Into the Gobi

---

Checked the flags outside our hotel window realising with dismay they fluttered east signalling a headwind unlike yesterdays day off when they blew with a strong tailwind.Why does it do that?Neither of us wanted a struggle this morning so we wisely chickened out and went online instead,hoping the wind would change direction or bugger off come the afternoon.
Of course it didnt though,it knows where we live and where were going, so together like old friends we ventured out into the dull orange afternoon sky of the Gobi dustbowl to do battle once again.Helping ourselves to a trucksurf behind a bewildered tractor driver we were towed faces masked, eyes covered alongside the motorway on the single track of the 312 highway rolling over low brown hills that offered little protection from the gale.It was pretty hopeless going and only 17km into our day we took refuge behind an old electric building deciding to save our energy for the evening ,when (fingers crossed) the wind would die down as the air cooled.
It worked!Although at six when we ventured back out the wind was still strong but gradually slowed to nothing as the evening went on.That was the general rule out here although the Gobi wind would prove unreliable at times whipping up where and whenever it wanted.With all of China running on Beijing time there was light until 21 30 allowing us to put on an extra 45km in the evening calm and some of the night.Riding in the darkness out here holds dangers of its own as we weaved in and out of the many discarded rocks and bricks that scattered the road surface and searching for a decent camp in the dark caused problems enough.In the gloom of night we pitched up on a soil dump,pylons buzzing to eitherside, motorway behind and trains rattling in the distance.Theres nothing like the peace of a desert.
And theres nothing like a good tailwind to have you packing the tent down in record time out of fear of it changing direction when your'e not looking.No fear of that today though, with the aid of the tailwind and a gradual decent from Yumenzhen we clocked up our best ever distance of 180km.Not alot in the way of supplies past Yumenzhen with only mudbrick oasis dwellings that finally gave way to the open desert once again.It can get very remote in places without a house for 10s of km, yet with the constant hum of the motorway alongside it could lull an unsuspecting cyclist into a false sence of security.
Good to see the chinese tapping into the renewable energy source they have out here as we passed some large wind farms during the day.Groups of workmen with black weather beaten faces worked long hours out in the hot sun building new windmills and electric pylons.
Having only clocked over 160km twice before(both in the desert) it felt good to pile on the km's although come evening time we were strugling for energy, my shoulder had cramped again and our 'town' on the map was no more than a camp for the workmen.It was a futher 14km to the next village where in its only shop we re supplied and pitched up back out in the desert shale as night fell.
Camping is one of the best parts of a cycle trip, being out in the middle of no where,tent up,beer in hand, maybe even a wash ,relaxing after a long days ride.Dinner is a bit poor out here though consisting little more of instant noodles for dinner and porridge for breakfast but like I said theres plenty of beer to go around.
Anxi/Guanzhou spelt the end of the motorway and after a feed of noodles we rejoined with the trucks turning north west into a practical headwind.Some of the trucks are amazingly overloaed,like fat bellies hanging out of loose shirts they wobbled slowly past puffing as we all began a slow climb towards the Bei Shan.The wind gradually increased as the day went on another struggle commenced as the heat of the day grew with the wind we were glad to find some shelter in the blackend foothills of the mountains.The only people out here were the migrant roadworkers busy laying the foundations of the newest stretch of G30.What a place to work,you see these guys step off buses with little more than a shoulder bag,here to work all through the day and sleep on site in small communal tents,harsh conditions in a harsh enviroment.
About 300km west from here is the Lop Nur desert.Only about 1000 years ago it was a huge lake with well run vibrant silk road cities like Loulan benifitting from its clean waters.Climate change and damming of the Tarim river has left it to dry to dust its last waters vanishing less than 100 years ago,it then became site of chinese nuclear bomb tests.Thats the reality alot of China faces today. Desertification and overgrazing is a huge problem in the north which looses 200 sq km of land to the desert every month.The government pay farmers to plant trees creating a green belt across the north that will eventually run for 6000km.
Where was I, 95km was a big day after yesterdays marathon run and we were glad to get into Luiyuan ahead of shedule eager for our day off.Luiyuan is a proper two horse town,migrant workers stumble around pissed on filth as litter blows down the windswept streets.But it gave us a decent cheap hotel, great foodstalls and an unexpected internet cafe.We had planned on a side trip to Dunhuang but opted against it as it seems you will pay for everything down there including a walk in the dunes.Quite content to hang out in Dustville where the very worst kareoke can be heard day and night by the migrant working cat choir,watched by skull capped men and round eyed women futher evidence of our progress west into Uyghur lands.
With only two petrol stations on our barren stretch of mountains and plateau between Luiyuan and Xingxingxia we were supprized to see a chinese tourer pass by and even more supprized to see two lesure cyclists out for a canter five minutes later.But not even close to the supprize we had when up from behind a young Beijinger we nicknamed Silent John joined us on his spotless Merida.Its a bloody cycling conveyor belt today! Together we battled a cold headwind crossing a beautifully barren plateau that the sun had cast amazing light across its wide panorama.It was like being on Mars!I asked Silent John what he thought but he didnt say anything, happy to ride tucked up under my arm out in the traffic with the trucks swerving around him.Not that he noticed,the chinese have no scence of road lore at all.I asked Silent John about that and got no reply,he lit another cigarette and chewed on his banana lolly pop.
Big on our gizi nw China map, Xingxingxia turned out to be little more than a large truck stop.Its the gateway to Xinjiang which means new frontier and is China's largest province.Silent John kindly treated us to a rice dinner but will stay here tonight as he has no tent,spooking Tati with his new found ability to speak english with words like 'big wind tonight', 'danger' and my personal favorite 'no people'.Its a desert SJ thats what happens.Looks like our man wants company tomorrow and is exerting his own personal fears of riding alone into Uyghurstan.
''We'll see you tomorrow Silent John'' I asured, reminding him of his superior speed and ability not to stop every 5km to take photos like us.
It was only 6pm and with the wind dropping there was no way we were going to stop now.We were away upto the toll where a fair skinned Uyghur policeman stopped us asking sternly what our buisness was in Xinjiang.He took our passports into the toll booth only to return seconds later with two bottles of water.
''Welcome to Xinjiang'' he beamed.
Fantastic.With that we headed up the last couple of km before heading down into a desert mountain scence that wouldnt look out of place in the Star Wars saga.Carefull to avoid any contact with sandpeople(sorry) we pushed on.It wasnt long before the words of not so Silent John became clear to us.So thats what he was on about earlier.Around a corner a smooth ,empty,eat your dinner off it motorway stretched off into the setting sun,not one car or truck could get near it due to large earth piles blocking entry at each slipway.The widest bike lane on earth awaited us to join it.

Couple of supply notes as of May 2010
Travelling east to west ;Yumenzhen has everything,oasis after may have odds and ends but didnt check.
35 KM before Anxi/Guanzhou theres a shop in a small village(water ,food etc)
35km before Luiyuan couple of small resturants to the right at top of hill,small shop too.
28km before Xingxingxia theres a petrol station shop with pot noodles and hot water ,other food and water avalible)cant remember where the other petrol station was on this stretch.
XXXia must have a motel I presume as SJ stayed there,otherwise lots of resturants and some shops.

---

Photos

Camped on the shale
needed rest after a 180km day

With Silent John
At the Xinjiang border