After trying to ride this route with my bike towing a trailer carrying 10 gallons of water back in September of 2021, I was eager to come back and see the rest of the road. Previously, I had to bail at Lanfair Road starting from the Colorado River after running low on water in the 100+ degree heat and slow travel through the sand.
I was happy to start this time with my good friend Andrew as the mental support was much needed in the beginning with many miles ahead. We set out from the old Camp Cady location. Shoutout to our Lyft driver for dropping us off in the middle of nowhere! The sandy wash approaching Afton Canyon quickly began sapping our energy and bringing aches to our feet. We ended the first day after 29 miles.
Day 2, we set out for Soda Lake, eager to see the conditions. Soda Springs was dry (I don't think it ever flows these days) so we went up to Zzyxz and found a spigot. Then we began the 5 mile mud march across Soda Lake and ended up just taking our shoes off with several river crossings and sinking mud. As evening was approaching, Andrew decided that 2 more days was too much too bite off and planned to have a friend (thank you Jonathan!) pick him up at Kelbaker Road that night.
I started day 3 alone and early, as I had about 85 miles to cover in 2 days. After reaching the highest point on the Mojave Road (5,100ft), I was eager to find water at Marl Springs. Although it was nothing more than a small trickle, I was very grateful for it as the next spring was 20 miles away. The hugeness of the valleys in the Mojave Preserve are kind of mind-boggling as a point far in the distance barely appears to move after hours of traveling. I reached Rock Springs just before sunset and unfortunately couldn't find any running water so filled up with a liter from the largest stagnant pool and prescribed a double dose of iodine. The desert was illuminated by a full moon that night so I enjoyed another 8 miles without my headlamp for most of it. I crossed Lanfair Road under the moonlight and happy to be back on familiar ground.
Beginning day 4, my excitement to touch the Colorado (and light pack) pushed me to run most of the remainder of the route. Piute Springs was guarded by a lush ribbon of vibrant green plants surrounded by a dry and alien-like landscape. I crested the final pass through the Dead Mountains range and took joy in the feeling of running down the descent I had spent all day pushing my bike up in 2021. I met Andrew and Jonathan in the late afternoon, dropped my pack in the car, and ran the final mile and a half to the Colorado River. What and incredible area and thank you to the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 for helping keep this ancient route so special.