Nov 2023 to Jan 2024, Mojave Desert Bicycle Tour

Not many photos this year. If interested in photos of area, see Nov 2021 Mojave trip report, which was same route, more or less.

Mon, 20 Nov 2023

Used 2 week break to launder quilt and pullover, pay some bills, replenish consumables, replace worn gear, sew more gear fit inventory (2 ponchos, 1 long pants, 4 long pants partially sewn, new version of stake sacks).

Tue, 21 Nov 2023 (57 miles, 5:54 hours)

Starting odometer 26037. Left motel at 7:00. Carrying 10L water, 7 loaves (24oz bread, 6oz cheese), 4lbs peanuts, 7 * 100g dark chocolate, less what I ate for breakfast. Plan is 6 or 7 nights to reach Tonopah next Sunday or Monday, after motels cleared of Thanksgiving travelers. Arrived at Mill Park in Carson City about 11:00, without stopping and not tired. Pullup bar at far east end of park. Arrived at usual campsite at 15:49, so about 3 hours rest stops.

Wed, 22 Nov 2023 (31 miles, 3:24 hours)

Very cold last night. Stayed on highest from Churchill road to Julian lane.

Thu, 23 Nov 2023 (35 miles, 4:41 hours)

Thanksgiving day. Some rain and wind last night, but much warmer than night before. Overcast and calm in morning. Drizzle towards midday, but not enough to justify wearing poncho. Huge washouts along Julian lane, probably from same heavy summer rain that devastated Death Valley. Noticed thumping noise from rear wheel while riding on smooth highway into Schurz. Noise probably started earlier but masked by usual noises of crunching and bumping while on rugged dirt roads. Inspected wheel at police station (after pullups, loading up with water, eating lunch). Rear axle nut not tightened securely, so some wobble in wheel. Lucky that axle nut didn't fall off while on highway, because would have been very hard to find small black nut amid roadside weeds. Should have stopped and inspected wheel immediately upon noticing noise, regardless of inconvenience of stopping on highway. No more noise while riding bicycle around police station parking lot after tightening axle nut. So hopefully, problem fixed versus something wrong with bearings inside rear wheel hub. Usual pack of vicious pit bulls attacked me while leaving Schurz. Owner yelled at them but they paid him no heed. Warded them off with my stick and rocks. Double Springs Road closed by unlocked cable, no sign indicating reason for closure. No washouts between cable and where I camped. Possibly more sand than usual.

washout on julian lane

Fri, 24 Nov 2023 (36 miles, 4:12 hours)

Some wind during night, but not too cold. Bladder left out didn't freeze. Overcast in morning, moderately cold northwest tailwind. Good Mint mobile connection at campsite.

Sat, 25 Nov 2023 (24 miles, 3:18 hours)

Cold all day. Moderate northwest tailwind. Sun finally out in afternoon, with cold wind.

Sun, 26 Nov 2023 (43 miles, 3:34 hours)

Temperature in low teens Fahrenheit last night, but much warmer as soon as sun rose. Chain cleaner, shampoo and revivex odor eliminator all froze solid, but only leak from last, because bottle full. Fortunately, odor eliminator easy to wash away. Need to always leave 10% empty in bottles with liquids, to allow expansion when freezing. Also, store shampoo bottle upright, otherwise frozen shampoo fills cap. No wind, so easy pedaling.

Mon, 27 Nov 2023 (26 miles, 2:44 hours)

Not so cold as last night. Again much warmer as soon as sun rose, due to clear sky, and no wind. Bought food in Tonopah (6 loaves bread, 6 * 5oz cheese, 11 * 100g chocolate, 4 lbs peanuts, loaf sourdough bread, canned fish and vegetables for today). Camped between Tonopah and Goldfield, on road forking right off Silverpeak/Alkali road, similar location to last year.

Tue, 28 Nov 2023 (32 miles, 3:24 hours)

Another cold night, warmer once sun rose. South headwind all day, so decided to stop near Lida road and reach Beatty Thursday instead of tomorrow.

Wed, 29 Nov 2023 (41 miles, 3:07 hours)

Not so cold as previous nights, but not so warm in morning either because some high clouds. Clouds disappeared later. No more headwind, but body feels tired.

