26-Jun-2011 -- This is the third 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.6 of my bike trip I got up at 4:20 a.m. (a little later than usual) in the town Sūnítè Yòuqí (苏尼特右旗) which is 40 km beeline from the confluence point. At 5 a.m. the sun was already too bright to cycle without sunglasses. I passed a huge wind park, climbed one hill. Finally at 12.7 km beeline distance remaining, I reached the small village Sāngbǎolātèsūmù (桑宝拉特苏木) on that straight desert road. Besides a little shop for the very basics, the village appeared to be empty. From there, a turnoff lead further to the confluence – to my surprise that road was asphalted for another 6 km. At a distance of 1.2 km I passed the last farmhouse. After climbing a little hill I left my bicycle and walked the last 800 m to the confluence point.

Since the confluence is located on a little hill, you can enjoy a far view into the steppe in all directions. The vegetation however is less spectacular consisting of dry grass. In-between there are some yellow flowers blooming.

The way back was basically the same as the way getting there, only that the features passed by in reverse order. At noon time I was back in Sūnítè Yòuqí and had cycled 100 km round-trip. Since the next place to stay was another 100 km away, I decided to have a relaxed afternoon in town and hit the road again next day.

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to an asphalt road: 6 km
• Distance to a road: 1.2 km
• Distance to a track: 800 m
• Distance of parking the bike: 778 m
• Distance to houses: 1.2 km
• Time starting the hike: 7:35 a.m.
• Time at the CP: 7:55 a.m.
• Measured height: 1010 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 1 m
• Position accuracy at the CP: 6 m
• Topography: rolling hills
• Vegetation: grassland, flowers
• Weather: sunny, 26° C (felt temperature)
• Description of the CP: 12 km north of Sāngbǎolātèsūmù in the Autonomous Region Inner Mongolia. 40 km north-east of Sūnítè Yòuqí.
• Given Name: The Desert Round-Trip Confluence

Story continues at 42N 112E.