and useful tips
| If you want to ride or hike in Mohave County, be aware of these facts. It's usually very dry, often hot, and rocks are a constant presence. Various plants and cacti, the hideous 'Catsclaw' especially, menace your tires and you too. (see Pointy Plants Primer) |
Almost everywhere you ride you're far from other people,
so you had better be prepared to fend for yourself.
And finally, singletrack is very scarce so it's
usually doubletrack or nothing, both in plentiful supply.
|
In Mohave County, it's sunny more than not, even in winter.
Precipitation is about five to fifteen inches per year, mainly
winter rain and snow. Between May and September, the sun is The Boss.
The relentless heat is broken only by the fickle 'monsoons', when normal
atmospheric flows reverse, bringing humid and thundery weather for weeks at
a time. During monsoon, brief heavy downpours are likely locally,
sometimes with hail and lightning!
Spring is a highly variable season here, but it's usually nice.
Fall slowly backs off the heat, shading into Indian Summer
that seems to go on forever...
I've seen the good Fall weather continue
right into December. After that, the cold fronts start coming thru,
and you must schedule around them. There's decent riding weather about half
the time in winter, and some days are superb.
Mohave County is one of the largest in the nation.
It's crossed by many ranges, with wide boring areas between.
The loftiest range, and the county's highpoint is the Hualapai Mountains (hwall-ah-pie),
at eighty four hundred, seventeen feet.
The population density is still very low, so you can pretty much go where you
want. To the west and south are hot lowlands and the Colorado River.
North and east the land rises above five thousand
feet onto the Colorado Plateau.
The low desert is characterized by
sandy washes and hardpack that breaks loose when you turn sharply.
Most of the creepy crawlies and attack vegetables live there.
The plateau is largely grassland (cow heaven), with patches of scrub woods and
even big dark forests high up.
In the middle is the erosion zone, where I live.
It's characterized by loose rocks. Full suspension is strongly recommended.
To be honest, this zone covers much of the county, so if you've got Lithophobia (fear of rocks),
don't go there, bud!
Useful Tips
It's hard to distill years of biking lore in a few lines, but here goes:
- Hydrate or die
During the warm months your water supply is your lifeline. Don't forget it. - Use good sealant and heavy tubes
If you don't do this you won't get far enough to die of thirst. Make sure it's good stuff ('No-Flats' or 'Slime'), not that cheap Wallyworld junk. - Suspension
Pity the fool that doesn't have it. - Stay out of old mines
Even gold hunters won't go in them. 'Nuff said? - Thermal protection
In winter, afternoon temps drop fast, so have a sweater handy. Or hope you meet a Saint Bernard with brandy... - "Oh shit!"
Seemingly solid road stones pop loose all too often. Be paranoid; be very paranoid.
- Sunscreen
This is the Southwest, folks. If you don't wear it, others will know. - Mangy mutts
If you ride near rural dwellings, these may be encountered. I'm big, but if you're not you might want an equalizer. - One is the loneliest number
If you're out riding solo and get injured, chances are that you will kinda lie there until the buzzards come along and say "Oh hi there!". - Brain bucket
This is a hard land. When you land hard you better have one on.
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