Nov 2019 to Jan 2020, Mojave Desert Bicycle Tour

Thu, 14 Nov 2019

I noted in last year's trip report that both older MSR Dromedary bladders were leaking, but that leaks were too slow to justify bladder replacement. In fact, leaks are significant and bladders do in fact need immediate replacement. Stopped by REI, but only 10L size in stock, 6L has to be special ordered. I have spare older model 6L in packing list, so can replace whichever bladder leaks worse. Then order new bladders to be delivered to motel in Blythe.

Also, REI only had 4oz bottles of chain lube and Walmart out of stock of 2oz bottles. Probably enough lube on hand for entire trip, but better to have spare bottle in case primary bottle breaks. Should have bought 4oz bottle at REI.

Need to be much more careful about completely preparing bicycle touring gear in January, so ready to go in November. Think of January as time to prepare for entire year ahead, not just for Europe trip.

Fri, 15 Nov 2019 (57 miles, 5:09 hours)

Starting odometer 21680. Left motel at 8:00, arrived at usual campsite at 3:00. Little wind and mild temperatures so that I rode shirtless most of day. Feels great to finally be back in motion after a month sedentary.

Sat, 16 Nov 2019 (40 miles, 4:47 hours)

I had expected other campers and perhaps a rowdy party last night, since Friday, but absolute quiet. Bladders half frozen in morning, so temps evidently below freezing. Warmed up once sun rose, so rode shirtless again most of day. Camped along Julian Lane.

Sun, 17 Nov 2019 (41 miles, 4:42 hours)

Another beautiful day: mild temps during day, sunny, little wind. Picked up water from faucet on side of Schurz police station, on Hospital road next to town park, so skipped visit to Four Seasons convenience store. Camped along Double Springs road.

Mon, 18 Nov 2019 (46 miles, 5:24 hours)

Mild headache in morning. Weather continues mild. Camped along poleline road, route 89. Wind picked up during night, first from north, then from east.

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 (30 miles, 3:56 hours)

Cloudy and cool in morning, with east wind, headwind for me. Wind stopped at sundown, dead quiet again for several hours as eye of storm passed over, then furious wind resumed from west. Tarp pointed southwest, so some wind into front of tarp. One stake pulled out, so lowered tarp and reinstalled stakes as securely as possible, but even that not enough, so pulled out front pole so tarp resting directly on top of me. No problem with condensation due to low humidity and furious wind.

Wed, 20 Nov 2019 (32 miles, 2:57 hours)

Wind milder in morning, but still from west so tailwind. Rain early in morning, stopped long enough to allow breaking camp, then resumed, so soaking wet when I arrived in Tonopah. $55 (including tax) at Clown Motel, special rate because bicycle tourist. Rain turned to snow in late afternoon. No ATT mobile service and bad wifi at motel.

Thu, 21 Nov 2019 (zero day)

About 5 inches snow accumulation. Mike's Bikes bicycle shop now open in center of town, across from post office. Light snow turned to rain in afternoon and washed roads clear, so should be easy travel tomorrow.

Fri, 22 Nov 2019 (59 miles, 4:40 hours)

Roads clear, sky clearing, warm enough for short sleeves by noon. Camped in the creosote, mile from highway to reduce noise, between Goldfield and Beatty. Last 6 miles of highway 95 had bad shoulder: rumble strip wide and centered versus narrow and close to traffic lanes.

Sat, 23 Nov 2019 (49 miles, 3:51 hours)

Another 26 miles bad shoulder, then good shoulder resumed. Blue skies, gentle tailwind from north and mostly downhill, so easy riding. Bought some food in Beatty, but refrained from sugar binge like two years ago. Picked up water from town park. Camped in wash 7 miles south of town, 1.5 miles from highway 95, same place as two years ago. Windy during night, from north, but tarp positioned correctly.

Sun, 24 Nov 2019 (45 miles, 3:41 hours)

Picked up water at town park along Amargosa Farm road. ATT service available there, for first time since Sat, 16 Nov. Forecast for strong winds for next several days, though calm this evening. Tailwind most of tomorrow, headwind most of Wednesday. Bought some food at store along highway 373.

