Dream Ride 2019 - THE MANCHURIAN TREK
THE MANCHURIAN TREK
After a year's rest, we continued our journey north over 2,600km to China's northernmost city - Mohe. Continuing our mission of spreading adaptive sports and inclusion, we came up with the name Dream Ride in the hope that we will encourage more people to pursue their dreams in life. This is a message we hope to continue on for years to come, reaching as many parts of China as possible. This year's team was our most international and inclusive of all with four disabled riders and three able-bodied riders from countries including China, Australia and the United States. Passing through major cities in northeastern China including Tangshan, Changchun, Shenyang and Harbin, we met with cyclists, the disabled community and those we passed along the road to to increase awareness of spinal cord injuries and other disabilities, promote accessibility for all and encourage people with disabilities to get out and active. EMAIL jdominick@gmail.com for more details or if you have any questions! |
Duration:
Total 32 days Distance: 2,600km Start/End: Mohe (Heilongjiang) to Hohhot (Inner Mongolia) Dates: June 21, 2020 - July 24, 2020 |
route description
Arrival in Beijing
Our team arrived in Beijing several days before departure to go through our equipment, get to know each other and interact with some of the local community in Beijing. We also took a few turns around the city get into shape and see a bit of this ancient Capital.
The day before our departure we gathered at Paddy O'Shea's, Beijing's premier Irish pub for a night of camaraderie and fun.
Our team arrived in Beijing several days before departure to go through our equipment, get to know each other and interact with some of the local community in Beijing. We also took a few turns around the city get into shape and see a bit of this ancient Capital.
The day before our departure we gathered at Paddy O'Shea's, Beijing's premier Irish pub for a night of camaraderie and fun.
Beijing to Tangshan (173km)
Our team gathered early at the gate of Beijing's Worker's Stadium with a few close friends and sponsors, heading straight east along Beijing's Chaoyang Road. Good weather and a smooth road took us nearly 100km on the first day to Baodi District on the outskirts of Tangshan.
We arrived in Tangshan after just two days of riding in time to meet up with members of the disabled community in Tangshan's 'Rehab Village' - many of the people we met were actually injured in Tangshan's 1976 earthquake, but we also had many young people to try out the handcycles and meet our team. We also had Dr. Chen from Nanjing's Ruixin Hospital to speak about preventing pressure injuries for long-term wheelchair users.
Our team gathered early at the gate of Beijing's Worker's Stadium with a few close friends and sponsors, heading straight east along Beijing's Chaoyang Road. Good weather and a smooth road took us nearly 100km on the first day to Baodi District on the outskirts of Tangshan.
We arrived in Tangshan after just two days of riding in time to meet up with members of the disabled community in Tangshan's 'Rehab Village' - many of the people we met were actually injured in Tangshan's 1976 earthquake, but we also had many young people to try out the handcycles and meet our team. We also had Dr. Chen from Nanjing's Ruixin Hospital to speak about preventing pressure injuries for long-term wheelchair users.
Tangshan to Shanhaiguan (187km)
Continuing on from Tangshan, we moved closer to the coast through the countryside of Hebei Province, spending our first night camping in a very nice spot in a big field. The feeling of being outdoors is a unique experience in China, where there isn't much of a tradition or much availability for camping.
After a night of camping, we moved toward the city of Qinhuangdao, where we had originally planned to stay in a hotel. In the morning we were contacted by members of the disabled community in the city of Shanhaiguan, close to Qinhuangdao, who insisted that we go a little farther and meet with their members. We couldn't say no to their hospitality and went an extra 40km to meet with them.
We stayed in Shanhaiguan, the traditional barrier between traditional 'China' and 'Manchuria' - the land "beyond the wall". After a good day's rest and more interaction with our new friends, we were ready to officially move into Manchuria and continue our trek.
