2013-05-16 - Day 8 Twentynine Palms, CA

5/16/2013
Miles: 00

4:30 AM
Twentynine Palms, CA

I forgot to mention in last evening's post that after I left Dan I finally got around to exploring the route between the end of the paved I-10 frontage road at Whitewater and Highway 62. This route has interested me since I started bicycling in 2011 because it offers a possibility for getting in or out of this area to or from the West by bike without having to ride on I-10 for a couple of suicidal miles, especially the westbound side, between Highway 62 and I-10. I knew it is possible because I had talked several years ago to a cross country biker here in the park who had used this route on his ride from LA to 29 Palms.

From the end of the pavement on "Whitewater Cutoff" a well maintained dirt road climbs steeply SE the NW to the top of the east escarpment of Whitewater Canyon. Google maps labels the dirt road as "Painted Hills Road". At the top of the climb "Painted Hills" turns sharply east then after a jog to the north goes NE through wind farms about a mile to pavement where it crosses 16 Avenue and hence directly to Highway 62 in about another mile.

My problem came when I got to the turn at the top of the climb and decided it was not a main road and continued up the ridge another mile before turning east on an unnamed road that turned into "Super Creek Road". This was not such a well maintained road. I followed it around for several miles before coming to a locked gate within a few hundred yards of paved roads in a residential area. This was frustrating as darkness was looming. I decided to cut my losses and backtracked to explore the first cutoff with the option of returning to Whitewater and taking the Freeway to Highway 62. The cutoff was "Painted Hills Road" and took me directly to Highway 62 with no problem.

In retrospect I could have looked at the map on my phone before I started on this adventure and perhaps saved a bit of trouble and apprehension but it all worked out fine.

There are still issues with using this route on a bike. The contiguous paved I-10 frontage road coming from the West ends at the Hagen-Lehmann over crossing a couple of miles west of the Whitewater exit. The options are to ride the I-10 shoulder a few hundred yards to the Highway 111 exit then take it east a few miles to Tipton Road which backtracks several miles up the hill to Whitewater, take the dirt frontage road on the north side of I-10 between Hagen-Lehmann and Whitewater or ride the I-10 shoulder between the two. Going east riding the I-10 shoulder between Hagen-Lehmann and Highway 62 might not be too bad. None of these options are stellar but they will all work.

Using any variation of the route between Hagen-Lehmann and Highway 62 on a skinny tire bike will require at least some walking on the dirt sections.

Much of Highway 62 between 29 Palms and Yucca Valley was repaved during the week we have been out an the shoulders look beautiful, wider and much smoother. Previously they were not bicycle friendly for the most part, either very narrow or non-existent in places and often with large deep teeth rattling, tire killing expansion joints. 11:45 AM
Twentynine Palms, CA

I can smell smoke inside. I trust it is from fires burning west of Daniel's route.