Part 5: The 2016 WildArt Mongolia Expedition: Enroute North to Erdenesogt Soum

September 2, 2016 | foxstudio

1. departure haze — Departure from Great Gobi A, looking north on a hazy day

Our time in Great Gobi A at an end, we packed up and headed back north the way we’d come. The fuel level in the Land Cruiser was low so the first order of business was to get to a soum center, Bayan-Ondor, to fill up. We also had lunch there. Soyoloo, our cook, went into a cafe and arranged for us to use a table and to get a thermos of milk tea. This worked out very nicely.

Once again I’ve included a fair number of photos to show our route in case it might be of interest to someone else doing research about going there.

3. mts. and camels — The areas of haze created interesting atmospheric perspective

4. leaving GGA — The boundary sign we passed going into Great Gobi A. I hope to see it again sometime on another trip there.

5. livestock — Not far north of the SPA boundary, we started to see livestock. There was a fairly large herd of goats in the distance. You can see that we are now in an area of more red soil than gravel.

6. gers — We came upon this line of gers with no one around, as far as we could tell, since we didn’t stop. No dogs or any of the things outside that one sees at herder’s gers

7. bags on grid — However, there was this cleared area which had been divided into a grid and bags of something laying within each square

8. gazelles — A little farther on and back into a shrubby area we suddenly spotted two gazelles! I was barely able to get a few grab shots from the car and then they were gone.

9. arachnid — We stopped for some reason that I can’t recall now and someone saw this arachnid. She was over an inch long. No idea of the species.

10. road north — We drove through the afternoon back through the basin and range topography

11. wildflowers — On another short stop I photographed a couple of wildflowers. From the shape of the flowers I think this one is a member of the pea family

12. mountain — We finally had the mountain in view which had been totally covered in snow when we saw it on our way south

13. Bayan-Ondor — Bayan-Ondor, where we got gas for the vehicles and had lunch

15. family — The man probably was bringing his or his wife’s mother into town to shop and maybe visit with friends

16. ovoo — Then we were on our way to our next stop, Amarbuyant Monastery, which had been destroyed in the late 1930s as had been so many, but was supposed to be undergoing restoration. The Dalai Lama had been there and this stupa was built in his honor.

17. herder and daughter — But we were on a very “local road” and Erdenbat had never been this way, so when we saw a herder and a little girl sitting up on rock keeping an eye on their livestock we stopped to ask directions. We were quite charmed by the two of them as a father out with his daughter, who he clearly had great affection for. She was very self-possessed, not an uncommon thing to see in Mongolian country kids

18. leading the way — The herder decided that the best thing was to show us the way, so off we went with him in the lead

19. earth road — We finally reached a point where we could apparently go the rest of the way on our own, so we gave them each a gift as a thank you and went on our way through some pretty rugged terrain

20. well — We came upon a well and stopped for Kim and Oliver to see how they work. This one is typical in that a very large commercial tire has been split lengthwise to form the trough, a great reuse of something that would otherwise be thrown away

21. khiid — We came up over a rise and there before us was Amurbuyant Khiid…what was left of it. It had been a major commercial caravan route and a hive of activity. That all ended in 1937 when the Mongolian communist government destroyed it and hundreds of other monasteries in the country to break the political and social power of the lamas

21. old walls — Wall sections like these are pretty much all that is left

22. censor — There were a very few artifacts to see like this incense burner, which would have been outside of one of the temples

22a. temple-stupa — There has been some rebuilding and there are monks and students in residence again. But it felt like rather a sad, isolated place. We asked for and were given a tour of the two temples, but not with much enthusiasm or welcome

I started to feel uneasy not long after we started to visit the second temple. Wasn’t sure why. There was a stillness I found unsettling and not just that it was quiet. We were shown a couple of large panels in the main temple that listed all the people who had donated to the restoration, along with the amounts they had given. It added up to millions and millions of tugrik. The surviving old temple was in poor condition and visible repairs were cheaply done, although the interior wood framing and supports looked sturdy and good. The new temple, in the shape of a ger, also had a feeling of being built quickly and cheaply. The ceiling was made square panels a little like the acoustic tiles one sees in America. Some were askew and some seemed worse for wear. In both cases, it felt like no one had noticed and no one cared. The tower for, I assumed, calling the monks to prayer, looked to be in pretty bad shape. A new long, low building, had been constructed (visible in the front of the photo of the complex above). There was also a good array of solar panels to provide power. Our young student tour guides walked us past the newish long living quarters building on our way out, answering some last questions, and a very unfriendly male voice ordered them back inside. The closest school was 60km away and the boys only attended one week a month. The rest of their time was at the monastery taking classes in Buddhist practice. And so we left. We had been given permission to camp somewhere in the vicinity and we drove around looking for a spot. I became more and more uncomfortable and stressed, to the point that I finally had to say that I needed to leave now, right now. Something felt bad and wrong there and I needed to get away from it. It was so very odd and I was clearly the only one who felt it, or at least no one else said anything. Have never had anything like this happen on any of my travels to any place before. But leave we did and found a spot on an open plain to the north with a great view. As sometimes happens a local herder and his wife showed up on their motorbike to check us out and have a visit. We went to their ger the next day.

