April 5, 2011
Day 12: To Wildrose campground
Today I go into the Panamint mountains. Across highway 190 from the Emigrant campground is the turnoff for Emigrant Canyon road. I will follow that road up to Emigrant Pass, then down to Wildrose campground. The distance is short but the climb is large.
This will be an easy day, so I was in no hurry to get on the road. 8:45 is fine.
Emigrant Canyon road goes south, nearly straight, up a very large wash. I must not have been in a picture-taking mood because I never did take a picture of the expansive (but not spectacular) view looking down the wash to Death Valley.
The road climbs 3400 feet (1030 m) in 16 miles (26 km). The climb is relentless, the temperature was in the low 70's, the sun was in my face, and I had a slight tailwind that reduces airflow while cycling up the hill at 4 mph. I got very sweaty which is fine until I stop. Then I'm cold, standing in the wind soaking wet. So I didn't stop much. Several long gravel side roads lead to old mining sites, but I stayed on the paved road.
At Emigrant Pass I could look west down a wash that the first "49ers" followed when rushing to gold mines in the Sierra Nevada (they didn't get here until early 1850). Wagon ruts are still visible. I didn't take a picture because the view was so hazy looking into the sun.
Today's road climbs another 150 feet over a hill, then descends steeply to Wildrose creek.
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The last 200 feet of the descent is steep and winding in a narrow barren fold that drops into Wildrose canyon which is not barren. Wildrose creek has a small flow that is mostly invisible under gravel, but enough water to support trees in several areas. The creek is the water supply to the campground and an old ranger station and ranger residence. The ranger station was closed and the residence didn't seem to be occupied.
Wildrose campground is at 4100 feet (1242 m) elevation on a bluff overlooking the creek with a partial view of the Panamint mountains. It has 23 spread-out free campsites, piped water, trash cans, and a vault toilet. No generators allowed. I could get used to these free campgrounds. The campground has many creosote bushes, so it's not just a bare gravel lot. But creosote bushes aren't tall or dense enough to give useful shade.
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I arrived at 1:30PM and there's no shade at my campsite, so I sat for a couple hours under a cottonwood tree near the creek where water was above ground. In deep shade the temperature was 80F. The area is very quiet and serene, but I enjoyed one sound I didn't hear in Death Valley-rustling leaves. A car went by about every 30 minutes. There was no traffic after dark. It's a very remote location.
This was an easy day but I need to rest for tomorrow. Wildrose peak is 5000 feet (1515 m) higher than the campground.
Distance: 23.1 mi. (40 km)
Climbing: 3531 ft. (1070 m)
Average Speed: 5.7 mph (9.1 km/h) ...slowest day of the trip...
Maximum Speed: 35 mph (56 km/h)
Today's ride: 23 miles (37 km)
Total: 421 miles (678 km)
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