After eating, noticed back tire partly deflated, so dismounted tire for inspection. Small piece of wire embedded in tire, constantly ripping open tube so all sealant leaked out. Removed wire with pliers, but unable to detect leak in tube. Remounted tire, filled tube with more sealant, inflated. Some sealant bubbled out through cut in tire, then stopped. But an hour later, when I stopped to camp, tire had lost some pressure, so will probably need to dismount tire again tomorrow and apply patch to tube. (Also, tire mounted in wrong orientation, so another reason to eventually dismount and then remount, though this can wait a few days.)

While smoothing ground to sleep on, thorn jabbed under right index fingernail. Black line about 1cm long visible under nail, either dried blood where thorn entered and then left, or else thorn broke off and is now embedded under nail. Taste of famous Chinese torture of bamboo splinters under fingernails.

Mon, 25 Nov 2019 (79 miles, 4:42 hours)

Cut back fingernail with scissors in morning, then dug into flesh with needle. Black line appears to be dried blood and not remnants of thorn, which is good news. Tire no more deflated in morning than yesterday evening, so evidently sealant is finally working. Pumped back up to full pressure. North tailwind starting about 9:00, becoming ferocious after 13:00, with forecast to continue strong all afternoon and into night. In Shoshone, bought some food, picked up water, partially charged power pack. Camped 20 miles north of Baker. Tarp pitched low, with heavy rocks on all stakes.

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 (26 miles, 2:12 hours)

Mild temps, light wind all day. Bought food at store in Baker, recharged power pack in town park. Bathroom at park undergoing renovation, but able to get water from faucet at nearby town maintenance depot. Swapped orientation of tire, which continues to hold pressure.

Motel in Baker closed. Not surprising given horrible reviews on internet of deceptive pricing, stolen deposits, filthy rooms, etc. Sign outside saying "motel for lease", so owner not willing to sell. Probably wants to cheat gullible lessee.

Backtracked and camped 3 miles north of Baker, because need to wait out storm tomorrow and Thursday. Pitched tarp low again, facing north, in anticipation of south winds tonight and tomorrow morning. Shaved beard and head with just water. Not smooth shave, but enough for now.

Wed, 27 Nov 2019 (zero day)

Strong south winds until afternoon, then northwest, right into front of tarp, accompanied by rain, despite weather forecast that winds would only be from south. Winds eventually shifted back to west then south, then died down during night. Hibernated and fasted, only getting up to perform calisthenics and part of normal yoga.

Thu, 28 Nov 2019 (17 miles, 2:08 hours)

Thanksgiving holiday. Sunny in early morning, later cloudy and cool, with mild winds. Shaved beard again with just water. Blade gets dull quickly without usual lubrication from shampoo. Bought more food at store, recharged power pack at town park, picked up water from faucet at maintenance depot (about 16L total). Rain started about noon, just as I was leaving town. Soaking wet, including boots, by time I reached camp, usual spot about 12 miles along Kelbaker road. Rain stopped during night.

Fri, 29 Nov 2019 (22 miles, 3:45 hours)

Sun in morning, so able to dry most gear, other than boots. Alternating sun and clouds later. Steady, cold, dry southwest wind: headwind for first few miles, then sidewind, then finally tailwind. Pushed through sand for about 4 miles. Snow on ground above 4000 feet, melting quickly in sun. Camped near Beale mountain, about 3700 feet elevation. Temps should be well below freezing tonight, so put water bottle under backpack, near head, and one bladder in pannier under food and other objects for insulation.

Sat, 30 Nov 2019 (33 miles, 5:02 hours)

Coyotes yipping nearby in early morning. Clear sky, cool, little wind. Road muddy from melting snow above 5000 feet elevation, so had to dismount and push more than usual. Camped at 3660 feet elevation. Not as cold as last night.

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 (20 miles, 2:45 hours)

Overcast, with cold wind from north, headwind for 6 miles. Tore pullover on thorns while riding, just a minor tear however.

Mon, 02 Dec 2019 (30 miles, 3:02 hours)

Strong north wind continues, though not as cold as yesterday. Sun out again. Skipped morning exercises other than pushups and inclined rowing. $112 for 2 nights at Desert Rancho motel. Ordered one new-style 6L Dromedary bladder from Amazon.com, to be delivered to motel in Blythe, to replace leaking old-style 6L bladders. Will order another 6L bladder upon return to Reno. While inflating tires back up to paved road pressure (48 psi, 3.3 bars), noticed flexible rubber tube of bicycle pump tearing. Should probably replace.

