27-Jul-2012 -- This is the 18^th out of 20 confluence points that I reached on a bicycle trip to the North-East of China. The narrative of the trip starts from 41°N 117°E.

On confluence day I started in the town Hèběi (鹤北镇) at 4:30 AM. The early morning hours were no reason for the hotel staff to have another photo session with me. Then I headed southwards, passing Hègǎng (鹤岗市) for breakfast and Hèlì (鹤立镇) for lunch.

On little concrete slab roads I passed through the village Běihuá (北华村), which is 2 km east of the confluence point. On a muddy road I was able to approach the goal up to 900 m. The area is used agriculturally with the dominating crop being corn. Normally, it is possible to approach a confluence much closer than 900 m by roads or tracks, because such infrastructure is needed for the farming machines. I assumed that there would be some track somewhere to approach the confluence further, but I couldn’t find one from my side. A thunderstorm was about to come up so I quit any further search, left my bike and approached the confluence on foot along the direct beeline. I had to cross a huge corn field with 2.5 m high stems. The pollen of the corn fell on the GPS display.

The exact location is near a river, about 20 m from the riverside. Unfortunately, I approached the confluence from the wrong side of the river and at a distance of 40 m, I was confronted with a river crossing. I thought that a distance of 40 m is not close enough and therefore went stream upwards to find a suitable passage. Indeed, there was a shallow passage that didn’t require swimming. The confluence is exactly at the location of a single tree. The pre-thunderstorm wind was blowing heavily, so I quickly began my return way. I stayed the night in the town Tāngyuán (汤原县), which is 40 km further south.

CP visit details:

• Distance to an asphalt (or concrete) road: 4 km
• Distance to a track: 900 m
• Distance to a footpath: 200 m
• Duration of the hike to reach the CP: 40 minutes
• Distance of bicycle parking: 890 m
• Distance to houses: 1700 m
• Time at the CP: 15:34 PM
• Measured height: 121 m
• Minimal distance according to GPS: 0 m
• Position accuracy at the CP: 4 m
• Topography: slightly hilly
• Vegetation: high grass, scattered little trees, corn fields nearby
• Weather: overcast, 23° C (felt temperature)
• Given Name: The Pollinated GPS Confluence

Story continues at 46°N 129°E.