Today as I was walking out to find lunch and afternoon stop at the internet cafe, I saw a familiar bicycle leaning nearby. Mickey had found her way to the same hotel. We had missed on the first day from Казань and she had circled back looking for me. From that point, I was cycling ahead and in combination of day 1 and a later detour I had ended up a day ahead. I added a second rest day to my hotel stay here, so we’ll sync up again and cycle together from here further east.

Progress so far:

Posted by mev as Ural at 2:45 PM EDT

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I’ve reached the big city of Екатеринбург today, two time zones east of Moscow. I plan to take a rest day here tomorrow and provide some more updates. This past week I’ve been cycling through the Ural Mountains. They are rather low hills, though still enough to climb over and I did actually see a ski area. At some point today I must have crossed a “continental divide” and hence am now in Asia rather than Europe. My “Eastern Europe” maps all stopped a while ago, so this is nice to finally be in the new continent.

As you’ll read, the first day out of Казань, Mickey and I somehow got separated and I haven’t seen her since. I expect she is cycling some of these same places but just at a slightly different route and different days. The weather has taken a shift for colder and the last day or two also wetter.

Last night was in a hotel. The bed was harder to sleep in than my sleeping bag (it was too short, I ended up putting my mattress on the floor), but it was nice to look outside this morning as it was raining and think, “I don’t have to pack up that wet tent”. Today the ride was along the main highway into Екатеринбург as the road became progressively busier. The first 45km were reasonable road, after that it was a bit busy until I got into the city itself. This is a big and bustling city. However, I bought a local city map yesterday and this in combination with “Lonely Planet” made for a fairly easy navigation to a hotel. Close to the hotel was the Trial Sport shop. I brought over my bike and they diagnosed some problems I had with the front hub as being one of the ball bearings had disintigrated. Instead of riding on 10 bearings on one side, there were just nine. This was fixed, I had my first shower in 10 days and it is nice to be back in the city again.

It was noisy in the Bolshoi Ural Hotel, but nice to have a bed and a shower. I’ve done a little looking around the city so far. I visited the site where the Romanov Czars were killed, a small memorial here dominated by a large church nearby. There is also a memorial to the Afghan war, with smaller memorials to other revolutions. It is interesting to see some of the same places the US has memorials, but was on the other side, e.g. North Korea, Vietnam, Hungary.

If you have money, there are plenty of electronics and other items to buy here. Sprinkled through middle of the city are some large shopping centers with stores with fancy items. Not quite up to the level of Frys Electronics but starting to get close on what they have available. Otherwise, taking a quiet rest day here as I wander through the city and otherwise take a break before heading eastwards.

74km today, 5179 km across Eurasia

Posted by mev as Ural at 4:03 PM EDT

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I have been riding the main highway. With exception of 7km of old concrete road, this has been a smooth highway to travel. A brief shower as I awoke as a reminder to pack for rain today. The 10km of road construction I was worried about turned out to be not much of a problem at all. The road climbed over many lower hills today, though had some good grades so it was mostly slower travels. These low hills must be the Urals I am crossing.

There were many cafes along the way today. I stopped at one at 30km mark. Multiple trucks were parked outside. One could pay for a shower or for a sauna. This was a popular place as the tables were packed. I stopped and placed my order. They gave me a loyalty card good for a 13% discount on lunch. Overall, the “217” café seems like a nice place.

I continued riding across the hills after this. We mostly left the towns to the side with only small side roads and these cafes at the intersections. At 66km was a second chance for one for lunch. At this point, people find both Amsterdam and Vladivostok to be far away places. Another person here wanted a photo on his cell phone of this stranger riding a bicycle.

By afternoon there was an occasional rain drop or two. I wasn’t too excited about spending another afternoon camped in the rain. Just as I came around the corner at 100km, there was a small hotel. This was just too tempting to pass up and much preferred to camping in the rain. To underscore things there was an intermittent shower or two as I was here catching up the journal on the computer. No shower today but sure nice to find a dry place.