Continuing on from Tangshan, we moved closer to the coast through the countryside of Hebei Province, spending our first night camping in a very nice spot in a big field. The feeling of being outdoors is a unique experience in China, where there isn't much of a tradition or much availability for camping.
After a night of camping, we moved toward the city of Qinhuangdao, where we had originally planned to stay in a hotel. In the morning we were contacted by members of the disabled community in the city of Shanhaiguan, close to Qinhuangdao, who insisted that we go a little farther and meet with their members. We couldn't say no to their hospitality and went an extra 40km to meet with them.
We stayed in Shanhaiguan, the traditional barrier between traditional 'China' and 'Manchuria' - the land "beyond the wall". After a good day's rest and more interaction with our new friends, we were ready to officially move into Manchuria and continue our trek.
Shanhaiguan to Shenyang (446km)
Leaving Shanhaiguan, we officially entered what was once known as "Manchuria", the home of the Manchu people, the rulers of China's last imperial dynasty that was overthrown in 1912.
We passed along the coast of Bohai Bay for the first few days, spending our first night camping at a temple on a beach. A great spot, but a little windy. Luckily we were able to find a spot behind a couple barriers that protected us from most of the wind and the spots of rain that came down that night.
Moving away from the coast, we passed through one of China's major oil fields near Panjin. This caused some problems as the number of towns decreased and there was really no open area to camp. Once again, we were lucky and ran into a fellow cyclist that hooked us up with a friend of his with a factory warehouse where we could spend the night.
Arrival in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, we were back in civilization. A beautiful city that was once the 'sacred capital' of the Manchus and a major city during the Japanese occupation, there is a mix of old, colonial and modern. The Dragon Boat Festival made it hard for us to organize a clinic, but we did get to meet up with the local Disabled Persons' Federation, who showed us around this ancient capital and even treated us to a holiday meal!
Leaving Shanhaiguan, we officially entered what was once known as "Manchuria", the home of the Manchu people, the rulers of China's last imperial dynasty that was overthrown in 1912.
We passed along the coast of Bohai Bay for the first few days, spending our first night camping at a temple on a beach. A great spot, but a little windy. Luckily we were able to find a spot behind a couple barriers that protected us from most of the wind and the spots of rain that came down that night.
Moving away from the coast, we passed through one of China's major oil fields near Panjin. This caused some problems as the number of towns decreased and there was really no open area to camp. Once again, we were lucky and ran into a fellow cyclist that hooked us up with a friend of his with a factory warehouse where we could spend the night.
Arrival in Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province, we were back in civilization. A beautiful city that was once the 'sacred capital' of the Manchus and a major city during the Japanese occupation, there is a mix of old, colonial and modern. The Dragon Boat Festival made it hard for us to organize a clinic, but we did get to meet up with the local Disabled Persons' Federation, who showed us around this ancient capital and even treated us to a holiday meal!
Shenyang to Changchun (324km)
After a good rest in Shenyang, we started out for another major city in northeastern China: Changchun.
After the coastal plains between Shanhaiguan and Shenyang, we started to hit some rolling hills, passing by cities with names like "Iron Ridge" and "Princess Ridge". The countryside was beautiful and a bit more diverse than before with more farms and small towns along the way. However, you could tell that the towns were getting farther and farther apart.
Arriving in Changchun was a smooth process and the city was another legacy of the Japanese colonial era with a lot of wide avenues, grand buildings and roundabouts. There were tree-lined streets and parks scattered throughout the city that made it very comfortable.
Here we also met up with members of the local disabled community, organizing 10 or so brave individuals to come out to Nanhu Park despite the rain to try out the handcycles and interact with our team. It was a great day with a lot of people getting up some decent speed. Afterward we had some great local food and some of the local baijiu to polish things off!!
After a good rest in Shenyang, we started out for another major city in northeastern China: Changchun.
