The long drive: crossing the Mojave Desert

February 28, 2021

Utah today! Today, for me at least, is the first time it feels like we’re finally heading home. By the time we arrive back in Portland just a month from now, we’ll have been on the road in one form or another for nearly the entire year. Driving across the incomprehensibly vast and empty Mojave Desert, there’s plenty of time and space to contemplate this past year of the virus and how we’ve passed through it since fleeing Portland on the day after Rachael’s birthday. There’s one thing to say for this lifestyle we’ve adopted: it’s easy to reflect back and see where the time went:

April: John Day
May: the Palouse and Lake Coeur d’Alene
June: Corvallis
July: Bellingham
Early August: Portland
Late August thru October: Croatia & Italy
Early November: Portland
Late November: Chico
December thru February: Morro Bay, Boulder City, and the American deserts.

This is a far cry from what we’d imagined this year would be like back before the pandemic exploded everyone’s plans, but we couldn’t have hoped for more under the circumstances. And we’re feeling guardedly optimistic about the year ahead. Once we get our shots and travel options open up again, we’ll leave the Raven behind and hit the road on a real tour again. Maybe by June? Please?

First though, a drive across this incredible desert and then a month in southern Utah. It’s not the way we’d expected to visit Utah again - one of our abandoned plans last spring was a ride from Saint George to Albuquerque - but we’re sure it will be spectacular.

Leaving Twentynine Palms, with a look back to San Gorgonio Mountain.

Looking north from Amboy Road. The next three hours, driving lonely two lane roads through the vast, empty Mojave, are astonishing. It’s all I can do to not stop every ten or fifteen minutes for another shot.

Image not found :( — Along Amboy Road. This reminds me of yesterday’s ride through Pinto Basin.

Looking north toward Amboy, 25 miles off and 2,000’ below. Somewhere along here we saw two lone heavily laden, heavily layered expedition cyclists traveling the other way, biking into a stiff, cold headwind. Courageous.

Looking west across the salt flats, Amboy Road.

East of Amboy on historic Route 66 for a ways, looking north toward some unmarked mining operation.

The Kelso Sand Dunes. This whole vast region would be incredible to explore by bicycle if you were self sufficient and could manage the huge distances and near complete absence of facilities.

The Kelso Depot: originally a train depot, but now a (currently closed) visitor center for the Mojave National Preserve.

On Morning Star Mine Road, somewhere north of Cima. Kessler Peak perhaps?

About an hour shy of Las Vegas we join I-15 and the ride quality abruptly changes. We’re on a broad, densely trafficked freeway for the next two hours, flying along in the slow lane at 80-85 miles an hour. Nothing interesting to see at this speed, other than to pause for a delicious Italian spread on the outskirts of Las Vegas.

Finally though, Utah comes into sight in the distance - first, the beginning of those incredibly colorful formations we’ll be exploring for the next month; and then a completely stunning drive through the Virgin River Gorge. I don’t much care for long drives, especially on fast moving freeways - but this one really takes your breath away.

Near stateline, and the mouth of the Virgin River Gorge.

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