Beijing to Kunming : A Commute to Work

Day 9-10 : Rest : Zhongwei, Ningxia and Camping in the Tennger Desert

I decided to take a rest day in Zhongwei, and thinking of picking up additional gear, I walked over to an outdoors shop a couple blocks from the hotel. When I walked in, there were five or six people in the small little shop, and I was greeted with a big "Hallo!" They asked if "Hallo" was German, I said I didn't know, but it was definitely an English word. They confirmed that we speak English in America, and pulled a chair up for me. One of the other customers was from Henan, and a debate broke out over just how "bad" Henan people are ("huai" vs. "zei").

They were thrilled to learn that I had ridden in from Beijing, as the guys who run the store were also bikers! One of the guys had ridden to Lhasa the previous year (which I've learned is the feather in every Chinese motorcyclist's cap). We immediately broke out the maps and they recommended routes (and are convinced I can get into Tibet no problem..)

I told them I was eager to ride through the desert, and they invited me to camp with them in the desert the following day. We made plans and I headed to a coffee shop close to this fellow:

http://i.imgur.com/B331V.jpg


I joined the Chairman and kept on an eye on the square from a neighboring coffee shop. Later in the afternoon, these ladies came out to the square for a little dancing:

http://i.imgur.com/S3CgE.jpg


The next day, I had the morning and afternoon free to explore. I headed out to Sha Po Tou, an area where the desert hits the Yellow River:

http://i.imgur.com/EbtiN.jpg


Afterwards, I turned north heading back into Inner Mongolia and the Tennger Desert. Shortly after entering the desert, I came across a solar power plant:

http://i.imgur.com/RTNN8.jpg


Finally, I had found the endless sands I had been searching for since leaving the grasslands near Hohhot:

http://i.imgur.com/crFjF.jpg


Somehow, these grasslands exist right in the middle of the desert:

http://i.imgur.com/NQ9Wa.jpg


Close to the grasslands was, I think, a plant that had something to do with salt. At least all the white stuff around the plant appeared (and tasted!) like salt:

http://i.imgur.com/9agWy.jpg

A ranch with Chinese and the Mongolian script that is common throughout Inner Mongolia:

http://i.imgur.com/BnnTB.jpg


Even the camels stare!

http://i.imgur.com/QA0AY.jpg


After riding around into the early afternoon, I went in search of gas and lunch. After a couple abandoned villages, I finally found a place to eat. The waiter and waitress (from Hebei and Sichuan) had recently arrived arrived from Beijing to work at their relative's restaurant. They weren't thrilled with moving to the middle of the desert to work in a restaurant and said they'd find a way to get back to Beijing before the end of the year. After I finished lunch, a couple of Mongolian men came into the restaurant and invited me to join them - one taught Mandarin at the local school and the other was a farmer. They were quite proud of being Mongolian, talking about Ghengis Kahn, their horse riding and motorcycle riding skills, and that behind Russians, Mongolians are the number one drinking ethnicity in the world!

By the time I left the restaurant it was pushing 6:00, so I headed for the campsite, only to pass my camel friends again:

http://i.imgur.com/hJKtA.jpg


Look both ways before crossing the street:

http://i.imgur.com/mO0Lx.jpg


The campsite was pretty easy to find:

http://i.imgur.com/fCUGy.jpg


A biker keeping watch:

http://i.imgur.com/SfgqQ.jpg


We got our tents set up:

http://i.imgur.com/7PuXm.jpg


The sun set:

http://i.imgur.com/FrxRB.jpg


And dinner hadn't arrived yet! We huddled up on top of a small dune and hung out for awhile waiting for the car with barbeque supplies to arrive. We waited... and waited... and waited.. and just before midnight, they arrived! And it was well worth the wait - they set up the chuar grill, skewered the lamb meat, and we feasted until close to 2 AM. Well fed and tired, I climbed into the tent hoping to be able to sleep well past sunrise...