100km today, 5105km across Eurasia. [Photo: 723, 724]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:52 PM EDT

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A strange wind in the air this morning. I waited for a bit, but decided to get up quickly and get moving. I wanted to avoid being caught on this mud path in the rain. I had given myself a “budget” of 30km to follow this path. After that I would still be just as lost, but perhaps more worried. The path continued north and east. In a few spots there was some gravel and I was able to cycle. At 7km it went down a steep hill and then up the other side.

At 13km I crested a hill and suddenly saw a village below! I had made it through, but wasn’t sure where I had arrived. By 15km I was in the village on a good gravel road and by 18km I was on an asphalt road. This was a fairly big town with several stores. The cars still had license plates with “59” so I was in the Перм oblast. Finally as I was leaving town, I saw the sign Брехово. This had been the original town I was headed to and the road didn’t exist. My distance of 25km on the path was close to the 28km of the missing road. I am glad I followed this path rather than “dead reckoning” since I would have otherwise missed it.

I cycled to the main Перм/Екатеринбург highway and had a meal at 26km at the corner. The road had some trucks, but was much much better than the M7 before; both road conditions and traffic.

I followed the new road and at 44km mark crossed the oblast boundary. The road improved even more. The south wind continued and I got some wind as well. The new road went through some gentle ups and downs. At I was coming into Ачит it started to rain harder. At 69km, I found a café and had a meal to see if the rain subsided. As it didn’t I went north out of town. The combination of signs for 10km of road construction, more rain and inviting woods caused me to call it an early afternoon. As the rain comes down, it is nice to be found again.

71km today, 5005km across Eurasia. [Photo: 714, 716, 717, 720]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:42 PM EDT

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What do you do if a road on your map doesn’t exist? The sane thing is probably to go back and try one that does exist. That wasn’t the choice I made today.

Last night I had visitors. I had camped a ways from the road but was still visible. As I was getting to sleep, a jeep pulled up with three guards. I explained things and they let me sleep. It was cold this morning as I had frost on the tent and ice in the water bottles. However, the sun was shining once it got over the trees. I followed the road east with some ups and downs. Mostly a good road but 9km of road construction: first 3km were smooth new road, middle 3km were being worked and last 3km were old but still smooth road. Now I know where all those dump trucks were headed yesterday.

At 42km, the road came to a T. There was a café and perfect place for a meal. From here I would go to Тюш and then try a road to cut across via Брехово to the Перм/Екатеринбург highway. I asked a nearby driver and he told me it was all asphalt! So I headed north to Тюш and turned into the town at 50km. At 53km I was at bottom of a hill and my road. It was gravel. The map said 26km to Алтынное and 28km after that. I walked a few hills but otherwise the gravel was ok to ride, just a little slower.

A truck driver slowed and asked if I had a map. He told me that it didn’t make sense to go to Алтынное, but instead turn 7km earlier at Озерки. I asked what that short cut was like and he pointed to a nearby rutted path.

By 72km I was at Озерки and I saw more than one rutted path. Not sure which one was which, I decided to stay on the larger road. At 79km I was in Алтынное and a little store. An old ruin of a church was here. Otherwise, it had a bit of an “end of the road” feel to it.

The road out of town didn’t exist. Despite being on both my maps, two different locals told me there wasn’t a road to Брехово. They suggested I follow local paths roughly north and overland. Now a dilemma. I had invested 26km onto this gravel road to come here and I really didn’t want to back track. So I started following a rough path that went in the direction the locals said. It turned and headed further east than they said. However rather than head overland, I decided to follow this path. I walked a total of 12km on this path before stopping for the night. Tomorrow, I will walk some further and hope to find the highway again.

91km today, 4934km across Eurasia. [Photo: 707, 710, 712, 713]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:40 PM EDT

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I am a little concerned about my front hub. I noticed it at the end of yesterday. I tightened up the cones some this morning but it still seems loose. Will try to see in Екатеринбург (or Омск since might come through Екатеринбург on a Sunday) and hope things go ok before then. [Postnote: In Екатеринбург we determined that one of the ball bearings in the front had disintegrated].

