27-Jun-2011 -- This is the 4th out of 20 confluences that I reached on my bicycle trip along the Great Wall of China. The story starts at 41N 115E.
On day no.7 of my bike trip I got up at 3:30 a.m. (the first time that my alarm clock woke me up) in the town Sūnítè Yòuqí (苏尼特右旗) which is 86 km beeline north-east of the confluence point. When I left my hotel at 4:15 a.m. it was already dawning. I cycled all day long straight through the desert without notable features along the roadside. At KM 65 (the first place with houses) I had sheep meat and mantou for breakfast.
At KM 95 with 2 km beeline to the confluence distance remaining, I reached an intersection where I was able to approach the confluence point further on another asphalted road up to 890 m distance. At that point I left my bike and hiked across grasslands straight towards the confluence point. An remarkable feature was this stone.
Standing on the confluence point, there is steppe in all directions. The vegetation consists of only dry grass. A farmhouse can be seen from the confluence in 600 m distance.
When I returned to my bicycle, my socks were crowded with so many burrs that one could think that long thick hair was growing on my feet. I continued the bike tour further on road no.101 in south-western direction, passed the town Sìzǐwáng (四子王旗) and reached Wǔchuān (武川县) in the evening after having cycled 235 km that day.
CP Visit Details:
- Distance to an asphalt road: 1 km
- Distance to a road: 1 km
- Distance to a track: 280 m
- Distance of parking the bike: 890 m
- Distance to houses: 600 m
- Time starting the hike: 10:50 a.m.
- Time at the CP: 11:18 a.m.
- Measured height: 1556 m
- Minimal distance according to GPS: 1 m
- Position accuracy at the CP: 3 m
- Topography: rolling hills
- Vegetation: grassland
- Weather: cloudy, 29° C (felt temperature)
- Description of the CP: 2 km north of road 101 in the Autonomous Region Inner Mongolia. Not many features in the area.
- Given Name: The Hairy Socks Confluence
Story continues at 41N 111E.