Day 11: Tennger Desert, Inner Mongolia to Lanzhou, Gansu

The next morning, the group got together and took pictures.

The Li brothers who had invited me to join the group:
http://i.imgur.com/jEN1l.jpg


With a few other bikers (including one who is a bit self conscious about his height!):
http://i.imgur.com/412v8.jpg


Group photo:
http://i.imgur.com/mLgmt.jpg


We got packed up, said our goodbyes, and hit the road. I rode back out of the desert, retracing the route I had followed the previous day, south out of Inner Mongolia back into Ningxia and then west towards Gansu. The road ran just south of the desert and became more mountanous:
http://i.imgur.com/gBvKO.jpg


Before long, I hit the Gansu border.
http://i.imgur.com/U0ubu.jpg


This part of Gansu was incredibly arrid, with parts looking like the moon:
http://i.imgur.com/hJS0Z.jpg


As I turned south, I entered a valley that was much more fertile. The sky became overcast, and I started pushing it, hoping to make Lanzhou before the rain hit. About 80 km outside of the city the road split - a nice road, complete with a "To Lanzhou" sign pointed to the right. The GPS pointed to the left. I had just passed a gas station, so I turned around to ask directions. The attendant told me the road to the right led to the expressway, so I should go left. We talked for a bit about the trip and the weather and how scared I am of rain, and as I rode off, the gas attendant said "Good Luck!"

I went left, started bumping along the broken road, and five minutes later it started to rain. I stubornly rode on for a bit, the rain got heavier, and I hit a town with a row of buildings in the process of being demolitioned. Seeking shelter, I rode in through the front door:
http://i.imgur.com/0WUfa.jpg


I sat in the building for awhile and admired the view out the back door:
http://i.imgur.com/513OI.jpg


Eventually the rain slowed, and then stopped. I jumped on the bike, still 60 km outside of the city and made a run for Lanzhou. It remained overcast, but the rain held, and I made it in relatively good time. The Yellow River runs right through the city:
http://i.imgur.com/NmEEI.jpg


Having spent the previous night in the middle of the desert, I splurged on a hotel right along the river, and called it a day.

I made it into Xining yesterday and took the day off today. The forecast continues to say rain, rain, rain. I spent most of the afternoon searching forecasts and looking for a path around it, but it looks like rain all across Qinghai and Sichuan. I still have roughly 19 days to make it to Kunming, but I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and head towards Yushu tomorrow (I was planning to loop Qinghai Lake, but the loop is 460 km - and it's forecast to rain over there, so I think I'm going to use the one clear day to start moving south...

This is a great thread. I'm really enjoying the read. My older son and I roade a Chang Jiang out to Yinchuan in 2000. Mostly off road back then, but I was enjoying your pictures as we crossed some of the same routes.

Pat, excellent report! I am hooked.

Very entertaining, great pictures, amazing parts of china, what more can we ask for from a report?

EDIT: oh yeah, more girls please

Big Brother,

You are doing something awesome. Do not stop doing that thing that is awesome (do not stop being wary of rain).

Little heart, be careful!

Englishly yours,

ni hao

xiao ge

Thanks for the report Pat, I'm enjoying the words and pics tremendously. In the throes of planning a trip myself after the summer and reports like these are very useful.
When you get time it would be great if you could put together a review on how the bike and any of the other gear you took handled the trip. :dirtbike:

We hadn't heard from Pat in 10 days! And it has been even longer for Jeremy & Lulu (Around China in 100 days).

Being a worry-wart, I sent out the SMS search party ... apparently the two groups have crossed paths & I was interrupting their dinner together!

All is well, and more ride report installments are on the way when decent internet connections are found!

Hello Pat!! Forest here!! Your thread is so enjoyble!!! I really love what you did out there!keep up the good job man!! I'll be wating for any of your new updates!! take care youself alright? see ya!

Yes, this thread is up with the best, thanks.
I am always surprised when over a 1000 views and so few comments, even a :thumbsup: would be good, but that is often the way of it here.