Today was supposed to be a ride to the next bigger city but this turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The road started out well and at 8km was a turnoff where truck traffic headed north to Перм. From here a mixture of flat with longer hills to climb. It was early and the stores were still closed, until a descent into Куеда and café at the intersection at 56km. I was hungry by then.

The next 10km were a rough road but were followed by new smooth road after that. The hills were big enough that I walked a few. I had seen signs for Чернушка and so hoped to get into the town, a hotel perhaps? Internet? I followed a road into the town but found mostly industrial areas. I went back out a different route, finding a supermarket to refill on food. It was otherwise disappointing as a town. Decided to follow the road east out of town.

This was a tough road to ride. Multiple steep hills and rough asphalt. A steady progression of dump trucks came past. I am now in oil regions as I see both pumps and pipelines. I was glad to finally find a camp site as I was getting intermittent rain.

120km today, 4843km across Eurasia. [Photo: 704, 706]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:39 PM EDT

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Good ride today with a few hilly bits. Cold again starting out. I could see my breath. Most of the trucks weren’t on the road when I departed so better than yesterdays finish. Only 8km to Воткинск where I turned to the south and had tailwinds. There were some more hills to climb but after 15km, it stayed mostly flat. Road conditions were variable. After Кварса at 20km. the road went into and through the woods. At 37km was Новый and a café.

Just after this, the road crossed a wide dam and into the Перм oblast and town of Чайковский with another hour of time change (if you aren’t keeping track, I’m now 2 hours east of Moscow). I tried the post office for internet but the only terminal was occupied by a teenager who looked like he was going to stay a while.

Just as I came to intersection out of town, I paused to make sure I would take the proper road. A man in a dark SUV drove up. He came to me and asked if he could photograph the bicycle. He was quite excited to see the Trek 520 bike. He had a Schwinn and asked if this was a good brand. I said yes. Unlike others, he was mostly interested in the bike and not other parts of the trip.

As I was cycling a little further, I came across a second person. He said he designed bicycles and again was interested in the bike. I asked him about road conditions. The SUV guy came up again after this. He had an orange reflective vest he wanted me to put on. I told him this wasn’t necessary though it was a good reminder to get out my orange windbreaker (I still had on my heavy blue coat). He also showed me a gun and asked if I needed one. I told him no, I wouldn’t need a gun.

The road ahead was variable with steadily increasing hills. There was some truck traffic, but overall traffic was light enough that it worked. The morning cold and clouds were gone. I stopped once at 78km for lunch and then slowly cycled the last kilometers to the end of the day.

108km today, 4723km across Eurasia. [Photo: 697, 698, 701, 702]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:38 PM EDT

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There were times this afternoon when I felt I was mostly riding the distance to get it done, not a good sign. I miss having Mickey here these last few days.

Today the weather was variable, though the common theme was a cold north wind. I awoke to frost outside the tent. This makes a range of 40C (70F) in just two days. As I waited for the sun to come out, I saw an entirely overcast sky clear up. Later in the day it would cloud over again. The road stayed in good condition, though progressively busier as I approached Ижевск. At 48km I reached the end of the cross road and headed north into the wind, up a hill and to the big city. There were surprisingly few trucks here (I was later to find they were routed around the city. At 50km, I stopped at a store for breakfast.

From here I cycled through the city with surprising ease. I followed the truck signs and major road signs and stopped at a café at 65km on the way out of the city.

The road to Воткинск became progressively busier and worse condition. It was rough with cracks. There were multiple drainages to cross over. The number of trucks increased as a bypass took them around town and onto this road. By 96km I was ready for a break. My map showed an intriguing short cut via Болгуры. I stopped at the shop in town to get dinner items and also rode past a ski area (I must be in the Urals now). However, I couldn’t find the short cut. I asked once and was directed on a path that seemed doubtful and ended up at the local swimming hole. Tired and frustrated, I made my way back to the busy road and rode a short distance until I found some trees to get out of the wind.