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 (11 miles, 1:10 hours)

Bought 2 x 2oz bottles of Epic Ride chain lube at local Walmart. Put 2 chlorine-dioxide tablets in each of 3 non-leaking bladders. Discarded one of 2 leaking bladders.

Wed, 04 Dec 2019 (25 miles, 3:50 hours)

Started day with 5 loaves bread and cheese, 400g dark chocolate, 900g peanuts, 23L water (carried less out of town, because breakfast subtracted from preceding). Two hours rain while riding, sometimes heavy. Wore rain poncho, but clothes still got thoroughly wet. Stupidly left smartphone unprotected in neckpurse, so that it also got wet. Even more stupidly, tried turning phone on while it and hands were both wet and while rain still falling. (Wanted to check weather forecast for wind direction, to know how to setup tarp.) Something went wrong and phone stopped working. After setting up tarp and drying hands, switched SIM and microSD cards to backup phone, which works fine, though not everything on primary smartphone was properly backed up. In particular, lost: music playlists; ereader bookmarks; photos; recent viber messages.

Need to think about adding back Etrex 20 to packing list for hiking GPS. I don't encounter rain or snow often while hiking, but when I do, smartphone doesn't work well, because moisture interferes with touch screen, and today's incident shows how rain can damage smartphone.

Today's incident vindicates decisions to be prepared for failure of smartphone at any time, to carry spare, to use cheap and easy to replace versus expensive smartphones, to use smartphones with removable microSD card. On the other hand, expensive smartphone might be more waterproof.

Another stupid decision was to be riding at all rather than remaining at motel another day, since heavy rain was forecast. Similarly, should have arranged not to travel that day in Baker when I got soaking wet. Always be prepared to hibernate: extra food and water on hand, no rigid schedule to adhere to. Though I'm capable of bicycling/hiking in rain/snow, precipitation makes everything more difficult and greatly increases risk of damaging gear or my own body.

Thu, 05 Dec 2019 (32 miles, 4:14 hours)

While doing nails, pulled out piece of thorn from under nail from incident of 24 Nov. So thorn did break off and get trapped under nail. Another black fragment remaining under nail, which should emerge in a month or so.

Sun out, so able to dry everything out. Very little wind. Able to push loaded bicycle along powerline road over Homer mountain without difficulty. Not sure why I had such problems in Dec 2016. Maybe body weaker then.

Discovered from tracking notice that motel in Blythe was erroneously specified as billing rather than shipping address for MSR Dromedary order, so bladder being shipped to Reno. Ordered another bladder for delivery to Blythe. Price increased by $5 since initial order.

Fri, 06 Dec 2019 (40 miles, 5:16 hours)

Sunny and warm, little wind. Powerline road in worse condition than last year, but still mostly rideable. Pushed through sand for maybe an hour total. Camped along Cadiz road, which is in good condition. Wonderfully quiet.

camped along cadiz road

Sat, 07 Dec 2019 (26 miles, 3:07 hours)

Cloudy, continued little wind. Midland-Rice road closed to vehicles because washed out in many places. Able to get through with bicycle, though lots of pushing through sand. Light drizzle in afternoon: immediately put smartphone into dry sack in neckpurse for protection.

Ordered new smartphone, case, other accessories from amazon.com, to be delivered to motel in Blythe. Don't like idea of being without spare smartphone, not even for three weeks until return to Reno. Pretty sure I will add Etrex 20 back to hiking packing list, so as to be prepared for rain. Just one set of lithium batteries, so 145g total, including case. Tried ordering replacement phone from bestbuy.com initially, but website blew up browser several times in succession. Amazing how incompetent these programmers are. Or maybe average consumers really get excited about popups, complicated script driven interfaces and other fancy features, and I'm unusual in prioritizing fast load times, ease of use, and website that doesn't hang or crash browser.

