8th July 2024
I arrived at border control , I filled in a document only written in Russian, I handed that to the border control officer. A few questions in broken English, eventuating that I had to go into a waiting room adjacent. I waited and waited. Finally an English guy and his Russian family came over and started talking to me. They said the border control officer had asked them to let me know what was going on. He said that we will be interviewed, based on how that goes is dependent if we are allowed into Russia.
After three and a half hours I was called. The guy who interviewed me looked like a psychopath, dead eyes and would be right at home in the KGB. He asked lots of questions, including, have you served in the military? Do you know any Ukrainians? What do you think of military intervention? Do you realise you can be gaoled for lying to Russian authorities?
While he was saying all this his partner was going through my phone.
When the interview was over I was sent back to the waiting room.
I hadn’t been phased by this, I had watched people who went before me being physically upset and frightened.
After what seemed like an eternity I was given my passport with my entry stamp.
Now for customs!!! The queue had been moving at a snails pace. You have to fill in two forms, both in duplicate. You have to hand over your passport and registration papers for the bike. Once that is done, you hand those to the customs officer.
The cars in front of me had to remove absolutely everything. All bags opened and contents rifled through. Finally at 10pm it was my turn. All panniers off, camping role bag off and opened up. At 10:45pm I was ready to head off in the dark to a hotel I had booked. It was 45 minutes away and check in was up until midnight.
I arrived a 11:30pm tired, but pleased that I had gotten into Russia. Total time at the border, 10 hours 45 minutes. No food or drink could be purchased in this time.
I arrived at border control , I filled in a document only written in Russian, I handed that to the border control officer. A few questions in broken English, eventuating that I had to go into a waiting room adjacent. I waited and waited. Finally an English guy and his Russian family came over and started talking to me. They said the border control officer had asked them to let me know what was going on. He said that we will be interviewed, based on how that goes is dependent if we are allowed into Russia.
After three and a half hours I was called. The guy who interviewed me looked like a psychopath, dead eyes and would be right at home in the KGB. He asked lots of questions, including, have you served in the military? Do you know any Ukrainians? What do you think of military intervention? Do you realise you can be gaoled for lying to Russian authorities?
While he was saying all this his partner was going through my phone.
When the interview was over I was sent back to the waiting room.
I hadn’t been phased by this, I had watched people who went before me being physically upset and frightened.
After what seemed like an eternity I was given my passport with my entry stamp.
Now for customs!!! The queue had been moving at a snails pace. You have to fill in two forms, both in duplicate. You have to hand over your passport and registration papers for the bike. Once that is done, you hand those to the customs officer.
The cars in front of me had to remove absolutely everything. All bags opened and contents rifled through. Finally at 10pm it was my turn. All panniers off, camping role bag off and opened up. At 10:45pm I was ready to head off in the dark to a hotel I had booked. It was 45 minutes away and check in was up until midnight.
I arrived a 11:30pm tired, but pleased that I had gotten into Russia. Total time at the border, 10 hours 45 minutes. No food or drink could be purchased in this time.
Just through the Estonian Border
James taken out the queue while I wait for my interview with the Russian officials
Russian border control at the front, customs at the rear.
9th July 2024
The hotel I stayed at in Pskov was a 2 star twin room. It was nothing special but to me being in a bed, in the dry and having a shower and toilet at hand was magical.
I was so tired this morning I decided to stay another day. When I went to reception to book the room for another night it wasn’t available, only a double. I decided to take the double, it was NZ$50, last nights twin was NZ$38.
I got the bus into Pskov old town. It was only NZ$0.66. I walked around the sites, exchanged some euros for Rubel's, got a haircut for NZ$9.70. The women who cut my hair was so focussed on the detail of the cut. She did a great job!! I think so anyway!!
Then I went to a local bar I grabbed something to eat and drink. I tried a Russian version of Guinness, not the same but less than half the price.
I decided to get a proper Guinness to compare the difference. You know it makes sense, as Dellboy would say!!
The hotel I stayed at in Pskov was a 2 star twin room. It was nothing special but to me being in a bed, in the dry and having a shower and toilet at hand was magical.
I was so tired this morning I decided to stay another day. When I went to reception to book the room for another night it wasn’t available, only a double. I decided to take the double, it was NZ$50, last nights twin was NZ$38.
I got the bus into Pskov old town. It was only NZ$0.66. I walked around the sites, exchanged some euros for Rubel's, got a haircut for NZ$9.70. The women who cut my hair was so focussed on the detail of the cut. She did a great job!! I think so anyway!!
Then I went to a local bar I grabbed something to eat and drink. I tried a Russian version of Guinness, not the same but less than half the price.
I decided to get a proper Guinness to compare the difference. You know it makes sense, as Dellboy would say!!
Statue of Lenin
Pskov Kremlin
Pskov Kremlin
Tourist at the Pskov Kremlin
A mirror?
Celebrating 350 years of postal service.
A unicorn?
New do!
Famous mural
Russian version of Guiness□□
The real deal!
10th July 2024
Today I was heading north east to Veliky Novgorod. They have a world UNESCO site, the Novgorod Kremlin. Veliky Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century.
On the way I stopped off in the outskirts of Pskov to check out a huge sculpture called monument in the memory of the Ledovoye battle.
Then headed to Veliky Novgorod along very straight, very flat roads, with speed limits that change so often all I seem to be doing is changing gears. These roads can easily put you to sleep. I pulled over made a coffee and sandwich and watched a large group of storks walk across the field adjacent . It was like they were on a day out.
When I arrived at Veliky Novgorod I went straight into the paid parking and headed to the Kremlin.
I was feeling pretty relaxed about the accommodation tonight. I had found a campground on a new app I downloaded that was only 20 minutes away.
In Russia there are so many speed cameras, there’s even more than the UK! I saw the police with radar guns at the side of the road.
As I was heading to camp, police were pulling up random cars. I happened to be one of them. The police guy walked up to me with AK47 in hand and said something in Russian. I said I’m English. He then said in English “papers”. I gave him my driving license, he photographed it, then he asked for bike papers, so I gave him my registration document, he photographed that. By this time his mate had come over to have a nose.
He gave my License and registration papers back and said” have a good ride”. With that I was off on my way to camp.
When I arrived at the camp which was behind a petrol station, there were just abandoned static caravans. A guy came out, topless sporting a vey good Buddha belly and motioned to me no camp. It looked way too dodgy to stay anyway. He gestured camp 10 km away.
I headed off and there was nothing 10km away, I carried on until I saw a lake. I turned off down a dirt road. It looked like a rubbish tip. I pulled over to see what I could find on my phone, no reception. I decided to go around the lake and see what I could find. I found remnants of fires and camping, so this is where I pitched up for tonight.
As it was sunny I used the opportunity to dry out all my moist things, wet weather gear (smells like old dog), tent and anything else that was in my camping bag and panniers.
As I’m next to a lake, I’m noticing there are quite a few people pulling up and going for a swim, they’re all making the same noise as they get in the water. I gather it’s cold!!
Today I was heading north east to Veliky Novgorod. They have a world UNESCO site, the Novgorod Kremlin. Veliky Novgorod is one of the oldest cities in Russia, being first mentioned in the 9th century.
On the way I stopped off in the outskirts of Pskov to check out a huge sculpture called monument in the memory of the Ledovoye battle.
Then headed to Veliky Novgorod along very straight, very flat roads, with speed limits that change so often all I seem to be doing is changing gears. These roads can easily put you to sleep. I pulled over made a coffee and sandwich and watched a large group of storks walk across the field adjacent . It was like they were on a day out.
When I arrived at Veliky Novgorod I went straight into the paid parking and headed to the Kremlin.
I was feeling pretty relaxed about the accommodation tonight. I had found a campground on a new app I downloaded that was only 20 minutes away.
In Russia there are so many speed cameras, there’s even more than the UK! I saw the police with radar guns at the side of the road.
As I was heading to camp, police were pulling up random cars. I happened to be one of them. The police guy walked up to me with AK47 in hand and said something in Russian. I said I’m English. He then said in English “papers”. I gave him my driving license, he photographed it, then he asked for bike papers, so I gave him my registration document, he photographed that. By this time his mate had come over to have a nose.
He gave my License and registration papers back and said” have a good ride”. With that I was off on my way to camp.
When I arrived at the camp which was behind a petrol station, there were just abandoned static caravans. A guy came out, topless sporting a vey good Buddha belly and motioned to me no camp. It looked way too dodgy to stay anyway. He gestured camp 10 km away.