Thu, 30 Nov 2023 (14 miles, 1:05 hours)

$84 (incl tax) at Exchange Club motel in Beatty. Pullups using swing set in town park. Family Dollar has okay selection of canned food (fish, beets, sauerkraut, tomatoes), nuts, cheese, bread. Washed stuff sacks free of residual odor eliminator.

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 (25 miles, 1:48 hours)

Camped on Valley View Blvd. First night with temperature above freezing.

Sat, 02 Dec 2023 (39 miles, 3:20 hours)

Bought bread and cheese at market on Amargosa Road. Pullup bar in town park. Tires picked up 20 or so goathead thorns near park, but I noticed and brushed them off before they caused flat. Southeast headwind towards end of day.

Sun, 03 Dec 2023 (55 miles, 4:19 hours)

Gentle north tailwind. First day riding shirtless. Bought food at Shoshone market, but no cheese for sale. Next year, carry more food from Beatty/Amargosa Valley. Road work on Hwy 127 bergen Tecopa and Baker. Guard didn't put up much objection when I pushed bicycle into sand to evade road block after telling her I would die of thirst if I wasn't allowed through. She later caught up with me in her truck, while driving home in the afternoon, offered to call help if I needed help, then drove slowly ahead of me until I left road for campsite in desert.

Mon, 04 Dec 2023 (18 miles, 1:38 hours)

No problems with road work. Policeman was friendly and said he had been alerted of bicyclist. I continued past start of road work, then camped on way to Baker, so short day.

Tue, 05 Dec 2023 (19 miles, 2:33 hours)

Bought food at Baker Market store, loaded up with water, charged power packs and did pullups in town park. Camped at usual spot along Kelbaker road.

Wed, 06 Dec 2023 (21 miles, 4:10 hours)

Warm day, even at 4000ft altitude. Camped as usual near Beale Mountain.

Thu, 07 Dec 2023 (29 miles, 3:42 hours)

Rodent chewed through silnylon food bag that was right next to my body, and also made small hole in OPSak, though didn't get to food inside. This is same OPSak I've been using since at least start of Spain trip and already had small crack. Maybe rodent stopped because I stirred in my sleep. Didn't notice any other damage to gear. Area common car camping campground, so rodents probably human habituated.

Fri, 08 Dec 2023 (14 miles, 1:54 hours)

Sat, 09 Dec 2023 (9 miles, 1:56 hours)

Heard some animal squeaking nearby last night, but no damage to gear. Furious north wind all last night and today. Camped in wash, in lee of bushes, to escape wind. Wind died down to moderate level in evening.

Sun, 10 Dec 2023 (31 miles, 3:27 hours)

$121 (incl tax) for 2 nights at Days Inn in Bullhead City. Pullups (with bent knees) using children's play equipment in town park. Put 2 chlorine-dioxide tablets in each bladder, 1 in each bottle.

Tue, 12 Dec 2023 (25 miles, 4:06 hours)

Started with 6 loaves bread and cheese, plenty chocolate and peanuts, 22L drinking water. Cap leaking on one bladder, replaced with spare from repair kit.

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 (17 miles, 2:36 hours)

Thu, 14 Dec 2023 (32 miles, 3:33 hours)

Fri, 15 Dec 2023 (35 miles, 4:44 hours)

Sat, 16 Dec 2023 (16 miles, 2:18 hours)

Sun, 17 Dec 2023 (22 miles, 2:06 hours)

Mon, 18 Dec 2023 (12 miles, 1:11 hours)

$74 at Motel6 in Blythe.

Tue, 19 Dec 2023 (10 miles, 1:23 hours)

Thu, 21 Dec 2023 (13 miles, 1:32 hours)

$176 for 3 nights at Motel6 in Blythe.

Sun, 24 Dec 2023 (13 miles, 1:33 hours)

Thu, 28 Dec 2023 (13 miles, 1:31 hours)

$197 for 3 nights at Motel6 in Blythe.

Sun, 31 Dec 2023 (13 miles, 1:36 hours)

Mon, 01 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Another new year and in a few days I will turn 63. In observing myself, I don't notice any strong desires to do anything anymore. Mostly I appear to be trying to avoid pain: pain of bad health, pain of poverty, pain of crowded motels, pain of malfunctioning gear, pain of boredom. Maybe there are desires in me that I have suppressed and can't feel but they are still there waiting to burst forth. Maybe, or maybe not. If not, I have an uneventful but not unpleasant life ahead doing more or less what I'm doing now. So that's my 2024 New Year reflection on life.

