Portrait of an LBX

Fields of sunflowers at sunset stretch to the horizon on our way into Wuyuan (五原縣), Inner Mongolia.

Evan, Ellen and my dad stand atop a hill overlooking the scraggly desert where we pitched camp in our last night in Gansu. Our last couple weeks have been marked by headwinds, great campsites and a rush to cover the distance back to Beijing in time.

The view from the mountaintop overlooking the Suoke Tibetan Monastery and the divergence of the White and Yellow rivers. To the right side of the Yellow River snaking into the distance is Gansu Province; to the left is Sichuan Province. Under normal circumstances, we never would have seen this view, as getting anywhere close to the village requires a 50 yuan ($7.38) entrance fee. Fortunately, being with a local, we were able to see the area for free.

A horse and rider climb the mountain behind the Suoke Tibetan Monastery at sunset. The hills behind the monastery and village are covered with photographers waiting to capture the Yellow and White rivers at sunset.

Storms seem to come once day here on the Tibetan Plateau, and they can be seen dozens of kilometers in the distance. Sometimes we can outrun them, and sometimes we can't. This time the storm approached after we had already set up camp. Fortunately, beautiful sunsets come once a day too!