4/5/2018
This is about a 3 day, 111 kms group trip to north Sichuan from Jiange to Zitong
We got together and headed to the north east bus station in Chengdu to catch the 2 pm bus to Jiange. We were able to get the four bikes on the bus with no problem or pay extra. It’s always hit or miss. Sometimes they give you a hard time and want money or sometimes they are cool and you don’t pay.
The bus ride was about 3 hours to Jiange. This area was an important region in China’s history during the three kingdoms period. The valley and a passage here was an important intersection from north to south China. There is a historical tower or castle that blocks the passage nearby the town but we took a different part of the g108. This road divides a few times between jiange and zitong. I have only done the one, but I imagine both are beautiful and similar.
We left town around 545 and headed towards the reservoir that was about 13 kms away. It was a slight incline most of the way, so it took more time than we expected. The views from this town and along the way are beautiful with these unusually shaped brown stone balds on top of the mountains to the left. The road had a good sized shoulder but had a good amount of fast traffic going by.
The reservoir had a green fence around it so there would be no place to camp there so we continued to the end of the lake and at the end there is a barrier and on the other side the water is lower and there are great places to camp and several fisherman around the lake.
It was dark as the others arrived. They had gone a little too far and had to come back. We set up our tents and began to bbq some hotdogs, sausage and beef and had potato salad. The last few days before we left town were hot, but a cold front moved in the day before so it was a little cold at night and windy. I was going to sleep outside but it did drizzle for a little so I went into one of the tents for the evening.
We got up and headed out past nine. It’s up and down the entire journey more less. About 45 minutes to an hour and up and then down etc over and over. Not too many flat areas but at least its not super steep so you can climb most of the way. So it did take a little bit more time than I thought it would. It was a good thing we didn’t plan a longer trip from Guangyuan like I had originally planned.
After 30 kms we met our other two friends who joined today for a nice lunch and then we continued on going uphill for a bit. The road continued without a shoulder but had a little less traffic. As we got closer to Zitong the traffic decreases at least. The scenery is different from the first day. Most of the rest of the trip is going up and along or over ridges thru old growth pine forests with nice views of the farmland below. There are only a few small towns along the way and a bunch of tiny villages. The elevation is not high, it never gets higher then 8-900 meters so it’s nothing like western Sichuan.
I was thinking of maybe stopping in one town, but we continued on so we could make the next day a little shorter. It was about to get dark as we arrived in Wulian which was a quiet town and a rarity in China. Most are super bustling and noisy but this was quite quiet. We had a great dinner and then half of us camped at the end of town in park and the other half of us got a hotel nearby since it was a cold.
We didn’t leave town until after ten. We only had about 35 kms to Zitong and I assumed it would be relatively fast, but it was all up and down and took longer than expected. Beautiful roads and views at least and we passed an old temple along the way. We had a decent lunch in one small town around noon and finally got to Zitong around 3. I hoped we could get on the 350 bus but it was already sold out so the next one left at 520. Luckily a couple seats opened up for the 350 bus so two of us took that, which was good since there was no way we were getting 5 bikes on one bus anyway. The people there were giving us a hard time about having the bikes and yelling about it the whole time. Me and the other girl Tara got our two bikes on and paid thirty and the other three got on later with no problems at least.
It took just over three hours to get back and was less than an hour back home. Great trip and scenery the whole time and everyone enjoyed. One of the women who left after the first day had some drama with one of the other girls about not wanted to be photographed, but other than that things worked out good. I had done this road twice before on motorcycle, so it was difficult to tell how large the inclines and declines were. I thought it was more on a ridge which it is but there are more climbs and a little more time consuming then I thought. Definitely one of the best trips you can do around Chengdu though, especially if you don’t want to go to the super high elevations but still get some nice scenery.
