Mongolia, Day 3 - Buren to Bayangol

Two sleeping bags were not enough; apparently ice was seen on the tents in the morning. I'm sure my son Yusef would not have minded the cold at all, but I had a very uncomfortable night; I'm sure he'd be pleased about that. The early morning sun was a welcome relief as even its first rays had a warming effect in my tent, taking the chill off the air at 5 am. Up at 07:30 and the tents we're mostly down before the much needed breakfast and hot coffee.

Before we set off for the day, I mount Ducky to his favourite perch on my Honda XR650's front mudguard, from there he gets a commanding view of the road. Once I get a chance to post pictures (the Iridium data link is far too slow to make that practical at the moment) you'll notice Ducky has quite the suntan. He's been away since the Bolivia trip and I think he's been doing a spot of sunbathing somewhere.  Once he's seated, it's quack and roll time.

Duck, on a roll

After refuelling, Gerard offers to let me try his KTM500EXC. Although it's a smaller displacement, the engine has a higher state of tune so it feels much perkier than my Honda. I'm soon making a nuisance of myself power sliding the back wheel on and off the dirt track. The suspension, engine characteristics and throttle allow a fine degree of control that flatters any rider, I was sold on the KTM almost from the first twist of the throttle and I really enjoyed those few kms. Getting back on the Honda seems an anti-climax, but I'll ride any bike and enjoy it.  Riding the KTM has actually improved my bike control I think, even if not my self control. Later on, I manage to get my front wheel stuck in a rut and have to be lifted out. 

Biker Dom, stopped in someone else's tracks

That was on a slow patch and in fact could have been avoided if I was going a bit faster. As I've said previously in my blog, going too slow can be just as dangerous as going too fast, the trick is to find the right balance; as I've not fallen off yet,the balance must be about right. Christian has a similar KTM to Gerard, but it seems even more of a beast with a proper Dakar suspension setup. I'll try that on another day whilst still trying to preserve the balance of course.

We stop for lunch and once again, we're treated to a fine lunch and can you believe it, today we have sushi! My fellow riders and I wish to assure you that we are really on an adventure holiday, honest! The food really has been first class and not at all what we we're use to on poor bike trips. Mongolian hospitality is excellent and our support team is very eager to please. Whilst the lunch was being prepared a few riders head off for the 'dump run'. This is a ritual performed morning, noon and night (but not necessarily by the same people) where we jump on a bike and head off to find a secluded spot to 'make a deposit'. Danny says bike pegs make very good toilet roll holders. The electric start bikes are the preferred mount.

Typical 'dump run' in progress - not an effective location in this case

The trails are definitely getting more sandy as we head south and tomorrow afternoon we get to ride for the first time the Gobi. I'm looking forward to it, especially after the half day dune bashing in Dubai, which really improved my sand skills.

We follow a ominous looking dark sky to our camp site and struggle to setup camp in the strong wind. We eat yet another excellent camp meal and night falls; fortunately the dark sky doesn't trouble us. The temperature drops pretty quickly when the sun goes down and we reach for our fleeces. Before bed (and blog writing) I walk a few times to the top of a nearby hill to warm up before getting into my sleeping bags. At the top I get a good view of the many dump runs in progress hundreds of metres apart, and it's quite amusing to see people scattered in all directions for this essential activity. Tonight doesn't feel as cold as last night so hopefully I'll sleep better. 

small formation of mammatus clouds, ready to burst

As we all say good night, the support team are busy fixing Mark's bike which seems to have a mysterious problem. What trip would be complete without at least one major rebuild of Mark's bike? This time it's not clutch or starter motor; what's he broken this time? ;-)

Still no sign of Duff's lairy trousers, but Steve as always substitutes for that role nicely.