I headed off and there was nothing 10km away, I carried on until I saw a lake. I turned off down a dirt road. It looked like a rubbish tip. I pulled over to see what I could find on my phone, no reception. I decided to go around the lake and see what I could find. I found remnants of fires and camping, so this is where I pitched up for tonight.
As it was sunny I used the opportunity to dry out all my moist things, wet weather gear (smells like old dog), tent and anything else that was in my camping bag and panniers.
As I’m next to a lake, I’m noticing there are quite a few people pulling up and going for a swim, they’re all making the same noise as they get in the water. I gather it’s cold!!
Monument in the memory of the Ledovoye battle.
Another memorial to the lost lives in the Second World War
This was on a roundabout
Novgorod Kremlin
Novgorod Kremlin
Novgorod Kremlin
Novgorod Kremlin
Plenty of activity on the beach outside the Kremlin
My camp. Drying out my moist gear
The lake near where I camped
Today's route
11th July 2024
It was a poor nights sleep last night. The main highway runs on the other side of the lake. Although you can’t see it, you can certainly hear it. It was a night with ear plugs.
The night had been cool so the tent was covered in dew this morning . As soon as I stepped out the tent, I was greeted by the big nose, hairy legged brigade ( mosquitoes) who couldn’t wait to kiss me all over!!! Quite a few died in the ensuing battle!
I packed up camp and headed towards St Petersburg. St Petersburg, was at one time, the capital of Russia, and is the most historic of all city’s in Russia.
On the way I stopped to fill James with petrol, along came some Russian bikers. Most bikers will give you a wave, it’s pretty much world wide. They came over and took some selfies with me. For them it’s strange to see a foreigner let alone a foreign biker.
I had a couple of camps lined up, one right in the city and one out of town.
The traffic in St Petersburg was heavy, stop, start. The heat off the engine is hot, when the fans kick in I was sitting in a 34°C heat bubble. When I got to the city camp I rode down an alley to a gated area. I went for a walk to find someone that could sort me out. The long and short of it was there was no camping. I now headed through all that traffic again to the outskirts, 18km away.
The next place was a hotel that had camping on their grass. When I arrived the hotel looked like it had been abandoned. I rode around, there were old rundown buildings. I asked, through google translate, if there was camping here, the guy pointed to around the corner. I found some old abandoned huts.
It looked really dodgy.
I walked over to a Chinese guy working on his van. He spoke English. He took me to see the security guard. The guard pointed to a reception desk.
A woman that spoke English came to the desk. She said this hadn’t been a hotel since the fall of communism, it was a place for workers. It wasn’t safe and you can’t stay here.
I was up against it again. It was 4pm, trying to find somewhere to stay in a big city, a hotel that accepts cash payment on arrival was difficult. By 5pm I’d found one in the city with paid parking. It was way more than I wanted to pay but at least I had somewhere.
I rode back into the city again.
I’m staying three nights.
As well as air conditioning, own bathroom, double bed I get a free exercise program. I’m on the top floor, the fifth floor and there is no lift.
12th July 2024
After a blue sky day yesterday, today was grey and wet. It was only light spots of rain, so I ventured out to see some of the sites. The rain started to intensify so I ducked into a little cafe for lunch. While there I checked out where the nearest bank was. In Russia none of the western credit or debit cards work. I have € with me and exchange them for Russian Rubles. As western currency is hard to get here, you get a better rate. I have to make sure I have no Rubles left before I leave Russia, they will be almost impossible to get rid of.
I walked to the bank, exchanged some Euros and then walked back to the hotel.
I have a little travel umbrella that I carry in my backpack. It certainly helped me out today.
When I got back the the hotel my shoes and socks were soaked so I spent the rest of the day doing some washing and drying my shoes.
It was a poor nights sleep last night. The main highway runs on the other side of the lake. Although you can’t see it, you can certainly hear it. It was a night with ear plugs.
The night had been cool so the tent was covered in dew this morning . As soon as I stepped out the tent, I was greeted by the big nose, hairy legged brigade ( mosquitoes) who couldn’t wait to kiss me all over!!! Quite a few died in the ensuing battle!
I packed up camp and headed towards St Petersburg. St Petersburg, was at one time, the capital of Russia, and is the most historic of all city’s in Russia.
On the way I stopped to fill James with petrol, along came some Russian bikers. Most bikers will give you a wave, it’s pretty much world wide. They came over and took some selfies with me. For them it’s strange to see a foreigner let alone a foreign biker.
I had a couple of camps lined up, one right in the city and one out of town.
The traffic in St Petersburg was heavy, stop, start. The heat off the engine is hot, when the fans kick in I was sitting in a 34°C heat bubble. When I got to the city camp I rode down an alley to a gated area. I went for a walk to find someone that could sort me out. The long and short of it was there was no camping. I now headed through all that traffic again to the outskirts, 18km away.
The next place was a hotel that had camping on their grass. When I arrived the hotel looked like it had been abandoned. I rode around, there were old rundown buildings. I asked, through google translate, if there was camping here, the guy pointed to around the corner. I found some old abandoned huts.
It looked really dodgy.
I walked over to a Chinese guy working on his van. He spoke English. He took me to see the security guard. The guard pointed to a reception desk.
A woman that spoke English came to the desk. She said this hadn’t been a hotel since the fall of communism, it was a place for workers. It wasn’t safe and you can’t stay here.
I was up against it again. It was 4pm, trying to find somewhere to stay in a big city, a hotel that accepts cash payment on arrival was difficult. By 5pm I’d found one in the city with paid parking. It was way more than I wanted to pay but at least I had somewhere.
I rode back into the city again.
I’m staying three nights.
As well as air conditioning, own bathroom, double bed I get a free exercise program. I’m on the top floor, the fifth floor and there is no lift.
12th July 2024
After a blue sky day yesterday, today was grey and wet. It was only light spots of rain, so I ventured out to see some of the sites. The rain started to intensify so I ducked into a little cafe for lunch. While there I checked out where the nearest bank was. In Russia none of the western credit or debit cards work. I have € with me and exchange them for Russian Rubles. As western currency is hard to get here, you get a better rate. I have to make sure I have no Rubles left before I leave Russia, they will be almost impossible to get rid of.
I walked to the bank, exchanged some Euros and then walked back to the hotel.
I have a little travel umbrella that I carry in my backpack. It certainly helped me out today.
When I got back the the hotel my shoes and socks were soaked so I spent the rest of the day doing some washing and drying my shoes.
Sobor Vladimirskoy Ikony Bozhiyey. Just across the road from my hotel.
Rasputin’s house
Fontanka River
Fontanka River
That’s one looonnnnggg car!!
Muslims just finished Friday prayers
Singing in the rain!! What a wonderful feeling!!
13th July 2024
It was a bright sunny day today. The first stop was a motorcycle shop to buy an oil filter for James. I’ll have to do an oil change in the next 3000km. Then it was a 15km loop around the sights finished off with a five story climb to my room.
I’ve been surprised by the amount of Chinese and Muslims I’ve seen here. I was expecting it to be White Russians. I know some of the tourists are from mainland china as I’ve seen the Chinese flag and translations into Chinese. The Muslims I presume are from the Stanz.
I’ve also seen a lot of Chinese cars, many look very similar to well known western brands.
They don’t have Instagram or Facebook in Russia, they are blocked. They must have their own version because I’ve never seen so many women posing, doing the look, or sprawled out getting photos taken. They certainly have the Instagram look, fully made up, figure hugging dresses, it looks like some of them have had their lips as well as other parts enlarged. It’s all a bit showy. I saw a woman use half a can of hairspray on her boyfriend’s hair while standing in the street.
Generally everyone is well dressed.
Most people are friendly, a few people speak English here in St Petersburg it’s a big tourist city.
It was Saturday today so very busy.
It was a bright sunny day today. The first stop was a motorcycle shop to buy an oil filter for James. I’ll have to do an oil change in the next 3000km. Then it was a 15km loop around the sights finished off with a five story climb to my room.
I’ve been surprised by the amount of Chinese and Muslims I’ve seen here. I was expecting it to be White Russians. I know some of the tourists are from mainland china as I’ve seen the Chinese flag and translations into Chinese. The Muslims I presume are from the Stanz.
I’ve also seen a lot of Chinese cars, many look very similar to well known western brands.