Amazing, just a few km from the desert and you get all that rain. Go well.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pat

I made it into Xining yesterday and took the day off today. The forecast continues to say rain, rain, rain. I spent most of the afternoon searching forecasts and looking for a path around it, but it looks like rain all across Qinghai and Sichuan. I still have roughly 19 days to make it to Kunming, but I think I'm just going to bite the bullet and head towards Yushu tomorrow (I was planning to loop Qinghai Lake, but the loop is 460 km - and it's forecast to rain over there, so I think I'm going to use the one clear day to start moving south...

---

I feel for you, the past fortnight has seen some quite heavy rains and some light typhoons, though it is typhoon season here again. In amongst all the rain though have been some fine sunny days, which is great. Unfortunately though there past several days we've been experiencing really high humidity - which is uncomfortable to say the least. Makes it hard for one like me who likes to wear a fair amount of protective gear (jacket, boots, gloves, helmet and air filtration mask). Guess wearing all this gear in the humidity is one way to lose weight. hahaha!

Oh, and I'm with the other posters... more girls please ;)

Jeremy and me met pat,before yesterday,in siqu,sichuan

he and Jeremy had a hard night yesterday

they r in snow 1 hour,i was in a hard rain 3.5 hours,3 of us are fine,no ill...........

they go back 40 km to pick up their motos

its long story

at least we had nice photo and videos

Ah snow in the middle of summer. Gotta love the plateau!

Glad to hear everyone is okay and rockin it! You guys sure know how to make a reader envious!

Wits about you folks!

CC

Dear Lulu,

Thanks for your first post in MCM!!!! I hope it will not be the last.

Whether you know it or not, you are a hero to many people in this forum, making such an ambitious ride without much experience but with a great attitude. I very much look forward to seeing more of your pictures, and hearing your stories!

Also very pleased that you, Jeremy and Pat are all surviving the angry weather. Stay safe!

best thanks again,
cheers!

Great RR. Great to hear how you (and the qingqi) are gettin' on. Look forward to an update

After a long stretch through Qinghai and Sichuan, I rode into Shangrila today and am back online. Riding with Jeremy and Lulu for a couple days was great - and quite an adventure.. they told me some of the stories from the last 100 days - and I can't wait to read their full writeup!

Thanks for all the great comments everyone - it's a good feeling to know that people are coming along the ride with me. The Qingqi has held up great.. despite the abuse that's been heaped upon it the past week or so. Updates are coming soon!

I'm so glad to hear you made it Pat! Your Qinqi totally kicks ass for withstanding it all. AMAZING. I'm sorry I missed all of you guys. Hope in the future it will happen....!

Thanks for posting your progress and looking forward to reading more on your trip and bike. I'm in the early stages of planning similar adventures in China and your RR encourages me to make it happen.

Can you post an updated map to give some visual reference from where you started to now?

Day 12: Lanzhou to Xiahe, Gansu

http://i.imgur.com/up4PA.jpg

The previous evening, I had checked three different forecasts for Xiahe, home of the Labrang Buddhist Monastery, and gotten three different predictions. The next morning it was overcast, but not raining, so I decided to try for it. Weaving out of Lanzhou, I accidentally jumped on the express way, and rode past a hillside cemetery:

http://i.imgur.com/8ONuW.jpg


I made it several kilometers before hitting a toll booth where, as I weaved past the gate, a cop jumped out and promptly turned me around and sent me back in the opposite direction. The alternative to the express way was this little beaut of a road:

http://i.imgur.com/zPzcN.jpg


Heading southwest out of Lanzhou, the road started to climb a bit in altitude and past terraced fields:

http://i.imgur.com/Nv1Mc.jpg


Compared to Inner Mongolia and Ningxia, this area was much more populated, and I passed villages throughout the day:

http://i.imgur.com/V4nv8.jpg


A vegetable distribution center of some sort:

http://i.imgur.com/jN9he.jpg


A boy and his grandfather:

