The first stop after setting off from Chengdu is Shimian County.
Li Younan didn’t use the provided walkie-talkie; instead, he used his car radio to tune into the calling frequency.
For a radio operator, this was hardly considered operation.
The walkie-talkie wasn’t entirely useless; it might co in handy occasionally after getting off the car, so Li Younan placed it sowhere easily accessible.
He moved the small car refrigerator to the passenger seat so that he could easily grab a cold drink to drink.
He drank his beverage while listening to the joking conversations of fellow travelers on the radio, occasionally taking photos of the roadside scenery as material, feeling quite comfortable.
Since all the car friends participating in this crossing were actually newcors, it’s palpable that the older guys were also quite excited.
The distance to Shimian was over 200 kiloters, which could be reached in more than three hours.
Although this distance wasn’t short, it felt different from driving alone, feeling relaxed, and before knowing it, had reached the trip’s starting point.
During this process, naturally, so people drove not as fast, while others drove rather aggressively, pulling significant distance between each other.
Fortunately, the tail vehicle always managed the convoy’s distance; no matter how fast one was, they couldn’t outpace the leading car, and however slow, they couldn’t let the tail car overtake them.
Thanks to the head and tail coordination, the convoy made it smoothly to Shimian without any accidents.
After a brief rest, the ti had reached past 4 in the afternoon.
Shimian was the official starting point of this crossing journey.
Today’s destination was Wanba Town, and the place where they would spend the night was also in Wanba Town.
What slightly excited Li Younan was that Jiulong, the midway point of their crossing, also had a checkpoint, allowing them to complete a task during the crossing.
Leaving the county, the roads beca noticeably narrower, climbing up along the mountain wall.
The greenery outside the window grew thicker, and the mountains beca steeper.
At the end of September in the mountains, the sunlight slanted in, no longer hot, but rather gave a warm, gentle feeling.
The further they drove uphill, the fewer vehicles they encountered, and the engine’s sound reverberated clearly through the empty valleys.
Occasionally passing by a small village, one could see scattered houses and drying corn, but soon they were left behind.
The air indeed turned crisp, as Li Younan took a deep breath, carrying a hint of plant and soil scent.
After a day’s drive, the voices chatting over the walkie-talkie had faded, indicating everyone seed a bit tired, only the leader occasionally cracked jokes to liven up the atmosphere.
"Wanba Town has arrived."
Li Younan’s car hadn’t fallen too far behind; upon hearing the leader’s words on the radio, he quickly caught up with the leader.
Li Younan was sowhat surprised.
It was simpler than imagined...
A short street flanked by low buildings, including small shops and restaurants.
There were few people, very quiet, only their dusty cars broke this tranquility.
Past four in the afternoon, the surrounding mountains blocked so sunlight, causing the town to feel like evening already and slightly chilly.
Their planned campsite was right at the edge of town, a flat ground near the stream.
After parking the car and opening the door, the mountain’s chill wrapped around imdiately; Li Younan hurriedly put on his jacket.
Setting up tents, unpacking luggage, a flurry of activity.
The accompanying staff helped set up tents, but Li Younan and Ma Jing didn’t need it. Watching them busily labor over the tents, Ma Jing’s lips slightly curled up, finally feeling the money spent was worth it.
Aside from the two of them, there was also Xu Chengcai who didn’t need to set up a tent with his Fangcheng Le Bao V.
Just now did Li Younan have the ti to explore Xu Chengcai’s car.
Xu Chengcai’s trunk was also modified into a bed, though it was rather simple, rely using an air mattress.
But, this car ca with its power supply; apart from the thirty-odd degrees the car carried, it could generate power locally, theoretically having ample electricity reserves, and could run the air conditioner all night.
In a sense, it was more comfortable to sleep in than Li Younan’s car... freedom of air conditioning.
However, after inspecting Li Younan and Ma Jing’s cars, Xu Chengcai still felt a bit envious; compared to their well-modified bed, his air mattress appeared a bit shabby.
By the campsite ran a small stream, its sound gurgling, providing the primary background noise here.
Once settled, everyone’s thoughts drifted towards the "cloud sea."
It was the first worth-visit checkpoint of this trip.
The townsfolk told them that during this season, heading up the mountains at dusk might reveal a spectacular cloud sea, just on the slope near the town.
Upon checking the vehicles, they found one car’s tire pressure a bit low; the chanic swiftly inflated it.
Team leader Qi Shunyi chuckled heartily, saying, "It’s alright, just the tire pressure issue this ti, hoping we won’t experience a tire burst... though the likelihood is low."
Hearing this, Ma Jing gently furrowed her brow, asking, "Does this road often have tire bursts?"
Qi Shunyi nodded and added, "However, you shouldn’t worry too much; tire bursts are quite normal. When facing challenging roads, I will stop and wait for everyone to gather before proceeding one car at a ti."
Following, ca the arrangent to ascend the mountain for cloud sea gazing.
"Heading up now, we’ll likely race against the fall of night."
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