They don’t have Instagram or Facebook in Russia, they are blocked. They must have their own version because I’ve never seen so many women posing, doing the look, or sprawled out getting photos taken. They certainly have the Instagram look, fully made up, figure hugging dresses, it looks like some of them have had their lips as well as other parts enlarged. It’s all a bit showy. I saw a woman use half a can of hairspray on her boyfriend’s hair while standing in the street.
Generally everyone is well dressed.
Most people are friendly, a few people speak English here in St Petersburg it’s a big tourist city.
It was Saturday today so very busy.
James Bond looks like he’s hit financial hardship (check out the number plate)
Someone’s had a good night out!
Male and female toilets in a bus!
A fairy princess
14th July 2024
Last night was my last night in my plush hotel.
I packed up some of my things and walked down the five floors, out of the hotel, up the street, 50 metres, across the carpark to James. James had a disc lock on, bike cover on, lock through front wheel and bike cover. Once I’d taken all that off I could start loading my gear into my panniers and top box. Then walk across the car park, 50 metres up the street, ring the hotel buzzer (because there is no front door key) and wait for the door to be unlocked remotely. I stood there for ten minutes pushing the buzzer. The door was not unlocked. To let some steam off I walked back to James and moved him to a place I could get to easier. Then I walked back to the hotel. This time the door opened. Walked up the five floors, put my bike gear on and carried the last of my things down to reception. I gave the keys back to the girl on the desk. Using Google translate I said to here to open the car park gate, again remotely when I toot my horn. She said Arh, ok.
I walked to James, rode to the gate and tooted my horn. Nothing! Tooted again, nothing!! After numerous attempts, got off James, walked 50 metres and used the hotel buzzer. Nicely asked her to open the gate, walked back 50 metres up the street, finally the gate was open and I was away.
I headed to Peterhof Palace. It was commissioned by Peter the Great in 1709. It’s a series of palaces and gardens and is a direct response to the palace of Versailles in France. It’s known as the Russian Versailles.
As it was Sunday there were bus loads of people. Entry was NZ$30. As I’m foreign I have to pay twice as much as a Russian. I queued with all the others to get inside the palace. Once I got to the entry point I was told your ticket does not let you inside, you’ll have to buy another ticket. I said I have paid twice the price of a local, surely I should be able to get in! No was the answer.
I couldn’t be bothered paying to go in. With the crowds it was a bit of a circus and I couldn’t wait to get out.
I headed east from there to Shlisselburg. If these names sound a bit Swedish it’s because they are. Peter the great captured great swathes of Sweden.
I met some local bikers there, they took some selfies with me and then I headed east towards Oyat.
I’m wild camping tonight next to the river, Reja Oyat. It’s a pleasant outlook watching the birds, they look like little swifts, catching bugs above the water for dinner.
Last night was my last night in my plush hotel.
I packed up some of my things and walked down the five floors, out of the hotel, up the street, 50 metres, across the carpark to James. James had a disc lock on, bike cover on, lock through front wheel and bike cover. Once I’d taken all that off I could start loading my gear into my panniers and top box. Then walk across the car park, 50 metres up the street, ring the hotel buzzer (because there is no front door key) and wait for the door to be unlocked remotely. I stood there for ten minutes pushing the buzzer. The door was not unlocked. To let some steam off I walked back to James and moved him to a place I could get to easier. Then I walked back to the hotel. This time the door opened. Walked up the five floors, put my bike gear on and carried the last of my things down to reception. I gave the keys back to the girl on the desk. Using Google translate I said to here to open the car park gate, again remotely when I toot my horn. She said Arh, ok.
I walked to James, rode to the gate and tooted my horn. Nothing! Tooted again, nothing!! After numerous attempts, got off James, walked 50 metres and used the hotel buzzer. Nicely asked her to open the gate, walked back 50 metres up the street, finally the gate was open and I was away.
I headed to Peterhof Palace. It was commissioned by Peter the Great in 1709. It’s a series of palaces and gardens and is a direct response to the palace of Versailles in France. It’s known as the Russian Versailles.
As it was Sunday there were bus loads of people. Entry was NZ$30. As I’m foreign I have to pay twice as much as a Russian. I queued with all the others to get inside the palace. Once I got to the entry point I was told your ticket does not let you inside, you’ll have to buy another ticket. I said I have paid twice the price of a local, surely I should be able to get in! No was the answer.
I couldn’t be bothered paying to go in. With the crowds it was a bit of a circus and I couldn’t wait to get out.
I headed east from there to Shlisselburg. If these names sound a bit Swedish it’s because they are. Peter the great captured great swathes of Sweden.
I met some local bikers there, they took some selfies with me and then I headed east towards Oyat.
I’m wild camping tonight next to the river, Reja Oyat. It’s a pleasant outlook watching the birds, they look like little swifts, catching bugs above the water for dinner.
Peterhof Gardens
Statue of Peter the great
James and the big boys
Russian biker, gave me some club stickers
My camp for the night
My camp for the night
Watching the swifts do their thing
 |  Todays route |
15th July 2024
There was very heavy rain early this morning. It lasted for about an hour. When I got up to start packing I noticed that the road that takes you in and out of this area had been transformed into small lakes. This would make getting out interesting!! I went to plug the coordinates into the Garmin, it couldn’t calculate a route. I checked the maps and when I downloaded the Osm maps I only had gone as far north as St Petersburg. No problem I’ll use google maps and Bluetooth it to my Senna headset so I can hear the instructions.
Off I went through the the slippery and deep pools. They were slippery but not a problem.
I’m heading to a place called Kargopol. On the way I went through lots of old villages, this is the historic Russia. The rain that I had this morning was heading in the same direction as me. It wasn’t long before I caught up with it and got soaked again. To make it even more interesting there were long stretches of gravel road , or to be more precise wet clay. The front end of James, slipped around, it was a bit tense at times.
My head set or google maps had switched off so I ended up missing a turn off and went miles off course. There’s a few lakes and millions of trees in forests. I’m really starting to feel as if I’m in the wilderness. Petrol stations are fewer and fewer.
As I was getting low on fuel I headed back to the nearest town, which also got me back on track. It was getting late now and the rain was torrential. I was struggling to find a place to camp so I tried some hotels, no room at the inn. It was 8 pm and with a full tank of fuel I headed off not knowing where to stay. Once I was out of town I headed in the direction of Kargopol. I tried a few side roads and tried to see if there would be any places to pitch a tent.
After about an hour I found a dirt road that took me into the forest. I pulled off the road and pitched the tent. I was greeted by huge mosquitoes.
By 10pm I had made a coffee, had dinner and then got into a damp tent. The joys of motorcycle travel
There was very heavy rain early this morning. It lasted for about an hour. When I got up to start packing I noticed that the road that takes you in and out of this area had been transformed into small lakes. This would make getting out interesting!! I went to plug the coordinates into the Garmin, it couldn’t calculate a route. I checked the maps and when I downloaded the Osm maps I only had gone as far north as St Petersburg. No problem I’ll use google maps and Bluetooth it to my Senna headset so I can hear the instructions.
Off I went through the the slippery and deep pools. They were slippery but not a problem.
I’m heading to a place called Kargopol. On the way I went through lots of old villages, this is the historic Russia. The rain that I had this morning was heading in the same direction as me. It wasn’t long before I caught up with it and got soaked again. To make it even more interesting there were long stretches of gravel road , or to be more precise wet clay. The front end of James, slipped around, it was a bit tense at times.
My head set or google maps had switched off so I ended up missing a turn off and went miles off course. There’s a few lakes and millions of trees in forests. I’m really starting to feel as if I’m in the wilderness. Petrol stations are fewer and fewer.
As I was getting low on fuel I headed back to the nearest town, which also got me back on track. It was getting late now and the rain was torrential. I was struggling to find a place to camp so I tried some hotels, no room at the inn. It was 8 pm and with a full tank of fuel I headed off not knowing where to stay. Once I was out of town I headed in the direction of Kargopol. I tried a few side roads and tried to see if there would be any places to pitch a tent.
After about an hour I found a dirt road that took me into the forest. I pulled off the road and pitched the tent. I was greeted by huge mosquitoes.
By 10pm I had made a coffee, had dinner and then got into a damp tent. The joys of motorcycle travel
James getting dirty
No room at any of the hotels and it’s still pouring with rain
Todays route
16th July 2023
After a good nights sleep I was up, packed and on the road in my wet riding gear and boots.
After miles of motorway I headed off up a gravel road which stretched for 120 km. The beginning was a bit rough and slippery due to all the rain yesterday. As the road progressed it got better and better.