http://i.imgur.com/AyWxP.jpg


This area was still very Hui, and I continued to see a lot of mosques:

http://i.imgur.com/qyzCn.jpg


Some in Chinese style:

http://i.imgur.com/AUqO4.jpg


Some not:

http://i.imgur.com/R0Raq.jpg


I hit a sequence of Hui towns where it seemed everyone was out walking the streets and going to the markets:

http://i.imgur.com/p5LDQ.jpg


Some going to see the butcher:

http://i.imgur.com/3KEow.jpg


I continued to pass villages:

http://i.imgur.com/wvvNi.jpg


And a creepy looking factory of some sort:

http://i.imgur.com/2veIf.jpg


Before hitting Linxia, a major Hui city, the road turned south towards Xiahe. Heading south the road started to pick up elevation and I soon started seeing signs that I was entering a Tibetan area.

Tibetan script on road signs:

http://i.imgur.com/PSQkJ.jpg


Change in style of clothing:

http://i.imgur.com/WldwX.jpg


Seeing these young guys on the side of the road, I immediately stopped to ask for license and registration. Unfortunately, they didn't speak Mandarin!

http://i.imgur.com/wnxZ8.jpg


The road started following a river:

http://i.imgur.com/dXRXG.jpg


And past this monastery:

http://i.imgur.com/d44QX.jpg


I soon reached Xiahe, a city populated by Tibetans, Hui, and Han Chinese. I was surprised to see how small it was - with only one main road running through it. I followed the road past the main restaurant and hotel area, past the monastery, and into the Tibetan area of the city. There were monks and lamas of all ages everywhere:

http://i.imgur.com/uNQlz.jpg


Passing a large stupa, I stopped to take a picture, and immediately a few young kids came over:

http://i.imgur.com/15M2r.jpg


They started playing with the GPS and the bike - pushing the ignition, starting the bike, and then revving the engine! I yanked out the keys as more people gathered around. One young monk asked where I came from, and recognized Ohio as the former home of LeBron James. He knew quite a bit about the NBA and we talked basketball while I tried to keep my eyes on the kids as they played with everything on the bike that moved. Eventually the crowd dissipated a bit, and I rode off to the edge of the Tibetan area:


http://i.imgur.com/AnopI.jpg


And then turned around and went back past the monastery:

http://i.imgur.com/mYsql.jpg


I found a hostel, checked in and went back out to find dinner at a restaurant that overlooked the main street:

http://i.imgur.com/icFDQ.jpg


Hard at work! GPS, atlas, baozi, fried potatos, and butter milk tea (It's like drinking a stick of butter!):

http://i.imgur.com/C4kSM.jpg

Day 13: Xiahe, Gansu to Xining, Qinghai : An Ode to the S202

http://i.imgur.com/LSE5F.png

Xiahe is an amazing little place, and I half regretted only spending an afternoon and an evening there - but the weather had gotten dicey. It rained all night and the forecast predicted more rain that week, so waking up to overcast skies, I thought it best to make a break for it and head West towards Qinghai.

I spent most of the day on the S202 riding to Xining - the road is amazing - and it turned out to be one of the best riding days of the trip. Felix, if you have time to squeeze this road into your trip, I highly recommend it!

Before leaving, I wanted to walk the Kora Pilgrim Path with the Tibetan pilgrims who come to the city from the countryside. The path begins by following 1174 prayer wheels:

http://i.imgur.com/UeYuz.jpg


The pilgrims walked through the corridors, chanting and spinning the wheels:

http://i.imgur.com/AsGog.jpg


The path looped around the monastery:

http://i.imgur.com/Fh9r6.jpg


And past meditation cells:

http://i.imgur.com/C2PAg.jpg


The occasional animal joined in the walk:

http://i.imgur.com/sAMw9.jpg


The path circled around the monastery:

http://i.imgur.com/3mUlb.jpg


The pilgrims walked around the stupas:

http://i.imgur.com/s4WFr.jpg


And then kneel and bow down on these stone slabs:

http://i.imgur.com/oBEeZ.jpg


After walking the Kora Path, I went back to the hostel, packed up and headed for Xining. The route took me back towards Linxia, the Hui city, on the road I had ridden the previous day. I noticed different things this time through, including this snow covered mountain:

http://i.imgur.com/JZdpf.jpg


Eventually, I split off on to the S202 and headed westward. Through another Hui city full of people walking through the streets:

http://i.imgur.com/ihoG5.jpg


And past another butcher shop:

http://i.imgur.com/h3mSa.jpg


Leaving the town behind, the road led towards a snow capped mountain:

http://i.imgur.com/5ZFe5.jpg


And started following a small river as it entered a valley:

http://i.imgur.com/x8yWU.jpg


The road began to climb and climb and climb towards the mountain:

http://i.imgur.com/x09N9.jpg


Finally closing in on the peak, I looked back at the road traveled:

http://i.imgur.com/j5AVq.jpg


Approaching the summit, I reached a sign that announced a Qinghai road:

http://i.imgur.com/DOBOT.jpg


I later looked the spot up in google maps, and found that the border with Qinghai was actually close to the start of the ascent into the mountain. The way down was almost as twisty as the way up:

http://i.imgur.com/2Jecg.jpg


And bottomed out into a valley. The mountains had turned red:

http://i.imgur.com/JLFmA.jpg


I rode through another Hui village until I found a place for lunch:

http://i.imgur.com/X9qXW.jpg


After lunch, I continued through the red mountains, through villages, and ran into these two friends walking and playing along the road:

http://i.imgur.com/3uamQ.jpg


The road twisted and turned, and I hit Xunhua Gorge and the Yellow River:

http://i.imgur.com/SmHrx.jpg


After riding through the gorge, the road led began another ascent, twists, and turns through the red mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/tqh7l.jpg


And came out on the other side into yet another set of snow capped mountains:

http://i.imgur.com/rA1se.jpg


Eventually, the S202 hit my old friend the G109. Not to be outdone, the G109 quickly began another ascent across another mountain range. Reaching the peak were more signs of Tibetan culture:

http://i.imgur.com/YXcTx.jpg


As my travels through Tibetan areas progressed, it was always easy to identify when the road had reached the peak of the mountain by the prayer flags, stupas, and other religious markers. On the way back down the mountain and past another town:

http://i.imgur.com/TNBZq.jpg


After descending from this mountain, G109 flattened out as it approached Xining. I slowed down and then stopped to let this tree cross the road:

http://i.imgur.com/xZRME.jpg


Half an hour later, I grew impatient and rode past. I entered the city, leaving the G109 behind for good. My route would take me south towards Yushu in southwestern Qinghai. I rode around the city for awhile looking for a hotel where I could safely park the bike. After a few tries, I finally found one and called it a day.

Day 14: Xining, Qinghai: Rest Day and a Change of Plans

Planning to head up onto the Tibetan Plateau, I wanted to take a day to find warmer clothes, get hand guards for the bike, and potentially get the bike looked over for preventative maintenance. I Google/Baidu mapped an address for a Qingqi dealer, hailed a cab, and promptly went to... a place where there was not, nor ever had been a Qingqi dealer. I asked around in the area, was told about a Motorcycle District, hailed another cab, and was able to find it several kilometers away. After hanging out at the store for a bit and picking up some hand guards (that ultimately wouldn't fit) I headed to a coffee shop to do some route planning.

I spent the afternoon looking at forecasts that said rain, rain, rain. I looked and looked for alternative routes that might avoid the weather, but ultimately couldn't figure anything out. I finally resolved to just try the weather going south towards Yushu and hope for the best. If I needed to go slow, one city at a time, then I'd go slow.

On my way out of the coffee shop, I asked the owner if she knew where I could pick up some warmer clothes. I told her my plans to head south for Yushu, and she was adamant that I didn't go. The altitude, the earthquake, going alone, etc., etc.

