Although today’s journey is only 46 kilometers, this is the beginning of entering high-altitude areas. From Kudi to 204 Road Ban, the entire journey is steep, and the 1600 meter elevation gain is no joke. Except for the landslide area, the road conditions are basically good throughout the journey.
We got up very early this morning because we were worried that the landslide would affect our schedule, so we got up early before dawn to prepare ourselves for any situation we might encounter today.
It rained last night and the weather conditions were very bad. I was very worried about today’s journey (Lao Fang was calmly eating rice pudding).
I just put the dry food outside that I can eat at any time without eating breakfast. I just stop and eat wherever I feel hungry. After getting ready, I went straight on the road without even brushing my teeth. I just hope that today's journey goes smoothly.
The village is still silent, but we have already started our journey early. The weather is very bad and the village is dead
However, I was still embarrassed. When I arrived at the checkpoint, there was a soldier standing guard. He said that no one would come to check until eight o'clock. Bai got up early, so he had to wait here silently and eat breakfast by the way.
Wait until it gets dark
But fortunately, it was still some time before eight o'clock, and someone had already come to check. After everyone's ID cards and border defense passes were checked one after another, they cleared customs one by one. It seems that the landslide area is passable today, and a stone in my heart is finally relieved.
After successfully passing customs, I turned back to take a photo of the checkpoint I just passed. Suddenly I felt a chill in my hands, and then I realized that I had dropped my gloves. I quickly called Lao Fang who had not yet passed the test. Later, Lao Fang brought it to me. Thank you!
Large trucks were parked here due to the landslide, and some drivers have been trapped for a week.
An enthusiastic old man. I like his optimistic attitude very much
Yellow River-like rapids and bare mountains "create" these frequent natural disasters
Lao Fang and I walked among the valleys. The cold weather still could not reduce our enthusiasm for moving forward.
Catching up with the rider in front
It was a bit difficult for everyone to ride uphill, but they all gritted their teeth and persevered.
It seems that this place was washed away by mudslides, but the road was cleared by Brother Bing. Thank you Brother Bing! Because it had rained, it was difficult to ride on the muddy road, and it was uphill, but no one gave up.
On the road, there are more smiles than pains. Look how happy everyone is!
There are still many roads like this, so just bite the bullet and get over it! Try to walk on the dirt road on the side so that the wheels don't sink in. There are a lot of rocks, so control the front of the car.
Deep in the misty canyon, I hope the dark clouds will not drift over here.
The terrain of this canyon is very steep. Looking at the uneven slopes, it has been baptized by many mudslides. I would rather walk along the opposite lane than dare to go at the bottom of the hillside. Rocks will roll down at any time.
Feel the road conditions ...
Along the way to the cliffs, you must pay attention to the cliffs next to you. You must wear a helmet to prevent falling rocks at any time.
From time to time, small gravel would roll down, which scared me.
Take a break and check the car, always worrying about something going wrong with the car.
The altitude has increased by several hundred meters, and we are gradually starting to walk out of the canyon. The road conditions will be much better once we leave the canyon.
K180There is an abandoned road camp. The house is in good condition and was left by the former workers. You can camp here, but you are not allowed to camp here unless there are special circumstances.
Continuing forward, the slope begins to become steeper, and the temperature obviously feels lower.
Riding for two kilometers is exhausting.
I saw the construction team working on the rescue earlier. It looks like the road has been buried and it might be difficult to get through.
When we arrived at the most serious landslide section, sure enough, the armed police refused to let us pass. The road was being cleared in front of us, so we had to wait at the back. Many trucks and self-driving tourists were blocked here and could not pass.
In this case, just wait slowly and eat some solid food first (the camel bag is dirty)
After a long wait, and it was still very cold, Brother Dalong just lay down on the ground and fell asleep. As expected of a physical fitness teacher, he can withstand the cold. There is no signal on the mobile phone, and the rest are in a daze, chatting.
I accidentally discovered a natural wild mushroom and I was curious if it could be eaten.
After waiting like this for more than four hours, Brother Bing said that we cyclists should pass through first. Thank you Brother Bing for your hard work, and thank you Brother Bing for your understanding (I feel sorry for the motor vehicles, but they are not allowed to pass yet).
Now that we were allowed to go, everyone worked harder. The road was so ruined that we couldn't ride on it at all, so we had to push the cart for about a kilometer.
I am marching hard ...
I finally pushed it out, but an army of trucks going in the opposite direction blocked the road. The road was too narrow to ride on, so I had to continue pushing the truck for another kilometer.
The shocking army of trucks, we shuttled back and forth inside the trucks
Did you see Sister Yang on the far left? The road is too narrow to ride on. I believe she is also helpless.
Look back at the "road" you just walked
After finally walking out, another army of trucks came, but I was helpless.
A group of trucks passed by, and countless grass and mud horses were galloping in my heart
It's finally over. Life in this hardest-hit area is really not easy.
The road ahead has begun to reach higher altitudes, and the road conditions have begun to improve. However, as the steep slopes become more and more obvious, the temperature drops sharply, and the riding becomes more and more difficult.
The serpentine steep slope is tiring to look at
At K193, we finally arrived at the legendary 193 Taobao. The inside was intact and ready for camping.
But I think my physical fitness can keep going forward. I originally planned to set up camp in 204 Daoban, but other teammates hadn’t caught up yet, so I went forward alone.
When we got to the Daoban Highway, we saw them. There was a message from them that they would not go any further and would set up camp on the spot. So I was the only one who moved on.
Steep slopes all the way, serpentine curves all the way
Walking to K198, I suddenly found a leak in the rear wheel. I started to panic. I quickly took out the air pump and thought to see if I could hold on until I camped and then check and repair the car.
The rear wheel was obviously flat, probably due to an accident in a heavy-hit area.
After inflating, he returned to his original position and continued to accelerate forward. At this time, the altitude had reached 4300 meters. Apart from being a little breathless and a little cold, there was no other abnormality.
Officially entering the high altitude zone
I was so happy to see the snow-capped mountains. Although they were not obvious, I was very satisfied. After all, the weather was bad and I should be able to see more snow-capped mountains tomorrow. Today’s efforts were not in vain!
After a lot of hard work, we finally arrived at 204 Road Ban located at K206. Today's 46 kilometers of uphill climb was really torturous.
As soon as I walked in, I found that several Tibetan compatriots lived here. They came here to work and live temporarily. They looked at me very curiously at first, and I was also very flustered. After all, I was the only Han Chinese, but they were actually very friendly. They communicated in Chinese that I seemed to understand, and I started to communicate with them. Seeing that I rode up here, they said they admired me and helped me carry my bike and pack my luggage. They spent the night with the Tibetan compatriots tonight.
The house was still in good condition, with windows to block the wind, and we set up camp on the spot.
Hurry up and cook something hot to eat. It’s so cold. Thank you Tibetan compatriots for providing hot water so that you don’t have to cook it yourself.
The Tibetan compatriots also gave me pickled plum vegetables and mutton jelly soup, which can help me resist high reflexes. I am very grateful to them (I just can’t get used to it...)
Looking outside, we can see the snow-capped mountains. We look forward to good weather tomorrow.
A fairly good house
In order to catch up with tomorrow's schedule, I went to bed before dark.
(To be continued...)