Yesterday morning I left San José and took Amtrak train and bus to Baker, California to start the trip

After a short ride to the train station from home in downtown San José on the 10-ton bike, I spent 11 hours on the Amtrak train and bus combination to get to Baker, gateway to Mojave National Preserve.

My friend and housesitter hangs out on my front porch as I pull away

I'm looking forward to my two weeks exploring Mojave National Preserve and he's looking forward to having some peace on the property. A budding native chaparral mallow pokes its stem into the photo.

I start this Mojave National Preserve trip by waking up in my kitchy 1980s room at Baker's deteriorating Royal Hawaiian Motel

Time to go for a walk up Baker's main road to get some breakfast at the Big Boy breakfast buffet. This will be my last non-backpack meal for the next week.

Baker's "world's tallest thermometer," next to the Big Boy restaurant, registers a balmy 71 degrees this morning

Temperatures will be in the 90s here in Baker today (it was still in the 80s when I arrived here last night at 20h30), but it will be cooler where I'm going in Mojave National Preserve.

Roadside view of the Royal Hawaiian Motel, my home last night while waiting to begin the bikepacking trip

I often stay here while passing through Baker because it's the cheapest motel in town at $49 if you pay cash. It's a bit seedy and the oldest part of the motel is abandoned, but its well-worn 80s decor lends a special character to the place.

From my balcony at the Royal Hawaiian, I can see Kelbaker Road heading into the cherished emptiness of Mojave National Preserve

After my huge meal at the breakfast buffet, I return to my motel room to pack up and get going.

The 10-ton bike is now packed and assembled, ready to leave the Royal Hawaiian and spend two weeks in Mojave National Preserve

I considered starting my trip last night when I got off the Amtrak bus at 20h30 by riding off into the dark and camping near Indian Springs. However, I was quite tired, so I ate a big meal at the Mad Greek restaurant and stayed at the motel instead.

Leaving Baker, the 10-ton bike and I cross the I-15 freeway and head toward Mojave National Preserve

This is my fifth bikepacking trip in Mojave National Preserve starting in Baker. Crossing over the freeway to leave town is always a milestone of sorts.

A quarter mile or so beyond the freeway crossing, I reach the Mojave National Preserve entrance marker and leave the past behind

There's almost no traffic on Kelbaker Road here and it already feels quiet. Most of the traffic coming off the noisy freeway behind me turns in the opposite direction, heading into Baker.

Almost 13 miles up Kelbaker Road, I stop briefly at the rough dirt road to Indian Springs, Mojave National Preserve

Just before I stop, a passing dust devil pelts me with sand. Ouch. It's a very windy day, which is common in the Mojave Desert, and I'm lucky that most of the wind has been behind me so far.

I always enjoy passing the lava flows along Kelbaker Road just beyond the road to Indian Springs

In addition to the scenery, I also enjoy this stretch of road for the dip here that creates a brief downhill on the way up this gradual 22-mile-long uphill slope.

Time for a break: I pause for a Clif bar at Black Tank Wash along the lava flows adjacent to Kelbaker Road

I'm working up a bit of a sweat, feeling rather out-of-shape and not used to the hot weather and the weight of the 10-ton bike yet. I'm disciplining myself to drink lots of water, which needs to become habitual on warm-weather trips like this.

I'm noticing a lot of white-flowered buckwheats along Kelbaker Road on the way up toward the summit

One probably wouldn't notice these while driving Kelbaker Road in a car.

I keep pedalling slowly up Kelbaker Road, Mojave National Preserve

I've already passed the cinder cones, which are visible behind me. A couple of motorcyclists have passed me and waved, and an oncoming SUV honked and waved as it passed.

I'm almost at the Kelbaker Road summit now, which is marked by the power lines crossing the road

I've been slowly riding uphill for more than 20 miles now, so I've been watching the transmission towers with anticipation as they germinate and grow on the horizon.

I take another break when I reach the coveted Kelbaker Road summit at about 3800 feet

With no direct views back down to the starting point, and some higher hills nearby, it doesn't look like much of a summit up here. However, I have risen nearly 3000 feet over 22 miles since leaving Baker, and my leg muscles are quite aware of that.

Orange desert mallow flowers at the Kelbaker Road summit, Mojave National Preserve

I planted one of these in my yard in downtown San José a couple of years ago and it grew into a five-foot bush instead of a one-foot shrublet like this one here.

Banana yuccas getting ready to flower at the Kelbaker Road summit, Mojave National Preserve

These stubby yuccas are seen often at higher elevations in Mojave National Preserve.