May 24th: Jiayuguan to Dunhuang

We left Jiyauguan in the direction of the mountain range we could see on the south side the previous day. It’s strange in China that the plains seem to come right up to the base of the mountains with no gradual slope. We followed that immediate transition into a hill climb and over the cliff faces of the mountains into a gorgeous national park.

It was fantastic in every direction, even the gravel roads were great there. We climbed to an elevation of 2500m to a great plain where we did our sporting times. The austin performed amazing at that elevation, losing only the tiniest amount of power. After the event we drove through one awe-inspiring view after another. We finished the day with a descent and an arduous journey through one long rocky riverbed. The drive home was tough but we certainly earned our rest day tonight.