2021 Hubei Wind-Chasing Trip (Day 1): Hubei Northwest Route, a Spontaneous Trip, Sleeping at a Service Station on the First Night?
During the 2020 National Day holiday, I shouldered my backpack, drove our family's old buddy northwestward, following the footsteps of successive Central Plains dynasties' campaigns against the nomadic peoples of the northwest, entered the Loess Plateau, and went straight to the junction of the Mu Us Desert in the northernmost part of Shaanxi and Inner Mongolia. There stood an ancient city that had haunted my dreams—the last and only royal city of the mighty Xiongnu people: Tongwan City.
I have already finished the video travelogue of Tongwan City, forming my "The Last Xiongnu" travelogue. For various reasons, the written travelogue was delayed until after the New Year and still not completed. Just as I was about to start working on it, this trip to the northwest Hubei route was put on the agenda, so I have to finish the content of this travelogue first before tackling that one.
The origin of this trip was actually very accidental. It started like this:
As a tourism professional, I originally wanted to persuade a friend to join a group tour, but he misunderstood it as an invitation to go on a self-driving trip. So this journey originated from a misunderstanding, though at first glance, it seemed like a beautiful one...
Almost everything about this trip—from route planning to departure time—was random and accidental, so we had less than 2 hours to prepare everything.
On February 23, 2021, at 2:50 PM: I was still handling business in Zhengzhou High-tech Zone when it was temporarily decided that we would set off.
On February 23, 2021, at 5:05 PM: I packed my things and drove off to pick up the other protagonist of this trip—home in Ludian Town, Dengfeng City. While waiting at a traffic light at the intersection before the highway, I took this photo and set a theme for this trip: a journey chasing the spring breeze.
Wind-chasing journey, let's roll!
Before the travelogue begins, please allow me to introduce two pieces of information:
1. Route Planning:
The simple route plan I made is as follows:
Ideal basic itinerary:
Day 1: Depart at 9:30 AM, head to Danjiang Scenic Area, stay overnight in Danjiangkou City or head straight to the vicinity of Wudang Mountain.
* Danjiang Scenic Area
* Head of the Middle Route of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project
* Danjiangkou Dam
Day 2: Visit Wudang Mountain Scenic Area, stay overnight near Wudang Mountain or in Shiyan.
Attractions: Wudang Mountain features 72 peaks, 36 cliffs, 24 streams, 11 caves, 3 pools, 9 springs, 10 ponds, 9 wells, 10 rocks, 9 terraces, and other scenic spots. The scenic area centers around Tianzhu Peak, with dangerous paths like the Upper and Lower Eighteen Bends and sights such as "72 Peaks Facing the Great Summit" and "Golden Hall Overlay Shadow."
* Wudang Mountain Scenic Area
* The World's First Incense—Dragon Head Incense
Day 3: Visit Shiyan, check out Dongfeng Motor Corporation (optional), then head to Shennongjia Scenic Area.
Day 4: Visit Shennongjia Scenic Area, stay overnight in Yichang.
Day 5: Visit Three Gorges Tribe Scenic Area and Three Gorges Dam Tourist Area, stay overnight in Yichang.
Day 6: Head to Xiangyang, visit Gulongzhong. Return the same day or the next day.
Summary: Total 7 days, total mileage 1,700 km, covering most of the famous attractions on the northwest Hubei route. Perfect!
2. Protagonist Introduction:
1. Imported Chevrolet Captiva: An 11-year-old buddy, already traveled 100,000 kilometers. It was the same car that took me up to the Loess Plateau last time—old but sturdy, old yet resilient.
2. The author's "Laobiao" Zhang Shaoruan: Also known as Zhang Fei, runs a supermarket, a supply chain player in fresh, frozen, and cold-dressed products, an experienced "old driver."
3. The author "Bulao Maoxian'er": A veteran internet migrant worker, part-time tourism professional, writer for the self-media "Follow Lala to Travel," a non-veteran old driver.
Alright, that's all the introduction. Let's officially start this travelogue!
Remember our original route plan? Depart at 9:30 AM, setting off under the morning sun—everything would have been beautiful.
But from the start, we didn't keep up with this schedule. Because by the time I picked up Laobiao and actually set off, it was already past 7 PM.
It was dark. Following the principle of hitting the road first, we drove onto the highway from Ludian, heading for Nanzhao County in Nanyang, planning to rest there for the first night. A total of 170 km, and after 2.5 hours, we arrived in Nanzhao.
We set off in such a hurry that we didn't even have time for dinner. So the first thing to do in Nanzhao was find food. The most memorable thing in Nanyang is probably "stir-fried noodles" (qiangguo mian). For hungry northerners, nothing beats the charm of carbs. After some comparison, we chose this old noodle shop.
We call it an old noodle shop because its name is "Master Liu's Old Shop Pulled Noodles." Of course, whether the boss's surname is Liu, I don't know...
It was a bit late, and the cold dishes didn't look very fresh. So, following the principle of thrift and just enough to fill the stomach, we ordered two things: a large portion of lamb pulled noodles and a small portion of lamb soup with sliced noodles. We planned to share them in two small bowls to taste Nanyang cuisine from two hundred kilometers away.
Waiting time was boring, so let's skip to the carbs on the table. When the steaming pulled noodles and sliced noodles arrived... just imagine.
Don't they look similar? Haha, when they first came, I thought we had been served the wrong dish—isn't this the braised noodles from Zhengzhou? When both were on the table, I was even more confused—what's the difference?
PS: Actually, the taste was pretty good, and it was different from Zhengzhou's braised noodles. Do you know what the unique element of Nanyang stir-fried noodles is? I'll leave a suspense—if you know, see you in the comments.
After comparison, the difference between the two bowls of carbs was: one had more meat and rich side dishes; the other had less meat and simple side dishes. In terms of taste alone, they were good carbs.
After eating, we strolled out and saw "Big Ke" waiting for us at the door—an indescribable feeling of familiarity. In a foreign land hundreds of kilometers away, it was no longer just a car to us; it was also the only brother we could rely on.
We wandered around the streets, originally intending to find a place to rest for the night. But maybe the excitement of just setting off hadn't faded, so we decided on the spur of the moment to hit the road again and head to Nanyang North Service Area. Since we had considered this before departure, we had brought bedding in the car. Half an hour later, "Big Ke" and we arrived at Nanyang North Service Area.
By the time we reached Nanyang North Service Area, it was already past 11 PM. After washing up at the service area, it was past midnight. We folded down the back seats of Big Ke, spread out the bedding, and lay down in our clothes to sleep.
Outside, the wind began to blow. Checking the weather forecast, it seemed like rain. We started worrying whether the next leg of the trip would be affected. But worry was unnecessary—tomorrow's goal was Danjiangkou Reservoir and the head of the South-to-North Water Diversion Project. The road ahead was long; travelers on the journey, go to sleep early.
Good night, Big Ke. See you tomorrow.
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