After the coastal plains between Shanhaiguan and Shenyang, we started to hit some rolling hills, passing by cities with names like "Iron Ridge" and "Princess Ridge". The countryside was beautiful and a bit more diverse than before with more farms and small towns along the way. However, you could tell that the towns were getting farther and farther apart.
Arriving in Changchun was a smooth process and the city was another legacy of the Japanese colonial era with a lot of wide avenues, grand buildings and roundabouts. There were tree-lined streets and parks scattered throughout the city that made it very comfortable.
Here we also met up with members of the local disabled community, organizing 10 or so brave individuals to come out to Nanhu Park despite the rain to try out the handcycles and interact with our team. It was a great day with a lot of people getting up some decent speed. Afterward we had some great local food and some of the local baijiu to polish things off!!
Changchun to Harbin (261km)
With another big stop under our belt, we were ready to hit our last and biggest stop of the trip: Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province.
Not very far from Changchun, we were only on the road for three days before arriving in Harbin. Passing through lots of fertile countryside, which was beautiful, the first day was rough with lots of rain and a stretch of road that was full of muddy ruts and big trucks stuck in an endless traffic jam. It also saw the demise of our team captain's phone...crushed by a massive truck after falling on the ground at an intersection.
By the third day, however, the skies cleared and we arrived that afternoon in the city of Harbin. With a heavy Russian influence, much of the city was built by Russian merchants and explorers, which still remains in the city's old quarter near the river. Our first day was spent seeing the main sights and experiencing what they city had to offer. The main cathedral and surroundings squares, the parks and even one of the major bridges crossing the Songhua River were built by the Russians and are preserved until this day.
Our second day in the city was our time to interact with the local community. A morning session at one of the local rehab hospitals gave us the opportunity to interact with medical staff and discuss the benefits of adaptive sports for people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. We also once again welcomed Dr. Chen from Ruixin Hospital in Nanjing to discuss pressure injury prevention. The afternoon was spent on "Sun Island" in the center of the Songhua River where another, more residential rehab facility is located. There we met up with members of the local disabled community who were interested in trying out our bikes and hanging out a bit.
All in all a great close to the interactive part of the trip. The next part of the trip was to be more of a personal challenge.
With another big stop under our belt, we were ready to hit our last and biggest stop of the trip: Harbin, capital of Heilongjiang Province.
Not very far from Changchun, we were only on the road for three days before arriving in Harbin. Passing through lots of fertile countryside, which was beautiful, the first day was rough with lots of rain and a stretch of road that was full of muddy ruts and big trucks stuck in an endless traffic jam. It also saw the demise of our team captain's phone...crushed by a massive truck after falling on the ground at an intersection.
By the third day, however, the skies cleared and we arrived that afternoon in the city of Harbin. With a heavy Russian influence, much of the city was built by Russian merchants and explorers, which still remains in the city's old quarter near the river. Our first day was spent seeing the main sights and experiencing what they city had to offer. The main cathedral and surroundings squares, the parks and even one of the major bridges crossing the Songhua River were built by the Russians and are preserved until this day.
Our second day in the city was our time to interact with the local community. A morning session at one of the local rehab hospitals gave us the opportunity to interact with medical staff and discuss the benefits of adaptive sports for people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. We also once again welcomed Dr. Chen from Ruixin Hospital in Nanjing to discuss pressure injury prevention. The afternoon was spent on "Sun Island" in the center of the Songhua River where another, more residential rehab facility is located. There we met up with members of the local disabled community who were interested in trying out our bikes and hanging out a bit.
All in all a great close to the interactive part of the trip. The next part of the trip was to be more of a personal challenge.
Harbin to Nehe (430km)
Harbin was the last we would see of 'civilization' for the rest of the trip. Towns became farther and farther apart and the terrain became increasingly hilly. While it was still nothing compared with our previous trips in the mountains of Yunnan, Guizhou and central China, it still proved a challenge for our team.
