Be brave, be wild.

I keep saying this was my favorite day. At Heidu Mountain, I saw mini tornadoes and experienced a small sandstorm—the sand hitting my legs really hurt. But Heidu Mountain is truly like an ink painting, absolutely worth visiting. The road conditions to Heidu Mountain are good too; only the first couple of kilometers are washboard roads, so just drive slowly. Any car can make it—no problem. From Heidu Mountain to the entrance of Mars Highway No. 1 is very close, about 30 minutes, passing through Lenghu Town. Mars Highway No. 1 is basically a no-man's-land. Once you enter, there's almost no signal the entire way. It's best to download an offline map, but even without one, you won't get lost—there's only one fork in the road, leading to Eboliang. The entire stretch is over 90 kilometers of unpaved, rough gravel roads. We stopped to take photos, so the whole trip took about three hours. The middle 30 kilometers are the toughest, with some deep potholes, but the first and last 30 kilometers are fine at 50–60 km/h. It wasn’t as difficult as I imagined—in fact, it was my favorite part of the journey. The vast Yadan landforms were stunning and awe-inspiring. Due to the gravel and potholes, low-clearance cars aren’t ideal; an SUV is recommended, and a 4x4 off-roader is even better. Our Tank 300 was more than enough. Maybe because the scenery was so magical, I didn’t even feel the bumps. If possible, don’t skip Mars Highway No. 1! Driving through the Yadan landforms, so quiet you can hear your own heartbeat, is an unforgettable experience—definitely take the wheel for a stretch yourself! Dongtaijinaier Lake reappeared after disappearing for three years. A woman I met while hiking in Xinjiang told me about it and insisted I visit, so I added it to today’s itinerary. It’s unbelievably pure—a striking shade of blue—and free to enter. I hereby declare it the most beautiful salt lake on the entire Qinghai-Gansu route! (Dongtaijinaier is very close to the Water Yadan, but I heard the latter has lots of mosquitoes, so I just passed by without stopping.) • This day was my bold plan: from Dunhuang to Heidu Mountain, then crossing Mars Highway No. 1, and from there to Dongtaijinaier Lake, spending the night in Dachaidan. The drive took 11 hours, plus stops, totaling about 13 hours. (It was a last-minute idea—we set off at 9 a.m. Luckily, it gets dark late here. If you take this route, consider starting earlier.) • We encountered sandstorms on the way to Dongtaijinaier, with very low visibility. There was also a brief stretch on Mars Highway No. 1, so I’d advise against driving at night. • After exiting Mars Highway No. 1, you’ll enter Highway 315, passing through Xitaijinaier Lake, where the road cuts through the lake with differently colored salt lakes on either side. However, this section has lots of trucks, and the road is badly potholed—drive carefully. • You’ll also pass the U-shaped Highway, but the earlier scenery was so breathtaking that we didn’t stop here for long.