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Light rain in afternoon.

Thu, 04 Jan 2024 (14 miles, 1:30 hours)

$120 for 2 nights at Emerald Inn in Blythe, through booking.com, with $100 cash deposit.

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Sat, 06 Jan 2024 (18 miles, 2:03 hours)

If competition for scarce resource, then cost to win typically too high. Exceptions: competitions where winner has natural advantage or natural enjoyment of competitive activity (hence reduced cost/effort to win), and/or naturally higher desire to win than competitors. Negative formulation: don't get sucked into competitions where no natural advantage and no naturally high desire to win prize. Determining natural versus artificial desires not always easy. Only misers have natural desire for money itself. For normal people, money is merely means to end. Fame and other forms of social status often booby prizes: cost to win high, value of winning low or even negative. Value typically exceeds cost if no scarcity, hence no competition: happiness, wisdom, bodily health, physical pleasure. Diamonds lying on the ground in plain sight, waiting to be picked up.

Sun, 07 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Rain and wind in morning. Stupidily setup tarp in wrong direction, despite having consulted compass and looked at sunset direction yesterday, so had to get up and re-setup to face away from wind.

Tue, 09 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Wind gone in morning.

Wed, 10 Jan 2024 (15 miles, 1:49 hours)

$120 for 2 nights at Emerald Inn in Blythe, through booking.com, with $100 cash deposit.

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 (18 miles, 2:09 hours)

Sat, 13 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Noticed deflated front tire. Dismounted, checked outside and inside of tire for embedded thorns and removed several, applied patch to small puncture in tube, added more sealant, remounted. Checked outside of rear tire while bicycle inverted and removed several embedded thorns. Sealant spurted out initially after removing particularly large thorn, but eventually sealed leak, so no need to dismount, just reinflate. Probably should add more sealant to rear tire at some point.

Tue, 16 Jan 2024 (14 miles, 1:30 hours)

$148 for 2 nights at Emerald Inn in Blythe, no reservation but they matched booking.com price, no deposit.

Wed, 17 Jan 2024 (3 miles, 0:20 hours)

Thu, 18 Jan 2024 (36 miles, 4:22 hours)

Left town with 6 days food. Body feels weak, perhaps due to repeated bouts of covid and other flu-like illnesses these past few weeks. None of these bouts of illness was serious, but they might have caused leg muscle deterioration that I didn't notice because I wasn't pedaling long distances.

Fri, 19 Jan 2024 (40 miles, 4:52 hours)

Bodily weakness continues. Maybe body sending message that it's time to give up bicycle touring. I was considering giving up at age 65, or 70 at latest, but maybe 63 old enough. Desert beautiful and peaceful in winter, at least when no wind, but enough experiences for lifetime. Previously gave up hiking in USA and Lassen forest bicycle touring, with zero regrets since, and other things I've given up. Life moves on. Still plan to continue hiking each spring in Spain and each autumn in Bulgaria for many more years.

Lost hiking staff cap sometime in late afternoon. Heard unusual noise while pedaling and assumed it was rock bouncing up and hitting frame. In reality, it was wooden cap falling and hitting frame. Backtracked 3 miles but maybe that wasn't enough to reach location where noise occurred (I had forgotten location by time I noticed missing cap) or cap hard to spot because road sprinkled with similar color and size rocks. Able to use staff as tarp support without cap, so not serious loss. However, I decided to view loss of hiking staff cap as bad omen, reinforcing decision to make this my final bicycle tour.

Both hiking and bicycle touring depend on gear and bodily health. But with hiking in Europe, never far from mobile connection, then easy transition back to ordinary tourist once in town, so gear failure or injury no big deal. Whereas with bicycle touring in the desert, often no mobile connection and far from nearest town, then difficulty getting bicycle back to Reno if I have to abandon it and walk out. And who knows what happens if injured and walking not possible. I didn't have these worries in the past because my desire to bicycle tour was strong, so that I was confident I could overcome any gear or health issues I encountered. But now my desire is weak.

