September 4th, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,China (Henan)
Today’s distance / ???????: 26.4 miles / 42.5km
Average speed / ????: 9.6mph / 15.4km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 2h 45m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6644mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,692km plus 622km (?)
Ascent / ??: 105m
Descent / ??: 110m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N32°11′39.6″, E114°31′35.1″
The only thing that comes close to chipseal in terms of crappy skating surfaces is grooved concrete. I had far too many kilometers of that today, and again I stopped early, just after lunch at 12 noon. Not all surfaces in China are the best for skating on!
September 3rd, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,China (Henan)
Took a day off today due to a rough night’s sleep the previous day and generally not feeling my usual self.
September 2nd, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,China (Henan)
Today’s distance / ???????: 32.3 miles / 51.8km
Average speed / ????: 8.7mph / 14.1km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 3h 40m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6617mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,650km plus 622km (?)
Ascent / ??: 160m
Descent / ??: 175m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N32°06′32.3″, E114°07′16.6″
Well after a more or less total lack of chickens so far in China, whether in food or otherwise, there seems to be a disproportionate amount of chooks in this part of China. Too bad for them.
The day started well, my body feeling strong. I was once again blown away by the awesome skating conditions in China. Smooth roads, lack of traffic, and awesome scenery.
Rice fields begging to be harvested.
The stoke unfortunately did not last for long today though, and after lunch I hit a wall. I felt hungry and fatigued despite the midday meal. I would say it had something to do with the heat. The midday sun is brutal here.
I called an early stop to the day in Shinyang at 2pm.
September 1st, 2008 | categorizilation: all categories,China (Henan)
Today’s distance / ???????: 63.3 miles / 102km
Average speed / ????: 9.4mph / 15.2km/h
Time on skateboard / ????: 6h 43m
Total skateboarding distance to date / ????????????: 6585mi plus 386mi (?) / 10,592km plus 622km (?)
Ascent / ??: 495m
Descent / ??: 325m
End-of-day GPS coordinates: N32°18′57.8″, E113°42′43.2″
This was one of the days that you dream about. Where everything comes together. It was cool, crisp, no air pollution, and stunning scenery. The smell of rice ready for harvest reminded me of the beauty of Japan.
The whole day had a distinctly Southeast Asia feel to it. Not that I’ve been to Southeast Asia, but it looked like the photos I’ve seen of that part of the world. Rice paddies, water buffalo, peanuts drying on the side of the road.
The highlight of the day however was definitely the Tongbai WWII HQ Museum (or something to that effect…couldn’t quite understand what the person was saying). I was weary of making the detour off my route (all of 1km), since many tourist attractions in China are tracky and not worth the effort, but this was different. Absolutely stunning.
 
The place is more or less totally rebuilt, and renovations are still in progress. When I arrived at the gate, I got the standard stare of amazement at my mode of transport. I gave the standard stare back, and without a word, the gate person waved me in. I later found out that there was a 20RMB entry fee. Nice folks.
