Day 3: Indian Springs to Devil's Playground via Jackass Canyon, Mojave National Preserve
After a late start, as usual, I leave Indian Springs, climb Kelbaker Road for a few miles, then descend into Jackass Canyon to reach the Devil's Playground.
There will be no water at today's destination, so I need to carry in all that I need.
I wasn't really expecting to find water here at Indian Springs (even though I knew it was a remote possibility), so my original plan was to fill up on water at either Marl Springs or Kelso Depot before heading down to Devil's Playground.
I'm hoping to cross the Devil's Playground and camp near an abandoned settlement called Sands, but am not sure how road conditions will be down there. 21.9 bicycle miles.
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Date: December 27, 2007, 12h00
Size: 32 items
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This four-wheel drive sign is the first sign I've seen on Jackass Canyon Road
A 4WD sign is usually a harbinger of a rough road to come. On a mountain bike, I'm not terribly worried about a rough road, but a heavily sandy road can bring me to a halt.
Date: December 27, 2007, 16h32
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Uh oh, a fork in the power-line road; I have to make a choice that I didn't realize I'd have to make
Power-line roads in the desert sometimes ignore the contours of the land and head straight up or down ridiculously steep slopes. I opt for the low road.
Date: December 27, 2007, 16h35
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Hmmm... it's extremely sandy on this part of Jackass Canyon Road
I guess I'm in a big drainage wash here, and desert washes are usually sandy. The sand is deep enough that I can't pedal the bike through it. I dismount and walk the bike a bit.
Date: December 27, 2007, 16h46
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Bla, I can't ride through this deep kitty litter, it's getting dark, and I'm not down at Devil's Playground yet
Sometimes a downhill is not a downhill. I can make out another connection to the "high road" ahead. Climbing up a steep hill or three might be more fun than dragging the bike through kitty litter.
Date: December 27, 2007, 16h46
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I climb up the high road, but it dead-ends at a transmission tower
So much for the high road! I ride back down to the sandy wash. It's getting hard to see, so I turn on my headlight.
Date: December 27, 2007, 16h59
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Back down in the Jackass Canyon Road wash, I resign myself to walking the bike through the kitty litter for a while
They say that patience is a virtue and I figure I should reach Devil's Playground in a mile or two.
Date: December 27, 2007, 17h03
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After a mile or so, the road rises out of the wash and I have just enough traction to resume riding
It's too dark to see details, but I can tell that I've exited the canyon and reached Devil's Playground. I see a side road that might be the road leading to Sands, but it dead-ends at another transmission tower.
Date: December 27, 2007, 17h16
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Returning to the main road, I decide to call it a day and set up camp by the power lines around 18h30
I've just hit thick sand on the road, and can't tell if it's just a patch or if it goes on for miles. If the full moon rises in a couple of hours and isn't obscured by clouds, I'll better see my surroundings; if not, I'll see more tomorrow.
Date: December 27, 2007, 20h42
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