20 days since we first entered Sichuan, a province which has proved both rewarding and extremely challenging. Our last two days in the province proved not to break this pattern as we get hit with everything the province had left to throw at us, both good and bad!

Riding from Chengdu to Chongqing, getting kicked off the highway twice in the name of safety... Rain, mud, and construction on the National Roads sure sound safer to me! (end sarcasm)

Though not as long or difficult as our stretch on the G219, our trip north from Lhasa and out of Tibet was not without its challenges! But by the end of the three days there was no denying we were starting the next big leg of our journey.

Well the sand storms and desert heat from only a few weeks ago certainly seem far away now! Read about the start of our adventure on the G219 into Tibet as we hit snow, 5,000m high mountain passes, and the beautiful scenery of the Kunlun Mountains and into Tibet.

Turning up the heat as we move into Xinjiang province. We visit (one of?) the lowest points on earth at the Turpan Depression and get stranded at the abandoned tourist center in the middle of a massive sandstorm.

After an unplanned day off in Jiayuguan, we head to an unplanned tourist destination in the desert to enjoy an oasis, buddha caves, a sunset from a sand mountain, and, eventually, a blown tire.

First a couple nice boring days where we were able to enjoy the roads and put some miles behind us. We were looking forward to our first night out camping of the trip, but it didn't quite turn out as we had hoped.

An eventful and tiring day as we encounter our first major mechanical failure, our first fall on the bike, and our first Chinese countryside back road navigation!

Got hit hard with rain today as we cut back our originally planned route again to take shelter from mother nature.