It may not have been so many miles today but it was still one of the toughest days. Crossing the Mojave is no easy thing to do, especially if you avoid the interstates. There are few gas stations, no shade anywhere, 40+ temperatures, no phone signal if you do break down. The roads go on forever and it's easy to let your mind wander a bit too much.

I’m lucky enough to have done a few big desert crossings before in places like Nevada and Death Valley, so I know what to expect. Carry a lot of water or, even better, sugared drinks. Wear a T-shirt but cover yourself in sunblock to help stop heatstroke. It was California, so the helmet had to stay on but I’ve learnt to use a lightweight open one for these trips. Have a bandana at the ready to cover your face through dust storms (or just to look cool in your selfies!). Take it easy and do not fall into a trance; it’s easier than you think. There is literally no shade, so although stopping regularly to take on drink is essential, you will get even hotter when you’re not moving. Acknowledge every vehicle you pass. They all do it. As if to say you’re in this together and they’ve got your back if you need it.

And then just sit back and enjoy. Set the cruise control, take your hands off the bars, throw them out wide and scream at the top of your voice. This is it. This is you against the harshest mother nature can throw at you and you feel so alive. The rest of the world no longer matters. It’s you and all that desert around you. It’s no longer about how quickly can I get back to civilization; it’s about how can I make this my groundhog day.

You can spend the next few hours re-imagining every road movie you’ve ever seen. You can see how many places you can rest your legs, bum and arms whilst still traveling at over 50mph. You can take the stereo up to the max and let Led Zeppelin take you across this amazing landscape.

I started off northwards from Blythe following the Colorado up to a junction that had a gas station. From here it was 130 miles across the desert to Twentynine Palms, the next town. The phone packed up because it was too hot, so I had no satnav but there were no junctions anyway. Stops were every half hour and I probably got through half a litre of drink at each stop. I’d stayed in Twentynine Palms some years back and knew it as the gateway to Joshua Tree National Park. I’d done the park twice before so didn’t need to go again but I hold great memories of this area and would recommend Joshua Tree to anyone who does venture this way.

At Twentynine Palms, I met up with two Danish bikers who had started in Chicago too. They'd taken the more traditional 66 route but had decided to loop south of it for the final run into LA. They were struggling with the heat too and were booked into Victorville a desert town another 100 or so miles on. I couldn't do any more desert so I'd booked a place up in the mountains. But we rode together for 70 miles until our paths split.

The climb into the San Bernadino mountains was fast and such a rapid change. I could watch the temperature dropping as I motored up the hill. We went from 44 to 22 in not much time at all. The mountains are lovely, full of smart alpine-like villages. People can commute to LA from here. The first lake had vanished, just completely gone. Replaced with some new grass. Surreal. But Big Bear Lake was still good, though the famous California drought had obviously affected it. This is a great place and a lovely town. A town for walking. Lots of Angelenos here for the weekend. All sorts of activity on the water. People wandering about town. It's a four season resort, lots of skiing for many months of the year. Angelenos boast they can surf in the morning and ski in the afternoon. This place is part of that claim.

I'd booked a quirky little cabin in a small complex run by a hippie couple; there's a lot of them here. It was small but a welcome departure from motels. Nice sitting area outside, easy walk into town and a great brewpub over the road. The room was done out to look like a skiing log cabin and included a machine next to my bed that made whale noises!

Appealing as the town was, my desert trip had been so tiring I opted to sit outside my cabin reading and taking in the atmosphere and thinking about what a day I’d had.

I spent the evening over the road in the pub where food and drink were excellent and they had live music.