Lee-Ann and Dave's Epic Eurasia Motorcycle Adventure: September 4, 2015 Ulanchap to Beijing

Today was another long day of riding in conditions that are not ideal for a motorcycle. We had rain all day, sometimes heavy, and the roads were always wet. Several roads had nearly a foot of water in places.

We rode out of the underground hotel parking a little after 8am.

Not only did we have to cover 381km (291 miles) on a route through several small towns, but we were also scheduled to stop at the Great Wall of China, and drop the motorcycles at the Beijing BMW motorcycle shop for needed service and repairs tonight.

One of the things we noticed yesterday and today, was the huge number of new buildings that are sitting vacant. The Chinese government has a policy of “If we build it, they will come” or more accurately, “If we build it, we will make them come”. Building availability far exceeds the demand in many markets. Occasionally, the government is relocating people by fiat.

Our gas stops went more smoothly today. All the bikes were allowed to fill at the pump after brief " discussion" with the attendants. We still attract attention. People love the big machines and want to be photographed on them and with us.

And with Big Mike.

All sorts of vehicles and products are on the national roads. This huge pile of corn stalks is on a tiny three wheel motorcycle/pick up. We also saw mules pulling carts. Small motorcycles and electric scooters are also popular.

Mostly, we see large trucks. At one point we had to weave, split lanes and ride the shoulder to get around a mile-long backup of trucks. The cause of the backup was a police check point and truck inspection. It was a nightmare of 2 or 3 vehicles abreast, blocking any movement from the opposing direction.

In the small towns, roadside produce stalls and shoppers add to the craziness of the traffic.

Our scenery varied from coal burning power plants…

To ancient temples and fortifications.

Then there was this machine spewing some sort of fogging agent – not sure what for.

Police were everywhere. At this point I’m not sure if it’s because of the government

ceremonies and parade in Beijing, or if it is a “normal” part of life in China. The police checkpoints are numerous.

Around 2pm we were near the Great Wall of China. But first we had the day’s adventure. We had just gone through a checkpoint, and John and Yingchu were taking care of things there for the group. Mike took over leading the group on towards the wall. We arrived at a point where there were two roads going in the same direction as the GPS routing.

The first led through a toll booth, the second to a smaller road to the Great Wall. Mike took the toll road and us dear little lemmings followed. The toll was for the highway that motorcycles aren't allowed to go on. Mike and the first three riders got through. Dave and 4 riders behind him were stopped. Now what to do? The officials insisted we turn around and go back. David saw that the far left lane had no traffic and headed for that spot. Unfortunately, a car chose that moment to pull up to the toll booth. We pulled over as far left as we could and squeezed by her. She then froze and would not move either forward or to the side so the rest could pass. We tried to block any other vehicles from getting into the lane but failed to keep several buses from passing. Everything was at a complete standstill in that lane, with motorcycles and busses totally blocking the toll booth. It was gridlock. Finally, John arrived and helped to push all the motorcycles backward and found an alternate exit for them.

By that time, Mike and realized his mistake. He made a U-turn on a ramp and brought his followers back on the shoulder, against the highway traffic. Yee-ha. What fun.

After that escapade, the stupid Americans, Frenchman and Indonesian riders placidly entered the grounds of the Great Wall of China in pouring rain. After parking the motorcycles on the sidewalk (where else) Yingchu and Green (her American name) arranged a quick lunch. John and Mike stayed with the bikes to watch over them and our gear. Of course, the skies chose that moment to open up and pour more buckets of rain.

After lunch, Marilyn, Tom and Mona Loftus, Dave and I bought tickets and rode the gondala up to the Wall.

At the top we posed in front of the Wall. Believe me, the Wall is somewhere back there in the fog. The pitch on this part of the wall was unbelievebly steep.

We didn’t stay at the top very long since there wasn’t much to see in the fog.

We had about 30 miles left to ride for the day. The good news was that for this section the motorcycles were allowed on the freeway. Traffic was heavy, and many times we rode in the emergency vehicle lane. Cars merging in from entrance ramps often tried to muscle us over. The horns were our best weapons.

Even with the heavy traffic we were moving about 20-30 mph most of the time. I thought to myself, this isn’t so bad. Why did John make such a big deal about Beijing traffic? Hah! When we got off the freeway, the real fun began, because now scooters and pedestrians were in the mix. Still there was a rhythm to the traffic.

While it took time, over 3 hours to travel 30 miles, we did eventually make it to the BMW shop – well almost. John’s bike died about a mile short of the destination. He quickly transferred Yingchu to Boz’s motorcycle, and Mike led us to the shop.

The dealer had arranged for his staff of mechanics to work through the night on a Frriday, and the next day to complete the service and repairs in time for us to leave the day after.

Dave’s list of work is: tires, service light is on, right pannier is leaking, and the horn is broken (probably the most important given today’s experience).