I arrived in Kargopol just after 1 pm, had a look around the sites, made a couple of sandwiches and then headed to the petrol station to fill up.
As I was filling up I was approached by a man who spoke a bit of English. He owns a Honda Africa Twin. He was excited to see a foreigner on a motorcycle. We got talking for a while, he then invited me to stay the night at his place.
I followed him 50km to a town called Nyandoma.
The guys name is Alex and he is the owner of many businesses, including, farms, forestry etc. We stopped in at his forestry business where he gave James a good clean. From there we went back to his house so I could have a good clean(shower) and my clothes and riding gear a good go through the washing machine.
His wife fed and watered me and then Alex took me for a drive around town.
Later that evening we had a traditional sauna, you could say a steam clean
After a good nights sleep I was up, packed and on the road in my wet riding gear and boots.
After miles of motorway I headed off up a gravel road which stretched for 120 km. The beginning was a bit rough and slippery due to all the rain yesterday. As the road progressed it got better and better.
I arrived in Kargopol just after 1 pm, had a look around the sites, made a couple of sandwiches and then headed to the petrol station to fill up.
As I was filling up I was approached by a man who spoke a bit of English. He owns a Honda Africa Twin. He was excited to see a foreigner on a motorcycle. We got talking for a while, he then invited me to stay the night at his place.
I followed him 50km to a town called Nyandoma.
The guys name is Alex and he is the owner of many businesses, including, farms, forestry etc. We stopped in at his forestry business where he gave James a good clean. From there we went back to his house so I could have a good clean(shower) and my clothes and riding gear a good go through the washing machine.
His wife fed and watered me and then Alex took me for a drive around town.
Later that evening we had a traditional sauna, you could say a steam clean
Last nights camp. Good to see the sun this morning
Last nights camp.
Good to ride something a bit different
Kargopol famous for these churches
A typical house
Alex and I at the petrol station
James getting cleaned
Clean
New job?
New job?
17th July 2024
It was a day of more site seeing with Alex, an underground abandoned nuclear test site and abandoned military base. I hope my hair doesn’t start falling outHe gave me a good overview on how he sees Russia, it was very interesting!
In the afternoon we met up with Alex’s friends and work colleagues for a game of tennis.
Tomorrow I will be heading south making my way to Moscow.
It was nice to spend time with Alex. To get a glimpse into Russia, it’s people and its culture.
It was a day of more site seeing with Alex, an underground abandoned nuclear test site and abandoned military base. I hope my hair doesn’t start falling outHe gave me a good overview on how he sees Russia, it was very interesting!
In the afternoon we met up with Alex’s friends and work colleagues for a game of tennis.
Tomorrow I will be heading south making my way to Moscow.
It was nice to spend time with Alex. To get a glimpse into Russia, it’s people and its culture.
Kamaz. A Russian lorry
Looks like an old Commer van
Nuclear test site from the 1950’s
Inside
A beaver dam
Abandoned military base
That little island floats
Tennis anyone?
My tennis partners
18th July 2024
I oiled the chain this morning. To do this I take all the panniers and top box off, put James on his centre stand. That lightens the back of the bike, I can then spin the wheel with one hand and lube with the other. After I’ve completed that task, I drop James off the centre stand, put the side stand down, while putting the bike into first gear, so it won’t roll. I then put the top box on, then one pannier then the other. This time I’d gotten the top box and one pannier on when I heard a crash. When I looked over, James was on his side. A lesson learned, make sure I put the pannier on the side stand side first.
I left Alex’s and made my way south. The sun was shining, and the traffic was very light.
I hit the first section of gravel road and found areas of deepish sand, it then changed to being lots of deep gravel.
There is maintenance work being carried out, so there were a few trucks going up and down the road created a dust storm. As I was nearing one of them, the dust was so thick I could barely see, as I was about to overtake, I hit a patch of deep sand, so even more throttle was applied and I drifted past the truck into clean air.
I had found a wild camping area on google maps, right next to the Volga River in a town called Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl has many historic churches and buildings. It was a town I was keen to explore.
When I was on the outskirts of Yaroslavl my Garmin GPS started to play up, first it lost Satellites, then the pointer that shows you where you are, starts wondering around the map in a circle. Alex had said that in some areas of Russia the government scramble GPS’s. This was one of them!!
I had no idea where I was, I had no navigation.
I pulled over to a shop and through Google translate asked if any one could direct me to the Volga River. I thought if I could find the river I could probable find the wild camping area I was looking for. One lady said through Google translate, that there are lawsuits regarding scrambling GPS, she said we will take you to the river, just follow behind our car. So that’s what I did. Once at the river I rode along side it until I found a forest. There was a lake and many, many people, swimming, drinking, bbq ing and sun bathing. I asked a couple of people if it was ok to camp there. They said yes. I could smell Vodka on their breaths, they invited me over to where they were going. Begrudgingly I
agreed. They offered me drink, it was clear these guys would end up being trouble. I headed off to another place I had in reserve, this was further south on the way to Moscow.
I located where I was on the map, so I could try and remember what turns to take to get out of town. After the fourth turn I found myself lost. It was rush hour, I could not read any of the signs, they’re all mainly written in Cyrillic. For two hours I tried to find my way out. Google maps, or any other map did not work, they did the same as the Garmin. Even the electronic compass didn’t work.
The traffic was absolute grid locked. I was riding the clutch in first gear, the engine pumping out heat, the fans start blowing the hot air over my legs, a very sweaty and frustrating business. I figured if it’s this gridlocked it must be heading to a motorway. I saw in the distance a blue sign with Cyrillic, right at the bottom I saw the word Mockba. I vaguely remembered that’s what they call Moscow. It was like a sign from the gods. I could finally get out and be on my way
It wasn’t until 30km out of town that the GPS started to work normally. What a relief!! I could see the direction to another wild camp in a place called Kriushkino, near a lake on a hill
When I neared the town of Semibratovo the GPS started playing up again. I had remembered how long and how many km to the turn off to the lake, I carried on and followed the signs to Mackba.
20 km before the turn off the GPS came right, what a relief.
When I got to where the camp was it was an hour before dusk. I had ridden over 700 km and been on the move for 12 hours.
The camp was at the top of a hill. There was no road to it, only a grass track. It was bumpy, steep and had a sharp corner near the top.
I had no choice, I had to go for it.
As I rode the lower part I could really feel how bumpy it was. The long grass covered what really lay below. As I headed up the steep hill the rear tyre started slipping and sliding in the grass. I had to keep the momentum going otherwise I would slow and drop the bike. More throttle, more momentum until I neared the top and the front wheel hit I small ditch covered by the grass. James and I ended up laying down in the thick grass. We discovered thousands upon thousands of mosquitoes.
There is no way I can lift James with all the camping gear and panniers, so off it all came. Mosquitoes love heat, so James and I were covered. James was laying with his tyres pointing more skyward than I would have liked. I tried to lift James, I got him half way up but no matter how much I tried I couldn’t lift him up out of the ditch.
I walked down the hill and was able to get someone to help me lift James from the ditch. I was so thankful. I rode James to the top of the hill and along the ridge all the time, spitting mosquitoes from around my mouth.
I made numerous trips back and forth to retrieve my gear.
By the time I had pitched my tent and put all the panniers on the bike it was dark. I snuck into the tent at 10:30pm full bike gear and was able to close the tent without letting those aggressive mosquitoes in.
After pumping up my mattress, pillow and getting my sleeping bag out, getting out of my riding gear, I lay down and gave a sigh of relief that that day was over.
As I lay there I thought, if it rains tomorrow it could be a bit of a nightmare to get out of here!
I oiled the chain this morning. To do this I take all the panniers and top box off, put James on his centre stand. That lightens the back of the bike, I can then spin the wheel with one hand and lube with the other. After I’ve completed that task, I drop James off the centre stand, put the side stand down, while putting the bike into first gear, so it won’t roll. I then put the top box on, then one pannier then the other. This time I’d gotten the top box and one pannier on when I heard a crash. When I looked over, James was on his side. A lesson learned, make sure I put the pannier on the side stand side first.
I left Alex’s and made my way south. The sun was shining, and the traffic was very light.
I hit the first section of gravel road and found areas of deepish sand, it then changed to being lots of deep gravel.
There is maintenance work being carried out, so there were a few trucks going up and down the road created a dust storm. As I was nearing one of them, the dust was so thick I could barely see, as I was about to overtake, I hit a patch of deep sand, so even more throttle was applied and I drifted past the truck into clean air.