22b. herder ger — Our “neighbors”, a kilometer or two from where we were camped

As we pulled up the woman came out. She was holding her hand which was wrapped in a plastic bag. We could see instantly that it was terribly swollen, a bite of some kind. I gave her a half-dozen or so ibuprophen for the pain, emphasing that she should take no more than three at a time. Her husband was going to take her to the soum center hospital, probably more of a clinic. It turned out after some chat and a translation from our guide, Batana, that the woman had gotten down on the floor of the ger, reached under a bed to get something and felt a sting. At that point all the Mongols decided that it had been a scorpion. Her life wasn’t in danger, but she definitely needed to see a doctor. They left and we were on our way a short time later after getting water from their well.

22a. mountain — Ikh Bogd Nuruu from the south. Orog Nuur (Lake) is on the other side

23. ovoo — We now drove towards Ikh Bogd Nuruu and worked our way around the south end of the mountain, passing this ovoo on the way

25. mt. south side — We drove back along the north side of the mountain, passing large herds of animals. The hope had been to camp in the area or by the lake but the presence of many herders and their dogs made that unsafe, so we had to settle for stopping a few times for photos

26. lake, herder — And what a photo opp!

27. stupa — After working our way through some extremely rough ground, we arrived at an overlook for Orog Nuur. It was a big deal for me to see the lake again since I had camped there on the south shore in 2010 on my very first tent camping trip in Mongolia. It was also the first time I’d traveled with Soyoloo. So it was special for both of us since it’s pretty remote

We continued on and found a sheltered spot not far from a soum center. It was quite windy, as it had been for a lot of the Expedition. The drivers and guide went into town to get gas and buy snacks.

28. vultures — The next morning, not far from the soum center we came upon this flock of eurasian black vultures and I got a lot of really good reference photos

29. Horses — And it’s always nice to see a herd of horses on the way

30. herder chasing horse — One mare and her foal had other ideas, though, and the owner was still trying to catch up and turn them back when we went out of sight

31. child — Turned out that it was International Children’s Day, which is a very big deal in Mongolia, with celebrations in every town. Lots of the children are all dressed up and as cute as can be

32. girl on bike — There was a fenced area that was obviously for community gatherings and this day it was all for the children

33. road ovoo sign — In the far distance were the mountains we were heading for. And, look, a second road sign!

34. bayanhongor — Closing the loop, we arrived back in Bayahongor, which had been our jumping off point for the journey south. We stopped in town and did some final grocery shopping

35. Erdenesogt — Then we did what I had originally planned to do when we were there before…travel north up the river valley into the Hangai Mountains to Erdenesogt, which is in the far background

We drove up to a high point with an ovoo and wonderful view of the river valley, then backtracked a short way to a special spot where we set up camp for a few days. And that will be next week’s story.

The 2015 WildArt Mongolia Expedition, Part 2: Maikhan Nature Reserve & Jargalant Hairkhan Uul

September 10, 2015January 4, 2016 | foxstudio

Khar Us Nuur reedbeds with Jargalant Hairkhan Uul in the background

The first leg of the Expedition ended in Hovd at midnight. But a hotel room was waiting for us and the hot shower was great. The next day Turuu, the Mongol student/artist who was participating in the first two weeks of the Expedition, and I, met with the guide and driver/cook who would take us on the next leg to Maikhan Nature Reserve and Jargalant Hairkhan Uul, a freestanding mountain which is part of the eastern tail end of the Altai Mountains. I had seen the mountain from a distance in 2006 and had done a painting of it at sunrise. I’d been curious about it and wanting to explore it ever since. Now I would get my wish, in ways I could never have envisioned. But first up was the nature reserve, about which I knew nothing except its location on a map.

We left Hovd the next morning heading south along the shore of Khar Us Nuur, stopping for photos along the way. The lake’s edge has the largest expanses of reedbeds left in Asia which are home to many species of birds and endangered wild boar.

There are very few access points to the lake. The one mentioned in the guidebooks is off the main road and has an observation tower, which is where we had lunch. What a view.

2a. KUN lunch stop — Lunch in the observation tower with a view of Jargalant Hairkhan Uul

We continued on until the turn from tarmac to earth road, going southwest toward the reserve. Good thing we had a driver who knew the area because there were no signs to indicate which road to take.

Our guide had told us there was a cave we could visit. That was something I’d never encountered before in Mongolia so definitely wanted to see it.

5. cave — The cave entrance is the black area to the right of the “v” shaped shadow

6. view from cave — The view from the cave entrance, looking up the valley in the direction we would be going

7. cave interior — The cave interior. Even with my wide-angle lens I couldn’t get more than a section. This shows the left side where the cave drops off to some unknown depth. I was told that there were petroglyphs and/or paintings on the wall down below, but without any equipment, not even a flashlight, and no way of really finding out what was down there, there was no way I was going to risk it

8. view from entrance — Here’s the cave entrance, looking out

After driving up a beautiful valley with a stream running through it and many aspen trees, we came to this place at the end of the road, our campsite for the night. Wow.

