Thu Oct 27 Jiayuguan

A peasant woman walking near Jiayuguan. Note the hay piled up on top of her house...

















Goats are common near Jiayuguan...


















Onions get piled up too...












Farmers dry harvested corn ears everywhere: in piles on the road, on top of their houses, and in the fields.










We were surprised to find snow on the ground outside of the fort. Gail throws a snowball.











Ron hits "attacker" in the neck...












For five yuan (i.e. 5/8 of a dollar), you can shoot arrows from the top of the inner wall at a scarecrow "attacker" caught between the walls.

















From the western gate, you are on your own onto the Silk Road, beyond the protection of the empire.

















A large watchtower dominates the center of the fort.











Fort has an outer wall and an inner wall.













The fort was impregnable defense against Mongols.












Map in fort of various segments of the "Great Wall", which were built at various times. Blue line is Ming wall. Blue dot (photoshop!) gives approximate location of Jiayuguan.














A pavilion near the fort looks beautiful in front of the Qilian mountains, which are over 5000 meters tall.












The Great Wall (as built in Ming dynasty) ends here, in Jiayuguan, at a fort defending the narrow pass between the mountains, a key point on the Silk Road.