Shanxi-Shaanxi Yellow River Grand Canyon Cycling Road Book, the majestic northern scenery, passing through Jiaxian County to Fugu for rest
We set off from Qiankun Bay at 5:50 a.m. and took the Yellow River Scenic Road, passing through Yanshuiguan, Wubao, and Jiaxian County, and then arrived at Fugu County for rest at 6 p.m., a journey of 430 kilometers.
If you simply want to experience the magnificence of the mountains and rivers of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Yellow River Grand Canyon, you can take a shortcut to return home from the southern end of Yumenkou, passing through Yanchuan, Qingjian, Suide, Mizhi, Yulin, and Ordos in one day. Complete all riding tasks as many as possible. In order to fully experience the customs and customs of Shanxi and Shaanxi on both sides of the Yellow River, I decided to take an extra day and go north from the border of Hancheng on the Shaanxi side to Fugu County.
There are some problems with this route. Due to the poor road conditions on the Shanxi side, we had to cross the river in advance and go to Shaanxi on the way down, which resulted in a backtracking of more than 400 kilometers from Yumenkou to Jiaxian. Not only does it make you feel uncomfortable and uncomfortable, but it also wastes valuable travel time of the day. There is nothing to see on the way, so we can only keep going.
Fortunately, the beautiful scenery pays off, so you should travel in depth to understand it. Although the eight hundred miles of rivers all belong to northern Shaanxi, and the topography is the Loess Plateau with deep ravines, it still has obvious natural climate changes.
At present, Qiankun Bay is roughly used as the boundary. The vegetation in the north has not turned green on a large scale, and the barren mountains in the bald mountains are obviously in a state. Even the jujube forests in the lowlands of the river valleys and leeward facing the sun have not sprouted. In the south, it has completely entered the early summer season, with new green trees and green slopes all over the slopes, and wild flowers of all colors blooming; the apple trees have passed their flowering period, and finger-sized green fruits are densely hanging on the branches.
The strange thing is that there is a clear difference in crop populations between the north and the south. Take the economic trees as an example. In the north, the mountains and river valleys are covered with red dates and crabapples. Many dates trading companies have been established in villages and towns. In the south, it gradually transitions to the apple forest belt. On the loess slopes, there are trees and gardens next to each other, and many high-standard trading markets are built in the ravines.
There are naturally differences in rural customs. From north to south, folk houses change from cave dwellings that are warm in winter and cool in summer to brick houses with tiled roofs facing the sun. For highway auxiliary facilities, the north side advocates stone culture, and pavilions and guardrails are carved from earthy yellow sedimentary rocks, which are simple and heavy; the south side uses modern building materials such as steel and glass, which are gorgeous and heroic. However, this is just superficial observation, and because I was just passing by, I don’t have a deep understanding of the actual reason.
When I came out in the morning, the sky was gloomy, especially in the direction of riding. Dark clouds were approaching, and mountain rain was about to come. The weather forecast said that the cold current would go south in the past two days, and there would be a lot of wind and rain, which would put a lot of psychological pressure on me. They did not stop at Panlong Bay, Yanshui Pass, or Taiji Bay, and accelerated their march northward. Yesterday I wanted to travel more than 30 kilometers to stay in Yanshuiguan Town. I took a look and found that there was no suitable hotel. Fortunately, I made a decisive decision.
There is a sign for the Beiguo Scenic Area at the intersection of Gaojiaquan Plain and you can climb up the mountain. The mountain road is narrow and steep, but the plateau is very wide. This is the highest point as far as the eye can see. From the large viewing platform on the first floor of Zangxue Tower, you can have a panoramic view of the Loess Plateau surrounded by ravines. The misty mountains are like rolling seas, extending to the sky.
In front of the building is a tourist center with a complex structure and adequate greening. The northern scenery archway and gatehouse are stacked upward in layers, and the functional imitation Tang-style buildings are connected together. Mao Zedong's portrait stele and the northern scenery poem stele stand among the pines and cypresses under the high platform. White marble railings wind around the steps, forming open walls on the south, east and north sides, which are luxurious and beautiful.
The modern square behind the building is spacious and empty. The palace-style poetry hall stands opposite the Zangxue Tower at the end of the square. On the west side of the square, there is a 100-meter-large screen wall with poems about mountains and rivers, which together with the promenade of famous people forms an enclosed western boundary.
The entire scenic spot is reasonably designed, grand in scale and grand in accordance with geographical conditions. It integrates with the surrounding environment and vividly reflects the heroic artistic conception of Qinyuan Spring Snow.
Perhaps due to the epidemic, the scenic spot is not open for business, but except for the exhibition hall, there are no restrictions on tours. There are workers tending flowers, plants and trees in the yard, and there are also small-scale projects being carried out. A group of beauties dressed fashionably were playing in the shade. They must be tour guides or exhibition hall staff. Because they were far away, they did not go over to strike up a conversation.
Beiguo Scenery is located 45 kilometers east of Qingjian County. Taking the birthplace of Mao Zedong’s poems Qinyuan Chunxue as the entry point, and the theme of Northern Scenery and Leader’s Style, the Cangxue Tower, Mao Zedong Poetry Museum, and Fengliu were built There are magnificent buildings such as the Character Gallery and Jinzhao Square.
The Zangxue Tower is shaped like a Tang-style tower with a height of 43.2 meters. It is the viewing platform of the scenic spot. The exhibition is themed on Mao Zedong’s life and personal charm. The Poetry Hall displays the poems and calligraphy created by Mao Zedong throughout his life, documents related to the Red Army's Eastern Expedition, local folk culture, etc.
