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I ride 2 miles on Ivanpah Road before turning off on the Mojave Road to head back to Piute Gorge; I arrive home a bit past 21h

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8464-ivanpah-rd.jpg I've just finished filtering my water and it's getting dark; time to ride back to camp at Piute Gorge, in those distant hillsThumbnailsI want this campsite!I've just finished filtering my water and it's getting dark; time to ride back to camp at Piute Gorge, in those distant hillsThumbnailsI want this campsite!I've just finished filtering my water and it's getting dark; time to ride back to camp at Piute Gorge, in those distant hillsThumbnailsI want this campsite!I've just finished filtering my water and it's getting dark; time to ride back to camp at Piute Gorge, in those distant hillsThumbnailsI want this campsite!I've just finished filtering my water and it's getting dark; time to ride back to camp at Piute Gorge, in those distant hillsThumbnailsI want this campsite!I've just finished filtering my water and it's getting dark; time to ride back to camp at Piute Gorge, in those distant hillsThumbnailsI want this campsite!

It's a long ride, sometimes beautiful in its solitude under the clear night skies, sometimes frustrating when I make a wrong turn on a fruitless side road, hoping for less sand on stretches where I have no choice but to walk the bike. Jet-exhaust streams in the sky lit up by moonlight during the quiet ride home are memorable.

I get a bit chilly (35F forecast tonight after a high of 70F during the afternoon), can't locate one road, but the last 5 miles are bliss. I've only eaten two Clif bars and a few handfuls of tamari almonds during the afternoon, so I'm feeling hungry, a bit dehydrated, and running on adrenalin rather than real energy.<br><br>
Two or three miles before arriving back at camp, I notice two things in the darkness. I increasingly have a headwind, and this wind feels distinctively warmer.

I don't feel hungry when I arrive back at camp (I'm too tired), but at 23h45, I decide that I must eat. It takes almost 45 minutes to boil water for my instant meal due to the strong wind tonight. I eat natural High Honey-Lime Chicken with Wild Rice, which is rather bland and subtle (will not buy again, though it suits my mood right now). Despite high winds, I can hear a lot of crickets as I try to fall asleep after my meal.