RTW East to West: More Dirt and 100,000 Miles...

The Tarmac disappeared way too soon. We left the lake around 10:30am and were back on the dirt before noon. Just before the Tarmac ended we had a herd of several dozen camels cross the road in front of us. Camels are pretty funny the way they stare at you. They look to be very curious creatures. Also towards the end of the Tarmac my GS hit a milestone - the 20 year old bike turned 100,000 miles. It's a tough SOB.

The ride through this streach of northern Mongolia was beautiful. We rode near several more lakes and traversed multiple passes - the highest topping around 8500 ft. One of the climbs was super rocky and quite steep and challenging. I prefer the golf ball size rocks to the sand any day though. The plateau through one of the passes revealed the most livestock we had seen in a single area. Dozens of ranchers had brought their goats, sheep, cows, horses and camels up to the lush grasslands on the plateau to graze. It was a pretty cool sight.

We didn't camp at the top of the pass as the wind was whipping and a storm was brewing. There were no trees for any protection - just rock and grass. So we rode down to the valley and found a decent camp spot near a small stream. It did start to rain just after setting up camp so dinner was a bag of pretzels and a vodka martini - I knew that can of olives I bought several days back would come in handy! We all were in our tents and to bed by 9:00pm due to the rain - our earliest night yet. I needed as my body was hammered from the days ride. It rained on and off and the wind gusted strong throughout the night. The nights are also getting cold. It was down in the 40's by the time the sun was coming up in the morning. I got up early to snap some photos as the light was very good with a clear blue sky.

We rode the150 km into Ulgii and arrived around 2:30pm. The ride was mostly rocky but there was a moderate section of sand. I'm either getting better riding sand or the sand is just getting easier - I haven't crashed at all the past two days! We passed another huge lake and rode along side a pretty river on the way into the town. We found a Ger camp with the big three of adventure travel - showers, WiFi internet and laundry. We hadn't had all three in six days. Tonight we see what the Ulgii nightlife has to offer. We actually saw an Irish Pub just as we entered town - I hope the have a pint of Guiness! Tomorrow we will ride the 100 km to the boarder and say goodby to Mongolia. It was definitely some memorable and challenging riding. My body will be happy to be back in Russia where the roads are mostly paved.

Ken getting past a camel crossing.