Like in all good adventures, you have to have to be flexible. As we left Harbin, we heard from some people that our original route, to the west of a large reservoir would be rough going and that the road to the east was flatter with more towns. The roads were pretty clear of cars and had beautiful fields on either side as far as the eye could see.
In the town of Hongguang, we met up with a friend of our teammate Lele, who took us to try some local specialties. He also showed us some of his carvings - in many parts of China people like to carve fruit pits into various shapes including faces, which takes a lot of concentration and patience!
During another night of camping, we found a nice spot in a stand of trees near a small village. Word seemed to spread fast and a bunch of kids followed us to our campsite, curious about our bikes and the foreign visitors that had come to their little village. Even the mayor of the village came out to greet us, putting us on his Kuaishou (a video sharing platform). Making friends and influencing people!!
In Nehe, we paused for a while, finding a very nice hotel and a great little restaurant that served hot pot and was decorated with lots of retro-revolutionary items from the 60s and 70s.
Harbin was the last we would see of 'civilization' for the rest of the trip. Towns became farther and farther apart and the terrain became increasingly hilly. While it was still nothing compared with our previous trips in the mountains of Yunnan, Guizhou and central China, it still proved a challenge for our team.
Like in all good adventures, you have to have to be flexible. As we left Harbin, we heard from some people that our original route, to the west of a large reservoir would be rough going and that the road to the east was flatter with more towns. The roads were pretty clear of cars and had beautiful fields on either side as far as the eye could see.
In the town of Hongguang, we met up with a friend of our teammate Lele, who took us to try some local specialties. He also showed us some of his carvings - in many parts of China people like to carve fruit pits into various shapes including faces, which takes a lot of concentration and patience!
During another night of camping, we found a nice spot in a stand of trees near a small village. Word seemed to spread fast and a bunch of kids followed us to our campsite, curious about our bikes and the foreign visitors that had come to their little village. Even the mayor of the village came out to greet us, putting us on his Kuaishou (a video sharing platform). Making friends and influencing people!!
In Nehe, we paused for a while, finding a very nice hotel and a great little restaurant that served hot pot and was decorated with lots of retro-revolutionary items from the 60s and 70s.
Nehe to Jagdaqi (312km)
We left Nehe refreshed and ready to take on some bigger hills and even more remote areas. Our first day out started out smooth, but a soon as we entered the city of Nenjiang, the road pretty much disappeared. Apparently we were right in time for a huge road renovation and they'd just finished putting down the base - all gravel and dirt. However, it was better than what we'd gone through a few days ago and we made good time to Nenjiang city center.
We'd been in touch with a cyclist who contacted us online - known locally as Sister Crane (鶴姐) - and had planned to meet up with her when we got near the city. But we made better time than expected and called her as soon as got into some of the urban area. It just so happened we stopped right in front of her house and she saw us just about as she was to go look for us. Very active in the local cycling community, Sister Crane organized a dinner in our honor and even got in touch with the local TV station, who came over to do an interview with us.
After seeing us off the following morning, we said goodbye to Sister Crane and continued on. We passed through a small part of Inner Mongolia and could see the exotic squiggles of the traditional Mongolian language on the signs (Mongolia uses a cyrillic-based alphabet, while Inner Mongolia uses the ancient script of Chinggis Khan).
Back into the plains of Heilongjiang, we started to really get into the mountains - arriving at the final city of his leg, Jagdaqi, which in the local language of the Oroquen people means "Place of the Mongolian Pine".
We left Nehe refreshed and ready to take on some bigger hills and even more remote areas. Our first day out started out smooth, but a soon as we entered the city of Nenjiang, the road pretty much disappeared. Apparently we were right in time for a huge road renovation and they'd just finished putting down the base - all gravel and dirt. However, it was better than what we'd gone through a few days ago and we made good time to Nenjiang city center.