I had found a wild camping area on google maps, right next to the Volga River in a town called Yaroslavl. Yaroslavl has many historic churches and buildings. It was a town I was keen to explore.
When I was on the outskirts of Yaroslavl my Garmin GPS started to play up, first it lost Satellites, then the pointer that shows you where you are, starts wondering around the map in a circle. Alex had said that in some areas of Russia the government scramble GPS’s. This was one of them!!
I had no idea where I was, I had no navigation.
I pulled over to a shop and through Google translate asked if any one could direct me to the Volga River. I thought if I could find the river I could probable find the wild camping area I was looking for. One lady said through Google translate, that there are lawsuits regarding scrambling GPS, she said we will take you to the river, just follow behind our car. So that’s what I did. Once at the river I rode along side it until I found a forest. There was a lake and many, many people, swimming, drinking, bbq ing and sun bathing. I asked a couple of people if it was ok to camp there. They said yes. I could smell Vodka on their breaths, they invited me over to where they were going. Begrudgingly I
agreed. They offered me drink, it was clear these guys would end up being trouble. I headed off to another place I had in reserve, this was further south on the way to Moscow.
I located where I was on the map, so I could try and remember what turns to take to get out of town. After the fourth turn I found myself lost. It was rush hour, I could not read any of the signs, they’re all mainly written in Cyrillic. For two hours I tried to find my way out. Google maps, or any other map did not work, they did the same as the Garmin. Even the electronic compass didn’t work.
The traffic was absolute grid locked. I was riding the clutch in first gear, the engine pumping out heat, the fans start blowing the hot air over my legs, a very sweaty and frustrating business. I figured if it’s this gridlocked it must be heading to a motorway. I saw in the distance a blue sign with Cyrillic, right at the bottom I saw the word Mockba. I vaguely remembered that’s what they call Moscow. It was like a sign from the gods. I could finally get out and be on my way
It wasn’t until 30km out of town that the GPS started to work normally. What a relief!! I could see the direction to another wild camp in a place called Kriushkino, near a lake on a hill
When I neared the town of Semibratovo the GPS started playing up again. I had remembered how long and how many km to the turn off to the lake, I carried on and followed the signs to Mackba.
20 km before the turn off the GPS came right, what a relief.
When I got to where the camp was it was an hour before dusk. I had ridden over 700 km and been on the move for 12 hours.
The camp was at the top of a hill. There was no road to it, only a grass track. It was bumpy, steep and had a sharp corner near the top.
I had no choice, I had to go for it.
As I rode the lower part I could really feel how bumpy it was. The long grass covered what really lay below. As I headed up the steep hill the rear tyre started slipping and sliding in the grass. I had to keep the momentum going otherwise I would slow and drop the bike. More throttle, more momentum until I neared the top and the front wheel hit I small ditch covered by the grass. James and I ended up laying down in the thick grass. We discovered thousands upon thousands of mosquitoes.
There is no way I can lift James with all the camping gear and panniers, so off it all came. Mosquitoes love heat, so James and I were covered. James was laying with his tyres pointing more skyward than I would have liked. I tried to lift James, I got him half way up but no matter how much I tried I couldn’t lift him up out of the ditch.
I walked down the hill and was able to get someone to help me lift James from the ditch. I was so thankful. I rode James to the top of the hill and along the ridge all the time, spitting mosquitoes from around my mouth.
I made numerous trips back and forth to retrieve my gear.
By the time I had pitched my tent and put all the panniers on the bike it was dark. I snuck into the tent at 10:30pm full bike gear and was able to close the tent without letting those aggressive mosquitoes in.
After pumping up my mattress, pillow and getting my sleeping bag out, getting out of my riding gear, I lay down and gave a sigh of relief that that day was over.
As I lay there I thought, if it rains tomorrow it could be a bit of a nightmare to get out of here!
James having a rest
GPS gone mad, just like the rider!!
Where am I??????
First stop by the lake
At the top of the hill. James having another rest!!!
Todays route
19th July 2024
At 6am I awoke to raindrops!!!! The rain intensified and carried on until 10am. It slowed to a sprinkling of raindrops after that.
I packed up camp, along with dozens of mosquitoes that were between my inner and outer tent.
Now it was time for James and I to descend the hill.
I was so focused on getting down without dropping James. Over the top we went, down 2 metres, then front starts sliding like we’re on ice, then the back!! Down we went, I was pinned under James, knee twisted and boot trapped under the rear passenger foot pegs. I managed to free myself, I thought, that’s not a good start to the day. I walked around the side of James, bent down, and with a mighty heave was able to get James up. The only way out is to walk James down. So with the bike in gear, I slowly, very slowly eased out the clutch. As soon as there was movement the front and the rear slid out. Now James was down and in a position I could not lift him.out of on my own.
I walked down the hill and found a car with a mum, dad and daughter sheltering from the rain. The man could speak English, so I explained my predicament. He was happy to help. We got James up, the two of us managed to get James onto flat ground. I was so thankful to that man.
Now onto Moscow.
I had booked a room for three nights in the city, with parking for James. The weather forecast for the next 4 days isn’t flash, rain
This morning t was wet with showers. I couldn’t be bothered putting my wet weather gear on. I was so hot from all the exercise. It was slow going getting to Moscow, lots of roadworks, by the time I was past the roadworks the rain had stopped and with the stop, start of the traffic and the heat of the engine my riding gear had dried out.
The hotel I’m in is not far from Red Square. That’s where I’ll head tomorrow.
At 6am I awoke to raindrops!!!! The rain intensified and carried on until 10am. It slowed to a sprinkling of raindrops after that.
I packed up camp, along with dozens of mosquitoes that were between my inner and outer tent.
Now it was time for James and I to descend the hill.
I was so focused on getting down without dropping James. Over the top we went, down 2 metres, then front starts sliding like we’re on ice, then the back!! Down we went, I was pinned under James, knee twisted and boot trapped under the rear passenger foot pegs. I managed to free myself, I thought, that’s not a good start to the day. I walked around the side of James, bent down, and with a mighty heave was able to get James up. The only way out is to walk James down. So with the bike in gear, I slowly, very slowly eased out the clutch. As soon as there was movement the front and the rear slid out. Now James was down and in a position I could not lift him.out of on my own.
I walked down the hill and found a car with a mum, dad and daughter sheltering from the rain. The man could speak English, so I explained my predicament. He was happy to help. We got James up, the two of us managed to get James onto flat ground. I was so thankful to that man.
Now onto Moscow.
I had booked a room for three nights in the city, with parking for James. The weather forecast for the next 4 days isn’t flash, rain
This morning t was wet with showers. I couldn’t be bothered putting my wet weather gear on. I was so hot from all the exercise. It was slow going getting to Moscow, lots of roadworks, by the time I was past the roadworks the rain had stopped and with the stop, start of the traffic and the heat of the engine my riding gear had dried out.
The hotel I’m in is not far from Red Square. That’s where I’ll head tomorrow.
Watching for the rain to stop in the morning.
Packed up and now to try to get down the hill vertically
All that remains from last nights ordeal
Todays route
20th July 2024
It was an 18km walk around Moscow looking at some of the main sites.
The first one was Red Square. It’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. Red Square has been the scene of executions, demonstrations, riots, parades, and speeches. Red Square is almost 73,000 square metres in size. It contains famous buildings such as Saint Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Mausoleum.
I queued outside Lenin’s Mausoleum for over an hour. Lenin was the head of the Bolshevik government and a Marxist. Under his communist regime, opponents were suppressed in the Red Terror, and tens of thousands were killed or interned in concentration camps. His administration defeated right and left-wing anti-Bolshevik armies.
When I got to the entrance there were metal detectors and scanners similar to the ones at the airport. I was told by the police “can’t come in you have a bag”. I was livid. Other people had been turned away also. I said to the police”where are the signs stating this” the woman police officer was getting emotional shouting “no bags”. As I walked back out of the queue a man told me that you can leave your bag at a baggage kiosk. I got google maps out and he showed me where it was located. I thanked him for his help and walked for 15 minutes to the baggage kiosk. When I arrived they were on their half hour break. There were people I had seen turned away waiting. I was lucky as I only had to wait 5 minutes for them to open.