108km today, 4615km across Eurasia. [Photo: 692, 695]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:36 PM EDT

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A good solid ride today, with some bumpy roads. It was cold overnight as the wind blew in from the northeast. The road noise was quiet last night (no ferry crossings to drive to overnight). I snuggled in the sleeping bag before getting on the road. Some gentle hills to climb and at 11km I was in Кильмезь. The sign said rough roads for the next 24km and except for 6km of new pavement, they meant it. I had pumped up my tires and so felt all the bumps.

At 35km I came to a fork in the road. A “short cut” headed east and was the one I guessed Mickey might have taken (or would take). However, to the first town was 13km of gravel and at least another 10km of path/road after that. I decided to stay on the paved road instead. To reward me, another 3km further was a café to revive me with some breakfast.

The road improved after this. As it went through forested areas to Сюмси. A few hills but my speed also went up. At 58km, I turned, this time onto an official road towards Ижевск. This would meet up with the short cut later. Again, I had 40km of mostly good road to Ува. It was a Saturday and several decorated wedding cars passed. The roads through Ува were worse again. I concentrated on riding and was almost through town before realizing I wanted to stop at a café. I found one just on the edge of town but it was closed. So, I rode further with intent to ride at first store/café and then camp. There were a few more hills to climb. A truck came past and then stopped. I had talked with the truck driver on the ferry the day before and he was surprised to see me. He also told me the next café would be in Нылга. I decided to continue slowly and before I knew it I was in the last hills to Нылга. Folks at the store were amazed at my trip and laughed at me when I used the word vacation to describe it. Glad to find a campsite nearby after a long but good ride.

137km today, 4507km across Eurasia. [Photo: 686, 688, 689]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:34 PM EDT

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Despite the low distance, today was a surprisingly tough day including 24km of unpaved roads. Last night I had visitors. I had camped behind a tree barrier by the road so I might spot Mickey if she passed. However, I hadn’t realized that behind the barrier was also in good view of the road to the nearby village. Three young boys were sneaking up on the tent. Once I spotted them, they ran away and hid only to sneak up again. The second time, I walked a little closer to where they were hidden and waited. When they peeked out, I waived. Emboldened, they came over. In my minimal Russian, I could describe the trip and show a map. I also let them know I wanted to sleep. This quieted them for a little bit until they came back with friends and decided to sneak up again until their parents later called them in.

I was on the road early today even after setting my watch ahead an hour. As I came through Янгулово there was a traffic jam of sorts as I had to wait for the cattle to clear from the main street. This was still a good quality road, though it climbed up and over a few hills. At 23km was Малмыж where the local police stopped me to ask about the trip. There was also a hotel/café here and chance for breakfast. From here the road went up and over a few more hills to Гонба where a ferry crossed the Вятка. Four of those kilometers were unpaved.

I reached the ferry in time to see the incoming ferry. I found out that the ferry times were 7am, 11am, 2pm and 5pm and hence I would have almost three hours to wait. I walked through the town to find a small store and filled up on water. It was warm outside with many little flies so decided to change to long pants.

When I returned to the ferry dock, I checked my handle bar bag. My wallet was missing! Oh no! I hurried back to the store and fortunately found it in the grass. I waited some more and then was on the ferry. No signs of Mickey, so I’m not sure she is behind me but more likely ahead on the earlier ferry?

On the other side I had been warned about 16km of unpaved road. Worse, I found the road base was soft sand and hence there were few places to ride. I mostly walked with an occasional push of the bike. One car stopped to offer a lift but seemed a bit shady [they were extra eager to help and also wanted to exchange Rubles to German Marks]. Finally I made it to Константиновка but the promised asphalt didn’t appear. Two locals told me it was another 3km and Mr Shady drove by again to tell me it was 10km. I pushed my bike another 4km and finally was on pavement.

The weather had changed during the afternoon to a cold north wind and almost hints of rain. There were some hills to climb, but I was at least riding. I was tired but went a bit further before finding a place to camp. Still no signs of Mickey. Still not clear if she is behind or ahead though the ferry limits the possibilities and I didn’t see sand trails.

73 km today, 4370km across Eurasia. [Photo: 673, 678, 679, 681]

Posted by mev as Ural at 6:32 PM EDT

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