Then she said I should go to Tibet instead. Instead of going through Yushu, I could take the route through Golmud (Geermu) and visit her husband on the way... the only catch, Golmud was almost 800 km to the west and in the opposite direction of Yunnan...

My new friend ordered carryout delivered to the coffee shop, and over dinner I thought about it. I checked the weather and saw that it was clear to the west. Finally, I decided that a chance, even if remote, to go Tibet was too good to pass up. And so West it was...

These pictures are breathtaking and the stories are so fascinating. Continued good travels!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pat

... Finally, I decided that a chance, even if remote, to go Tibet was too good to pass up. And so West it was...

---

...he said with a delicious not of foreboding.

OK, I'm on the edge of my seat. MORE!

Awesome ride, and lovely ride report, Pat. I really respect your pace and "I'll take whatever she gives" attitude.

cheers

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Pat

I slowed down and then stopped to let this tree cross the road:

http://i.imgur.com/xZRME.jpg

---

Love all of them, but this pic is hilarious!

I am really looking forward to hearing about how the tibet pass goes, please please please say it worked! This could be a turning point for many of us china-ADV-ers!

Thanks for the road advice. I had to postpone my big trip due to china getting in the way of me ever getting my bike, but i will make it out there before i die of impatience.

Continues to be a great read, Pat - thanks!

Yeah, yeah, yeah ... I am kicking myself EVERY day ... I know, I know, I know ... I am eating double servings of crow!

Hope to get the next installment soon! And I'm really glad little Miss Qingqi is holding up her side of the bargain.

BTW, your rear tire looks a little "worn" in one or two pics - you must be up around 8 or 10K on it by now?

Hi Pat,well,I don't know man....but your bike looks overloaded in those pics~be carefull ok? like everyone else,I'll be here when the next update is comming up!! Oh, and say hello to your Qing qi for me will ya? :icon10: later man!!

Day 15: Xining, Qinghai to Dulan, Qinghai

I wanted to get to Golmud in two days, which meant breaking it into roughly a 430 kilometer day and a 350 kilometer day. When I think Tibetan Plateau, I generally thought Tibet. But the plateau actually extends well past Tibet and covers southern Qinghai as well. The route west would take me past Qinghai Lake and then follow the southern edge of the Tibetan Plateau from Xining to Golmud.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...pograpisch.png

While the day before I thought I had finally left the G109 behind, now I found myself back on it as I headed west. I also thought I had left the sand and arid climate behind in Ningxia, Gansu and Inner Mongolia, but parts of Qinghai are quite arid too:

http://i.imgur.com/yJYSu.jpg


As I reached Qinghai Lake, I saw a small access path that led down lakeside. I hopped off the road and followed it down to the edge of the lake. I've heard under the right light, the lake is full of brilliant colors, but on this day, it just looked like a big... lake:

http://i.imgur.com/1rTT7.jpg


On the opposite side, the road was following a mountain range:

http://i.imgur.com/hetuH.jpg


Riding back up from the lakeside, I stopped at a gas station that was quickly overrun by sheep:

http://i.imgur.com/9tUNX.jpg


The road continued west, and the sky turned ominous. Storm clouds had gathered to the side of the road, and I picked it up, hoping to beat the storm:

http://i.imgur.com/Mwgam.jpg


This would start a day's worth of storm dodging, sometimes successful, sometimes not so. In this case, not so. It started raining and I pulled over to seek shelter:

http://i.imgur.com/6KoT2.jpg


The storm passed and the road headed for a mountain pass out of the Qinghai Lake area. The road began to climb the mountain, and the storm clouds closed in again. As I reached the summit, it began to hail. Not cool:

http://i.imgur.com/QtW3Y.jpg


As I decended, the hail turned back to rain, and then I finally left the mountain and the storm behind:

http://i.imgur.com/VKhBP.jpg


And then the road reached the edge of the plateau. The road would follow the plateau all the way to Golmud - each time I glanced south, I'd see the plateau looming:

http://i.imgur.com/cyJaA.jpg


But there were still mountain ranges to pass through as I headed west. There were also broken down trucks and their "warning signs"

http://i.imgur.com/2Ukhl.jpg


And subtle warnings to follow traffic laws:

http://i.imgur.com/dNI52.jpg


The rain continued to come and go and along the way I passed by another biker wrapped in a parka who was clearly packed for the long haul. Later I stopped to take pictures and he caught up and stopped. He was on his way to Lhasa, the pinnacle of every Chinese biker's career:

http://i.imgur.com/LXE3d.jpg


My initial thought was "What a character!" He was riding a 125 CC bike, where I had a GPS on my bike, he had a roll of paper maps stuck to his bike, and he had a bike pump taped to his handle bars! The more I thought about it, the more impressed I was. As he rode off, I said goodbye, and he said: you yuanfen de hua, zaijian. Which loosely translates as, if we are destined, see you again.

He rode off, I passed him a few minutes later as he was taking pictures, gave him a couple honks in goodbye, and continued to try to dodge storm clouds as best as I could while following a narrow strip of pavement:

http://i.imgur.com/10m6t.jpg


As I approached Dulan, the weather finally broke, and blue skies appeared:

http://i.imgur.com/dANHF.jpg


I took this picture to celebrate:

http://i.imgur.com/w9VCc.jpg


I cruised around Dulan - which took about five minutes - and having surveyed the hotel offerings, I pulled into the most promising one. It turned out that I was the first foreigner to try and stay there this year - so apparently they had to have the police come.. for some reason. Problem was, it was late and the local authorities were already off work for the day. As I was trying to talk them into letting me stay anyway, my friend walked in. He got a room no problem and retired for the night - ultimately rejected, I went back out and found another hotel and a hot meal.

Day 16: Dulan, Qinghai to Golmud, Qinghai

The next morning I got back on the G109 heading to Golmud. The mountains around Dulan are quite stark:

http://i.imgur.com/kV7IP.jpg


And not long after getting on the road, I passed this shepherd on his way to his flock:

http://i.imgur.com/U4mGL.jpg


This stretch of the G109 is arid, and I was surprised to find myself back in the desert:

http://i.imgur.com/9saP7.jpg


It turned out to be a great road for getting from Point A to Point B - flat, in good shape, and the scenery never changed - so there was no need to stop and take pictures! The plateau continued to entice from the south:

http://i.imgur.com/JKR08.jpg


And the desert and power lines streched on and on to the north:

http://i.imgur.com/ywr6v.jpg


I made record time into Golmud. As I reached the edge of the city I pulled over to call my Xining friend's husband, Mr. Liu, to figure out where to meet. And then out of nowhere, my biker friend from the day before pulled up!

My friend Wang was on his way to a mechanic to get his bike adjusted for the altitude and invited me to come along with him. We rode over to the mechanic's, who pulled out my spark plug, diagnosed me has having been using bad fuel, and then adjusted my bike. (Based on what I've read on MCM, I try to stick to Sinopec - but often have no choice but to use the local stuff).

Hard at work:

http://i.imgur.com/7Ihxj.jpg


While he was working on my friend's bike, I called Mr. Liu, who drove over to the mechanic's shop. He took us over to a nearby hotel, Wang and I agreed to touch base again later in the evening, and Mr. Liu and I set off for dinner. Over dinner, Mr. Liu, who was a government official, encouraged me to make the ride down to Tibet.

If I hadn't met Wang, and Mr. Liu hadn't encouraged me, I likely wouldn't have tried for Tibet and headed somewhere else - perhaps to meet friends in Dunhuang. It's 600 km to the Tibetan border. But as it was, I had come this far and I had met another biker heading there - it seemed like I should give it a try. And so the next morning, we headed south.

Thanks for the follow up, those mountains outside dulan look gorgeous. Man i want to be out there.

More more more please!