When it opened a miserable looking woman came to the counter. When it was my turn to hand my bag over she said any water in it. It is a camelbac and it had water in it. I had to tip it out. While I was waiting I read the sign that was in English stating what couldn’t be left in bags. The only drink it mentioned was alcoholic drink. I took the baggage number and went back to the Mausoleum. I went straight to the front and was let in.
There were so many people like me with bags in the queue, it’s unbelievable that there is no signage or people walking the queue explaining to people what is required for bags.
After Lenin’s death on 21 January 1924 a wooden mausoleum was constructed. The day Lenin went on display a 100,000 people went through.
In 1930 A new mausoleum of marble, porphyry, granite, and labradorite was constructed. Mold was getting to the wood and the body.
There are guards throughout the mausoleum. They do not allow you to stop and look at the body, you have to do a slow walk.
Lenin was quite a short man at 1.65 metres tall.
From there I headed to St Basils and then out of Red Square making my way to Gorky Park. On the way back to the hotel I walked through many sculpture parks.
It was an 18km walk around Moscow looking at some of the main sites.
The first one was Red Square. It’s been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990. Red Square has been the scene of executions, demonstrations, riots, parades, and speeches. Red Square is almost 73,000 square metres in size. It contains famous buildings such as Saint Basil's Cathedral and Lenin's Mausoleum.
I queued outside Lenin’s Mausoleum for over an hour. Lenin was the head of the Bolshevik government and a Marxist. Under his communist regime, opponents were suppressed in the Red Terror, and tens of thousands were killed or interned in concentration camps. His administration defeated right and left-wing anti-Bolshevik armies.
When I got to the entrance there were metal detectors and scanners similar to the ones at the airport. I was told by the police “can’t come in you have a bag”. I was livid. Other people had been turned away also. I said to the police”where are the signs stating this” the woman police officer was getting emotional shouting “no bags”. As I walked back out of the queue a man told me that you can leave your bag at a baggage kiosk. I got google maps out and he showed me where it was located. I thanked him for his help and walked for 15 minutes to the baggage kiosk. When I arrived they were on their half hour break. There were people I had seen turned away waiting. I was lucky as I only had to wait 5 minutes for them to open.
When it opened a miserable looking woman came to the counter. When it was my turn to hand my bag over she said any water in it. It is a camelbac and it had water in it. I had to tip it out. While I was waiting I read the sign that was in English stating what couldn’t be left in bags. The only drink it mentioned was alcoholic drink. I took the baggage number and went back to the Mausoleum. I went straight to the front and was let in.
There were so many people like me with bags in the queue, it’s unbelievable that there is no signage or people walking the queue explaining to people what is required for bags.
After Lenin’s death on 21 January 1924 a wooden mausoleum was constructed. The day Lenin went on display a 100,000 people went through.
In 1930 A new mausoleum of marble, porphyry, granite, and labradorite was constructed. Mold was getting to the wood and the body.
There are guards throughout the mausoleum. They do not allow you to stop and look at the body, you have to do a slow walk.
Lenin was quite a short man at 1.65 metres tall.
From there I headed to St Basils and then out of Red Square making my way to Gorky Park. On the way back to the hotel I walked through many sculpture parks.
St Basils, Red Square, Moscow
The Mausoleum on the right, Red Square
Red Square
The queue ahead for the mausoleum
Guards outside the mausoleum
Red Square
She has him well trained already!!
Posing for a picture. What’s the point?
Entrance to Gorky Park
Soviet sculpture park
An old soldier in red square
An old soldier in red square thoughts on the west
Red square
A symphoney of colour
Tesla Cybertruck
21st July 2024
Today I ventured on to the Moscow Metro and headed to the Cosmonaut museum. The museum gives a good overview of Russias space program dating back to the early 1950’s. The original rockets used were based on the German V2 rocket technology.
The launching of the first satellite (Sputnik 1 on the 4th October 1957).
The quest to get ready to send humans into space. Before that the Russians used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. These dogs, including Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth. They were surgically modified to provide the necessary information for human survival in space. In total 57 dogs were used. Laika was the first dog in space. Sadly she died after 7 hours.
The first two dogs to enter space and return were Belka, literally meaning, "squirrel", or alternatively "Whitey" and Strelka, "little arrow" spent a day in space aboard Sputnik 5 on 19 August 1960 before safely returning to Earth. They are the first higher living organisms to survive orbit in outer space.
There was Yuri Gagarin’s space suit. He was the first man to enter space aboard the Vostok 1 on the 12th August 1961.
It was an interesting couple of hours.
I then stepped outside into the rain and headed back to the metro to catch two trains back to the city centre. From there I strolled in the dry, to the Bolshoi Theatre, which was opened in 1825 and is home to the world famous Bolshoi ballet.
It started to rain heavily so I headed back to the hotel to relax before my 7 hour ride south tomorrow.
Today I ventured on to the Moscow Metro and headed to the Cosmonaut museum. The museum gives a good overview of Russias space program dating back to the early 1950’s. The original rockets used were based on the German V2 rocket technology.
The launching of the first satellite (Sputnik 1 on the 4th October 1957).
The quest to get ready to send humans into space. Before that the Russians used dogs for sub-orbital and orbital space flights to determine whether human spaceflight was feasible. These dogs, including Laika, the first animal to orbit Earth. They were surgically modified to provide the necessary information for human survival in space. In total 57 dogs were used. Laika was the first dog in space. Sadly she died after 7 hours.
The first two dogs to enter space and return were Belka, literally meaning, "squirrel", or alternatively "Whitey" and Strelka, "little arrow" spent a day in space aboard Sputnik 5 on 19 August 1960 before safely returning to Earth. They are the first higher living organisms to survive orbit in outer space.
There was Yuri Gagarin’s space suit. He was the first man to enter space aboard the Vostok 1 on the 12th August 1961.
It was an interesting couple of hours.
I then stepped outside into the rain and headed back to the metro to catch two trains back to the city centre. From there I strolled in the dry, to the Bolshoi Theatre, which was opened in 1825 and is home to the world famous Bolshoi ballet.
It started to rain heavily so I headed back to the hotel to relax before my 7 hour ride south tomorrow.
The cosmonaut museum
Yuri Gagarins uniform. He was the first man in space
Gagarin's space suit
Sputnik, the first satellite into space
The first dogs to go into space and return safely
Their space suits
Their capsule
Pretty cramped
The worlds largest camera
Moscow Metro
Bolshoi Theatre
Karl Marx
22nd July 2024
Last night I popped around the corner to a small Turkish takeaway. There was a 20 minute wait. In front of me were three guys in their late teens, early twenties, who spoke English. They are at university studying English. I had a great chat to them. They were obviously well brought up. They were lovely young lads. When they picked up their order, they, unbeknown to me, ordered a kebab and a drink for me, then gave it to me. They wouldn’t take any money for it, even though I insisted!!. It was so refreshing to meet young, well brought up, humorous, bright, people. They are the type of people who will have a successful future.
I had all my gear down stairs and packed away on James by 7:30 this morning, chain lubed, and checked out the hotel by 7:45am.
I turned my Garmin on to put the co ordinates in, only to see it searching for satellites. I got Google maps up on my phone and just entered the town I wanted to head to. It was able to find it. Off I went, unfortunately the blue dot on Google maps stayed behind. Another day of no Navigation. As it was early it wasn’t too busy around the streets. I struck it lucky and saw a sign with M2 on it. I knew that was the road that would take me out of Moscow and towards Tambov, where I had booked a cheap hotel. It’s half way to Volgograd. Volgograd was once known as Stalingrad. It was the the city that bogged the Germans down. It was also the deadliest battle in history. It was the turning point of the Second World War.
Once I was well out of Moscow the navigation started working again. The Garmin was telling me it would take until 2:30am to get to my destination. It had routed me on a 1300km course. I obviously ignored that and followed Google Maps. It all played up later on in the day but came right 15 minutes later.
The roads today are very straight and flat with farm land surrounding them. It’s the heaviest policed road I’ve ever ridden. Not content with Changing the speed limit from, 90,70,60, 40, 20km/h, which have speed cameras at ever speed change, throw in police radar cars and vans( I saw 7)then the road works, two police checkpoints where I had to show my license and the the icing on the cake a 30 minute wait because of a pretty bad car crash. Where has the joy of motorcycling gone?
I arrived at my hotel at 3:30 ready for a rest. And then a big walk to get some groceries and something to eat.
My NZ$42 hotels comes with breakfast. I’m looking forward to that!