9. MNR stream — The driver asked if this place would be ok to camp at. What would anyone say but “Yes!”?

10. MNR tents — I pitched my tent so that I would have a view of the stream when I crawled out of it in the morning.

Turuu and I painted and sketched in the evening and the next morning and then it was time to move on. Back down the valley we traveled with our next destination in view….Jargalant Hairkhan Uul.

11. road to JHU — Back out the earth road through the reserve

I had only seen the mountain, as I mentioned above, from a fair distance. I really had no idea of its scale until we started to get close. But I did know that we were heading into snow leopard habitat, where the World Wildlife Fund Mongolia has been doing research for some years. In a later post, I’ll be sharing what I learned about snow leopards in this part of Mongolia.

12. JHU approach — The central section of the mountain, with what looked to me to be the highest point on the right

13. valley entrance — The entrance to the valley where we would spend the next two nights.

14. KUN reedbeds from valley — We drove awhile on the upland slope before we got to the mountain proper. Before we went into the valley we stopped and I got some photos looking back the way we’d come. This shows Khar Us Nuur’s open water on the right and the reedbeds we saw on the way to the nature reserve in the middle and left

15. JHU aspens — Once we got to the valley proper we found ourselves working our way up a very rocky dry riverbed dotted with aspen trees, some of them clearly very old

16. JHU end of the road — At the end of the road was one ger. We visited with the family for bit, learning that a snow leopard had killed another herder’s goat two days earler not far away from where we were, and then headed back down the valley to find a campsite for the next two nights

16.a JHU campsite — It was hot so we looked for a place that had shade in the afternoon. As it happened the best spot was here, right at the base of a sacred spring

17. JHU white poppies — On the valley floor and slopes wild flowers were blooming, including these delicate white poppies

18, JHU moonrise — All the early clouds had gone away and it was a beautiful wam summer evening. First the moon came up

19, JHU sunset with khadag tree — The the sun started to set and the mountain peaks and slopes of the valley glowed in the intense orange light

20. JHU sunset down valley — Looking west and somewhat south out the valley entrance the colors were more subtle

It was great having the whole next day to be in this place and have time to amble about and take pictures.

21. JHU valley road — The angle of the light let me get a photo of the “road” that goes into and up the valley

22. JHU painted inscription — Inscription painted on one of the rocks

23. JHU Turuu — It was a hot day. I managed to get in some painting time in the morning by finding a place in the shade. Turuu read and dozed. How he managed to stay on this tree limb for some hours was impressive.

24. ovoo — This ovoo was directly across from the spring

The second afternoon and evening it clouded up, so no evening light. I noted in my journal that at about 9:24pm bladder pressure reached the point where I had to go out and deal with it. It had already gotten quite windy and there had been a little rain on and off. I was back in my tent at (I checked) 9:27pm when a heavy downpour hit like someone had flipped a switch. Good timing.

25. JHU sacred spring — Turuu and our guide filling water bottles from the spring.

26. JHU khadag — Trees next to the spring festooned with khadag, the offering scarves

27. JHU with Flag — Since my WildArt Mongolia Expedition was also an Explorers Club Flag Expedition duriing which I was required to display the Flag, I had Turuu’s and my picture taken with it in front of the ovoo

As we headed back down the mountain after lunch, our guide said that the driver knew of another road that accessed the lakeshore, so of course we had to see that.

28. KUN reed enclosure — Khar Us Nuur in the background with something on the shore I’d not seen before…an animal enclosure made from dried reeds

29. KUN winter enclosure — This is a very nicely built winter shelter for livestock. The presence of these shelters tells one where a herder will spend the winter.

30. KUN unloading ger — We passed a family unloading their belongings, including their ger, from this truck. Imagine being able to drive to a lake-front location like this and set up anywhere you want to

31. KUN at the beach — The driver had mentioned something about a “beach” and near the end of the road, there it was…a real sandy beach

The beach was the last stop and then it was time to head back to Hovd.

32. Enroute sand road to Hovd road — Sandy earth road on the way back to the tarmac

33. truck with horses — We saw a number of trucks with horses over the previous days, a sure sign that there was a naadam happening in the area and there was going to be one the next day in Chandmani. Unfortunately, our schedule didn’t allow time to go to it

34. Ovoo — Comiing up over a last pass before dropping down to Hovd there was this quite elaborate ovoo

Back in town, Turuu had to catch a flight back to Ulaanbaatar to register for university. I was sorry he couldn’t stay for the rest of the trip, but very glad he was along for most of it.

The next destination for the Expedition was also a place that I had been to for a very short time in 2006, Khomyn Tal, one of the three places where takhi/Przewalski’s horses have been reintroduced. The journey there and the three days I spent with the horses will be the subject of my next post.

Ikh Nart Argali And Erdenet Naadam! And It’s My 700th Post!

July 13, 2015July 13, 2015 | foxstudio

I arrived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia late at night on June 28, was in town for a day and then took the train down to Ikh Nartiin Chuluu Nature Reserve. I saw quite a few argali and got some great reference photos.

