Day 739 – CHINA (QINGHAI) – QINGHAI DETOUR PART VII: From the middle of nowhere to Reshui


Today’s distance / ???????: 41.1 miles / 66.2km
Average speed / ????: 7.3mph / 11.7km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 5h 59m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 5565mi plus 377mi (?) / 8957km plus 606km (?)
Ascent / ??: 795m
Descent / ??: 950m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N37° 35′ 36.00″, E100° 25′ 55.80″

After packing everything up in a hurry, I realised I had nothing to eat for breakfast. This lack of food plus tough road conditions and lack of sleep made for a gruelling start to the day.

Dodgy road 204 towards Reshui, Qinghai Province, China

Overall, I was going downhill, but it was not the continuous downhill that I had envisioned. The road continued on a rolling hilly plateau for most of the morning, and by lunchtime I had climbed almost as much as I had descended.

At 11am after 40km, I arrived at a small settlement where I could buy lunch. I ordered my Qinghai favourite. Thick, clear rice noodles in a hearty beef soup with mushrooms and vegetables. I have been enjoying this soupy goodness at least twice a day for the last few days. This great bowl of wonder rejuventaed me to no end.

Another big pass awaited past the settlement where I ate lunch. This one 3,870m. This one I had no excuse to walk up, so with plenty of breaks I skated the whole way up on the smooth pavement.

Another big pass on Qinghai Province Highway 204 towards Reshui, Qinghai Province, China

Thankfully, there were no more rolling hills for me the rest of the way to the coal mining town of Reshui. A light rain was falling as I sped into town. Black muck flicked up onto my clothes. By the time I arrived at the travel inn where I stayed the night, I was a glorious black mess.

I do still carry the splash guards that Longboard Larry supplied me along with the skateboard I am using, but so far I haven’t been bothered to put them on again…


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2 thoughts on “Day 739 – CHINA (QINGHAI) – QINGHAI DETOUR PART VII: From the middle of nowhere to Reshui

  • Steve Ruelle

    Wow, that was some riveting reading. I just couldn't put the book down, figuratively speaking. Is the highway you are on now going to cross into other provinces?