I live in the 'high desert' of Southern California, next to Joshua Tree National Park (JTNP). Elevation is ~900m and JTNP is ~300m higher. The main highway runs through the bottom of a V-shaped valley, which slopes downhill towards the east, so all the rides away from the highway are 'uphill.' There is no true flat, everything has a slight grade. The cycling is not very easy, and that may be why there are not many 'roadies' out here.
I saw your last ride was 77 km with ~60 m of gain. And I'd bet half of that was from highway overpasses. LOL, I think I lose that much elevation when I ride to my coffee roaster ~2 km from home. So far this year, I see you've done ~2.5 times my mileage, but only ~half as much gain.
And all your rides are next to water, while I always wonder if I brought enough. Although I find the real issue with desert rides is the complete lack of shade. Full sun, with no clouds, for the entire ride. And on this morning's ride, from 0615 to 0800, the temperature increased 10 degrees C, from start to finish! Luckily, the mornings are usually cool enough for an early ride, even in August.
What keeps me going out here is that I have ~5 rides that are so traffic-free that I can use iems for music, with the help of a Garmin Varia radar and eyeglass-mounted rear-view mirror.
My road bike is in the midst of a bit of a refresh right now (cables, housing, chainrings, etc.). I'll post a photo in the 'show us your bikes' thread when the refresh is complete.
Wide-open road east of 29 Palms, California. That is sand/dirt, not snow. The hills in the distance are on a large Marine Corps base -- the base that sent the troops to 'Save Los Angeles.'
View attachment 458174