Red River Valley Travel Notes

A few days ago, a group of ten of us had the honor to visit the Red River Valley in Mei County. It was the end of the summer and the heat was not over yet, but there were dense woods and gurgling streams. Although we could hear the chirping of cicadas from time to time, it was still cooler and quieter than outside the mountains.

After eating in the morning, around eight o'clock, we drove to the Red River Valley Scenic Area. Along the way, we followed the stream along the winding road and saw some people walking on the roadside, so our car also slowed down. The sky was gloomy, and the rocks on both sides of the bank were covered with trees of various sizes. From below, they looked not green but almost black. Occasionally you will see one or two unknown flowers at the foot of the mountain, which are out of reach except through the lens of your mobile phone. Continuing to walk inside, I found that there were more and more people. Wherever you could park on the roadside, you would see people taking photos. It seemed that we were not too early.

After a while, we arrived at Shenxianling. The most famous scenic spot here is the Lingyun Plank Road. The plank road is built from the middle of the mountain along the cliffs to the top of the mountain. From the bottom of the mountain, it seems to be painted on the rocks with pens. There was no mountain climbing, so a few of us were already a little worried, afraid that we wouldn't be able to climb up. But now that I’m here, I have to give it a try. After taking a few photos and encouraging each other, everyone climbed the steps up the mountain one after another. The mountain is indeed steep. I feel that the slope of the steep steps up the mountain is almost 60 degrees. The people following me watched the feet of the people above me climbing up. In less than ten minutes, I felt that the speed was gradually increasing. Slowing down, those who were physically strong climbed to the pavilion just a few steps away and quickly found a place to wipe their sweat and drink some water. Those who were not physically fit simply sat down on the steps halfway to rest. After resting for a while and climbing for a while, after turning a few turns, we turned to the sunny side of the mountain. We could finally see the peak on the opposite side, and suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment. After climbing a little further, everyone stopped to rest and look for a suitable angle for taking pictures. At this time, you can see countless high and low peaks on the east, west and south sides of Shenxian Ridge. Clouds like jade belts rise halfway up the mountain in the west, dividing the peaks into upper and lower halves. Looking around, the blue sky, white clouds and green trees in the distance attracted everyone. Everyone quickly took out their cameras and took pictures. The weather in the mountains is really changeable. We only climbed up for a few minutes. When we looked back, we found that the mountains in the distance had been surrounded by clouds and mist for some time. Almost all the mountains were swallowed up, and only a few mountain mouths were exposed here and there. , only then did I realize that the words "Only in this mountain, I don't know where the clouds are" are true. I originally wanted to climb to the top of the mountain, but unfortunately, the plank road built on the steepest cliff leading directly to the top of the mountain is under maintenance these days, so I can't continue on. The opportunity to climb to the top of the mountain to "see all the mountains at a glance" is gone. We had to go down disappointed. ?

? As the saying goes, "It's easier to go up the mountain than it is to go down the mountain." After walking for a while, I discovered that the hardest thing about going down the mountain was not the long road but the pain in my knees and weak feet. Fortunately, there were iron chains as handrails on the roadside. Holding it makes walking much more stable. After finally getting to the resting place at the foot of the mountain, I looked at the signs and found that there were many scenic spots. However, we couldn't keep up with our physical strength, so we decided to go to a few representative scenic spots.

? Next we need to go to Shihai. We drive 12 kilometers to get to Shihai. In fact, it is far worse than we imagined. There are only two piles of stones, scattered and scattered. , there is something like rust on the stones, these stones are left over from the Ice Age. I felt a little disappointed at first, but then I thought about what was waiting for you here hundreds of millions of years ago. It would be a pity to miss it, so everyone stood on the rocks and took a few photos, comforted each other, and then walked back. .

The last scenic spot we chose is Doumu Waterfall. It is said that the name is because it is under Doumu Peak. Walking in from the side of the road, you can't drive. You have to take a sightseeing bus or walk. It's about six or seven kilometers. This section of the road was the hardest to walk. Everyone had not recovered from the fatigue of climbing the mountain just now. They obviously felt pain in their calves and stomachs, but they still endured the pain and walked slowly inside. On both sides of the cement road, there are many stone pillars for marking, with animals of various shapes carved on them. According to the introduction text engraved on the nameplate, some of them turned out to be the images of the nine sons of the legendary dragon. The road was built along the stream. There are many tall trees growing on both sides of the stream. Judging from the nameplates attached to the tree trunks, the most common ones are Taibai poplar, a protected species only found here, and various types of maple trees. Without these introductions, none of us would know the difference between trees. When we arrived at Doum Waterfall, we found that the drop of this waterfall was very large, nearly 20 meters; the mountain was steep, almost straight up and down; but the water flow was very small, and there was no deep pool formed under the waterfall. Halfway through, the water of the waterfall was affected by the rocks and divided into three streams. The middle is smaller and the two are larger. It may have been a long time since it rained. The water flow is very small and it is by no means spectacular. There was a pavilion built opposite the waterfall. When we took pictures below and climbed into the pavilion to rest, we found that the surrounding area had darkened and the sky was very cloudy when we looked up. However, the water flow of the waterfall was stronger at this time, and the splashing water fell on our faces. It was wet, and we had to leave here in a hurry because we were worried about heavy rain.

? Halfway through, I saw another waterfall. It had no name. It flowed out from the rocks on the cliff on the other side of the river. The water flow was much larger than the Doumu Waterfall I had just seen. The water poured down. Hitting the rock, it made a huge roar and splashed countless droplets. Everyone posted a lot of emotions here and took a lot of photos before reluctantly leaving.

The road was all downhill when we came back. We drove very fast as we were eager to return home. The tired people leaned on their seats and squinted their eyes, appreciating the photos on their phones in spirit. At around 5:30, I finally returned to the hotel where I stayed at the foot of the mountain. Looking back, I saw the green mountains covered by the setting sun, like sleeping giants. Occasionally a car passed by on the road near the countryside, and cicadas kept chirping on the branches. It seems to remind people not to forget that it is still summer here.

? A few days after returning, I recalled the trip and wrote a poem "Moon over the Xijiang River": Sometimes it rains, sometimes it is sunny, sometimes it is cloudy, the light clouds spread over the peaks, I climb the mountain range and go to the deep valleys, and I am full of excitement. . ? The plank road towers into the clouds, the waterfall carries the rain and wind, the returning light fills the valley, and the sound of cicadas is thick at the head of the stream.