To Wenhuajie: pine forest and terraced fields

March 11, 2007

We get back on the road early, it's a bit easier this morning, just outside the hotel. After leaving the city we start a 13km long climb, mostly gradual with a few steeper sections. We ride through a pine forest. Patrick thinks he recognizes the lacebark Chinese pine we have planted next to our driveway. The downhill side of the road is wet, the uphill dry because of the water-cooled brakes all the trucks have. Spaced closely along the road are "stations" where truckers can fill their water tanks.

We climb to about 1550 meters, then a long descent, halfway we have an awesome view over a wide valley full of terraced fields, some under water for rice. It's a bit hazy but the views are still good. At the foot of the mountain, we have to leave the main road which turns into interstate again. We follow the old road. It's very pretty, along a river, riding downstream.

Everywhere are small villages or clusters of tightly packed homes on the hillsides, all other land is intensely farmed, often terraced steeply up the mountain sides. At 35 km we turn on a secondary road headed straight North, starting with a 12km climb, then a downhill to the town we plan to stay tonight. The scenery is great today. Patrick takes many pictures while Rachel keeps grinding uphill, then Patrick catches up.

We arrive at our destination at about 2pm, the town seems small but clean and with quite a few "modern" buildings. We find the hotel from the "downtheroad" American couple that is above an internet place, but the woman seems uninterested in renting out a room. The next hotel works out well, a bright smallish room with a bathroom, hot water, queen bed and TV with the English language CCTV (tuned in already). We clean up, rest awhile, read and about 5pm go to the internet place. There are lots of messages in response to Rachel's latest newsletter and we also find that Nathan has posted another batch of pictures. We add captions and organize them into folders

Dinner is goo: beef, vegetables and rice.

Patrick shows them where we are on the map

Today's ride: 60 km (37 miles)
Total: 6,585 km (4,089 miles)

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