Good morning! A butterfly frolics in some encelia flowers by my tent

I see some purple flowers poking through the brush also (paper-bag bush, I think), so maybe he's trying to get to those as well. My breakfast ritual of strong coffee, granola, nuts and dried fruit was satisfying; now it's time to pack up and go.

Intermittent strong gusts of wind make taking down the tent a bit like launching a kite

The north wind creates a pleasant breeze on this rather warm morning. The only problem right now is that I'm almost out of water, but I'll be stopping at Kelso Depot to refill my supply in a while.

Once all is dismantled, the wind stops for a few minutes, which keeps my belongings from blowing away while packing

I've enjoyed my three nights here and haven't seen anyone else in the area. I could spend more time exploring nooks and crannies around here, but it's time to move on.

One of thousands of crickets stays still long enough for me to snap a photo of it

Thousands of these crickets were hopping about on my way up Kelbaker Road a couple of days ago, but not nearly as many of them seem to call this area home.

I carry my bike, and walk my packed saddlebags, out of the Wilderness area over to the old road

I assemble the 10-ton bike and start riding slowly down the bumpy surface of the road. I haven't ridden my bike since three days ago and have forgotten how heavy it is. I drink the last few gulps of my water, which are already quite warm.

I head up "the shortcut" to check out a better road that I saw on my way here, but which is not on my maps

I dismount the bike to walk through the sand at the start of the shortcut road. Wilderness barriers here block an intersecting wash not indicated on my maps as being within a Wilderness area.

The "good road" that is not on my maps turns out to be very short and dead-ends at a guzzler

Darn, the guzzler is dry. It would have been nice to stumble across unexpected water here since I don't have any left.

OK, I return to the middle fork of Globe Mine Road and start what will probably be a rather sandy two-mile ride down the fan

I was hoping that the road to the guzzler might provide a harder-packed alternate route. I have about two miles to ride until I reach the pavement of Kelso-Cima Road.

A couple of little lumps on Globe Mine Road add interest to the ride down the fan

Occasionally I lose momentum where there's a lot of sand on this road and have to stop and walk. I'm able to ride parts of this road, since it's a slight downhill, but I still end up walking or "scootering" the bike often.

I stop and look back up an especially sandy part of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road where I just skidded out

It can be fun "skiing" through the sand on a bicycle if one can get enough speed and momentum going. However, it is easy to lose balance and crash, given the weight of the loaded bike, so some care must be taken.

As I approach the end of the middle fork of Globe Mine Road, the north fork merges in on the right

The north fork is the main fork of the road and rises to the Bolder Spring area where I hiked yesterday, then up into Globe Canyon and the mountains above.

I cross the train tracks at the bottom of Globe Mine Road and am ready to get back on pavement

I'm out of water and getting thirsty, so the sooner I get to Kelso Depot to fill up on water, the better.

Riding down the gentle grade of Kelso-Cima Road to Kelso Depot

A strong north wind pushes me down the 3.5-mile, 400-foot descent and I exceed 30 miles per hour for a while. It is hotter here in the valley and I pass a four-wheel-drive group stopped for a shady break under the railway tracks.

I arrive at Kelso Depot in no time, chat with rangers, load up on water, rinse a wool t-shirt, and dump my garbage

The rangers are the first people I've spoken to since I last visited Kelso Depot three days ago. I linger here for almost an hour and load up with another 18 gallons (40 lbs) of water from their downstairs utility closet.

I leave Kelso Depot and begin the trudge up Kelbaker Road toward Coyote Springs

This is another one of those route segments which I've climbed several times: a 900-foot rise over 8.5 miles. Coyote Springs, today's goal, sits at the base of the mountains at the centre-right.

With Kelso well-behind me now at the bottom of the hill, the heat of the day is catching up with me a bit

I still have the strong wind behind me, so I'm pedalling heartily in my second chain-ring as if I'm not heading uphill at all; usually I've climbed this in my lower chain-ring.

Just a couple more miles of climbing Kelbaker Road remain

What I like least about this climb is the fast traffic on this road. There's not a lot of it, but there's just enough that I can't focus all my attention on the climb itself.

And finally—ta da—here we are, the road to Coyote Springs

Actually, my climbing isn't completely over for the day, but I do get to leave traffic and pavement now. The road to Coyote Springs rises another 200 feet over about three miles to my campsite at the base of the mountains ahead.