We’ve been passing through temperate rainforest and can see why it gets its name. Today started overcast and dry but switched to drizzle and then to a steady rain. Rumor has it there is a cyclone in the area pumping in moisture. This area is supposedly home to the Amur Tiger, there are just a few hundred left.

I was quick to break camp as the mosquitoes were fierce. I was on the road and on to Вяземский at 20km for a cafe stop. My right knee decided to hurt some, not sure why it is bothering me now. My pedal also makes clicking noises so perhaps these are related. We came across many hills today and so that also took some extra effort. Mickey caught up in the cafe and we headed from here down the road. There were several small villages separated by dense woods. The road was sometime narrow though traffic was moderate. We stopped for lunch 10km past Котиково at 51km. From here several more hills and a stretch of new asphalt brought us to Лермонтовка at 79km. We bought a few more things at the store here.

After this it started to rain. Several hills brought us to Бойцово at 99km. We regrouped in the bus shelter before going to the village to look for water. The second house had a geologist and his friends. We had excellent hospitality here, not just water but also warm soup and good conversation. Alas, I couldn’t help them with their computer problem (windows crashed when booting up). It kept raining. They offered us a place to stay but we decided to cycle just a bit further and pitch tents under the trees. Hopefully the rain will stop tomorrow, though our geologist reported even more rain near Владивосток and a cyclone in the area.

101km today, 12177km across Eurasia [Photo: 274, 276]