Another week of plotting and planning, I was ready for an overnight trip. A one day ride will only get you so far and most of the "good stuff" in Guangdong lies way up in the North. I picked the Ruyuan Yao Nationality Autonomous County as a destination, this area is to the west of Shaoguan and boasts all kinds of interesting scenery and tourist attractions.

A map of the entire ride:



I headed out in the early morning through thick fog and traffic, after eighty kilometers, things loosen up and the roads start to get fun. This is X404 outside of Timian in the early morning mist.



I picked up S114 North out of QingYuan and stopped for a little break. The road was not in particularly good shape and I gazed across the river at the beautiful expressway with envy.



As I stood there watching the cars zip by, I noticed a motorcycle . How did he get on there? Wait, another one! Could this be a motorcycle friendly expressway, in China? I turned around , headed for the entrance, and was surprised to find no toll booth. Just a big sign that said QingLian Expressway / Toll Road. Sweet This is gonna be fun. 144 Kilometers of pure joy from Qingyuan to Yanshan with a couple of toll booths along the way that were all smiles. I won't go into the details about what kind of speeds were involved, but it's the only time I wanted to swap my V-Strom for a Hayabusa.



After making great time on the expressway, I decided I could take a less direct route to Ruyuan and enjoyed some nice mountain roads.



Occasionally going through little pockets of industry, here is where they make iPods



I connected with S258 North to head towards the Grand Canyon of Guangdong in Dabu. The road was fantastic with a few bad spots to keep it interesting. Remember, it hasn't rained in three months, can't imagine this mess during the rainy season.



Starting to see sections of the canyon, unfortunately it's a bit hazy so the pictures don't really do it justice.



Interesting foliage for February.



Arriving at the tourist trap for the canyon, I decided to take a little single track into the woods instead of following the heard. This is the mouth of the canyon, and that big wire you see......



Meet "The Dude". I don't know how much he gets paid to ride across that wire, but it's not enough. Respect.



Pre flight check before heading out. It's about 300 meters from the wire to the ground. The opposing wall has 1386 steps and the people you see are about half way down.



Always bring a friend when you're riding the high wire.



Looking down into the canyon.



Just another day at the office.



Goodbye to the canyon, great show high wire dudes.



Late afternoon cruising S258. In the background is Tian Jing Shan (Tian Jing mountain), home of the Shen Ren Chao (fairy bridge).



A closer look with the zoom at 200mm.



I was getting close to my destination for the day and decided on a little detour. According to many local maps, there is a road bordering the west side of Nanshui lake. I have made several attempts to find this road over the last six years without success and it looks like my luck is no better today. I stopped at this little hydro station and asked about the road, one of the locals said it does exist but won't be accessible for another year. He had been working at this hydro station for years and was surprised that I even knew about the road. I told him I would be back next year to check and he just smiled.



With the sun starting to go down, it's was time to hit Ruyuan and find a home for the night. Last shot of the day.... another great ride.



Arrive at the hotel 10 minutes early for beer o'clock And once again, more data than anyone wants know....

Day 3: 7-February-2009
Start Time: 8:10 AM End Time: 5:48 PM
Total Time: 9 Hours 46 Minutes Moving: 6 Hours 50 Minutes Stopped: 2 Hours 55 Minutes
Distance: 464 Kilometers / 288 Miles
Average Speed: 47 kph / 29 mph
Average Moving Speed: 68 kph / 42 mph
Maximum Speed: Very very fast
Maximum Elevation: 752 Meters / 2467 Feet

Thanks for coming along, tune in later for some more.

Cheers!
ChinaV