Sun, 08 Dec 2019 (33 miles, 3:57 hours)

Overcast and unpleasantly humid die to evaporation from moist ground. Hour and half over washed out road, pushing through sand, then finally solid dirt, then paved road not long after. Was planning to check into Blythe motel tomorrow, but decided better get there today in case credit card problems with recent amazon.com orders. $94 through booking.com for 2 nights at Emerald Inn, which is under new ownership. Neighbor at motel said Ogilby Road washed out. Was already thinking of skipping usual visit to Yuma, but now definitely don't want to go. Just hang around the Bradshaw Trail / Wiley's Well Road area and relax next two weeks.

Mon, 09 Dec 2019 (zero day)

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 (26 miles, 2:30 hours)

Beautiful weather: mild temps, sunny, not much wind. Camped at usual sheltered spot along Bradshaw Trail.

Wed, 11 Dec 2019 (7 miles, 1:10 hours)

Woke up with crick in right neck and general feeling of malaise. Sometimes I wonder about this permanent travel lifestyle of mine and its discomforts, though of course crick in neck could just as easily happen if not traveling. Especially I worry about dependence on complex socio-technical systems: air transport, telecommunications, banking, food distribution, etc. But what's the alternative? Without travel, I'm bored, and what's the point of living a boring life? Was able to do morning exercises, though some difficulty during headstand because of neck. Thereafter, frequent sharp and very painful spasms in neck. Able to relax all spasms without causing further injury. Maybe pinched nerve. Camped along Wiley's Well road.

Thu, 12 Dec 2019 (5 miles, 0:45 hours)

No more spasms in neck like yesterday, but still a little stiffness. Maybe muscles moved so no longer pinching nerve. Spent day closer to highway, to get mobile signal, then camped same spot as yesterday.

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 (12 miles, 1:44 hours)

Spent day like yesterday, camped Danner place as Tuesday.

Sat, 14 Dec 2019 (20 miles, 1:44 hours)

Woke up free of various bodily pains that had been ailing me for weeks now (crick in right side of neck, tight right shoulder, redness in left eye from insect that got inside, general tiredness, etc). $110 for 2 nights at Emerald Inn in Blythe, standard rate whereas would have been $94 through booking.com. Unable to convince new owner of illogic of this pricing. Bladder and new smartphone both delivered as expected.

Sun, 15 Dec 2019 (zero day)

Disappointed in new smartphone, though it gets job done. USB-C port especially annoying, but Android 9 also annoying compared to version 8.1. Just keep new phone as spare and continue using old phone as long as possible. Anyway, compared to technology available, say 20 years ago, any current model smartphone is truly amazing.

Mon, 16 Dec 2019 (27 miles, 2:37 hours)

Camped at usual spot along Bradshaw Trail. Very windy most of day and night (cool, dry, from northeast), then finally quiet towards dawn.

Tue, 17 Dec 2019 (11 miles, 1:35 hours)

Wind resumed as sun rose, though not so strong as yesterday.

Both tires running slightly soft, so pumped up some. Rear inner tube valve clogged, so replaced valve core with spare from repair kit. Both tires looking worn, so probably should replace in January.

Wed, 18 Dec 2019 (12 miles, 1:39 hours)

Wind mostly gone, with cool temps. Camped same place as Monday.

Thu, 19 Dec 2019 (23 miles, 2:11 hours)

$94 through booking.com for 2 nights at Emerald Inn in Blythe. One of new style bladders leaking, though not bladder purchased last week. Probably need to plan on replacing two bladders per year on average. Cause of leak might be pressure against right front pannier when laying bicycle on side. Avoid this by turning front wheel to left, so both panniers elevated.

Fri, 20 Dec 2019 (zero day)

Bought more Shrader valve cores for repair kit.

Sat, 21 Dec 2019 (27 miles, 2:37 hours)

Camped at usual spot along Bradshaw Trail. Coyote tracks around spot, so one or more came by to inspect recently. Finally able to scrape out remaining thorn fragment from incident of 24 Nov. Will take another few days for nail to settle back against flesh, so about 1 month for full recovery.

junk along bradshaw trail, including someone's porn collection (everything tranny porn)

Sun, 22 Dec 2019 (12 miles, 1:41 hours)

Camped in same spot as last week.

