Orange County to Las Vegas, Oct 29 - 31, 2010: Day 3 & Conclusion

Note:  If you haven't already, you may want to start this journal from Day 1.


Here is the link for Day 1:   Orange County to Las Vegas - Day 1  


Here is the link for Day 2:  Orange County to Las Vegas - Day 2

Day 3:   Baker -- Mountain Spring, Las Vegas (Oct 30, 2010)

Didn't get to bed till about 2a last night.  Too hungry and too cold.  Took a steaming hot shower to warm up and went to the Mad Greek Restaurant in Baker to refuel.  Got some 4 1/2 hours of sleep and felt refreshed, again surprisingly.  It's hard to believe that I have been riding the last 2 days, almost 300 miles on just over 8 hours of sleep in total.  But I feel fine.  I'll catch up sleep later tonight, after the end of the trip.  Took off a tad later than originally planned, about 7:30a.  Today is a shorter leg -- the conclusion of the trip.  


Goal is to cross the California / Nevada border and to get to the surrounding areas of Las Vegas, riding to the outskirts of Death Valley.  Pending on how my leg feels I'd like to get at least to the foothills of Mountain Springs, just west of Las Vegas.  I take off in good spirits, but immediately feel the pain in my right knee and lower quads.  I think this is going to be a long day.  I'll do my best.  

All set, ready to go.

Baker features the largest thermometer in the world.  I notice though that some numbers are not working...  

Baker lies right on I-15, providing a vital pit-stop for travelers between Southern California and Vegas. 

I take the CA Highway 127, northwest from Baker to the outskirts of Death Valley.

I'm immediately overwhelmed by desert and endless distances.

First stop is Tecopa, some 50 miles (80 km) away.  Traffic in my direction is light, but I notice the RV (Recreational Vehicle) traffic coming the opposite way, steadily increasing.   

The roads carve themselves a path through the desert flowing with the "wavy" landscape.  

I feel it's more drier here than even in the Mojave National Preserve. 

I make good time in spite of the pain.  I average about 20-25 mi/hr (32-40 km/h) on well paved streets and little traffic in my direction.  But the RV traffic is steadily increasing by the hour.  So far, I'm not worried, but it makes me think.    

Endless distances and stretches of land. Man, what a big country.  The distances are mind boggling.   

I find more patches of sand here than over the last few days.

Silurian Hills HP (High Point), looking east while travelling northwest on the CA 127.

Dunes...

The first mountain ranges of Death Valley appear on the horizon.  It's a breathtaking sight.

Salt Blue Mountain

My gear -- in general -- was holding up and served me pretty well.  I've been very happy with it.  Granted, it took some time to get all the adjustments right over the last few months, but it was well worth it.  So, who says that you need a Carbon Fiber bicycle worth thousands of dollars to experience an adventure?  Oh, how much my bike cost?  I bought a good used one and made some minor improvements.  Cost:  $40 -- yup. Forty.  

You gotta be kidding me, right?

Oh, really?  A whole desert full?

Nah... really?  Are you sure?  That' can't be...  

Hahahaha.  A dip???  Did I read this right?  A dip????  A ten mile long dip???   
(I'm sure the sign was referring to a small dip down the road, but the context where this sign has been posted is just too funny.)

This is actually a well know straight piece of road at the outskirts of Death Valley, between Salt 
Springs Hill HP (High Point) and Saddle Peak Hills HP.  This picture is taken from the south 
facing north.  It is also the beginning to a long 8-10 mile 4-5% climb called the Ibex pass.  

The same stretch of road taken as I am climbing towards the Ibex pass -- picture taken facing south.

I guess a street doesn't get more straight than that.

Finally at the end of the straight road.

A spectacular view is offered as I climb towards the Ibex pass.

A group of RVs.  It really doesn't look too different from the way they had their horse carriages arranged 100-200 years ago when the pioneers roamed the land, except they have modern vehicles instead of wooden horse carriages...

Instead of horses in the old days they have SUVs and pickup trucks today, instead of horse carts they have super-modern trailers with all imaginable amenities.

Little did I know that the Death Valley is actually a very very popular place for off-road vehicles.  People from all over the region gather here most weekends with their RVs and do some serious off-road riding with their funky vehicles.  

And naturally, following Murphy's law, I arrived just at the right time, at the exact time after brunch when everyone is leaving Death Valley.  All cars going to the south are driving back to Baker, from where I just came as seen in this picture.  Everyone else (people from Nevada and Vegas) was driving north, to the Ibex pass, exactly the direction where I was heading.

The number of RVs with their off-road vehicles increased exponentially and started building up to a serious traffic jam.  Small trucks with trailers....

... or whole houses on wheels...

They all formed an endless never-ending convoy of RVs and trailers that would make any traffic jam in L.A. jealous.

... and of course, following Murphy's Law, they mostly head towards the Ibex pass... exactly where I was heading.

Platoons of 10, 15, 20 vehicles roamed by me with their super loud engines towards the Ibex pass, while I was desperately trying to avoid being hit by these huge RVs and trailers, while huffing and puffing up the 4-5% grade hill and not thinking about my pain in my right knee.  I think I counted about 200-300 RVs and trailers driving by me on that day. 

I really wished I was a ghost rider today -- invisible to all that traffic I got myself in -- in the middle of Death Valley!

Finally, at the top of the Ibex pass -- after having survived the onslaught of RVs and other recreational trucks.

The landscape changes dramatically on the other side of the hill as I approach Tecopa.

Tecopa Peak.