We'd been in touch with a cyclist who contacted us online - known locally as Sister Crane (鶴姐) - and had planned to meet up with her when we got near the city. But we made better time than expected and called her as soon as got into some of the urban area. It just so happened we stopped right in front of her house and she saw us just about as she was to go look for us. Very active in the local cycling community, Sister Crane organized a dinner in our honor and even got in touch with the local TV station, who came over to do an interview with us.
After seeing us off the following morning, we said goodbye to Sister Crane and continued on. We passed through a small part of Inner Mongolia and could see the exotic squiggles of the traditional Mongolian language on the signs (Mongolia uses a cyrillic-based alphabet, while Inner Mongolia uses the ancient script of Chinggis Khan).
Back into the plains of Heilongjiang, we started to really get into the mountains - arriving at the final city of his leg, Jagdaqi, which in the local language of the Oroquen people means "Place of the Mongolian Pine".
Jagdaqi - Mohe (483km)
Leaving Jagdaqi truly put us in the wilderness - no more towns, what we found were more like outposts. There are vast stands of forest still covering this part of China instead of the fields that we'd seen before. Perhaps only more vast than the green forests that surrounded us was the crystal blue sky that spread out above us.
The first night we were taken by some local cyclists to a forestry station (previously used for farming timber, now used for conservation efforts) and pitched our tents in one of their meeting halls. It was a little stuffy, but we were told that it was much better inside due to the mosquitoes that gather in the evening.
Moving on we passed through what counted for a proper town at Jinsong, stopping off at a little cafe that was as warm and comfortable as a diner in some small town in America. The town was also very clean and well planned. If it weren't so far from everything, we could have stayed here!
Despite the increasingly hilly terrain, we were making better and better time, clocking 90+ km every day. On our third day, we passed the highest point in our trip at nearly 1,000 meters. Not nearly as high as in previous trips, but still a good hike and some great views. Not only was it the biggest climb we did, but we also clocked 143km in a single day, our longest distance, putting us in the town of Amur, named for the "Black Dragon River".
The next day, we arrived in Mohe - just in time for us to have a final team dinner before "Uncle" Ray's flight the next day. The rest of us had the chance to spend a couple more days in Mohe, visiting China's northernmost point on the Amur River that also marks the border between China and Russia. Our last day was spent sending off the bikes and other equipment back to Beijing.
A special thanks should go out to the staff at the Mohe Airport, who had never had any disabled travelers in the past and did all they could to accommodate us. Thank you!
Leaving Jagdaqi truly put us in the wilderness - no more towns, what we found were more like outposts. There are vast stands of forest still covering this part of China instead of the fields that we'd seen before. Perhaps only more vast than the green forests that surrounded us was the crystal blue sky that spread out above us.
The first night we were taken by some local cyclists to a forestry station (previously used for farming timber, now used for conservation efforts) and pitched our tents in one of their meeting halls. It was a little stuffy, but we were told that it was much better inside due to the mosquitoes that gather in the evening.
Moving on we passed through what counted for a proper town at Jinsong, stopping off at a little cafe that was as warm and comfortable as a diner in some small town in America. The town was also very clean and well planned. If it weren't so far from everything, we could have stayed here!
Despite the increasingly hilly terrain, we were making better and better time, clocking 90+ km every day. On our third day, we passed the highest point in our trip at nearly 1,000 meters. Not nearly as high as in previous trips, but still a good hike and some great views. Not only was it the biggest climb we did, but we also clocked 143km in a single day, our longest distance, putting us in the town of Amur, named for the "Black Dragon River".
The next day, we arrived in Mohe - just in time for us to have a final team dinner before "Uncle" Ray's flight the next day. The rest of us had the chance to spend a couple more days in Mohe, visiting China's northernmost point on the Amur River that also marks the border between China and Russia. Our last day was spent sending off the bikes and other equipment back to Beijing.
A special thanks should go out to the staff at the Mohe Airport, who had never had any disabled travelers in the past and did all they could to accommodate us. Thank you!