I lock my bike to a wilderness sign along Chloride Cliff Road and go for a short walk toward the old Keane Spring

Do I really need to lock my bike? I don't see any green spots that might indicate the presence of a spring anywhere. I had read that Keane Spring is probably dry, so I'm not surprised.

After my walk in the Keane Spring area, I return to the bike (not a 10-ton bike today!) at the wilderness sign, and coast back down to my camp site at the foot of Monarch Canyon Road.

The howling wind at the camp site during the evening causes my tent walls to suck in and out, forever testing its strength. At least it's doesn't rain again!

There's a crescent moon in the sky tonight, just big enough to light up the canyon a little under the clear, dark sky. Under the flashlight lamp in the tent, I get out my maps and study them, wondering if I should stay camped out here a third night, and do a day ride tomorrow to Beatty, Nevada.

The wind doesn't die down like it did last night. As midnight approaches, I decide to stop waiting for some relief and quiet, and somehow manage to fall asleep anyway, probably because I'm so exhausted!

Next photo album: Day 7: Monarch Canyon to Emigrant Campground, crossing Death Valley