It was a fairly tough day today. All dirt so we only made around 200kms, which is petty good going considering. We started the day with a 20km detour, as there was a river crossing which was a bit too deep. We got to the edge and a car was about to cross from the other side, so we waited to see how deep it was.

Deep but doable was my initial thought, though I wasn’t keen. Chip and Ken turned into Chip and Dale… After you
No no. After you.
Of please, I insist…..etc.

We spoke to the driver and he said to go back 2 miles and up over the mountain. It was just as easy for us to go back past the camp spot and take the other road, north then west rather than west then north. So we did!

This morning I hiked up to the top of the hill we camped at the base of. There was a toilet at the top 😉 You can’t see the tents, but you can just make out the 8 lane trans Mongolian highway cutting left to right across the picture. What I’m liking about Mongolia is that if you see something you like the look of, you just ride straight towards it! See a good camping spot? No problem!

Take out the papers and the trash… etc. That song has been knocking around my head all day, ever since I came across a herd of Yak today. (Ken calls it a “Yak pack”). I don’t think I’ve seen a yak before. Maybe in a zoo one time, but it wasn’t something I remember particularly.

They didn’t seem too bothered about me or the bike. Like most of the livestock I’ve seen, goats, horses, cows and sheep – they’re all surprisingly relaxed around motorised transport. I would have thought it would be the opposite.

There’s a fashion show in Tsetserleg tonight. We’re not there to see it, but last night we met one of the organisers, Michelle. It was a stroke of luck as the lady in the restaurant didn’t speak any English, and the menu was in Mongolian – with no pictures!!

She fetched Michelle from the next table, who spoke very good American and translated for us. Thanks for that! I hope the show goes well for them, it’s to promote the benefits of Yak wool. Hmm, I wonder what song they’re playing as the models walk down the catwalk?

Mongolian roads are pretty good when they decide to make them. As good as anywhere else. Unfortunately there are no routes across the country where it’s all tarmac. When the road runs out there is generally a track running across the steppe.

I say a track, but it’s more like 8 or 10 tracks running roughly parallel. They’re ranging from hard packed and smooth to soft sand with corrugations or just heavily rutted. Occasionally you can sit down on the bike for a rest, but beware! Be ready to stand up at any time. The best track is of course the one next to the one you’re on!

The weather is warm and sunny for the most part at this time of year, but it does rain and I did get caught out before lunch. The storms are impressive as they’re very localised, almost like a series of micro climates. It’ll be bright sunshine where you are, but you can see lightning in 3 or 4 different corners of the sky.

We stopped at a pretty canyon, it was a short blat across the steppe from the road. Not the kind of thing I was expecting to see, but very pretty none the less. It reminds me of the film Rambo, where he jumps onto the trees to avoid the helicopter. I didn’t try it!

Scenery today is as good as ever, but we ran out of tarmac about 130kms West of Tsetserleg. The tracks so far have been fairly easy to navigate, mostly hard packed with the odd strip of sand. The sand isn’t too deep so if it stays this way it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Let’s hope those aren’t famous last words!

Sophie
Latitude:48.03518
Longitude:100.40946
GPS location Date/Time:08/15/2014 21:57:34 PDT

Message:Random place of interest along my route….

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/IfZ-M/48.03518N/100.40946E

If the above link does not work, try this link:

Sophie

You have received this message because Sophie has added you to their SPOT contact list.

Ready for Adventure
FindMeSPOT.com

We stopped for lunch at our first real Mongolian establishment. We’d been warned about no fresh food, language difficulties and a reluctance on the part of restauranteurs to serve non-locals. All of this was obviously just scaremongery, as we managed to order and get served no problem.

The facilities were basic, a stark room resembling someone’s lounge with an extra table and chairs in. However, the food was excellent!

The lady who served us (and did the cooking) was lovely. Even though we didn’t share a word between us, it was a good atmosphere. I managed to get the details of the trip across, which she relayed to her kids. She asked if she could write on my tank when she saw the other writing. Why not? I handed her the pen and she set straight to it.

I’m not sure what she’s written, but she did it with a smile!

The problem with Mongolia is the scenery. It’s just stunning, which is a problem. Get up and walk to your bike and you’re thinking “WOW – Take a picture!”.

Ride for half a mile and you’re thinking ” WOW – Take a picture! “. Come round a bend and you see the most amazing post card scene, so you’re thinking ” WOW – Take a picture! “.

And so on. It’s the same every time I come over a hill, the next scene gets even better, so I’m thinking ” WOW – Take a picture! “.

The sense of space is phenomenal. Thousands upon thousands of square miles of open steppe, nothing to break the view save the odd ger. Mountains rising in the distance.

Breathtaking.

After consultation with the incoming riders, we’ve decided to take the central route across Mongolia. From Ulan Bator that takes is across to Tsetserleg, then over to Olgi prior to exiting into Russia on the road to Novosibirsk.

The road to Tsetserleg is all tarmac, with the odd section of roadworks where it’s all dirt. After that it’s tracks and sand until we’re close to the border. When we hit the sand the tyre pressures will come down and we’ll have to take it easy – but with any luck we should be OK.

Luckily we can wild camp just about anywhere, it’s almost expected. It’s been great to have a few days off, but the serious stuff is about you start!