Last night I popped around the corner to a small Turkish takeaway. There was a 20 minute wait. In front of me were three guys in their late teens, early twenties, who spoke English. They are at university studying English. I had a great chat to them. They were obviously well brought up. They were lovely young lads. When they picked up their order, they, unbeknown to me, ordered a kebab and a drink for me, then gave it to me. They wouldn’t take any money for it, even though I insisted!!. It was so refreshing to meet young, well brought up, humorous, bright, people. They are the type of people who will have a successful future.
I had all my gear down stairs and packed away on James by 7:30 this morning, chain lubed, and checked out the hotel by 7:45am.
I turned my Garmin on to put the co ordinates in, only to see it searching for satellites. I got Google maps up on my phone and just entered the town I wanted to head to. It was able to find it. Off I went, unfortunately the blue dot on Google maps stayed behind. Another day of no Navigation. As it was early it wasn’t too busy around the streets. I struck it lucky and saw a sign with M2 on it. I knew that was the road that would take me out of Moscow and towards Tambov, where I had booked a cheap hotel. It’s half way to Volgograd. Volgograd was once known as Stalingrad. It was the the city that bogged the Germans down. It was also the deadliest battle in history. It was the turning point of the Second World War.
Once I was well out of Moscow the navigation started working again. The Garmin was telling me it would take until 2:30am to get to my destination. It had routed me on a 1300km course. I obviously ignored that and followed Google Maps. It all played up later on in the day but came right 15 minutes later.
The roads today are very straight and flat with farm land surrounding them. It’s the heaviest policed road I’ve ever ridden. Not content with Changing the speed limit from, 90,70,60, 40, 20km/h, which have speed cameras at ever speed change, throw in police radar cars and vans( I saw 7)then the road works, two police checkpoints where I had to show my license and the the icing on the cake a 30 minute wait because of a pretty bad car crash. Where has the joy of motorcycling gone?
I arrived at my hotel at 3:30 ready for a rest. And then a big walk to get some groceries and something to eat.
My NZ$42 hotels comes with breakfast. I’m looking forward to that!
Lots of these on the side of the road
My hotel is in an industrial estate
My hotel
Today's route
23rd July 2024
The good news breakfast was much better than I expected.
Yesterday my service light came on which means I’ve clocked up 10,000 km on this trip so far.
Last night I searched the internet for a motorcycle shop that would sell the oil I need. I found one about 15 minutes ride from the hotel. It’s called Globus Ekstrim. I got there just on opening time. The guy I met couldn’t speak English but his boss could. In fact he studied it at university and lived in the USA for a while. They had the oil I needed, it was the same price as all the other countries that sell it, high!!! I asked if they could do the oil and filter change now. They said “we don’t have a filter”, I said “I do”. They said”yes”. I rode James into the workshop, Alex the manager took me upstairs to the waiting room and got me a coffee. We had a very good chat about all sorts of things. They are also car dealers. Before the sanctions they used to sell American brand cars, now it’s all Chinese.
When the service was done they came and got me, I checked out the job, all ok, then paid them. The Labour for the oil change was NZ$19
They wanted me to write a Google review, which I was happy to do as they had been exemplary.
Then they wanted a photo of us all standing by the bike outside their dealership. Which we did. Then I bid them farewell and headed out of town towards Volgograd. It was a six and a half hour ride, not including any stops or hold ups.
As I was heading through Tambov I lost all satellites on the Garmin again, so no navigation. I knew the road I needed, the E119/P22, I just needed to find a sign. It wasn’t long before I found that sign and that road out of town.
The roads were straight, flat surrounded by farmland and millions of sunflowers.
The road was still full of speed cameras but not as many police, there were convoys of trucks, it was like a game of Frogga, getting past them.
50 km out from Volgograd I lost all satellites again. I had expected this might happen so I’d booked another cheap hotel just off the highway I was on. I knew the exact km mark to turn off, so I was feeling pretty confident I would be able to find it. At 30 km to go, the Garmin fired back into life, I had navigation again. I wasn’t expecting it to last as I got closer to the city. I’d arrived in the city at rush hour, slow and hot going.
There were two motorcycle police officer in the middle of the road pulling up motorcycles.
They pointed to me and summoned me over. They spoke a little English and were very jovial. I showed them my license and bike registration papers. He said “all good to go, have a look at my plate”……. Was he James Bond in disguise? 007.
My navigation continued to work. I was finally in the hotel by 7:30, feeling shattered.
The good news breakfast was much better than I expected.
Yesterday my service light came on which means I’ve clocked up 10,000 km on this trip so far.
Last night I searched the internet for a motorcycle shop that would sell the oil I need. I found one about 15 minutes ride from the hotel. It’s called Globus Ekstrim. I got there just on opening time. The guy I met couldn’t speak English but his boss could. In fact he studied it at university and lived in the USA for a while. They had the oil I needed, it was the same price as all the other countries that sell it, high!!! I asked if they could do the oil and filter change now. They said “we don’t have a filter”, I said “I do”. They said”yes”. I rode James into the workshop, Alex the manager took me upstairs to the waiting room and got me a coffee. We had a very good chat about all sorts of things. They are also car dealers. Before the sanctions they used to sell American brand cars, now it’s all Chinese.
When the service was done they came and got me, I checked out the job, all ok, then paid them. The Labour for the oil change was NZ$19
They wanted me to write a Google review, which I was happy to do as they had been exemplary.
Then they wanted a photo of us all standing by the bike outside their dealership. Which we did. Then I bid them farewell and headed out of town towards Volgograd. It was a six and a half hour ride, not including any stops or hold ups.
As I was heading through Tambov I lost all satellites on the Garmin again, so no navigation. I knew the road I needed, the E119/P22, I just needed to find a sign. It wasn’t long before I found that sign and that road out of town.
The roads were straight, flat surrounded by farmland and millions of sunflowers.
The road was still full of speed cameras but not as many police, there were convoys of trucks, it was like a game of Frogga, getting past them.
50 km out from Volgograd I lost all satellites again. I had expected this might happen so I’d booked another cheap hotel just off the highway I was on. I knew the exact km mark to turn off, so I was feeling pretty confident I would be able to find it. At 30 km to go, the Garmin fired back into life, I had navigation again. I wasn’t expecting it to last as I got closer to the city. I’d arrived in the city at rush hour, slow and hot going.
There were two motorcycle police officer in the middle of the road pulling up motorcycles.
They pointed to me and summoned me over. They spoke a little English and were very jovial. I showed them my license and bike registration papers. He said “all good to go, have a look at my plate”……. Was he James Bond in disguise? 007.
My navigation continued to work. I was finally in the hotel by 7:30, feeling shattered.
James Bond again?
James from my hotel window
Todays route
24th July 2024
My cheap hotel had no hot water, apparently it had just broken
I woke up this morning feeling low in energy and zest. After being on the road and constantly on the move you’ll always get a day like that.
I got out of bed to look out the window to make sure James was still where I left him. He was but he was surrounded by large puddles. It was chucking it down. I checked the weather forecast and it was due to come right in the afternoon.
I checked out of the hotel at 11:30 and headed to The Motherland calls statue. It’s 85 metres tall and is dedicated to the heroes of the battle of Stalingrad. It’s the tallest statue in Europe and the tallest statue of a woman in the world.
From there I headed to a museum dedicated to the battle of Stalingrad. They had an original building bearing the scars of the battle.
I’d found a wild camping spot on the I Overland app near the route I wanted to take.
As I was heading south I began to catch up with the rain I’d left behind in Volgograd. The rain was still in front of me when I turned down a dirt track to find a camping spot. The road was slippery and rutted. James was slipping about so I decided to stop at a fork in the road. I decided to walk to the left and see what I could find. It looked like a better option than the other road. I walked back to James and then we headed down the road cautiously. It was difficult to find a place I could pitch a tent because there were very deep tyre tracks running parallel and I couldn’t get James over them. Finally I found a spot I could get James and the tent.
After pitching the tent, having a coffee and something to eat, I decided to catch up on a few jobs.
First one, fix the zip in my tent, second, get the lap top out and get rid of the service light and reset for the next service, third, give the chain a good lube and clean, fourth, try and straighten the frame and panniers that got bent when James fell over at Alex’s house. No success on that one. Last thing check the tyre pressures. Front one needed pumping up quite a bit, the rear just a little.
There are lots of locust’s about. When I was pitching the tent they were jumping and flying everywhere. I’m happy to say’ there are no mosquitoes, yay!!!
I sat and watched the sunset, then heading into the tent for the night.