I returned to Ulaanbaatar (UB) after four days, had one day in town again, then joined a Mongolian friend of mine and her family for the annual Naadam celebration in Erdenet, which is a city to the northwest of UB. I got to see four horse races and learn quite a lot about horse racing culture in Mongolia since my friend’s brother is a race horse owner. It was a terrific look behind the scenes.

Once ready to go, the horses are ridden out to the starting point, so they will have done the course twice, out at a walk/trot/canter and back at a run. The feature race for adult Mongol horses was a little over 20km. It had been shortened this year since the rains have been slow in coming and the wasn’t as much grass as was wanted and needed.

A recent development is crossing Mongol horses with Arabians or American or British thoroughbreds, trying for more speed. These “hybrids” run in their own separate race. Above are four of them approaching the finish line.

There is also a race for two-years olds, which will be their first. The above two photos show the finish of that race. It’s a test to see how they do in a real race. Horses who show promise might be purchased from the breeder on the spot.

The rules governing the jockeys changed a couple of years ago to increase safety. The lower age limit was raised to seven years from five. The boys and girls (not many but there’s usually one or more) are required to wear helmets, knee and elbow pads and to wear shoes. They can still ride bareback, on a pad or in a saddle. Insurance is also required.

They really do start them early in learning to ride. I saw fathers putting two year olds up on a horse and holding them in place for a minute or two and riding with a bit older child seated in front of them. The young boy in the above photo was perfectly confident, sitting very calmly as he guided his mount.

Unlike American and European racing, the default for Mongol horse racing is geldings. There is one race just for stallions. Mares are not raced since they bear foals and provide milk. This stallion made sure he was between me and his harem. The racing horses are watched much more closely and aren’t allowed the same free range as the working horses. Their training for the naadam begins six weeks before the festival with a carefully calibrated diet and a conditioning routine. The ones picked for racing love, love, love to run and holding them back can be a challenge.

Here are two horses in the final stage of training. They were finally allowed to run and took off like a shot. The trainer and maybe the owner are in the car carefully observing them. The night before the race the men stay up all night with the horses who will race the next day, feeling the state of their stomach and feeding them at the appropriate time.

This is the jockey who rode my host’s horses. He’s eight years old and was all business. Never saw him crack a smile.

We stayed at this camp set up by my host just for the naadam races. It was a wonderful site with an almost 360 degree view of the surrounding countryside.

Two of the cousins of the family watching the sun set.

It wouldn’t be a naadam without horse racing and wrestling and we also got to watch the latter. The rules are simple: if any part of your body other than the soles of your feet or the palms of your hands touch the ground, you lose.

The competition begins with all the wrestlers doing the Eagle Dance in front of a national standard.

It’s all very colorful, from the maikhan (the tents) to the officials to the wrestlers themselves. It’s single elimination all the way through. One loss and done.

I also got a tour of the city, known for its enormous copper mine which was established by the Russians back in the 1970s. Everything produced, which also includes molybdenum, goes to Russia.

There is a new Buddha statue which will form the center of a planned development. It’s one of the biggest in Mongolia and is directly across from the copper mine. There was also an ovoo with an unusual wooden bird on the top. I’ve never seen that before.

After four fun and rewarding days we took the overnight train back to Ulaanbaatar. I’m resting up and seeing friends, plus doing a little last-minute shopping because on July 16 I depart for western Mongolia for my third WildArt Mongolia Expedition which has been awarded a Flag from The Explorers Club! Stay tuned!

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 5: Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve (Gazelles!), Har Yamaat Nature Reserve And Back To Ulaanbaatar

September 4, 2014September 5, 2014 | foxstudio

The legendary grassland steppe, Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve, Dornod Aimag

At last I was going to see a part of Mongolia that I’d been wanting to for years….the eastern steppe grasslands. Even though Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve covers almost 1.2 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, it’s a remnant of an ecosystem that once spread from the Pacific Ocean to the plains of Hungary.

Within minutes of our first drive around the reserve we spotted the Mongolian gazelles, the wildlife for which the reserve is best known and the main species it was created to protect. — Within minutes of our first drive around the reserve we spotted Mongolian gazelles, the wildlife for which the reserve is best known and the main species it was created to protect.

Then we saw this single gazelle — Then we saw this single male gazelle.

Not long after, we spotted this good-sized herd.

This is Batmunkh, one of the six rangers who patrol the reserve.

The next day we saw an ever larger herd. — The next day, on our way to the new visitor’s center, we saw an even larger herd! As you can see, we had cloudy weather and the gazelles were usually quite a distance away, so not the best conditions for getting good photos, but still wanted to share one of this big group. They are known to gather in mege-herds of tens of thousands. There are 40,000-60,000 gazelles in the reserve.

This group was nice enough to stop on the ridge.

The new visitor's center near the soum center of Holonbuyr — The new visitor’s center near the soum center of Holonbuyr. It is also used for community events and children’s activities, along with education about the reserve, its wildlife and plant life.

One of the banners that adorned the walls. The Nature Conservancy has been involved in supporting the reserve for many years.

Batmunkh showed us part of a large collection of botanical specimens.

On the way back this young tolai hare ran down the road in front of our car for quite a distance. — On the way back a young tolai hare ran down the road in front of our car for quite a distance.

This group of gazelles paralleled us for awhile and were fairly close. Taken through the driver's side window while we were rolling. I actually got pretty good at it. — This group of gazelles paralleled us for awhile and were fairly close. Taken through the driver’s side window while we were rolling. I actually got pretty good at it.

Our campsite, not far from a spring. Chosen to provide some shelter from the wind. It was stormy the whole time we were there.

My tour company person set up a meeting for me with Ganbold, one of the rangers. Through my driver, Erdenebat, who speaks good English, I got a great briefing on the reserve and the gazelles. I'll be writing it up as a future blog post. I loved both rangers love and enthusiasm for the reserve and their jobs protecting it. — My tour company person set up a meeting for me with Ganbold, one of the rangers. Through my driver, Erdenebat, who speaks good English, I got a great briefing on the reserve and the gazelles. I’ll be writing it up as a future blog post. I was very impressed by both rangers’ love and enthusiasm for the reserve and their jobs dedicated to protecting it.

One of the dozen or so lakes in the reserve.

Off across the steppe... — Off across the steppe on an earth road…

We saw some truly spectacular clouds. Summer is the rainy season in Mongolia and this year most of the country got thoroughly drenched, which was great for the herders and their livestock.

Saker falcon, an endangered species, perched right near the road.

Another big herd, the largest yet. What a send-off for our departure!

Another close-up. — A close-up. They all cut across the road in front of us, flowing like a stream.

And an individual female in nice light. — An individual female. And with, her the gazelle “show” was over.

Crossing the Kherlen Gol on our way to our next stop.

Our final destination for this year's Expedition off in the distance....Har Yamaat Nature Reserve. — Our final destination for this year’s Expedition off in the distance….Har Yamaat Nature Reserve. The weather was looking pretty good, compared to where we had been.

We drove up to this high point where we could see the Kherlen Gol in the distance. But what captured our attention was the riot of wildflowers.

We went back down the slope to a sheltered spot and set up camp. It was a pleasant evening, perfect for our outdoor dining. About 10pm it started to rain…and rain….and rain. It was raining hard in the morning. We had to eat breakfast sitting in the cars. Everyone pitched in to get the tents packed up. I think we set a record for the trip breaking camp. I was wondering what it would be like getting back down the mountain to the road, even though we were in Land Cruisers with a go-anywhere Russian van as our support vehicle. As it turned out the “earth” road was grassy enough that that part was no problem. However, once we arrived at the main road west…

The drivers had to deal with quite a few kilometers of this. Each made his own choices on how and where to pick his way through it.

But we just kept moving on. — But we just kept moving on and no one got stuck. By this time Ogii’s white Land Cruiser was thoroughly beige.

We finally out ran the muddy roads and made good time to Ondorhaan, recently renamed Chinggis Khan Hot (City. — We finally out-ran the muddy roads and made good time to Ondorhaan, recently renamed Chinggis Khan Hot (City). I got a kick out of seeing the zebra tire cover in the middle of Mongolia.

The city entrance if you're coming from the east. — The city entrance if you’re coming from the east.

We stopped for a break and were treated to one more crane sighting! A pair of demoiselles with two chicks.

For the last night out, we stayed at a tourist ger camp near Avarga, the first center of Imperial Mongolia. Very comfortable gers to stay in and a huge elaborately decorated dining ger.

I had a little visitor who was plucking loose pile from the carpet for its nest. Species unknown.

One last look at the quintessential Mongolian landscape that I've grown to love so much. — One last look at the quintessential Mongolian landscape I’ve grown to love so much.

We stopped for lunch by this ovoo and a herd of horses wandered by.

Full-circle back past the Chinggis Khan statue and on to Ulaanbaatar.

And that concludes the story of the 2013 WildArt Mongolia Expedition.

I’m leaving on Saturday for a road trip to Wyoming. I plan to spend four days in Yellowstone National Park, a day in Jackson for the annual Fall Art Festival and then on east to Dubois for the Susan K. Black Foundation Workshop. Five days, 175 artists, nationally-known instructors…it’s going to be very special week. I hope to post on the blog a couple of times, but will largely cover the goings-on via Twitter and posts to my Facebook fan page.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 4: Binder Soum to Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve

August 27, 2014September 5, 2014 | foxstudio

Our stay in Binder was at an end and I got one last shot of the lake as we drove away. We were now heading northeast towards Dadal and, after that, south to Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve. But since the journey always is the destination in Mongolia, there was plenty to see and experience in between…

My lead driver, Erdenebat, who seems to have been everywhere in Mongolia during his 14 years as a professional driver, brought us to this recently built memorial to the Queens of Mongolia. I gather that the local people are hoping it will draw visitors. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get the name of the Soum where it’s located, but will update this post when I do. It may have been Bayan-Adarga. As you’ll see, if you’re in the area, it’s definitely worth a stop!

Entry gate with the hat-shaped memorial building within the enclosure.

Each queen is represented by a portrait.