More doubts about my lifestyle, especially long flights (need to buy Europe ticket soon) and dependency on specialized gear. Then again, can I tolerate sedentary life anymore? But if travel required for me to be happy, can't currently imagine better way of traveling than what I do now.

Mon, 23 Dec 2019 (13 miles, 1:36 hours)

Rained in afternoon. Clothes got wet on way to camp (same spot as Saturday), but able to set up tarp without getting gear too wet. Drizzled much of night, finally stopped around dawn.

Tue, 24 Dec 2019 (21 miles, 1:52 hours)

$162 via booking.com for 3 nights at Emerald Inn (they raised rates on booking.com evidently).

Wed, 25 Dec 2019 (zero day)

Thu, 26 Dec 2019 (zero day)

Rained most of day and into night, heavy at times, finally stopped in early morning.

Fri, 27 Dec 2019 (34 miles, 4:44 hours)

Left town with full load of food and water, to allow 7 days to Barstow. Puddles along Rice-Midland road, from yesterday's rain, but able to get through. (Part of today's mileage from preceding "zero" days.)

Sat, 28 Dec 2019 (23 miles, 4:04 hours)

Headwind plus pushing through sand much of day: hard and slow going. Camped along Cadiz road.

Sun, 29 Dec 2019 (27 miles, 3:42 hours)

Headwind mercifully gone, but still lots of pushing through sand.

Mon, 30 Dec 2019 (25 miles, 3:16 hours)

Cloudy and cool. Camped too close to Kelbaker road, which is busy with traffic between I-40 and Twentynine Palms, hence noisy. Should have camped two or three miles earlier or else continued several miles past Amboy, though latter option would expose me to more BNSF train noise.

Tue, 31 Dec 2019 (28 miles, 3:38 hours)

Uphill on paved road with strong headwind, so tedious going, but at least sunny for a change, so able to ride shirtless. Camped at 1900 feet elevation, before Ludlow.

Wed, 01 Jan 2020 (31 miles, 2:58 hours)

Nice day. Camped about 10 miles from Newberry Springs.

Thu, 02 Jan 2020 (33 miles, 3:33 hours)

Drawcord broke on toiletries stuff sack. Installed new cord using materials from repair kit. $45 for Motel6 in Barstow, reduced rate because reservation via Motel6 website. Desk clerk commented that my drivers license expires tomorrow. Without current ID, motel policy would not allow me as guest. Should have brought passport as alternate ID.

Bought tickets for Europe trip, using Kayak.com to search. $785 + $120 luggage fee = $905 for San Francisco to Madrid, Sofia to San Francisco on Lufthansa, bought through Priceline. $135 for Barcelona to Kyiv on Ukrainian International Air, bought directly from airline website. Took several hours of checking and rechecking to make sure everything okay.

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 (32 miles, 3:52 hours)

Made reservation for CREST bus, Inyokern to Bishop for $26 on Monday, Bishop to Sparks $53 on Tuesday. Not sure why I planned to stay in motel in Ridgecrest. Should have brought enough food to allow camping Sunday, then proceed straight to bus on Monday. Beautiful weather, warm enough to ride shirtless.

Sat, 04 Jan 2020 (34 miles, 3:43 hours)

Bottle left on bicycle frozen in morning (placed other bottle under backpack yesterday to prevent freezing), but soon warmed up and rode shirtless again all day. Picked up some snacks at Owl Bar Museum in Red Mountain. Camped along Trona Road.

Sun, 05 Jan 2020 (17 miles, 1:53 hours)

Camped along Randsburg Wash road.

Mon, 06 Jan 2020 (20 miles, 2:00 hours)

$80 at Motel6 in Bishop, reservation through motel6 website. No problem with expired driver's license. Splitting headache due to withdrawal from 100g/day of dark chocolate for past month. Final odometer 22984.

Tue, 07 Jan 2020

Checked into usual motel in Reno. Weekly rate now $282, including 13% city tax.

Statistics

53 nights away from Reno total, of which 38 nights camping, 15 nights in motels.

1304 miles total, 145 hours pedaling/pushing, average of 9.0 miles/hour.

Total motel expense of $807 including taxes, for average of $54/night for 15 nights in motels.

Last trip for year 2019, and thus time to collect yearly statistics. About 302 nights away from Reno, of which 119 nights camping.

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