The Dunes

More details to come later...
The true destination of our trip was the Gobi Desert along the Southern border of Mongolia. Three days into the trip, we finally made it, and it didn't disappoint. Technically the whole area is the desert, but these massive sand dunes were exactly what we were looking for. I climbed to the top twice, taking about 30 minutes of tough, steep walking in the slippery sand and heat, but it was certainly worth it.

(Walking from our ger to the dunes, I couldn't wait to get to the sand.)

(Some of these dunes reach close to 1,000 feet high.)

(The untouched patterns in the sand...not so untouched after we left, but we took consolation in knowing that our footprints would be gone in just a few days thanks to the strong winds shaping the dunes.)

(Halfway up.)

(At the top of this picture, you can see the tiny silhouette of Erwin, who made it to the top first, as I had to run back just before getting to the dunes for more batteries. Priorities.)

(Taking a break along the narrow ridge on top.)

(This massive swath of sand is 12 km wide and 100 km long. That's big, regardless of the unit of measurement.)

(Walking the line. No Johnny Cash references, please.)

(One more shot of me as we came down, just in time for a decent dinner of rice and canned vegetables. No mutton, though.)

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