After the 10-mile ride on Route 66 from Goffs to Fenner, I take note of a dirt road leading to the Providence Mountains

I could shave a few miles off today's ride by taking this road, but it would be much slower than the longer ride on pavement via Essex due to its soft texture. So I continue on Route 66 after a snack stop at the Fenner gas station.

I'm back at Essex, California again, after riding 16.5 miles down historic Route 66 from Goffs, California

I'm standing near the Essex post office looking northwest up Essex Road. It's amazing how the freeway traffic on I-40, which I crossed a while ago at Fenner, is so visible from here at Essex, even though it's 6.5 miles away.

Looking southeast from the Essex post office, down Sunflower Springs Road, a dirt road that rises up over the mountains

There's a lot of remote territory to explore back there, including several Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wilderness Areas.

Crossing over I-40 again on the Essex Road bridge

That "tube of civilization" that I photographed yesterday is below me, and Mitchell Caverns is up in the Providence Mountains is behind me.

Back at the junction of Essex Road and Black Canyon Road, I ride straight through toward Mitchell Caverns

No need to ride back up toward Hole-in-the-Wall or Mid Hills Campgrounds today.

The final five-mile stretch of Essex Road to Mitchell Caverns (Providence Mountains State Recreation Area)

There's no traffic and I can't see yet where the State Park sits at the end of the road in the shadow of the mountains. The road rises from just under 3000 feet to 4300 feet elevation.

The last mile or two before Providence Mountains State Recreation Area gets steeper

I'm in the shadow of the mountains now. After some more pedalling that gets slower and slower as the road steepens, I finally arrive. I buy a box of wood at the Park office for a campfire later on, a luxury I wasn't expecting.