Deserts planned

I'll spend a couple of days noodling around the southwestern edge of the Mojave Desert, in Joshua Tree National Park. It's not much of a sample of the place, but the Mojave is small anyway and so a small sample will have to do.

South out of the Little San Bernadino Mountains, I'll enter the Sonoran Desert north of the Salton Sea. These next few days will cover much of the Colorado Desert. I'll start with the mountains on its western edge, the Santa Rosas. I'll ride southwest into Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, and then pick up the old Butterfield Stage Route. Near sea level at Calexico, I'll head into the Algodones Dunes, one of few ergs within the United States.

Crossing the Colorado River puts me in the Yuma Desert. Saguaro will appear. Maybe I'll happen upon lechuguilla here as well. I'll ride up the Gila River valley on old US 80 and then down south to Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I'll explore the park thoroughly this time. Back up through Gila Bend to the Sonoran Desert National Monument, covering the second range southwest of Phoenix. Then across to Tucson, probably along that old stage route again, now I-8. Picacho beckons along the way.

From Tucson, I'll head southeast, down to Tombstone and across to the Chiricahua National Monument. This is the eastern edge of the Sonoran Desert. I'll ride through the mountains and into southwest New Mexico. This will put me in the Chihuahuan Desert, the last of my trip.

Across its northwestern corner, I'll head towards Las Cruces. There are hot springs near there too. Perhaps the Rio Grande still has water in New Mexico. South of the Franklin Mountains, into Texas and onto bouldering at Hueco Tanks. Then I'll approach the Guadalupe Mountains across the salt flats by way of Dell City. I'll head south again, along the edge of the Delaware Basin. From Van Horn, I'll swing around the southwestern side of the Davis Mountains and check out the lights in Marfa. I'll turn south again there, and head to the border and ride along the river a ways. Two parks will occupy a couple of weeks of time. Then it's out of the Big Bend region, through Marathon and then on to Sanderson. I figure Lake Amistad for the edge of the desert, and beginning of Central Texas Hill Country and South Texas chaparral.