Russian roads have no need for rumble strips. Paved shoulders are often minimal and at times the entire surface rides like a rumble strip, so drivers might not notice. We had some roads like that today, though my expectations were … Continue reading →
Overnight the wind started howling through the trees. I was pleased to discover it was going to be a day with tailwinds. It was nice and cool when I left. Today started with many open areas and good roads so … Continue reading →
Mosquito patrol at midnight. Quick shut the window! Now with towels we zap as many as we can. A few leave red blotches. Others are smashed against the walls. We had left the door and window open in the motel … Continue reading →
I found a town in the backwaters of Siberia without internet connections for tourists. In Чаны, I asked three normally reliable sources: the post office, the telegraph/telephone office and a teenage boy – and none could find an internet connection … Continue reading →
Its hot! Chocolate bars are melting in Siberia. We came to the major ОмÑк/ ÐовоÑибирÑк highway today. So far the road is in reasonable condition and traffic has been light. It is a straight and flat road. There are occasionally … Continue reading →
Today we left the big city and started our ride to ÐовоÑибирÑк. It is interesting how much contrast we have between rest days in the city and days on the road. Several factors conspired to make today a slower day … Continue reading →
Best wishes for the summer solstice from a rest day in the city of Omsk. At 55 degrees north, we have some long daylight hours. At 73 degrees east, we are now three time zones east of Moscow. We cycled … Continue reading →
Today we were just close enough to consider riding all the way into the big city. If roads or weather had been worse, the alternate plan was to split things into two days. As it was, it took a bit … Continue reading →
We crossed into a new oblast today. The roads started out the same, but the last half of the day had worse roads than the previous two oblasts. Our route was not very populated. Mostly marsh woods with one or … Continue reading →
At the last cafe today, we were approached outside by a few men who had too much to drink. Initially they are friendly and want to know about the trip, but then they just become obnoxious and wouldn’t leave us … Continue reading →