Meeting a Sino-Tibetan family with their yak herd and cabin, hammering down rough roads in Sichuan, climbing over the landslides in Jolong, climbing peaks, riding through valleys, and meeting smiling people throughout the journey are all highlights of expedition travel.
These are raw photos and a video of the expedition. Enjoy! [Music: Jason Mraz and Jack Johnson]
I supported IDEAS foundation
Intestinal Disease Education & Awareness Society
http://nogutsknowglory.com
And a second non-profit, ETE
Education Through Expeditions, UK
http://www.etelive.org
Find out more, check those links. Thank you & hope you enjoyed the video.
Stage 1 of 3: Tian Shan Mountains, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region of western China.
Taking the desert highway G217 south of Urumqi across the Borohoro ranges of the Tian Shan. I camped in the mountain deserts between Ürümqi and Turfan.
Ranges of the Tian Shan
The Tian Shan have a number of named ranges which are often mentioned separately.
The Bogda Shan (god mountains) run from 350 to 40 kilometers (220 to 25 mi) east of Ürümqi. Then there is a low area between Ürümqi and the Turfan Depression. The Borohoro mountains start just south of Ürümqi and run west northwest 450 kilometers (280 mi) separating Dzungaria from the Ili River basin.
Cycling a furious set of road conditions and high altitude passes switching back on the mountains. Settled at the top and gathered the wood together and marsh mellows for an incredible night on top! According to my Garmin GPS and 6 satellite fixes, it was 4340meters (14,238 feet) and the
weather was cool, clear and incredibly relaxing. I suffered from altitude sickness below 3000 meters, but will fight to the top to rest and relax by a stoked campfire -brilliant luck in northern Yunnan!
Voting all counted in the final decision. Thanks everyone for participating. Follow updates: http://korean-world.blogspot.com (+) http://arctic2argentina.com and visit the foundations I support: ETE,UK http://www.etelive.org (+) IDEAS, Canada http://nogutsknowglory.com
A good morning in my dream ride, HimalayasX 2011
Liu Shao Long has a canopy over his equipment (panniers) and his winter coat used around Lhasa, Tibet
A dream I had a few years ago…kept thinking about it,
Always cycling BIG in the dreams, and burning fat not oil! ^^…
4340 meters = 14 238 feet
Sino-Tibetans taking a look at the Blackcat and maps
Sichuan backroads, Highway S215 @370km marker to Mianning
Crossing from Urumqi, Xinjiang over the Tian Shen (above) to Korla and back to the Tian Shen and desert highway to Luntai, all only the approach to the Taklamakan Desert, I appreciated the shadows and free water I needed on this highway from passing cars/trucks, they stop 99% of the time, they care about a soul cyclist on the open roads of northwest China – Thank You.
Picked up a melon, ate by hand, cut with Bicycle tools
Beautiful Uighur people all across Xinjiang, China (Uighur Autonomous Region)
40+ days on the road, the early days in Xinjiang, China
That’s my map in the Orlieb handlebar bag (large, black) and the line I drew previous to starting this expedition crossing the Taklamakan Desert, I did it. 9 days from Korla to Luntai, Desert Highway 5 days, another day to Mim Fung, Xinjiang, I continued south of the Taklamakan in similar surroundings all the way to the northwestern Himalayas and back to Yecheng and Kashgar. The expedition was rerouted due to political tension/instability in China, I continued from Chengdu, Sichuan to current location in Yunnan @ Lugu Hu Lake, via Xinjin, Luding, Kangding, Shin Do Cheng, JoLong, Mianning, Yan Yuan and here. 857km in some of the roughest roads, widest mountains (60km climbing days) to 2800m and many of the places between are nameless, continuous and amazing to ride.
Shadows are your best friend, Tian Shen mountain desert, Xinjiang
http://nogutsknowglory.com or http://www.etelive.org Check these links out, leave a comment…^^
When no shade is found, I later started using the reflective survival blanket (wondered why I had it with me, I thought it was a ground sheet for the tent), came in very handy for taking afternoon naps on the road and shelter from sun
Uighur farmers pulling watermelons from the irrigated tracks along the Tian Shen desert
These guys have some great watermelon, about .50 a piece or less
I invite everyone who has email (QQ.com) in China to sign-in. I will send everyone an invitation in a few months with a link to the http://crazyguyonabike.com/himalayasX (mine is the ending, remove for open all journeys) journal that tracks 1000′s of tours, expeditions and free-spirited adventure seekers. Check it out and learn more today (:
Equipment sorted in the desert, camping on the Tian Shen desert crossing
Dry shaving in the Tian Shen desert, I like to keep it smooth!!!!
Lovely campsite, free parking in the desert
@t the office HimalayasX2011
Signs, signs, everywhere are signs (and open roads) Arabic and Chinese Pin Ying
Uighur friends on the road, Xinjiang
He wrote a message in Arabic, translation???
Sweetness – thanks to my new Uighur friends between Tian Shen and Luntai, Xinjiang
Restaurant, highway bushcamp truckstop, Bike campers place as well, got stones thrown at me by one of the Uighurs (didn’t like my jersey collar with USA flag), we almost came to blows, but he would be hitting the dirt
Feeling good before the approach to the Taklamakan Desert
Uighur transportation, many horse-drawn carriages, donkey carts, and cleaner air than in Sichuan where the motor is everywhere and rarely did I see a bike, horse, carriage, donkey – iTHINK (@[100000022561199:2048:Vyacheslav Stoyanov])
Freeway traffic in southern Sichuan, China
Bossman making his moves on the bike for IDEAS foundation, Canada http://weneedideas.com
Muddy rivers flowing with life
Comment, I like!
Open doorways, a store inside
This granola is good, but have lost it all in altitude sickness
Highway traffic in southern Sichuan, China
Brian gone wild on the bike in China, HimalayasX2011
Spinning sessions daily, 100km
Everyone needs a little hammer on one of these, makes you SMILE…^^
Education Through Expeditions, 
HimalayasX2011 Logo, frontroller classic pannier by Ortlieb
http://arctic2argentina.com future expedition planning (:
