The original plan was to rent a car to travel by high-speed rail to Enshi, but later I thought of the crayfish in Qianjiang. Coupled with the inconvenience of high-speed rail in arranging the itinerary, I decided to drive the whole journey by myself. However, it was really a waste of time, and it would take an extra two days to travel back and forth on the road.

On the first day, about 700 kilometers from Nanjing to Qianjiang, it was for this crayfish. When it comes to crayfish, many people know about Xuyi, but Qianjiang (including other parts of Hubei) is the first city (province) for crayfish farming in China. It is said that 60% of crayfish in the country come from Hubei Province, and the main production area is Qianjiang. The people of Xuyi have created the Thirteen Fragrances Burning Method, and Qianjiang is the first place to braised crayfish in oil. In order to make crayfish a delicacy, Qianjiang has specially built a crayfish ecological food city, with loud drums and red flags waving. In this atmosphere, even those who don't like crayfish will suck their fingers and eat it!

The next day, take the Qianjiang Expressway to Yuyangguan and then take Provincial Highway 325 to Pingshan to avoid the Xiatian Family Courtyard (accessible on Baidu Maps). The section of Provincial Highway 325 from Yuyangguan to Hefeng, which overlaps with National Highway 351 (about 200 kilometers), can be regarded as a scenic road in western Hubei. In fact, the local government is also working hard to build this ecological landscape road. The wide asphalt road (compared to ordinary mountain roads) runs through the steep mountains of western Hubei, and there are farmhouses, rest stations, and observation decks at regular intervals, which is completely different from the previous image of this road. Hefeng, one of the few "Five Nos" cities in China: no highways, no railways, no national highways, no ports, and no airports. The most common industry you see along the way is probably tea plantations. To become rich, you must first build roads. Avoidance Gorge, Baidu Maps found Xinzhai Village Avoidance Gorge, which is the same place as Pingshan Avoidance Gorge. The two places face each other across a canyon. Although the closest distance is only a few meters, driving between the two places is a thirty kilometer road. The road to Xinzhai to avoid the gorge is narrow and difficult to navigate, requiring local villagers' transportation vehicles. Therefore, we chose Pingshan to avoid the gorge, and the last section is also a gravel road that only allows bicycles to pass through a few meeting places. The Tian family courtyard at the end of the narrow road gives people a feeling of "another village with bright flowers and dark willows". Despite the various mosquitoes and insects flying on summer nights, we who have been living in the city for a long time still feel relaxed and happy watching the fog and steam gather and disperse in the mountains. However, the standard room price of 280 yuan is not cheap either. Who would say that the shelter gorge has become an internet celebrity?

On the third day, I spent the night in Enshi after playing in Qixia.

Hefeng Evacuation Gorge, also known as China Xianbenna, has become a popular tourist attraction on the internet. Tourists flock to check in, and even the best Xianbenna has become a water park. In addition, without proper corporate management, the chaotic scene is imaginable. We got off at around 6am early in the morning. There weren't many people, but when there were many, it would take an hour to catch a boat! This canyon is not long and very narrow, so it is easy to calculate how many tourists it can accommodate. However, in order to make money, one cannot afford to worry too much. It takes about half an hour to walk from a place that can be reached by car to the bottom of the canyon, and then take a rubber raft driven by local people to go back and forth for a fee of 100 yuan per person per hour. The scenery of the canyon itself is quite impressive, with almost vertical cliffs only a few meters apart, and the narrowest point only allowing one boat to pass through. The water is clear and blue, and as long as the lighting is suitable, you can take a "floating photo". If there weren't so many tourists, it would be really amazing. However, a week later, bad news came that 13 tourists were killed and injured due to flash floods caused by sudden heavy rain, resulting in heavy casualties! It seems that this scenic spot has been closed indefinitely. When going out, safety comes first.

This is my second time in Enshi, and I feel that the city's planning is average, with a mix of new and old buildings,

On the the fourth day, Enshi went to Qianjiang Balahu Scenic Area for lunch after sightseeing, and in the afternoon, it went to Zhuoshui Ancient Town for sightseeing and then went to Youyang for the night.

The Balahu Scenic Area is the original urban canyon park, which was renamed with heavy investment. "Balahu" comes from the Tujia language and means "canyon". Personally, I think it's better to call it its original name, which is grand. Qianjiang, a city spread along both sides of the canyon, has chicken offal as a local specialty dish. When tasted, it's just too oily.

Zhuoshui Ancient Town is a good place with mountains and water on its back. The ancient and modern buildings are well preserved, and the development and maintenance are relatively complete without the need for admission tickets. It is worth a visit or even a small stay for one night.

Surrounded by mountains and water, Youyang is a national civilized city, garden city, and health city. It stretches along a valley to both sides, and the highest point on the mountain slope is a street of antique architecture called "Youzhou Ancient City". It feels like it can be transformed into the hidden world of Spirited Away or a version of the Chongqing Red Cliff Cave in Youyang. However, the reality is that it is not very popular, and the floodlighting and overall planning are also unsatisfactory. The most famous attraction in Youyang should be the "Peach Blossom Spring" scenic area. "There are two peach blossom gardens in the world, one in your heart and the other in Youyang, Chongqing." The advertising slogan is good, but many Chinese people know about Tao Yuanming's "Peach Blossom Spring", but it seems that not many people know about this Youyang Peach Blossom Spring scenic spot.

