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18 nov '06

Ice Fields

Xilinhott, Inner Mongolia

Icy tent, icy head, icy toes and a Ditch in my arm pit. What a glorious way to wake up to the world. I slowly organised myself and the contents of the tent, trying not to get more ice scattered everywhere.

My Hilleberg tent is superb, very light and is built to handle extremes, but I'm pretty tall and with Ditch in there as well it makes for a tight squeeze, especially when you're trying to avoid touching the walls. I'd recommend it to everyone though. One pole, maximum 10 pegs and as stable as a Shire horse. It will be perfect for next year, but a bit too short and low for me in this weather. Its like trying to fit a huge bear into a suitcase.

I got Ditch into her suit straight away and off we went out into the snow. She was a bit unsure at first but soon realised that eating snow and running in it was fun. Although restricted to clockwork movements she did pretty well.

While she was tick tocking around I emptied the tent and fired up the cooker. The sun was slow to rise and when it did it was rather weak.

It took a couple of hours for it to breathe a bit of life back into me and the landscape.

In between gaps in the clouds it reflected off the snow and dazzled me as I wandered about. Beautiful.

The snow flakes were incredibly snow flake like. I don't remember seeing snow flakes like the ones you might hang on your Christmas tree. Guess its been a long time since I saw snow. Last time was way back in 1947... Ooo that was a year !

Slowly slowly I got everything into the panniers and prepared to get back on the road. I moved all the bags up there first and then dragged wheelie through the deep snow. No easy task.

Once on the road and rolling the realisation of today's importance washed over me. Today would be my last day this year...

I hate to make it so, but after Xilinhott the road slowly disappears and I would be going off the beaten track. When snow falls again it will be impossible to get through or impossible to get out. In such cold conditions its not just miserable, but dangerous. I'll have to tackle it in the spring early next year. Green grass will be spreading across the land and flowers will be everywhere. That's got to be something worth seeing. I plan to run close to the Mongolian border and get really out into the sticks.. As sticky as it comes in Inner Mongolia anyway.....

........today was a day that simply needed to be enjoyed for what it was. My last day riding this year. ...... and what a day !

The scenery stretched off in all directions, a soft undulating sea of snow ..... I was so happy to be out there. Despite the cold it was worth all my pedalling just for that day. The air was clean, and my eyes had plenty of exercise due to the long distances.

The road was an icy straight line heading North through the huge expanses of snow. Passing over the shallow hills and dipping down into vast valleys.

The skies were clear and so was my mind. There is not much to write this time. The pictures say it all. I breathed in the landscape and we slowly moved towards the inevitable. Stopping often to take it all in.

Me, wheelie and Ditch

The approach to the city was a slow climb uphill. We weren't moving very fast, we had no reason to. The sun went down and we rolled in Xilinhott.

The sun will rise again for us soon and the really wild parts of China will be explored. For now all three of us will go into hibernation and pop up again in you mail box sometime in spring. Or maybe before if we have any adventures in the meantime.. as I'm sure we will. Never have been very good at hibernating.

This is where we are.

As we wont be riding up until Christmas, I hope you can all will help send the Donati-o-meter rocketing to its final target of $5,000. Everyone is always saying that Christmas comes earlier each year.... Lets hope they are right.

Bye for now...... Have a great Christmas and may your New Year be a time to fulfill all your dreams.

By the way. This is the latest Mongolian fashion for the weather hardy.

Its not healthy for your left leg though. They tend to wither away in the cold. Thats what happened to me you know.

Good Night

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Comments:

Pat writes:

Merry Christmas Rob, Ditch, and Wheelie. You are due a rest. We look forward to following your China Adventures again! But for now...rest and warm up!

18/11/2006 22:40:41

mark j writes:

enjoy the rest mate!

I'm looking forward to reading more in the new year! Your adventures make me jellous

19/11/2006 0:33:37

mei writes:

:)sleep well with ZZZZZZZ.........zzzzzzzz.......Zzzzz.....zzzZZZZZ.....zzz...Z...zzzzzzz.........

Take good care of your eyes in the snow world....

ps in some photos ,you look like an Arab woman....hehe! just joking...never mind!

good night!

19/11/2006 0:36:11

Sophia writes:

:D

:)

:p

:b

19/11/2006 1:01:11

Leo writes:

it's good to see so much snow.
Spring is not far away after the chiristmas!

19/11/2006 2:01:48

Rob writes:

G'Day
Sounds like a sensible decision...though I must admit I was looking forward to reading about snow and ice while baking in our summer heat here downunder.
Guess Ditch will get some training now and be a fully fledged sled...err Trike dog by spring..!!
All the best mate.
and Bob says G'Day to Ditch.

Cheers
Rob

19/11/2006 5:40:02

Liz writes:

nice picture~~take care yourself~Rob!

19/11/2006 11:08:26

Ken in Illinois writes:

Rob, will you and Ditch spend the winter in Beijing or Hong Kong?

