...or rather I fell in. Woke today feeling decidedly lizard like and sluggish. It wasn't until after breakfast that life returned to me. The night itself was more comfortable and not too cold; two sleeping bags were sufficient.
After a short ride that may have included a fuel stop we encountered our first challenge of the day, a river. The established ford was running high because of the recent rains, and after a reconnaissance crossing by the support jeep, it was decided that our bikes would be loaded into a pickup truck and ferried across. The jeep sank to well below wheel depth and with the strong river current it meant crossing would be almost impossible. We watched a few locals cross on foot by a slightly different route and they managed without too much trouble. We were slightly disappointed.
Then another of the support team came back and said there was another crossing place, so we moved a few kms to that spot and again the jeep recce'd the route. This time one of the support team took a bike ready to cross. With some difficulty he managed. When asked if any of us would do it, Biker Dom took one pace forward. So armed with the suggested route and a cheery wave I set off and did quite well until the current became rather strong and, well, I fell in. Although I did it with style and managed to fire off yet another wave to my band of onlookers. The bike was completely submerged and with help I hauled it from the raging torrent ;-) .
Christian tried it next and almost made it but for hitting a steep ledge at the bank side. In he went. Then Gerard, and he too almost made it clear across but for the strong current at the last minute; he didn't fall in, but couldn't quite reach the bank without my helping hand to pull the bike for the last few metres. Then Chris tried and succeeded! Followed by Matt, punching the sky in celebration, and then Alan. Alan looked as if he was heading for a dunking, so the support team yelled at him to stop! stop! But he kept the power applied, sailed past them, and somehow managed to power the bike up the bank (see video below)
The rest of us either stalled in river or wisely choose to be pushed across. At the other side began the long task of drying off, us and the bikes. Christian's and mine took the most effort as the plugs had to be removed, the bike upended to drain the exhaust, and then the water squirted out with the kick starter. They fired up eventually after requiring an extended bump start towed behind a jeep. With that we set off, but at every subsequent snack stop I'd whip off my boots and trousers to try and dry off. In the breeze buzzing along, I was dry by mid afternoon.
At some point in the afternoon we entered the Gobi desert, the exact boundary is not well defined and changes annually as the winds shifts it. The Gobi here is not the archetypal desert of sand and instead consists of a rocky landscape with sparse dry grass trying to grow on the flat plains in between. The trails are sandy strips worn through that grassy terrain and as is the case everywhere we've been, there are multiple trails all going the same way.
We had an exhilarating ride along those desert tracks in the afternoon, and made our own paths sometimes but always running parallel with the lead jeep. At our penultimate rest stop we had to decide whether to camp sooner or later; we chose later. That meant a two hour plus ride to the dunes to camp for the night; we were ready for that. Unfortunately we didn't reach our destination this evening.
Whilst following the jeep, Mark was momentarily unsighted by its dusty cloud as it went over an edge. Too late to see and stop, awaiting Mark on the other side was our old enemy: deep sand. Not expecting that, his front wheel dug in, catapulting him over the bars whilst at the same time whacking his knee. Luckily he was not seriously hurt, but he'll not be riding for a few days as his knuckles and knee are rather swollen. He'll be in the jeep for a few days at least, which is a shame, as everyone has been commenting on how well Mark's been riding on this trip, obviously benefiting from some off-road training in Spain. A lesson to us all not to follow the jeep too closely no matter how slowly it's going.
Therefore we camped prematurely and tomorrow will have to make up time. We will get an opportunity to ride in the real sandy dunes that rise to almost 800m in places.
The campsite is windy and the wind has not let up all evening. Early start tomorrow so we're all in bed by 22:30. Night night sleep tight, don't let the sand tampans bite (Steve King!)
After a short ride that may have included a fuel stop we encountered our first challenge of the day, a river. The established ford was running high because of the recent rains, and after a reconnaissance crossing by the support jeep, it was decided that our bikes would be loaded into a pickup truck and ferried across. The jeep sank to well below wheel depth and with the strong river current it meant crossing would be almost impossible. We watched a few locals cross on foot by a slightly different route and they managed without too much trouble. We were slightly disappointed.
Then another of the support team came back and said there was another crossing place, so we moved a few kms to that spot and again the jeep recce'd the route. This time one of the support team took a bike ready to cross. With some difficulty he managed. When asked if any of us would do it, Biker Dom took one pace forward. So armed with the suggested route and a cheery wave I set off and did quite well until the current became rather strong and, well, I fell in. Although I did it with style and managed to fire off yet another wave to my band of onlookers. The bike was completely submerged and with help I hauled it from the raging torrent ;-) .
 |
| Biker Dom takes a dive and Ducky enjoyed every moment |
Christian tried it next and almost made it but for hitting a steep ledge at the bank side. In he went. Then Gerard, and he too almost made it clear across but for the strong current at the last minute; he didn't fall in, but couldn't quite reach the bank without my helping hand to pull the bike for the last few metres. Then Chris tried and succeeded! Followed by Matt, punching the sky in celebration, and then Alan. Alan looked as if he was heading for a dunking, so the support team yelled at him to stop! stop! But he kept the power applied, sailed past them, and somehow managed to power the bike up the bank (see video below)
The rest of us either stalled in river or wisely choose to be pushed across. At the other side began the long task of drying off, us and the bikes. Christian's and mine took the most effort as the plugs had to be removed, the bike upended to drain the exhaust, and then the water squirted out with the kick starter. They fired up eventually after requiring an extended bump start towed behind a jeep. With that we set off, but at every subsequent snack stop I'd whip off my boots and trousers to try and dry off. In the breeze buzzing along, I was dry by mid afternoon.
At some point in the afternoon we entered the Gobi desert, the exact boundary is not well defined and changes annually as the winds shifts it. The Gobi here is not the archetypal desert of sand and instead consists of a rocky landscape with sparse dry grass trying to grow on the flat plains in between. The trails are sandy strips worn through that grassy terrain and as is the case everywhere we've been, there are multiple trails all going the same way.
 |
| Gerard enjoys a welcome rest |
Whilst following the jeep, Mark was momentarily unsighted by its dusty cloud as it went over an edge. Too late to see and stop, awaiting Mark on the other side was our old enemy: deep sand. Not expecting that, his front wheel dug in, catapulting him over the bars whilst at the same time whacking his knee. Luckily he was not seriously hurt, but he'll not be riding for a few days as his knuckles and knee are rather swollen. He'll be in the jeep for a few days at least, which is a shame, as everyone has been commenting on how well Mark's been riding on this trip, obviously benefiting from some off-road training in Spain. A lesson to us all not to follow the jeep too closely no matter how slowly it's going.
Therefore we camped prematurely and tomorrow will have to make up time. We will get an opportunity to ride in the real sandy dunes that rise to almost 800m in places.
The campsite is windy and the wind has not let up all evening. Early start tomorrow so we're all in bed by 22:30. Night night sleep tight, don't let the sand tampans bite (Steve King!)
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