Day 1 of the Bohai Bay Tour: Home – Dongying
Preface: Half a year of preparation, half a year of planning, half a year of anticipation, and in the end, I was alone on the journey, facing nearly half a month of solitary wandering…
Fourteen days, crossing three provinces, cycling over 2200 kilometers in a loop along the Bohai Sea finished smoothly. As the initial excitement faded, the feelings of gratitude remained strong. I'm grateful to my family for letting me fly free. I'm grateful to Travel for their support. I'm grateful to the friends who cared, supported, and paid attention to me during this cycling trip. I'm grateful to the many wonderful encounters along the way, they gave me confidence and strength, allowing me to successfully complete the Bohai Bay Loop Tour
Departure
Time: July 19th
Weather: High temperature 35 degrees
Expenses: 0 yuan
Route: Home – Pingde – Dongying Cycling: 220 kilometers
Half a year of preparation for the Bohai Bay Loop Tour finally came to fruition as I embarked on this solo journey, marking the beginning of my half-month of cycling nomad life. This trip was well-prepared, and my equipment was much better than last year's trip along the Half Island Loop. In the weeks before the summer vacation began, I started planning the route, studying other people's Bohai Bay loop experiences and insights online, and listening to suggestions from cycling enthusiasts in Panjin, such as 'Whole Doesn't Understand'. After repeated revisions, I completed the route setting shortly before the holiday began, created my own Bohai Bay guide, and formed a route book
Equipment
The purchase and maintenance of equipment took up a lot of my time. I only sorted out everything the day before the trip, and packed all my equipment. That evening, I returned home after a barbecue with friends until 10:30 PM, and the first thing I did was pack up all the equipment. A huge pile of food and supplies was packed into a 50-liter backpack, which was incredibly difficult to lift. Fortunately, the big chariot was surprisingly voluminous! Once everything was ready, it was 11:30 PM. Probably due to excitement, I couldn't sleep, and I randomly thought about many things. Suddenly, I realized a serious problem – the spare tire hadn't been prepared, so I immediately went downstairs to get two spare tires
Early Morning 3:30 AM, the alarm rang for only a moment before I got up, I quickly set up the tent, water, and food prepared by my wife, and finally drove her out. It was a challenge to move over 100 kilograms of equipment down the stairs
At 4:00 AM, the city was quiet with a morning mist, the night colors were deep. Occasionally, you could hear the soft chirping of insects in the roadside bushes. After exiting the courtyard, the speed meter reset, and I slowly began cycling towards the car shop, joined by cycling buddies who had already gathered to escort me. The wheels of the bicycle rattled on the silent small town. Finally, I started, and I was a little apprehensive, after all, this was a new and unfamiliar journey. However, I had gained some experience from the Half Island Loop
Meeting with Cycling Buddies at the Car Shop
Before even approaching the car shop, I could see flashing lights and moving shadows at the entrance, my friend and brother Cui and Li were already waiting for me there. I suddenly felt a surge of warmth and a sense of guilt. I should have arrived earlier. Travel's boss is my middle school classmate, and he's helped me out a lot during this time. I had to hold a small opening ceremony for me before leaving. It's heartwarming. At 4:20 PM, we officially started the journey with four people chatting and laughing, cycling towards Pingde. We've already traveled 30 kilometers. The small town of Lesi was left behind, and the flowing Gubi River was where we separated. 'Thank you friend, see you to the west of the Gubi River'. I'm grateful to my friends for their escort, and I'm saying goodbye to Lesi, a small town
Doing Good is Important
The Great Dam of Golaile
After saying goodbye to my cycling buddies, I embarked on my solitary journey… As the sun slowly turned into the midday sun, I finally reached Dongying after traveling over 220 kilometers, and I was once again lost and found in the process. At 10:00 AM, after walking through the shaded 20 kilometers along the Golaile Dam, I finally set off on the 320 highway, where I had been struggling for two days. The temperature exceeded 35 degrees, and the 302 was truly a 'bright plate road' – there was almost no shade, and I encountered the most hot trucks, each time a truck passed by, the hot steam would make me breathless. The straight, monotonous road was a challenge. Fortunately, I encountered a gas station and quickly refreshed myself. I chatted with the gas station girls, who were curious and friendly, and let me mess around
Flat Tire by a Truck
Due to the high temperature, I spent a lot of time resting during the afternoon. Finally, before it got dark, I hadn't reached Dongying. To make up for lost time, I switched to night cycling. Seriously, night cycling on Route 320 is really heartbreaking. One after another, large trucks passed by, driving with far-reaching headlights, and the dust made it difficult to see, making me close my eyes to drive. It was very tiring. About 15 kilometers from the destination, I encountered a suitable campsite and decided to stop. With the permission of the gas station girls, I decided to camp by the gas station. The girls kindly told me that there was a water pipe with drinking water nearby, which was very grateful. After washing up, I decided to start a portable stove, which was my first time using a portable stove, and it was really good to use! Sitting by the tent, I started chatting on QQ to keep in touch with my friends. I'm making simple meals. I'm just making noodles and rice, and I added some seaweed and pickled vegetables. It's a full pot of food and I ate it very happily. After eating, I used the night to wash up, probably due to being too tired, I couldn't sleep even with the trucks passing by. I was amazed at my ability to adapt. Having this camping experience, I'm no longer worried about where I sleep
Flat Tire by a Truck
With the scorching heat, after cycling 220 kilometers today, I didn't know how much sweat I had shed. The cycling pants were covered in salt stains and sweat, and it was painful to sit on them. I had to think about changing them every day. I'm really grateful to my friends for their support. I know I'm a kind of person who loves to live my life and make it through my own way. I'm just happy to be on my way, and I'm grateful to have it
“”
320
15QQ
220320