On the fifth day, a full tour of the Peach Blossom Spring in Youyang (Flying Pig ticket 57 yuan/person), a journey of entering and exiting the cave, taking a bus or taxi to the entrance located on the mountain, passing through the Taikoo Cave and entering the Peach Blossom Spring scenic area, and finally walking out of the natural cave and exiting the scenic area, you will arrive at the south gate of the ancient city of Youzhou, which embodies the charm of "The Peach Blossom Spring": Wuling people, initially narrow, suddenly enlightened... It's worth visiting here, and that's all for now. We do not recommend a half trip because the main attraction is the Taikoo Cave in the first half, and the Peach Blossom Spring scenic area in the second half is a man-made tourist attraction mainly for consumption and shopping, which is not very interesting. To visit Taikoo Cave, you must buy a full ticket. In the scorching summer, the temperature inside Taikoo Cave is only 17 degrees, so it is recommended to wear a long shirt and pants. After visiting Peach Blossom Spring, we headed to Gongtan, an ancient town that had been relocated due to the Three Gorges Reservoir. However, we were unable to enter due to the hot weather. Nevertheless, the Wujiang Canyon is still very beautiful. In the afternoon, we arrived at the Fairy Mountain Town - Wulong Tourist Distribution Center, which is over a thousand meters above sea level. It is also a summer resort, but too many real estate projects have disrupted the harmony of the natural landscape.

On the sixth day, in the morning, we visited Tiansheng Sanqiao. In the afternoon, we took the Wu (Wulong) Bai (Baitao) highway to visit the 816 underground nuclear power plant. Along the way, we passed through the Wuling Mountain Canyon scenic area and stayed overnight in Fuling.

Wulong Tiansheng Three Bridges, a world natural heritage site and a national 5A level scenic spot, have a very typical karst landform, including Tiansheng Bridge, Tiankeng, and so on. They are huge in size: "It is the world's largest bead like Tiansheng Qiao group, with three natural stone arch bridges with an average height of over 300 meters arranged vertically, created by the divine craftsmanship of nature. Its scale is grand and majestic, spanning parallel to the Yangshui River Canyon within less than 1.2 kilometers, connecting the mountains on both sides. There are two sinkholes, Qinglong Tiankeng and Shenying Tiankeng, between the three natural stone arch bridges, forming a unique world landscape of three bridges sandwiching two sinkholes." However, the 80 meter vertical elevator and glass observation deck have been destroyed. The natural color, as for the pictographic explanation that is created out of nothing, it can only be said that tourists are happy. The scenic area itself is not large, and the admission fee of 125 yuan is relatively expensive. The marketing of the scenic area is well done, with the help of the movies "Curse of the Golden Armor" and "Transformers", attracting a large number of visitors.

The 816 underground nuclear project located on the banks of the Wujiang River in Baitao Town (accessible on Baidu Maps) is an industrial heritage of a specific historical period, fully reflecting the spirit of "concentrating efforts to accomplish great things" and "not afraid of hardship and death". Although only a small part of it is open, it is still very shocking. Considering that the construction price was equivalent to 100 billion yuan today, the 70 yuan ticket is not expensive anymore. Although it has been built as a scenic spot for seven years, there are still not many tourists and the reception capacity is limited. Some scenic spots require tourists to immerse themselves in the situation and experience it, such as 816.

Fuling, a place where you can freely enter and exit the government compound. Confident, give it a thumbs up.

On the seventh day, we visited the Baiheliang Underwater Museum in the morning and went to Chongqing city in the afternoon.

The Baiheliang Underwater Museum is located on the banks of the Yangtze River in the urban area of Fuling. It can be said that it is the confluence of the Wujiang River and the Yangtze River. Because the Three Gorges Reservoir has submerged Baiheliang into the river, and Baiheliang has great cultural and historical value, a cover was made for it to be visited underwater, which reminds people of whether there is an underwater world in the Ocean Park? It's amazing, even though the view is not as broad as the underwater world, and it's unclear to see the inscriptions through the river, the 50 yuan ticket is still worth it. Like 816, this kind of attraction requires tourists to immerse themselves in the situation to experience.

Chongqing, a city that has become an internet celebrity, lives up to its reputation as the Yangtze River Furnace. However, it cannot understand the current culture of young people checking in, such as having to sit in an air raid shelter for hot pot after queuing for hours, or having to wait for a branch just a few steps away, but still having to eat in the cave! As for Hongya Cave, my goodness, there are crowds of people just a few hundred meters away, and everyone's faces are filled with sweat of excitement. Hurry up and take a taxi and leave! There are also many restaurants with five-star reviews from the public, and the taste is really mediocre. I don't even know how they got all five-star ratings. No wonder the locals say they want to eat authentic hotpot and go to small streets and alleys without reading any reviews from the public.

On the eighth day in Chongqing and the ninth and tenth days back, the journey ended safely and smoothly.