Sat, 20 Jan 2024 (30 miles, 4:22 hours)

Difficulty falling asleep last night, then woke up at midnight and remained awake several hours. Continued bodily weakness today. Reminds me of last weeks on southbound Appalachian Trail hike in 2008. Staggered into hostel a few days north of Harper's Ferry then remained there several days feeling too weak to continue before finally abandoning trail, taking bus to Philadelphia, flying back to Reno. This was late September, when financial markets were in turmoil. I had previously gone all cash in anticipation of a stock market collapse and my subconscious knew this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to make a fortune investing in stocks near the bottom, and thus not the time to be hiking and without phone or computer connection to make investment changes. Now too, my subconscious is likely behind this feeling of bodily weakness, trying to force me to give up bicycle touring. Though not clear what, if anything, I want to replace it with.

In addition to overall bodily weakness, three joints acting up: right knee, left shoulder, right thumb. Thumb and shoulder are long-standing issues, knee is recent sprain that only causes problems with full flexion (sitting cross-legged, sitting on heels while kneeling), not with walking, pedaling bicycle or even squatting.

Upon reaching paved road, cleaned chain for first time this trip. Up until today, just slopped more Epic Ride silicone lube onto dirty chain. Neglecting maintenence another sign I'm tired of bicycle touring.

Camped 1 mile past Chambless. Started raining soon after I set up tarp.

Sun, 21 Jan 2024 (30 miles, 2:38 hours)

Noticed canker sore on tongue yesterday evening, almost gone this morning. Canker sores indication of weakened immune system due to stress. Full night of sleep evidently enough to recover. Plus body felt much stronger pedaling today.

Light rain in morning, then stopped. Overcast sky and cool. Camped same place as last year.

Mon, 22 Jan 2024 (28 miles, 2:16 hours)

Rain in morning, stopped around noon. Southeast tailwind. Rain resumed in afternoon, shortly before I reached campsite along mine road. Set up tarp in rain, hastily ate lunch, climbed under quilt to dry out clothes, everything covered with sand.

Tue, 23 Jan 2024 (35 miles, 4:16 hours)

Rain stopped about 9am and sun emerged to dry everything. Wind shifted to north west headwind, so tiresome pedaling. Legs feel strong however, big contrast to several days ago.

$167 for 3 nights at Motel6 in Barstow.

Thu, 25 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Made Eastern Sierra Transit bus reservation for next week.

Fri, 26 Jan 2024 (25 miles, 3:11 hours)

Beautiful day: sunny, cool, little wind, low humidity. Camped along continuation of Fossil Bed road.

Sat, 27 Jan 2024 (31 miles, 3:22 hours)

More beautiful weather. Camped off highway 395.

Sun, 28 Jan 2024 (30 miles, 3:11 hours)

Beautiful weather continues. Wonderful ending to years of bicycle touring.

Mon, 29 Jan 2024 (9 miles, 0:52 hours)

$109 at A Night's Inn in Ridgecrest. Should have simply shown up and asked to match booking.com rate, since owner knows I'm repeat customer. These Hindu motel owners are sometimes difficult to work with (but not this owner, who is very friendly) but they are more intelligent than hotel owners in Europe, who frequently charge more if I book directly versus through booking.com, despite 15% commission booking.com charges. What is happening is that I sometimes get discounts from booking.com because I'm a frequent customer there and the European hotel owners are too inflexible to cope with this.

Cleaned muck from chain area, regreased Rohloff ex-box.

Put 3 chlorine dioxide tablets in each of 3 good condition bladders, 1 tablet in each bottle. Discarded 1 leaking bladder but retained cap, to replace cap previously taken from repair kit.

Tue, 30 Jan 2024 (zero day)

Replaced chain with SRAM PC-830 from TJ Frisbee's bicycle shop (closed yesterday, open today).

Wed, 31 Jan 2024 (10 miles, 0:50 hours)

Eastern Sierra Transit bus from Inyokern to Bishop, $25. Beautiful weather continues. Looking out bus window at desert scenery I will likely never again visit, felt no regrets about decision to make this my last bicycle tour. One door closes behind, another opens in front. $97 at Motel6 in Bishop.

Final odometer 27243.

Thu, 01 Feb 2024

Eastern Sierra Transit bus from Bishop to Sparks, $47. Morning rain in Bishop, heavy snow at higher elevations along route, light rain in Reno. $398 for 7 nights at Motel6 in Sparks.

Statistics and Comments

1206 miles (1940 km) total, 136 hours pedaling/pushing, average of 8.9 miles/hour.

50 nights camping, 22 nights in motels. Total motel expense of $1413 including tax, for average of $64/night.

Total 149 nights camping for 2023.

See Nomad page for bicycle comments.