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I notice a Wilderness marker and a closed road
Maybe that's an abandoned mine or some other point of interest up at the end of the closed road, so I stash my bike in a gulley and go for a short walk to find out.
Date: May 01, 2008, 14h56
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Off in the distance further down the power-line road, I see wafting trails of dust
This must be the dirt-bike tour group heading back to Nipton after their trek over part of the Mojave Road.
Date: May 01, 2008, 14h57
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Up the closed road, I come across small piles of mine tailings
It doesn't look like too much activity took place here.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h01
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Now the dust trails from the dirt bikes are soaring across the Ivanpah Valley below
They're probably on Nipton-Brant Road: the road that follows the train tracks to Nipton.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h02
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A fire ring up above the mine tailings doesn't look like it has been used in quite a while
The wide open view of the Ivanpah Valley makes this a decent campsite, but the view is marred somewhat by the power lines.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h04
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The remnants of an old road climb a little further up the hill
I figure I might as well walk up to see if there's anything to be discovered.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h05
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The road ends at the top of the hill where the soil is a rich red colour
However, the little canyon in the background looks interesting, so I'll go check it out.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h08
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This little canyon feels very remote even though it's not far from the busy road
There are so many little canyons out here like this one that probably rarely see people. I hike maybe a quarter of a mile up the canyon and then turn around and head back to the power-line road and my bike.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h14
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More rough road along the power lines above Nipton
Drainage from the adjacent hills crosses the road in many places, but this is the deepest wash-out in the road so far.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h44
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This antique sign has seen better days
From what I can discern, this is a "Danger: use this road at your own risk" sign.
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h46
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A little further down the power-line road, a distant black hill gets my attention
It looks like a lava outcrop, but this isn't an area of lava flows. It's probably only a mile or so away, but I decide not to do the hike over to it (which I'll likely regret later).
Date: May 01, 2008, 15h57
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At the bottom of the hill, the power-line road passes through an old ranch fence
The train tracks that head northeast (right) to Nipton are just beyond.
Date: May 01, 2008, 16h18
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The power-line road goes right under the train tracks
The concrete berm on the right makes it clear that this road also serves as a drainage channel during water events.
Date: May 01, 2008, 14h19
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I ride the Nipton-Brant Road two miles along the train tracks to get back to Nipton
Signs warn that this road is unmaintained, and it is washboarded, but it's no worse (right now at least) than some of the maintained dirt roads in Mojave National Preserve.
Date: May 01, 2008, 16h38
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Resting at my tent at Nipton: the pinkish glow of the desert sunset is always a welcome end of the day
A car is parked at the tent cabin across from my tent; I won't be alone tonight.
Date: May 01, 2008, 19h06
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Some of that pink light spills across the hills in the background that I visited this afternoon
The other tent cabins at Nipton are occupied tonight by members of the dirt-bike tour.
Date: May 01, 2008, 19h15
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The sun is going down and it's time for another juicy hamburger at the Nipton café
The café turns out to be quite busy as the entire dirt-bike group is having supper there right now. I end up chatting with a couple of women who are in the area on research projects relating to bats and kangaroo rats.
Date: May 01, 2008, 19h35
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Tonight is laundry night, since I didn't get to it last night because of the festivities
Nipton often ends up on my bike-camping trips because of the general store, of course, but also because it's one of the few places in the area with laundry facilities.
Date: May 01, 2008, 20h59
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