It's going to be hard to keep from checking every day, we've been following you daily since April when you were in Hunan province near where our younger daughter is from. Please post occasionally and let us know when and where you plan to start up again.

Take care.

Ken, Laura, Anabel Zhen Hua and Robin Shuang Ye in Illinois USA

19/11/2006 11:14:52

Gary writes:

Fantastic pics Rob, and glad to see that yours, Ditch's and of course Wheelie's safety still comes first. Definately the right decision, made me cold just reading it. In this hibernation period think we all need to think how we can get the donati-meter rocketing up. Dave and I will give it some thought and lets see what sort of events/sponsorship we can help organise ready for the spring. Your achievments so far have been somewhat super-human in most of our eyes. Speak soon fella.....

19/11/2006 11:16:49

Cecilie writes:

Honh Kong salutes ye

19/11/2006 13:22:11

liangsheng writes:

Very cold. when are you go to shanghai.You not go to xingjiang.That is very cold!Ditch's very big.-liangsheng

19/11/2006 22:09:50

JZASONZHOU writes:

锡林浩特－内蒙古自治区境内！！天空真蓝！！冬季的北方，干冷干冷...

20/11/2006 10:58:22

JZASONZHOU writes:

对了，Rob你喝酒drink 吗？冷了喝点酒，可以取暖...

20/11/2006 11:12:48

Steve E writes:

Bob,
My days will be so much duller without any Wheelie reports, looking forward to seeing you back on the road. Well done mate.

Steve E

20/11/2006 12:42:05

Dan Mawbs writes:

Well done Rob! Love it. Truly inspiring stuff!

20/11/2006 17:18:35

martynJ writes:

Very cool photos Rob! See you next year.

20/11/2006 18:53:08

liangsheng writes:

你可以给ROB发拼音！！他还可以看一点！！wo men hao xiang ni !!!Rob ni
xian zai ma !!!wo men dou hen guan xin ni de shi qing !!zhu yi an quan !!

20/11/2006 23:46:00

Pat writes:

Would you let us know when you get back safely? And post once in awhile just to let us know how you and Ditch are doing?

21/11/2006 0:51:27

Commander writes:

Remarkable voyage! Well done both of you! Keep safe, warm and rolling. Search for the Yeti. Ein sends his bow wow to Ditch!

Good Luck Rob and Ditch!

Ein and the Commander

21/11/2006 18:02:21

Ｍㄒ∨ writes:

ROB effort
Good Luck

22/11/2006 14:02:11

Liz writes:

Rob~I send something into your mailbox~~(this one--chinawheelie2@gmail.com):D

22/11/2006 22:49:43

pod writes:

wow...end of the middle of the road!! ditch looks well cool in his snazzy little suit, glad to see you haven't got matchin suits like an old married couple!!! or maybe you're savin them for later! glad you haven't been eaten by bears or so hungry you've had to slay some fearsome beastie with your bare hands....still plenty of time for that who knows whats to come! have you ventured across any badgers yet? i hear they are quite a handful over there! love you loads man, you're doin absolutely amazing....one of the few real adventurers out there.....pops is diggin ditch when she sees his pics...xxxxx

23/11/2006 5:16:49

Debs in HK writes:

What an amazing, incredible, remarkable young man you are Rob Luxton. Hope you take a well earned break and rest, drink lashings of beer and eat mountains of hot food. It's been fascinating reading your posts and looking at the quality photos. I almost got lost in the photos on this post - just a daydream but truly felt sort of as if I was there (easy to say sitting here in comfort - I know!) and that pic of you, Wheelie and Ditch is so poignant that the odd tear or two welled up, over and out. Thank you for allowing us to share your journey, your thoughts your highs, your lows and your rants over the past months Rob. Never thought when I started visiting your blog all those months ago that I would follow so avidly!

Will miss logging into chinawheelie every day - it's like brushing my teeth now - but the safety of you three is paramount and it's definitely a sensible decision you've made.

Until the next time .... be safe, happy and warm.

23/11/2006 12:56:10

Debs in HK writes:

Heavens - did I sound a little soppy above?

What I meant to say was -

A little something I wrote earlier this month and then forgot to post .........

Brrrrrrrrrr all this cold talk reminds me of the red chaffed legs I used to get in England on a cold winters morn on the way to school. The bit of leg between knee length white school sock ending and grey school skirt beginning ... which admittedly wasn't a very big bit in relation to total length of leg but even so it was most unpleasant and would often bring tears to my eyes............... especially when the icy wind jabbed its fierce tentacles deep into the epidermis. The memories live with me ......... I moved to Asia to try to escape them. To no avail. What an inspiration you are indeed Rob - to brave goodness knows how much colder weather and with more to cart around than a mere satchel and a basket full of ingredients for double-cookery lesson with Miss Salt [true - she was called Miss Salt ...]. Pedal on but keep your circulation going by getting off to push uphill too regardless of whether you want to or not - as you need your tootsies attached to your feet - not left in the end of your socksies when you take em off.

Better late than never.