Because I stayed in the scenic area for a long time, I didn’t stop to rest after going down the mountain. I saw Chairman Mao Zedong's former residence on the roadside sign, but I walked for a long time without seeing the specific place. We didn’t stop at Wubao County either. We went north around the city along the river and took a rest at the Erqi Viewing Corridor of the Yellow River at around 11 o’clock.
Only a few photos of the Longyin Terrace of the Yellow River remain along the way. In addition to the chest-high fences in the form of arrow stacks of the Great Wall, the scenic spots are stone pavilions and neatly trimmed jujube groves on the river bank. The situation in the canyon is not much different from other places. I don’t know why it got such a domineering name.
On the other side of Erqi of the Yellow River in Shaanxi is the ancient town of Qikou in Shanxi. Because of the close distance, you can see the bustling tourists and you can seem to hear the roar of people. Qikou came here specifically a few years ago. He passed through Liulin on his way back from climbing the Junji Peak of Zhongyue Songshan Mountain in Henan Province, and missed Lijiashan Village, which is five miles south.
We originally had plans this time, but we missed the appointment again due to road construction there, so maybe next time.
While I was dreaming and daydreaming, a classmate called me to say that my mother had passed away and asked if she had time to go over and pay her respects. Unfortunately, his mother was my teacher and my father’s colleague. We are friends from fathers, teachers and students, and classmates. We have been in close contact for decades. It is a pity that we cannot return to each other. Suddenly, sadness fell from the sky, and my whole body felt bad. Near Zhaizi Shang Village, I felt unwell, dizzy and had stomachache. Zaolin got better after taking a rest.
I arrived in Jiaxian County at about 1:00 noon. I couldn’t find a hotel along the Yellow Highway. I didn’t go up the mountain to the city for convenience. I crossed the river to Shanxi Kehu Town to look for it. As a result, there were only stalls selling cold skin. I didn’t want to continue on my way and was extremely frustrated. After the temporary anti-epidemic checkpoint at the entrance of Nihegou Village was removed, tables, chairs and benches were left in front of the office. They stopped to eat some dry food.
The clouds became thicker and thicker as we went down, and when we reached the Phoenix Mountain Observation Deck, there seemed to be sporadic raindrops starting to fall, but it did not affect the viewing and taking photos. This is the boundary of Shenmu. The Yellow River bed is very wide, and a large sandbar is formed in the canyon. The water is squeezed under the cliff in Shanxi, and it looks like a thin channel of water from a distance.
The observation deck is separated from the mountain by only the Yellow Highway. It is also bounded by square bricks and white jade railings. Standing on the wooden verandah, you cannot see the deep cut river, but you can have a panoramic view of the mountain scenery on both sides of the Yellow River. There is a temple built on the highest point of the sacred tree, with a blue brick house and high eaves.
You can see this scenery not far from the peaks on the Shaanxi side of the Shanxi-Shaanxi Yellow River Grand Canyon. Some are very large, spanning several hills, and the ravines are connected by overpasses and verandas. All of them are like visitors from all over the world, full of mystery, and also show their profound historical and cultural heritage.
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and weather conditions, no one went up to see it. I had already observed this while traveling in Shanxi a few days ago, and I had to visit it when I returned from Zhumo, so I broke my promise again. In fact, it is not such an unfounded problem, it is mainly due to old age and laziness. After all, I didn’t figure out where those beautiful pavilions were.
After putting on my rain gear and leaving the viewing platform, I walked not far before diving into the rain and fog. The drizzle continued continuously for more than an hour. My body felt cold, I was trembling all over, the motorcycle's gasoline indicator started warning, and I was under a lot of pressure.
The stage in Liujiawan Village is right on the roadside, so stop and take shelter from the rain. An old man in his eighties is also here. Judging from the way he holds a hoe in his hand, he must have just come out of the fields after the rain. The hoarse voice told me that Fugu County was still far away, but the gas station in Pantang Village was very close. Being able to express the distance and kilometers on the old road separately, the clear thinking shows that the old man also traveled far away for a long time when he was young. He can explain it more clearly than the young people who asked on the roadside before.
Jujubes have been planted on the riverbank in front of the stage. The dense jujube forest has been thoroughly hoeed, and not a single weed can be seen. The loose elephants have just been plowed, and the slightly wider ridges have been planted with jujubes. For short-stemmed crops such as kidney beans, the idea that every inch of soil is valuable is reflected everywhere, which makes me, a fellow farmer, feel kind, comfortable and admired.
There are very few flat and fertile floodplains in the Loess Plateau in northern Shaanxi. They are basically large slopes and large depressions, and are arid and dry. But the farmers are very diligent and must cultivate the ditches and valleys whenever possible. The hillside has an elevation angle of 60 or 70 degrees, which would make people dizzy standing on it, but they still planted jujube trees, pruned them neatly, and hoed them in place.
There are arranged terraces all over the mountains and plains. The amount of labor is too large to be calculated, but they just use manual labor to gnaw down bit by bit. This kind of hardship is unimaginable, it is simply a miracle.
A group of motorcycle riders I didn’t know passed by the stage in the rain, so I said goodbye to my dad and continued on my way. Pantang Village is the intersection of several national highways. It has complete functional facilities such as car repair shops and gas stations. After refueling, you can ride to the Wanjiachuan Ancient Ferry Observation Deck. The water surface here is wide, the beaches are gentle, and the river runs in the middle of the canyon with rapid whirlpools. I saw another beautiful scenic spot on the cliff. When I climbed halfway up the mountain, I changed my mind and headed straight to the county town. Finally, I realized a unique and unprecedented view of the mountain top view.
Fugu County is divided into two halves by the Gushan River. I walked around the city on the left for a long time and didn’t see any hotels. When I asked, I was told that there are many hotels on the other side of the bridge. The hotel I found had just opened after the epidemic. It was not fully prepared and it was very inconvenient for food and accommodation.