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the Degree Confluence Project
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China : Nèi Měnggǔ Zìzhìqū (Inner Mongolia)

24.1 km (15.0 miles) SE of Shumugou, Nèi Měnggǔ, China
Approx. altitude: 759 m (2490 ft)
([?] maps: Google MapQuest OpenStreetMap ConfluenceNavigator)
Antipode: 46°S 59°W

Accuracy: 4 m (13 ft)
Quality: good

Click on any of the images for the full-sized picture.

#2: View to the South #3: View to the West #4: View to the North #5: View to the East #6: GPS Reading #7: Ground Zero #8: The Confluence Hunter #9: Herd of Sheep from the Top of a Mountain #10: Cairn near the Confluence

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  46°N 121°E  

#1: The Confluence from 30 m

(visited by Rainer Mautz)

16-Jul-2012 -- This is the 7th out of 20 confluence points that I reached on a bicycle trip to the North-East of China. The narrative of the trip starts from 41°N 117°E.

On confluence morning, I woke up naturally at 3:50 AM (it was already daylight) and prepared instant sesame cereal in my hotel room since there is no breakfast offered at this time of the day. At 4:45 AM I hit the road in the town Tuliemaudu (土列毛都镇), a place which is about 80 km south of the confluence point. I actually hadn’t planned on visiting that CP, but some deviations that I made due to map errors had the effect that the point lay not far off from my way towards the north. However, there was no public road from Tuliemaudu, but I saw some tracks on Google Earth. So I tried to follow those tracks as good as I could. Certainly I had to ask several times for the route, since there are absolutely no signposts in the hinterland. This way, I climbed 2 mountain passes without staying on official roads. Only once I rode 10 km into a dead end ending up at a house of two potato farmers. There, I had a pleasant chat whilst having tea and escaping a bit the midday heat. And another time the head of the district came by with his convoy of 5 fancy jeeps. They all stopped curiously asking all my whereabouts. I was donated lots of fresh drinking water and after a common photo session we all went on. Maybe I should point out at this time that these photo sessions occur at least 10 times a day. People see a foreigner (which is rarely the case in these areas) and then ask me whether they can take a picture with me using their mobile phones.

After I had crossed over the second pass, the landscape changed: no farming anymore but grassland and pasture. For getting to the confluence point, I had to leave the track towards the north and ride on top of another hill with a cairn. I abandoned my bike, climbed a hill and descended on the other side almost to the button until I had reached the exact zero location.

Although the point is located lower than its surroundings, there are quite some views into the open land. From the top of the hill I saw this herd of sheep.

I continued on hard-to-find tracks towards the north until I reached the town Alidearsumu (阿力德尔苏木) just before sunset.

CP visit details:

  • Distance to an asphalt road: 21 km
  • Distance to a track: 400 m
  • Distance to a footpath: 400 m
  • Duration of the hike to reach the CP: 10 minutes
  • Distance of bicycle parking: 500 m
  • Distance to houses: 2000 m
  • Time at the CP: 15:09 PM
  • Measured height: 756 m
  • Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
  • Position accuracy at the CP: 4 m
  • Topography: hilly
  • Vegetation: grass
  • Weather: sunny, 32° C (felt temperature)
  • Given Name: The Sheep Mountain Confluence

Story continues at 47°N 121°E.


 All pictures
#1: The Confluence from 30 m
#2: View to the South
#3: View to the West
#4: View to the North
#5: View to the East
#6: GPS Reading
#7: Ground Zero
#8: The Confluence Hunter
#9: Herd of Sheep from the Top of a Mountain
#10: Cairn near the Confluence
ALL: All pictures on one page