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**saralou** · #**2626** 27 Sep 2017

We popped out of a valley and at the crest of a hill the road leads into a sand track but just before there is a an arch that says we have arrived. Dadal the birth place of the greatest conquer the world has ever know. This is the gateway to the land that gave us Chinggis Khan.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-20 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-17 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

A simple but somehow moving monument of the great Khan when he was just a boy named Temujin.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

A kind of cheesy monument to a man who vastly changed history just outside the town of Dadal.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-24 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-26 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2627** 27 Sep 2017

After meeting some nice locals (as we always manage to do) it was back on the trail to explore more of the Khans roots.

Screen Shot 2017-09-06 at 17.04.41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-27 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-29 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-30 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-32 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-33 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-34 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2628** 28 Sep 2017

Sometimes our exploring goes a touch to far and we find ourselves just riding in the forest with backtracking in order.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-35 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-36 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-37 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Sometimes it leads to an amazing track!!! We find ourselves stumbling upon a set of three rough log bridges that clearly haven’t been used in a long while. An assessment is made and repairs done, we have found a way out of a valley and over the pass. Stunning adventure riding!!

Eastern Mogolia Loop-38 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-39 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2629** 28 Sep 2017

We are rewarded with a valley that is breath taking so we stop for lunch naturally!

Eastern Mogolia Loop-40 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-41 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-42 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-43 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-44 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**tohellnback** · #**2630** 1 Oct 2017

most epic ride ever you spelled Zapatoca wrong
i agree i live and work in Colombia with my G650 gs Bucaramanga is one of the best places in Colombia and i have worked there a lot
Colombia is a amazing place and having lived all over Bc and Canada i don't think i will be back well maybe to collect my Pension

**saralou** · #**2631** 3 Oct 2017

Quote:

Originally Posted by tohellnback

most epic ride ever you spelled Zapatoca wrong
i agree i live and work in Colombia with my G650 gs Bucaramanga is one of the best places in Colombia and i have worked there a lot
Colombia is a amazing place and having lived all over Bc and Canada i don't think i will be back well maybe to collect my Pension

Thanks for the comment.

**saralou** · #**2632** 3 Oct 2017

We make our way to a track that follows the river and “appears” to be leading us back to the main track??? In a word wrong.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-45 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-46 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Can a person really go wrong exploring this land? If so we haven’t found it. Every turn right or wrong leads us on to a track we love.

After a long day, the few wrong turns seem so right around the camp fire.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-48 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2633** 3 Oct 2017

Early the next day we run up against another river and there is no going back or going around but there is a very cool truck. All aboard!

Screen Shot 2017-09-06 at 17.05.05 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Riding the ferry Mongolian style

https://youtu.be/Nm2W0inBtBU

Eastern Mogolia Loop-51 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-52 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-53 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2634** 3 Oct 2017

At times things seem so remote. Literally nothing other than the tracks and then BAM a road sign.

Screen Shot 2017-09-06 at 17.06.06 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Eastern Mogolia Loop-59 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Not so strange or nearly out of place. More cairns and stunning scenery.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-57 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Closer to the towns we see a strange creature scurrying about the steppe.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-60 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

In the end did we discover the resting place of the great Khan or perhaps gain insight into how he came to rule over such a vast empire? No of course not but wow what a place to roam about on ones adventure bike. Special is an understatement and fortunate doesn’t begin to express how I feel about getting the chance to have done it. For all the rest there is a great BBC documentary on the life of the Chinggis Khan. Check it out and then get over here and discover his native land for yourself before the tourist buses make it up this way.

Eastern Mogolia Loop-61 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2635** 3 Oct 2017

Well Sara is fancy free and ALONE!! for 4 days!!! Time to explore the town, rest, and catch up on some Netflix.

Chinggis Contour-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Chinggis Contour-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Chinggis Contour-9 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Chinggis Contour-11 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Chinggis Contour-13 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2636** 3 Oct 2017

Mongolian breakfast

Chinggis Contour-14 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

After having no-one who spoke English around for the last 4 days it was nice to meet Moses from Texas at breakfast this morning. I had actually contacted him about a month ago on ADV after seeing his RR and his trajectory. Small world that we end up in the same hotel in this small town in eastern Mongolia. The guys returned from their adventure mid day and rested up.

Chinggis Contour-15 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Chinggis Contour-16 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

Moses by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2637** 3 Oct 2017

Today we are starting out towards the Gobi Desert in the southeast of the Country. It is 875 KM to Dalanzadgad, which is the gateway to the Gobi.

Screen Shot 2017-09-04 at 23.10.50 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We plan to do this in 2-3 days because of the distance, the spacing of the towns, and the cold rainy weather. It was pouring at breakfast, but cleared up a bit when we finally left at 1030. It is 340 km to Zuunmod just south of Ulanbaatar. We hope to take the cut off road from Nalaikh to Zuunmod and it look half paved on google earth. This was we can avoid riding thru the horrific traffic congestion in UB a third time.

Screen Shot 2017-09-04 at 23.14.00 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

UB3 Contour by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2638** 3 Oct 2017

It started pouring about 100 km down the road at it was very very windy and 5 degrees! After 210 km we reached Baganuur and stopped at at cafe to warm up, have lunch, and kill 2 hours waiting out the storm which was moving past us to Chinngis. Note the ceiling design!

UB3 Contour-3 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

When we left is had stopped raining and after another 30 km the sun was out and it was 10 degrees. We stopped in at the Ghenngis complex to see if the store that had these great Mongolia stickers was open as it was closed last time we were here. It was not, but the ticket girl asked around and decided to grab them for us and sell them to me.

UB3 Contour-2 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2639** 3 Oct 2017

From here we were much more comfortable temperature wise, but it was still very windy. We arrived to the cut off road and found the entire 25 km is paved. We arrived to Zuunmod at just after 5. The only hotel listed on the GPS and maps.me was defunct, the second “hotel” across the road was now an apartment building, and the third down the road was very very sketch ( “perfect place if it was dark and raining”). We asked a taxi driver and he said the other spot listed was Ender Dov 9 km away and on the road south. This turns out to be a defunct hotel that is now a private home and a moldy leaking Ger camp. No way. Options are camping we would need to go back to town for at least water, but we are all pretty cold and it is windy and 9 degrees and the sun is still out, hotel in UB and drive thru town(AGGGGH), Go back to the Oasis and have to back track on the cross road and come into the city by the very easy access from the east. It says it is the same time, but it would take twice as long to come in from the west.

Screen Shot 2017-09-06 at 16.58.56 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

We messaged them at Oasis and they had 4 beds inside for us. We decided to go there now for Orvar to get his bike service now instead of after the Gobi and so now we will not have to come back to UB before we go to China. It was like coming home….nice warm welcome, comfy beds, hot shower. They even reopened the kitchen for us to cook us some dinner.

Oasis by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

**saralou** · #**2640** 3 Oct 2017

We had a warm and cozy night here at the Oasis. Orvar has arranged his service for today. The rest of us will do a little sightseeing here in UB. We plan to taxi in and then walk the 5 km back from the centre, visit the “government” department store and a local handicraft shop. We finally found a money exchange to get rid of the Rubles we had left over. Then it was time for some real Mongolian hot pot for lunch. There was a surprisingly Costco like store near the Oasis.

UB3 Contour-4 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

UB3 Contour-5 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

UB3 Contour-6 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

UB3 Contour-7 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr

UB3 Contour-8 by Sara & Daniel Pedersen, on Flickr