Back at my campsite near Kelso Dunes for a few minutes, I stuff a few items in my saddlebags for the ride to Coyote Springs

I refill the water in my Camelbak and pack the usual items: flashlight, insect-sting kit, bike tube and tools, Clif bars, scarf, windbreaker, maps, as well as my water filter and extra water bottle in case there's water at Coyote Springs.

I mount the bike and ride the 1/4-mile shortcut at the end of Kelso Dunes Road to the nearby power-line road

I'm headed directly toward the Bristol Mountains (or is it the Granite Mountains? I'm not sure where one begins and the other ends). This only takes a few minutes.

Eastbound on the power-line road toward Providence Mountains, I see that somebody suffered a tire blow-out here

I'm getting a bit tired of power-line roads on this trip, but this is a segment that I haven't ridden before, and which I've often considered riding all the way to Ludlow (about 17 miles).

After a couple of miles on the power-line road, I locate the nearly invisible road that leaves on my right toward Coyote Springs

On the way here, I spotted several short roads that weren't what I was looking for, and which turned out to lead only to the base of transmission towers.

Heading up this sandy road, I notice a plastic pipe along the shoulder

I remember seeing a similar white plastic pipe on the road from Arrowweed Spring on my Mojave National Preserve Spring 2006 trip on the other side of...

The soft sand on this road results in my walking the bike for about a mile, leaving nice tire tracks behind

This road appears to be in a wash, hence the heavy sand. The slow trudge up this wash, walking the bike, is enjoyable though because I like the scenery in this area and it's a bright sunny day.

This sandy road-in-a-wash ends after a couple of miles and the rest of it ahead is blocked Wilderness barrier posts

I'm hoping that the road surface around the corner is better packed and more ridable. I stop here to eat an energy bar and drink more water. I've sweated a fair amount walking up this road and am still wearing just my T-shirt.

On the road to Coyote Springs at the base of the Granite Mountains

The sand on this road is well-packed and easy to ride, except in soft spots where drainages cross the road.

At another junction on the way to Coyote Springs, I pull out my map to look for this fork in the road

I don't have the USGS topography map with me, but the road to the right looks like the correct way to Coyote Springs.

This final piece of the road to Coyote Springs is a little rocky, but has fresh tire tracks

If it weren't for the fresh tire tacks, I'd guess that this road is rarely travelled.

The road to Coyote Springs ends at a cul-de-sac, a small stone fire ring, and Wilderness-barrier posts

I didn't know there is a campsite here and I'm immediately thinking that this could be a nice place to set up the tent during a future Mojave National Preserve trip.

The old Coyote Springs Road obviously continues beyond the Wilderness-barrier posts, so I park my bike here and walk onward

Coyote Springs is shown on my road map, but it's hard to tell precisely where it's situated. I can guess it's beyond the Wilderness barrier (the barrier probably wouldn't be here otherwise).