The views behind me of the Providence Mountains beckon me to stay in Mojave National Preserve a little longer. This photo is from my Xmas 2007 trip; I'm definitely not wearing that windbreaker today!

The Kelbaker Road summit lies just ahead where the power lines cross the road at the left

The last mile or two before the Kelbaker Road summit looks a bit like a moonscape and is always anti-climatic in that no grand views of the surrounding valleys can be experienced here.

Here it is: the final little hill at the top of which is the summit of Kelbaker Road between Kelso Depot and Baker

I feel like I've been pedalling rather briskly all the way up this 12-mile hill. I've stopped a couple of times on the way up, but nothing long enough to constitute a real break, so I'm looking forward to reaching the top!

I arrive at the Kelbaker Road summit at 16h15 and feel a bit pooped

I enjoy a 15-minute break and munch on a Clif bar and drink more water. My water is warmer than room temperature now, blech, but of course I keep drinking freely, to stay hydrated and energetic.

While at the Kelbaker Road summit, I take a look at the power-line road which I could have taken to get here from Cima Road

The segment of the power-line road from Cima Road to here is about 15 miles long, instead of the 31 miles that I rode on the paved roads via Kelso Depot.