Through the dusk

Day 6 of the expedition

Position: N 46 03 E 097 45

Distance traveled: 31.1 Km

No wind during the day leads to bad sun burns. Currently my right knee, the left one being covered by the shadow of my book, is a rather tender colour of red. Our Camino chocolate has melted. Our water consumption has skyrocketed. The winds are meant to increase in the evening, but by 3 in the afternoon, the grass stands still. Suddenly the tent starts shaking and we head excitedly out to test the wind direction, it's blowing the right way! Suddenly the air, and our lungs, fill with dust. Another dust devil. We watch it blow its way across the Gobi, vanishing in the distance as the wind fades back to 0.

By 4 we prepare for departure, the wind still gusty and unpredictable. When the time comes to launch the kite, I count 4 dust devils on the horizon, the one closest to me, brushes by a few minutes later, whipping dust in my face, I can feel the strain on the kite but for the most part the devil leaves it alone. Half an hour later we have traveled 1 km and the winds have shifted 180. Sarah calls a break and we re-evaluate our situation. After about 30 min of waiting and discussing the option of hauling our buggies, the wind changes, making kiting once again possible.

As predicted, the winds stabilize and the dust devils vanish as the sun gets low on the horizon. An hour before sun down, I suggest we change kites, to the 7m Frenzy, the same kite that Curtis had his accident with 6 days prior. A silent moment passes but the rest of the team agrees. We unroll the kites in silence. The sun goes behind a cloud and the air feels cooler. I launch my kite, and it gives me the usual lurch forward with a little lift off the ground as it sores into the sky. Powerful but manageable. Sarah then Curtis follow suit.

Within minutes we are cursing. I watch the dust whip off the back tires of Curtis buggy as he pulls some hard turns to avoid ditches. The wind stabilizes and the kites just hang in the air. In less than an hour we spot the lights of Bayan-Ondor and the salt marches stretching out behind it. Eight days ago our Russian van had gotten stuck in those salt marches and we had come to this town for lunch. We camp a respectful distance away. Tomorrow the plan is to pull in for lunch and have a conversation over a hot cup of milk tea. After all this is the town that Curtis agreed to push on towards before making a decision about continuing on with the team.

Eric