The best plan to travel during National Day, the palette that the gods overturned—Xianmi Colorful Forest, Ejina Golden Populus euphratica, Zhangye Colorful Danxia

The year before we planned to get pregnant and have a baby, we were planning to go on a big trip, so we decided on this long-distance trip to the northwest of Inner Mongolia, Qinghai and Gansu.

1,700 kilometers one way, nearly 4,000 kilometers round trip

Needless to say, it's hard work, but I also enjoy it.

Three experiences along the way left me still fresh in my mind after so many years.

On the first day, we didn’t arrive in Baotou until midnight due to traffic jam in Taiyuan section.

A car full of hungry people knocked into a small restaurant on the side of the national highway. The owner was kind enough to cook mutton braised noodles. I just remember that it was steaming hot, and it was the good mutton from Inner Mongolia, which was extremely delicious.

In the sleepy night and during the irritable journey, this bowl of hot noodle soup became a taste of the world wrapped in warmth and warmth of human kindness, warming every embarrassed traveler.

There is a long way to go in the rivers and lakes, but we are destined to meet again.

When we arrived at Alxa League, in the early morning, fantastic and magnificent colors appeared on the horizon. We stopped the car and encountered the most beautiful sunrise unexpectedly.

The vast northwest wind

A lonely tree

And the indescribable moving light and shadow

There are many speed restrictions in the Inner Mongolia section. I couldn't reach Ejina Banner that night, so I went off the road and camped for a night in the vast Gobi Desert on the roadside.

There are no street lights on the national highway above. From time to time, large cars roar past on the high road, forming a flowing light track.

A group of small tents are clustered together, emitting soft lights of various colors.

At night, I was shocked by the starry sky and the Milky Way. For the first time, I experienced what it means to be in the vast sky and the earth. "The sky is like a dome, covering the four fields."

During the National Day, the Populus euphratica forest has partially changed color, with yellow and green mixed in, varying shades, but very layered.

If you want to see the golden state in "Heroes", you should wait for another ten days.

Populus euphratica survives for a thousand years while alive, survives for a thousand years after death, and remains immortal for a thousand years after it falls. Such a strong and tenacious soul is a revelation of life.

Generally, when you come to Ejina, you can also go to Juyanhai and Strange Forest.

In ancient times, weak water was poured into the Juyan Sea. It once stopped flowing and dried up. Now it is a scene of rippling reeds and flying waterbirds. It is a small oasis in the Badain Jaran Desert.

We didn’t go to the strange forest. It was said that it was the remains of branches after the death of Populus euphratica, with different shapes, cold and desolate, and became a strange scene in the desert frontier fortress.

After leaving Inner Mongolia and entering Gansu, we passed through Jiuquan and then headed to Zhangye. The colorful Danxia landform became famous with the movie "Three Guns". You must go here in the morning or evening, as the slanting sunlight can render the beautiful colors even more.

Walking through the long red canyon, I marvel at the magic of creation. These are also the fingerprints left by time. You really should not step on, carve, or pick them out, as it will cause irreversible damage.

At the junction of Gansu and Qinghai, the Qilian Mountains stretch across

Biandukou is an excellent viewing platform, where you can see the snow peaks

In ancient times, Biandukou was an important passage for the Qiang, Xiongnu, Turks, Uighurs, Tuyuhun, Tubo and other ethnic groups to communicate with each other and to enter and exit Gansu and Qinghai. The South Silk Road in ancient China started from Qinghai, crossed Hexi, and entered the Western Regions.

The leaves on Provincial Highway S302 are golden and the scenery is breathtaking along the way.

The biggest surprise of this trip to the northwest is here - Xianmi National Forest Park!

Xianmi is the largest forest area in Qinghai, and it is also on the only way to Gansu. So we spent more than two hours driving through Xianmi, and got the most beautiful encounter in the golden autumn.

The blue river, multi-colored forests, and white snow-capped mountains are a lost wonderland and a dream home.

(There were no tickets that year. We hope to go to Xianmi again one day. What a great place for hiking.)

On the way back, we passed through Lanzhou and Lintong, stopping briefly at various landmarks to taste local specialties, and then headed back to Shijiazhuang on the last night of the long vacation.

Special mention should be made of the various noodles in the northwest, which are simply delicious on earth.

This is what I ate at a roadside shop when I was living in Zhangye.

A full portion, with toppings (adding more meat) only costs 14 to 5 yuan

But here’s the point, this isn’t noodles, it’s just the braised noodles...

It's not irritating, it's not satisfying

The must-drink apricot skin water in Ejina, you can taste the natural sweet and sour taste