23/11/2006 13:23:10

GLADYS IN MIAMI writes:

ROB, IT WAS GREAT READING YOUR POSTS AND SEEING YOUR PICTURES. WHAT HAPPENS NOW??? WHERE DO YOU GO AND HOW DO YOU GET THERE??? ARE YOU TAKING A BUS BACK TO BEIJING?? WILL YOU STAY IN CHINA UNTIL SPRING??

24/11/2006 0:25:50

Cindy writes:

Fabulous photos! I totally LOVE Ditch and Wheelie! I hope to see more posts soon on how you three are doing during this off time. I'm supposed to be at work in the morning and found your site tonight. Read the WHOLE site tonight instead of sleeping, but it was well worth it! Take care of yourself and Ditch!

Cindy in New Hampshire, USA
http://thepelletiers.blogspot.com

24/11/2006 16:22:08

kira writes:

GREAT "hello" to the Martian and the Martian dog on the Martians fields of inner mongolia!!!!!
Wow it was looong time ago! i mean - "... Last time was way back in 1947..." when u saw snow... Yesterday we were celebrating my grand-ma's birthday - she was born in 1940... If u like snow so much - move to Irkutsk - u'll see this beauty every year for 7 months... Even Siberians prefer warm flats and houses to tents though :).

what is the next point on ur way????
as chinese people say - Jia you!
good luck
i've sent a picture to ur e-mail

26/11/2006 14:41:29

Anonymous writes:

厉害

28/11/2006 21:27:54

Anonymous writes:

什么时候到银川

28/11/2006 21:28:36

Anonymous writes:

when you come to YinChuan?

28/11/2006 21:33:35

Pat writes:

Rob, your Rob-a-Finder GPS indicates that you are still in Xilinhott. Are you wintering there or heading for warmer climates? How is Ditch doing these days?

29/11/2006 4:55:45

rob thomson writes:

Dude, how stoked are you to have three wheels rather than two on that icy road? Keep it up, I'm looking forward to the next update.

29/11/2006 17:29:53

rob thomson writes:

Oh, just realised this is your last day for the year. Enjoy the time off!

29/11/2006 17:41:38

Nic M writes:

Hey Big Bob.

As your email keeps rejecting my emails I finally realised that this box at the bottom was not just for decoration!

Amazing pics - amazing tales - you make an old pal from Devon proud! It is great to be able to share your adventure, albeit in the comfort of my home. I look at my radiator with a new found appreciation that is slightly tainted by a touch of guilt for having what appears to be such a luxury!

I been religiously following your adventures and fear my mornings may
be incomplete for the next few weeks.

You three enjoy some well deserved time off, get warm and have a good xmas. Take care mate.

30/11/2006 18:51:18

Mark (in London) writes:

I think you made the right decision to stop Rob. Have spent alot of time in cold climates myself over the years but day after day in a tent thats too much....those were truly awsome pictures. It inspired me. I wasnt sure that i would take a winter holiday this year but seeing those clear skies in the cold weather in your pictures made me realise that i should go again.

30/11/2006 20:14:15

Liz writes:

Rob~~Finally I finished that cartoon(sweat)~and I had already send into your mailbox~~Check it up please~~
say hello toTom, Ditch,Wheelie and your sweetheart "Tent",keep happy~

1/12/2006 18:46:27

roy en jeremy writes:

wer are from the netherlands we are jou homepage farry good we are hope fore jou moar money for the kids good luck greeting roy en jeremy

1/12/2006 21:48:27

mei writes:

Hi Rob and Ditch, i am thinking of you very much i feel ashamed in the WARM room of Beijing...
Share in a bear hug from you and Ditch!!:)

2/12/2006 19:44:55

Ray writes:

Stunning photography Rob, you saved some of the best shots till last, and a sensible decision to hit pause on your most excellent and epic adventure, for now at least. Your journey is inspiring in so many ways, I think you've shown everyone who thought you were totally mad to do this, that you are in fact, totally sane.

So the big question is, are you back in HK soon? If so, I can't wait to share a beer with you and exchange rat-in-the-tube stories....

PS. Nice adventurer's beard mate.

2/12/2006 21:28:25

gladys writes:

Thanks for the reference, she sure looked pathetic, I would have taken her too.

Hey, maybe our paths will cross in February or March when I go adopt my second daughter. I have no idea what province I will be going to yet. I enjoyed your pictures from Chongqing since my first daughter is from Fuling.
Did you have any experiences regarding the one child policy?? Did you see any abandonments in your travels.

5/12/2006 9:08:41

Alex H writes:

Very nice site! (But you've probably been told that before).

By the way, Parsley Boy, I reckon you're a bit of a lightweight for not continuing into the big white zone. Reckon you could've hacked it a bit longer at least. Turning back due to bad weather? Pah! Humbug!

And I've finished my transPacific trip. Currently in Mexico - will be back in HK on Tuesday.

(Gary (if you are reading this) the underwater housing will be back in your hands soon.)

nite nite
x

10/12/2006 17:38:07

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Keith writes:

Well done!