As we left Khar Balgas we spotted this owl watching us.

We are getting used again to seeing religious buildings from the roadside.

This was the beginning of a dirt section of dual carriageway.

It caused us some amusement.

Unfortunately there wasn't a corresponding arrow at the other end.

We were also a bit put off by the local policeman who thought we were a bit heavy so wouldn't let us into the middle of town. We are about 4.5mt, the limit for town is 8mt.

No use arguing though.

We camped a few km out of town.

Its described as a massive rock formation in some books.

We are a bit out of sorts with the books really. They described Khar Balgas as having not a lot to see.

This rock apparently had some neolithic inscriptions. Long covered up with more recent graffiti unfortunately.

Actually several. The milking shed was not far away - a stool on the grass. The lady milking didn't look like she would take kindly to having her photo taken.

This is Ikh Tamir.

We decided to really test our navigation skills and headed North.

Follow the river.

After that it got a bit harder.

Just a hint that we were headed a bit too far East though.

It looked like it had only recently been placed upright.

There was other evidence of Archeologists at work.

The numbers written on some of the rocks, and the obvious holes filled in, were a bit of a giveaway.

Also small (1m diameter) stone circles around the outside of some. 30 circles around one rectangle.

We believe we have stumbled upon a site of Khirigsuurs (burial mounds with surrounding stones).

The track we originally wanted to follow is on the digital map, but not on the paper one.

We found ourselves being pushed ever more Eastwards than we really wanted.

The shafts went down at about 45 degrees with conveyor belts poking out.

We haven't a clue what was being mined, but it wasn't coal.

We think they are authentic bronze age deer stones. Engraved by "reindeer people" for their burials.

Perhaps not. There are reindeer further North but the Archeologists think these are likely Asian Maral deer.

The squiggly bits are antlers.

These deer have their front legs tucked under them, as if heading skywards. Further West, as far as the Urals, the legs are apparently extended.

Thus, from the top, the sky, the earth, and the underworld,

The deer, or other hoofed animal, carry the dead to the afterlife.

They date from 2,500 to 4,000 years ago. Late bronze age or early iron age.

We know of a site near Murun and had planned to visit. These were a complete surprise.

The khirigsuurs are apparently from the same era.

This one not only had the solar panel and satellite dish but a single basketball hoop.

What started out with a scenic drive has become an amateur archeologist's delight.

There's some odd lettering on it, and someone's recent graffiti.

We are far too far to the East, and a bit South of another track.

But we were delighted to see a large flock of (we think) cranes at a water hole, alongside the horses.

Circled for a bit.

Then landed as soon as we turned around.

So we sat and watched as we had lunch.

We are now well South East of where we'd planned to be.

A slight change of plan. We'll take the circle route back to Tsetserleg.

For a while it looked like we were on the wrong side of this river and would have to follow it North for about 10km to a crossing shown on the map.

We can see a town we recognise about 10km away.

We stopped for the night.

On a bit of a ridge overlooking the river.

If there's a river crossing its an easy one (we hope).

We were originally headed for Bugat.

So all in all, what started as a scenic drive ended up in the wrong place, with a wealth of tremendous sights along the way.

We should do this more often!