[As an aside, is there a setting somewhere that will allow visitors who aren't logged in to see the pictures?]

Day Four ?? -> Shanhaiguan -> Beidaihe

The next morning, feeling rejuvenated and eager to drive in the daylight again, I got up and continued on the course for Shanhaiguan. I was doubly grateful that I hadn't passed through this area at night - the scenery continued to be great, rolling mountains as far as the eye could see.

Within a half an hour I hit another stretch of the Great Wall. It was largely broken down, mostly just towers with very little in the way of wall between them. I'd be seeing this section again in another 60 kilometers as it hit the ocean in Shanhaiguan. After passing the Great Wall, I hit coal country. Apparently there was a mine nearby and it seemed to have covered the whole area in a layer of dust.

Coal in the shadow of the Great Wall:
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As I approached the coast the landscape gradually flattened out. I turned northeast towards Shanhaiguan and arrived in the city around lunch. The ocean is actually several km away from the city center, so I decided to go straight to the Great Wall. It turns out that this section of the "Great Wall" was actually rebuilt in the 80s and is now safely protected by a ticket window. I had heard that it's possible to skirt the entry fee by riding up the coast a bit and then circling back around on the beach by foot - so I u-turned out of the parking lot and looped around to the beach.

Parked on the beach:
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I parked in front of the Wall and then walked back down to the section that hits the ocean, this side being safely protected by barbed wire.

Where the Great Wall hits the ocean:
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A man staring off to sea:
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After spending some time on the beach I rode into the city, found lunch, and then road into the walled part of the city. It's become Qianmen-esqe (completely restored and... kitschy) and was eerily quiet. The streets were empty as were most of the buildings.

It was only three o'clock, Beidaihe wasn't far, and having exhausted all the sights and sounds of Shanhaiguan I set course for Beidaihe. Just outside of the city I hit a round-a-bout with a man in a hard hat dangling two turtles out in front of the passing cars. I did a double-take and pulled over. "How much?" I asked him. "150" he replied. "150? Are they pets or are they food?" "Food!" "Oh, OK, thanks!"

Somebody's dinner:
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Within an hour or so, I arrived in Beidaihe. It was largely abandoned and while there were hotels everywhere, they were also mostly closed up for the winter. After cruising around for awhile, I finally found a hotel along the coast with people in the parking lot, but it turned out that that hotel was closed too. I asked one of the attendants if there were *any* open hotels in the area, he jumped on his motorcycle, gave me a big wave, and I followed out to the nearest 4 star hotel. I blushed when they said 360 RMB and, not wanting to appear ungrateful to my new friend, I almost accepted.. but after all, we had just met, so at the risk of hurting his feelings, I smiled, thanked him for going out of his way to help, and told him I wanted to check a couple of the other nearby hotels. I think he actually approved of this "thriftiness" and, just around the corner, there was another hotel at roughly half the price. Tired, hungry, and turtleless, I checked in and called it a day.