Roads are not the best -- probably from all the RV traffic.

The last time I have seen this kind of landscape is in Utah, close to the Arches National Park.  Definite signs that this landscape was -- once long time ago -- deep under the sea.

Tecopa itself has a very mineralized soil.  The soil is so mineralized that you can't drink the water here.  All water is brought in from Baker.  But it makes some great hotsprings!

Tecopa itself is a small city with less than a dozen houses.

But it has a post office!

Hahahaha.  For a moment I thought this was a place to dump your RV truck if it stopped driving.  Obviously, that's not the case, but a place for the RVs to relieve themselves.

I stop by for about half an hour at this neat hostel called "Cynthia's."  It was closed during the day, but it provided a shadow and a nice scenery.  

The whole town of Tecopa has no cell phone reception.  But it has Wi Fi!

China Ranch -- a date farm in the middle of the desert.  I didn't have time to ride by, but these pictures were taken a day later when I drove back the same route with the car to take some more pictures.

The "China Ranch" was started over hundred years ago by some Chinese dude.  It's an oasis in the middle of the desert today.  Quite impressive, in my view.

Notice that none of the surrounding oasis offer cell-phone reception.

I think these are Aloe plants.

That's how old this place is.  This vehicle gotta be still standing and rusting since the 1920s?

Cactus fruit

The dates here are amazing.  So many different kinds.  All free to sample.  They even ship the dates all across the U.S. as holiday gifts.

The China Ranch also has a Gift Shop and Bakery.

Really?

I could use this sign back home to warn guests before I serve any meals ...

I was about to get involved in a gun fight with this cowboy... 

A 5-cents cola sign that cost today $6.95.  Hmmm.
Inflation surely went up the room over the years.

Hahahaha.

What language is this?  Hahaha.  Sounds like the 
cowboy wants to talk like Arnold!

I thought this was a cool map of the Indian Tribes.  I learned a lot by just studying this map for few minutes.

I don't recommend sitting on this one as pretty as it may look.

Date plants are always covered with some funky towels. 

Turns out -- to protect the dates.

Dates.  They look like red grapes, no?

On the Old Spanish Trail.  This road is actually one of historic importance.  Before the gold-rush in the early/mid 1800, this route used to be the major trading route to the west.  Traders used this route, hopping from one water source to the next.

No matter how long I look at the landscape -- it remains a fascinating place.

Ring Blue Mountain

One last look at Death Valley.  Aside from the hundreds of RVs I ran into, it has been an amazing experience to get to know this place a bit.

The Old Spanish Trail meanders towards the pass to find a path between Noon Blue Mountain and Emigrant Blue Mountain.

It stays about 3-4 % for about 10 miles and rapidly increases to about 4-5% the last 3-4 miles (5 km).  I'm quite in pain with my right knee, but I fight myself through.

... and this is the reward once you arrive at the high point of this pass.  The Kingston Blue Mountain with the Kingston Peak.  It is a sight which makes you forget all the suffering I went through the last three days.  It was more than worth it.

On the same spot looking towards the left (east);  the wide open desert plains towards the Nevada/California border as the Old Spanish Road cuts through the land.

The California / Nevada border (picture taken a day later).  From the California side there is at least an announcement of the county line in California.  Looking to the Nevada sign there is no visible indication whatsoever that you are crossing the state line.

The only indication that one is crossing the line is shown by a long stretch of road finally curving to another long stretch of road.

I am finally at the pick up point at Mountain Springs near Las Vegas in Nevada.  I have arrived.

Conclusion and Miscellaneous


It has been some quite amazing three days in the desert.  To be able to ride through this unique piece of land is utterly unforgettable.  I will never forget the the view to the Kingston Blue Mountain nor the amazing views offered by the Mojave National Preserve.  I will always cherish the desert as a place that seems lifeless, yet provides a habitat for so many plants, animals (and even some humans) in such abundantly different ways.  


Orange County to Las Vegas in three days, pedaling mostly with my left foot, on 8 hours of total sleep;  pedaled almost 366 miles (590 km) for 47 hours in that time period.  My net travel time (travel time minus all the breaks) is about 39 hours.  That gives an average travel speed of 9.4 miles / hour (15.1 km/h).  During the ride towards Amboy I broke my own personal speed record -- 43.6 miles / hour (70.1 km/h) riding down the pass on Amboy Road.


Our world is full of adventures.  The world is here for us to capture and to explore.  Carpe Diem!




Equipment


As mentioned earlier, what I used for this trip was a modified Schwinn Ranger 1.4, which I bought 2nd hand in May/June this year.  I made some minor improvements, such as as adding a rack, fenders, and additional lights. 


I also didn't bring any paper maps for this trip as I have the entire route and relevant maps stored in my iPhone.  This arrangement served me well as I always knew where during the three days I would be able to have access to an outlet.  My iPhone is combined with an extended battery set which gives me -- combined nearly 20-22 hours of uninterrupted battery time.  


Here is a screen-shot of the iPhone app I was using to navigate, called Routepad. 

It is truly an amazing application as it works also with my GPS even when I have no cell phone reception in the desert.  I can zoom in and out of this map like any other common map and tells me always exactly where I am at all times.  It is virtually impossible to get lost with this device, which I also equally use to text my friends and to blog on facebook to let everyone one know how I am progressing on my trip.  

This is my "cockpit".  My bicycle computer, followed by two bicycle lights (low beam and high beam), my iPhone (reinforced with two strong rubber bands) and an additional easily detachable flash-light in reserve.   This arrangement worked well.