My cheap hotel had no hot water, apparently it had just broken
I woke up this morning feeling low in energy and zest. After being on the road and constantly on the move you’ll always get a day like that.
I got out of bed to look out the window to make sure James was still where I left him. He was but he was surrounded by large puddles. It was chucking it down. I checked the weather forecast and it was due to come right in the afternoon.
I checked out of the hotel at 11:30 and headed to The Motherland calls statue. It’s 85 metres tall and is dedicated to the heroes of the battle of Stalingrad. It’s the tallest statue in Europe and the tallest statue of a woman in the world.
From there I headed to a museum dedicated to the battle of Stalingrad. They had an original building bearing the scars of the battle.
I’d found a wild camping spot on the I Overland app near the route I wanted to take.
As I was heading south I began to catch up with the rain I’d left behind in Volgograd. The rain was still in front of me when I turned down a dirt track to find a camping spot. The road was slippery and rutted. James was slipping about so I decided to stop at a fork in the road. I decided to walk to the left and see what I could find. It looked like a better option than the other road. I walked back to James and then we headed down the road cautiously. It was difficult to find a place I could pitch a tent because there were very deep tyre tracks running parallel and I couldn’t get James over them. Finally I found a spot I could get James and the tent.
After pitching the tent, having a coffee and something to eat, I decided to catch up on a few jobs.
First one, fix the zip in my tent, second, get the lap top out and get rid of the service light and reset for the next service, third, give the chain a good lube and clean, fourth, try and straighten the frame and panniers that got bent when James fell over at Alex’s house. No success on that one. Last thing check the tyre pressures. Front one needed pumping up quite a bit, the rear just a little.
There are lots of locust’s about. When I was pitching the tent they were jumping and flying everywhere. I’m happy to say’ there are no mosquitoes, yay!!!
I sat and watched the sunset, then heading into the tent for the night.
Todays route
25th July 2024
I woke at 2am feeling a bit uncomfortable. My air mattress was half deflated. I pumped it up again hoping in was a bit of grit or something in the valve. When I woke at 5 the mattress had gone down. It’s so comfortable it will be a tragedy if I can’t find the hole to fix.
It’s getting warmer now I’m heading south. The sunrises at 4:30, so by 6 it’s starting to warm up in the tent. I packed everything up bar my chair and had a good fry up this morning, boiled plenty of water so I have coffee for the rest of the day. It was beautiful sitting in the wilderness, nobody around, “except for the man on the hill”
On the way out of the dirt road I could see the deep tracks and skids I made on the way in yesterday. Things had dried out overnight and it was much easier to leaving . The clay set like concrete on James. I had to give it a good kick to get it off the bashplate.
The ride today was very baron, miles and miles of nothing.
I went through one town, I thought I’d gone across the border to China or Mongolia, everyone was oriental.
At lunchtime I pulled over to a rest stop. There was a Chinese type gazebo with a table and to the right of that was a bench table. About 10 meters either side of me were toilets, more like broken concrete,in side and out, covered in toilet paper and excrement. It was vile. There’s rubbish everywhere. I watched an old husband and wife jump out their car and check out the “toilet” the wife looked like she threw the hammer for the USSR back in the day.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, she lifted up her skirt to reveal a huge pair of knickers, then she went to pull them down, I’ve never turned my neck so quickly to look away. Something’s once seen, can never be forgotten
Later in the day I pulled into a petrol station for an ice cream, the temperature today hit 30°C.
While I was looking where to stay on my phone, a young guy came up and started chatting, he was probably about 16. He brought me a big slice of watermelon. His little brothers came over to see what was going on they had there’s all around their face.
While I was stopped at the traffic lights I saw a woman in the car behind get her phone and take a picture of my number plate. As I took off I waved at her and her husband, they waved back.
Later they overtook me. About 10 minutes later they were at the side of the road waving me down. I pulled over and the lady gave me a book she had written and signed. It’s all in Russian, so I have no idea what it says. She pointed to a picture in the book, it must be of her as she pointed to herself.
The wild camp I’m at tonight has a varied variety of living things, locusts, ants, little spiders, flys, birds, and woody the woodpecker. I’ve tried to photograph him but he’s camera shy.
It’s about a 4 hour ride to the Georgian border tomorrow.
I woke at 2am feeling a bit uncomfortable. My air mattress was half deflated. I pumped it up again hoping in was a bit of grit or something in the valve. When I woke at 5 the mattress had gone down. It’s so comfortable it will be a tragedy if I can’t find the hole to fix.
It’s getting warmer now I’m heading south. The sunrises at 4:30, so by 6 it’s starting to warm up in the tent. I packed everything up bar my chair and had a good fry up this morning, boiled plenty of water so I have coffee for the rest of the day. It was beautiful sitting in the wilderness, nobody around, “except for the man on the hill”
On the way out of the dirt road I could see the deep tracks and skids I made on the way in yesterday. Things had dried out overnight and it was much easier to leaving . The clay set like concrete on James. I had to give it a good kick to get it off the bashplate.
The ride today was very baron, miles and miles of nothing.
I went through one town, I thought I’d gone across the border to China or Mongolia, everyone was oriental.
At lunchtime I pulled over to a rest stop. There was a Chinese type gazebo with a table and to the right of that was a bench table. About 10 meters either side of me were toilets, more like broken concrete,in side and out, covered in toilet paper and excrement. It was vile. There’s rubbish everywhere. I watched an old husband and wife jump out their car and check out the “toilet” the wife looked like she threw the hammer for the USSR back in the day.
I couldn’t believe my eyes, she lifted up her skirt to reveal a huge pair of knickers, then she went to pull them down, I’ve never turned my neck so quickly to look away. Something’s once seen, can never be forgotten
Later in the day I pulled into a petrol station for an ice cream, the temperature today hit 30°C.
While I was looking where to stay on my phone, a young guy came up and started chatting, he was probably about 16. He brought me a big slice of watermelon. His little brothers came over to see what was going on they had there’s all around their face.
While I was stopped at the traffic lights I saw a woman in the car behind get her phone and take a picture of my number plate. As I took off I waved at her and her husband, they waved back.
Later they overtook me. About 10 minutes later they were at the side of the road waving me down. I pulled over and the lady gave me a book she had written and signed. It’s all in Russian, so I have no idea what it says. She pointed to a picture in the book, it must be of her as she pointed to herself.
The wild camp I’m at tonight has a varied variety of living things, locusts, ants, little spiders, flys, birds, and woody the woodpecker. I’ve tried to photograph him but he’s camera shy.
It’s about a 4 hour ride to the Georgian border tomorrow.
The man on the hill
The man! And the man on the hill□
Tonight’s camp
Todays route
26th July 2024.
I was feeling a bit down this morning, not emotionally down, but physically. My air mattress is no longer holding air. I was lying on the ground. I was thankful there was plenty of grass below my tent.
The sun rises early and the tent heats up, so it’s a good excuse to pack up and make the most of the day.
As I was packing up my tent, and moving the ground sheet, a spider with a body as long as an inch ambles off and into the grass. I was thankful he had no mates!
It was more straight roads and very baron landscapes. The temperature hit a high of 30°C.
By the time I’d got to the Russian border, things had changed. The temperature was 23°C and absolutely pouring down. As I waited in line at passport control I was thinking about crossing the Georgian border. I had confirmed, no visa was required for entry, but then again the same could be said for Belarus. If I couldn’t get into Georgia then it’s a 2500 km ride back through Russia to Estonia. Yikes!!!!
James and I got stamped out of Russia, now for Georgia.
I was feeling a bit down this morning, not emotionally down, but physically. My air mattress is no longer holding air. I was lying on the ground. I was thankful there was plenty of grass below my tent.
The sun rises early and the tent heats up, so it’s a good excuse to pack up and make the most of the day.
As I was packing up my tent, and moving the ground sheet, a spider with a body as long as an inch ambles off and into the grass. I was thankful he had no mates!
It was more straight roads and very baron landscapes. The temperature hit a high of 30°C.
By the time I’d got to the Russian border, things had changed. The temperature was 23°C and absolutely pouring down. As I waited in line at passport control I was thinking about crossing the Georgian border. I had confirmed, no visa was required for entry, but then again the same could be said for Belarus. If I couldn’t get into Georgia then it’s a 2500 km ride back through Russia to Estonia. Yikes!!!!
James and I got stamped out of Russia, now for Georgia.
A wet Russian border
Russian border
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