Day 14: Cima Dome to Baker via Kelso Depot and Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve
In preparation for tomorrow's bus/train trip back to the world of employment and mortgages, I ride from Cima Dome to Baker "the long way" (via Kelso-Cima Road, Kelso Depot and then Kelbaker Road).
"The long way" is better than the shorter options, which would require riding many miles on the I-15 freeway or riding across Cima Dome on the rough power-line road. (The power-line road would be a fun choice if my bike rack weren't broken.)
My broken bike rack didn't give me any problems on the way up here to Cima Dome, so I'm confident that my repair will hold for the rest of the trip... as long as I stay on pavement and don't bump around excessively.
63.2 bicycle miles today, dropping from 5000 feet at Cima to 2100 feet at Kelso Depot, up to the Kelbaker Road summit at 3800 feet, then down to 925 feet at Baker.
Since my camera is still broken, "today's photos" are a mish-mash of images shot earlier on this trip, or during previous trips.
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Date: May 06, 2008, 10h00
Size: 28 items
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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
Date: April 25, 2006, 15h44
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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).
Date: April 25, 2006, 14h31
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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.
Date: April 25, 2006, 14h51
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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.
Date: April 25, 2006, 14h31
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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.
Date: April 30, 2008, 15h10
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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.
Date: April 28, 2008, 16h12
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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.
Date: April 26, 2008, 14h00
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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.
Date: April 26, 2008, 15h42
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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.
Date: April 26, 2008, 15h22
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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.
Date: April 26, 2008, 15h23
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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.
Date: December 31, 2007, 14h14
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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.
Date: December 31, 2007, 15h43
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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.
Date: December 31, 2007, 15h55
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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!
Date: December 31, 2007, 16h03
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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.
Date: December 31, 2007, 16h25
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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!
Date: April 30, 2006, 16h19
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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.
Date: April 30, 2006, 16h24
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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.
Date: April 30, 2006, 16h27
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