#1: [27-Apr-02]

09-Jul-2008 -- This is the second out of 23 confluences that I visited on my bicycle trip to the North-East of China. The story starts from 40°N 117°E.

After the successful visit of 40°N 117°E in the morning, I continued cycling on road 102 in eastern direction. I missed the turn-off to this confluence and went all the way to Fēngrùn (丰润). Nevertheless, I didn’t want to skip this easy confluence and took road no 112 north-west. The deviation from my route was 19 km (beeline distance) but I was able to reach the confluence within one hour. First, I came through the town Dàdǎngyù (大党峪), which is 1 km beeline from the confluence. Leaving the town at its northern end, I found a turn-off that brought me directly to the confluence point. The track was a little rough, I passed through a village and went up a hill, but hit the confluence directly. At the confluence, I rewarded myself with a watermelon.

The confluence is a nice place with a beautiful view into the valley and the surrounding mountains. While I enjoyed my fruit, a couple goatherds came by.

The later part of that day turned out to be not so pleasant. I went back to Fēngrùn, but made the mistake not to spend the night there. Instead, I wanted to challenge myself and continued riding further towards the east, but I ended up not finding a place to stay. During the Olympic Games, there were some strict rules that didn’t allow foreigners to spend the night in small places. I ended up deviating to the south and staying in the town Gǔyě (古冶).

CP Visit Details:

• Distance to an asphalt road: 1300 m
• Distance to a road: 1300 m
• Distance to a track: 0 m
• Distance of parking the bike: 0 m
• Distance to houses: 400 m
• Time starting the deviation: 14:00 p.m.
• Time at the CP: 15:05 p.m.
• Riding time (distance) from Beijing: 8:54 hours (181.6 km)
• Measured height: 127 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy at the CP: 4 m
• Topography: mountainous. A flat plane to the south.
• Vegetation: bushes, flowers, pine tree, orchard nearby
• Weather: sunny but hazy, 26° C (felt temperature)
• Description of the CP: In eastern Hebei Province. A little elevated above a valley. Generally populated area.
• Given Name: The Goatherds Confluence

Story continues at 40°N 119°E.