The Yellow River in China, one of the World’s longest, has some affinity to me.  Most of its huge and colorful sediment load is loess, a soil I grew up around in the loess hills of Iowa. My family, going back generations, have lived, farmed, practiced law and were educators in these hills near the Missouri River, traveling all the way from the Rocky Mountains.  All of my later explorations on the Colorado Plateau and around the World. started in these modest hills of Western Iowa. I climbed all over them and lived through tornadoes, winter blizzards, and the other sometimes fierce weather of the upper Midwest.  These images show some of the amazing spires near the Bingling Caves. It is fairly easy to get to, being 62 miles from the large city of Lanzhou in Gansu Province, but can only be reached by boat. There is no infrastructure here, with no lodging or food or supplies.

Where will Tom head next? Check his Facebook feed for a hint and a chance to win a Tom Till 2020 calendar!