The extensions on their headgear was intended to bring them close to Tenger. The higher your rank, the higher the extension. — The extensions on their hats were intended to bring them close to Tenger, the Eternal Blue Sky. The higher your rank, the higher the extension you were allowed.

In the center were the traditional white horsetail standards. White ones for peace, black ones for war. — In the center were traditional white horsetail standards. White ones stand for peace, black ones for war.

En route through the Han Hentii Mountains.

Scenery.... — Scenery. The white-trunked trees are birches.

Golden eagle. The bird was right by the road and barely able to fly, with what looked like an injury to one wing. Erdenebat got this great photo.

Our car had gotten out quite a bit ahead — Our car had gotten quite a bit ahead and Erdenebat realized that we couldn’t see the others, so we back-tracked and found that Puugii’s car had a problem with the brake on one side, which involved a fluid leak. We were a LONG way from any town and there is no “roadside assistance” service. But the drivers are also, by necessity, excellent mechanics and they know their cars inside and out. In less than an hour the problem was fixed and we were on our way.

We finally reached our goal for the day...the legendary Onon Gol, the center of the Mongol heartland — We finally reached our goal for the day…the legendary Onon Gol, the center of the Mongol heartland.

We camped on the river, using dung fires in the evening to hold the mosquitoes at bay. We stayed here for three nights, two full days. One morning a few horses came down to the river, adding a picturesque touch.

We took a day trip into Dadal, well-known for the nearby sites connected with Chinggis Khan. Perhaps less known is the local museum. Don't be fooled by the modest exterior. Wait till you see what's inside. — We took a day trip into Dadal, well-known for the nearby sites connected with Chinggis Khan. Perhaps less known is the local museum. Don’t be fooled by the modest exterior. Wait till you see what’s inside.

But first, one of the statues of animals nearby.

Before they had enclosed stoves, this is how a ger was heated and food prepared.

As a contrast....this old mechanical adding machine. — As a contrast….this old mechanical adding machine.

There was also a small natural history section with taxidermy-mounted animals.

It was hard to get back far enough to get everything in, but here is one of the display cases with everyday utensils. There was art all around the room, too.

Traditional archery equipment mounted on a bearskin rug. The museum staff is trying to raise money to renovate the building and I was happy to contribute.

Our next two stops form part of the standard tour route in this area of the country. I generally avoid these places, but wasn’t going to miss anything connected with Chinggis Khan.

Posing in front of the Chinggis Khan monument.

Inscription on the monument in Mongol vertical script, the alphabet that Chinggis Khan chose when the Mongols had acquired an empire that now had to be administered. — Inscription on the monument in Mongol vertical script, the UIgher alphabet that Chinggis Khan chose when the Mongols had acquired an empire that now had to be administered. It is taught in the schools today and has also become an important calligraphic art form. (I don’t know what it says, so would welcome a translation)

The Expedition drivers: Erdenebat, Ogii and Puugii. And our guide, Tseegii. A great crew! They are standing in front of the ovoo that marks the area where Chinggis Khan was born.

Chinggis Khan's nutag (the place where he was born). — Chinggis Khan’s nutag (the place where he was born).

We returned to camp and found that a violent storm had come through while we were gone.

After breaking camp we went into the soum center to go to the store. I stayed in the car and got some great photos of this local horseman. — After breaking camp the next morning we went into the soum center to go to the store. I stayed in the car and got some great photos of this local horseman.

We stopped to visit this family. It started to seriously rain and they were kind enough to invite us into their summer cabin to have our lunch. — We stopped to visit this family on our way south. It started to seriously rain and they were kind enough to invite us into their summer cabin to have our lunch. The woman on the left is Khalkh Mongol. The woman on the right is Buryat Mongol. The man is the son of one of them.

Gratuitous photo of Mongol horses. At this point we were coming down out of the mountains onto the steppe.

We stopped at this ovoo and I learned that we had arrived in Toson Hulstay Nature Reserve, the largest steppe grassland reserve in the country.

The steppe and Mongolian gazelles next week!

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition 2014, Part 2: Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve to Binder Soum

August 14, 2014August 20, 2014 | foxstudio

We left Gun-Galuut Nature Reserve after breakfast and drove northeast into the Han Hentii Mountains. It was good to get off the tarmac and onto earth roads again.

We stopped for lunch at Khokh Nuur, a VERY important historical site since it’s where Temujin called the khural (council or meeting) that declared him Chinggis Khan, leader of all the Mongols.

Sometimes the roads were more water than earth... — Sometimes the roads were more water than earth. Summer is the rainy season in Mongolia and it had been raining a lot just about everywhere in the country, so a great year for the herders and their animals since it meant lots of good grass.

It was a glorious drive deep into the Mongolian countryside on a perfect summer day.

It had been raining a lot so there were streams to ford. — Since it had been raining a lot there were streams to ford.

We camped by this lake. — We camped by this lovely lake the driver of my Land Cruiser, Erdenebat, knew about.

At one of them, which was more mud than water, a man and woman on a motorbike came along — The next day at one small crossing, which was more mud than water, a man and woman on a motorbike came along right after us. They were kind of stuck because she could have gotten very dirty or injured if the motorbike fell over in the mud and it was too wide to safely step across.

