I return to Cedar Canyon Road and have fun skiing down the slippery incline into Watson Wash, which the road crosses.
Land for sale in New York Mountains announced along Cedar Canyon Road
Down in the wash, I begin watching for the New York Mountains Road to my left, which has two entrances, as the ranger I spoke to yesterday explained.
I see a road rising up out of the other side of the wash and think that must be the one he described.
There is a land-for-sale sign posted at the beginning of this road and I am intrigued by the possibility of what it would be like to own land out here.
I drag the 10-ton bike across the flat sandy wash, unable to ride through it, and head up the road. After about a third of the mile, I realize this must be still part of the first New York Mountains Road, not the second one which the ranger recommended.
After a quarter of a mile, I decide that this must be the wrong New York Mountains Road and I turn back to Cedar Canyon Road to take the next turn-off instead
It can be difficult following roads out here since they're rarely signed and they're often just two tire tracks that don't look like much of a road. They're not always all indicated on all maps, so I carry three different maps with me for that reason.
I turn around, and as soon as I start heading back to Cedar Canyon Road to look for the second New York Mountains Road, an SUV is coming up the road toward me.
I'm having problems riding in the sand here, so I pull over to let the SUV pass by. The driver stops and he and I chat briefly—they're curious about the property for sale. They are also wondering where someone like me might be headed all alone on a bicycle!
Cautiously, I only divulge a little about my destination. They seem like city people and I'm not 100% sure yet that they're friendly desert folks. If they're knowledgeable about the area and serious, our conversation will extend into discussions about specific areas easily enough.