Out There: Valley of the Moon
Space and Time in the California Desert along the Border
Out There: Valley of the Moon
Out there, where San Diego County and Imperial County meet south of the 8, where the USA and Mexico are divided by a wall and barbed-wire fence, where there were native peoples first, where there were miners and smugglers, where today adventurous rock climbers/boulderers pass winter days, where some say it is like Joshua Tree National Park but without the famous trees, where coyotes guide migrants, where ORVers 4x4 their way across the desert, where wild horses run, there is the Valley of the Moon, a place where, if your timing is good, you can bike into a space on planet Earth and have it all to yourself.
First, though, if you don’t have 4x4 with high clearance, you have to climb up an ass-kicker of a road. From the parking area, it is up and up and up to a junction. How long of a climb is it and how much elevation?
Anyway …
At the junction I turned left to get on out to the Valley of the Moon. The air was cold, the wind blew, the sun rose, and I was pleased to look as far as I could see and not see or hear any ORVs, motos, or any sign of current human activity, for that matter, other than me being there. Yes, I was selfish in my delight. Nevertheless, sometimes getting away and being alone recharges me.
It’s why I went to such a remote place so easily accessed from the interstate. After the climb, I felt like I was worlds away from the drive to the trailhead. Of course, there are other worlds to consider when traversing land:
Who were the first to see these landscapes? When? Sure, it was native peoples, including the Kumeyaay, but who?
What about coyotes, the animal?
Hummingbirds and hawks?
Lizards and serpents?
Boulders sculpted by wind and rain, baked by the sun, and appearing as if plopped down with randomness as the plan, sat like plump camel-colored bunches of oversized raisins across the desert floor. I got off my bike and sat with them, considering …
The human construct of time.
The meaning of silence.
The rhythms and reverberations that I cannot feel.
The sun raised more and along with it, the air temperature. I was thankful, having not had enough layers on the lower half of my body. The pedal stroke was more comfortable then. More at-ease was my mood.
With pathways and double-track going off in what felt, looked, and seemed like in every direction, I went this way and that way, allowing myself to wander. Given that I was out there in a valley and easily reading the landscape around me, it was pretty much impossible to get lost. The only thing that could happen, I thought, was that I might take a turn that would turn into more strenuous riding. I also thought: I have plenty of food and water, so …
So what?
Pedal. Ride. Bike.
The Valley of the Moon, somewhere out there, beyond borderlandia.
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To get there, take the In-Ko-Pah exit off of I-8. Your preferred mapping choice on your device will pin point it for you. The trail head/parking area is obvious. When standing with your back to the 8, look to your left for the obvious road. Take that and not the hiking trails you’ll see. Pedal all the way up the road until you get to the obvious intersection. Essentially, it’s where you crest out.
Go left to head on out to the Valley of the Moon.
Go right to access more opportunities for wandering.
I enjoyed going left much, much more (the 2nd time around).
Note: The climb, the climb, my goodness, the climb up that road!