One of our drivers, Puugii, solved the problem.

A helping hand and she made it across just fine.

More scenery. I'd never been to the Han Hentii Mountains before and now I understood why they are such a popular destination for the Mongols. So beautiful. — More scenery. I’d never been to the Han Hentii Mountains before and now I understood why they are such a popular destination for the Mongols. So beautiful.

One of the drivers got a little to close to this yak and had to run for it. The other drivers loved it.

We stopped for lunch and almost immediately spotted this pair of demoiselle cranes!

Local dogs often show up out of apparently nowhere when one stops to eat. They wait patiently until you leave most of the time. — Local dogs often show up out of apparently nowhere when one stops to eat. They wait patiently until you leave, most of the time. They often seem friendly, but have not been vaccinated against rabies and are not used to being petted or touched, so it’s best to keep one’s distance.

As we drove on, we saw this large flock of demoiselle cranes.

We were heading towards the site of a major new crane study. My driver had directions, but couldn't follow them — We were heading towards the site of a major new crane study. My driver, Erdenebat, had directions, but couldn’t follow them because the valley floor was too wet from the rains. So he picked his way along the mountain slopes, using a compass to keep our heading correct. It was quite a feat of navigation that I didn’t appreciate until he explained to me what he had been doing and why.

Along the way we saw the pair of endangered white-napped cranes. — Along the way we saw this pair of endangered white-napped cranes.

The crane research station is new, so there is only one ger so far. From this vantage point they can scan the surrounding countryside for miles for up to six species of cranes.

The research project is a collaboration between Mongol, Russian and Chinese scientists. The Mongol scientist in charge is Nyambayar Batbayar who took the time to give us a great briefing and answer all our questions. He is also the Director of his own NGO, the Wildlife Science and Conservation Center of Mongolia.

We left the research station and headed towards our next destination, Binder, crossing this old-fashioned timber bridge.

It is a bit of an adrenaline rush to drive out onto something like this... — It’s a bit of an adrenaline rush to drive out onto these bridges if you’re not used to them.

Binder Nuur (Binder Lake). We were able to camp on the lakeshore. — Binder Nuur (Binder Lake), which was a short distance from the soum center town of Binder. We camped on the lakeshore.

We immediately saw many white shapes, which proved to be over 60 whooper swans.

We came to Binder for the first-ever International Crane Festival. And that will be the subject of my next post.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition, Part 12: A “Salty” Surprise

April 9, 2014April 9, 2014 | foxstudio

Ovoo enroute to Altay. Notice the smooth, level earth road in the background…

The next morning we drove on to Altay, the capital of Gobi Altai Aimag. It’s a small city with all the services one might need, including an airport with regular flights to and from Ulaanbaatar.

We were treated to lunch at the home of an artist friend of Tugsoyun’s. More than lunch, really, a multi-course feast. Two hours later, we made our goodbyes and, after a short stop at a local temple, were on our way east again.

The last camels we saw on the Expedition.

The road was great going east from Altay until we reached the aimag border. It’s the main east/west route on the south side of the Hangai Mountains. I was shocked when not long after I took this photo it turned into some of the nastiest, most miserable road I’ve traveled on in eight trips to Mongolia. There is no way solid economic progress can be made in Mongolia or the people be able to make a good living , build up a company and send goods to bigger markets like Ulaanbaatar as long as the roads are so bad. Fortunately, every year there is more tarmac laid and the situation improves. But I’d pay not to have travel that stretch again and I love the earth roads.

As we bumped along and hung on, we came upon a car that had broken down out in the middle of nowhere. And in Mongolia, that’s saying something. We stopped, of course, and our drivers spoke to the people, a young couple with an older woman. It wasn’t a good situation because we had no room to take anyone with us, weren’t going near a town and it was clearly going to get cold that night. So we promised to stop at the first ger we came to and tell them where to find the car and people. We drove for quite a bit and came over a rise to see this lake and…two gers! One van drove off to the gers and ours headed to this well. In a very short time we saw a truck from the gers head back up the road towards the stranded car. So we knew they’d be ok. We looked around and decided that we’d come upon a perfect spot to camp. But first we filled our water container.

As is usually the case, someone spotted us and came riding over on this very nice-looking horse with a traditional saddle, so out came the cameras. Another man came within minutes on the motorbike.

The horse's owner and rider. — The horse’s owner and rider.

After a short visit, he went on his way.

The other man, it turned out, owned these two little gers near the lake. He was staying in one, but offered us the use of the other for our kitchen and dining room. It looks pretty tacky and was too tiny to get any interior photos, but it was comfy and cozy inside when the wind came up and the temperature dropped.

What could have been more perfect? Settled down for the evening, beautiful late light and this lovely herd of horses coming for water and to graze.

Packing up camp. The man in the white hat was the owner of the gers. A conversation with him the night before revealed that we were camped near quite a large salt deposit and that he was a salt miner. He offered to give us a tour in the morning.

After dinner, — After breakfast, Tseegii and Soyoloo made our lunch for the day, khuushuur (fried meat turnovers). One of my personal favorites that I never get tired of.

Fresh and hot, right out of the pan. Soyoloo, our cook, turned out three course dinners, including soups from scratch, using this single burner gas cooker.

sgaj — The man with his hands behind his back turned out to be the local official who supervised the salt extraction, issuing and checking permits and keeping an eye on things.

The salt deposit, with harvested salt ready to be bagged up.

The "miners" would fill a bag like this and carry it out to be sold. If I recall correctly, they would get $15 for a 50 kilo bag. Hard work, very hard, but pretty good money at this point. — The “miners” would fill a bag like this and carry it out to be sold. If I recall correctly, they would get $15 for a 50 kilo bag. Hard work, very hard, but pretty good money at this point.

We were shown the two versions of the salt. The white at the bottom has been washed. The brown at the top is unwashed.

Our host led us all the way out into the middle of the deposit. We really had to watch where we stepped. And three of us had expensive camera equipment to think about. But we wouldn’t have missed this for anything!

a;flj — One of the miners with sacks ready to carry back to the pick-up point.

I felt a little like I was in Yellowstone National Park, looking down into these colorful mineral pools.

Our hosts. The miner, on the left, is doing this work to earn money to pay for his daughter to go to the university in Ulaanbaatar. It’s very hard work, but because it pays pretty well he said it was worth it. On the right is the salt mine supervisor/manager from the local government office. I think they liked how interested we were and enjoyed sharing information about what they do. We really appreciated this unexpected look at one piece of life in Mongolia.

Finally, the miner demonstrated to us how the salt is washed. This simple homemade tool does the job.

Then he rinses it with vigorous shaking.

Salt has been valuable as the only means of preserving food for thousands of years, really until quite recently. It is still used for that, of course, and as a flavoring. It’s fun to imagine that salt from this place could have traveled the Silk Road to Europe and ended up on the table of a king. And it’s possible.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition, Part 11: Darvi Soum And More Saiga Antelope

April 1, 2014May 19, 2014 | foxstudio

Sunrise at Ihes Nuur with our excellent cook, Soyoloo.

We had a lovely evening by the lake, Ihes Nuur. Mosquitos weren’t a problem since it was now September. The next morning the light was wonderful. Off in the distance we could hear drumming. One of the Mongols remarked that they thought it was a shaman who was at one of the gers we could see from where we were camped.

The goal this morning was to find Batsaikhan, the coordinator of the Saiga Ranger Network. But first we had time to walk around the lakeshore and sketch, paint and take photos.

Soyoloo and Tseegii packing up the kitchen and food.

On our way into town, we passed a hillside with a lot of black kites.

Myself and Batsaikhan Baljiinnayam, the Saiga Ranger Network coordinator. He gave us an excellent briefing on the history and current status of saiga antelope conservation and offered to take us out to look for them.

To get an overview of the area, Batsaikhan took us up to this high point which had a large ovoo.

Batsaikhan briefs the group on saiga conservation. — Batsaikhan briefs the group on the local area and saiga conservation.

Back into town for a short stop where I got a photo of a local woman fetching water. Almost no one in the soum centers has running water in their home, so they must fetch water using metal or plastic barrels carried by these small carts. Needless to say, water conservation is a way of life.

A statue of a famous race horse. The Darvi and Sharga areas of Mongolia are famous for their horses. — Statue of a famous race horse, named Darvi. The town and soum are named after him. The Darvi and Sharga areas of Mongolia are well-known throughout Mongolia for their horses.

Batsaikan led us on a "game drive" and we again saw a lot of saiga. They were always a long way off, which is why this cropped-in close-up is a little blurry. — Batsaikan led us on a “game drive” and we again saw a lot of saiga. They were always a long way off, which is why this cropped-in close-up of a male saiga is a little blurry.

Spectacular landscape. — Saiga live here….

Getting information for the next leg of our journey. — Getting information for the next leg of our journey from one of the rangers. We would now begin the long trip back to the east and Ulaanbaatar.

The largest number we saw at one time was this group of five. They didn’t seem to notice the presence of the herders and their livestock at all.

Time to say goodbye and get a group shot. From left to right: Susan Fox, Tugsoyun Sodnom, Oidoviin Magvandorj, Batsaikhan Baljinnayam, Sharon Schafer, Soyoloo, I. Odna, local ranger, driver, Sendag, driver Batmaa. Photo by guide Tseegii.

On the road again... — On the road again…

We came to a sand dune area and got out to poke around and take a break. Here's our faithful Russian vans. — We came to a sand dune area and got out to poke around and take a break. Here’s our faithful Russian vans.

Camp all set up. — Camp all set up in Sharga Soum.

The WildArt Mongolia Expedition, Part 8: En Route to Takhiin Tal

March 12, 2014March 12, 2014 | foxstudio

We loaded up our watermelons from the garden and started the day’s journey west. Now we were in the deep Gobi, where there were no herders or their gers to be seen. We camped for the night in or near Alag Hairhan Uul Nature Reserve. There were no boundary signs, so I couldn’t tell for sure.