3. It couldn't stay that good..Tough realities of unpaved road!
"Kamchatka Peninsula" by Bike and Kayak
Sat 21 Jul 2012 03:27
I managed to get through the night without a bear nor drunken human encounter, and was up early for a peaceful breakfast at the river and a 6h15 early departure. The now all too familiar fog was around, but the warm thermal pools and icy river playing artistic games with the intruding fog. It all looked quite mystical, and I was quite sorry to be leaving for the loneliness of the isolated road ahead.
The campsite was largely free of people walking around at this time, this was their holiday and sleeping in was all part of the indulgence. I had another hard day's work ahead! Little did I know how true that would be!
Well, after 30km the luxury of the asphalt ended, and I was faced with the reality of a very corrugated, and loose stone pebble surface as being just pat of my new life! Traffic was light, mainly trucks, which passed in a huge cloud of dust that left me feeling the lowest of low beings on the road, and my dust laden eyelids flittering wildly trying to prevent the dust getting through to my eyes!
I road was pretty flat, generally long and straight ahead, and basically a narrow line of cleared forest strip with tall-ish, densely packed birch trees providing race horse type blinkers, seemingly designed to keep me only seeing the road ahead.
To make things worse the powers that be thought they would help by putting kilometre markers every kilometre along the side of the road. Sometimes I'd think they had missed one, and the next one would show I'd done two kilometres, but the demoralising news would soon come up telling me that the last kilometre had been particularly slow. I even adjusted my cap peak to increase the blinkered effect so I didn't have to see the depressing kilometre sign.
With these road conditions, my pace had reduced to that point where one starts comparing distance traveled with walking running speeds, and with the huge effort going in the mind is on the verge of revolting!
And finally if that challenge wasn't enough, Mother Nature, added her 'killer app', the dreaded mosquitoes! As long as I kept a reasonable pace they couldn't deal with the man made head wind, but if I stopped or slowed down dramatically they'd be on me eager for my exotic foreign blood!
I did think it could be worse: Hilly and raining, and that keep me thankful for at least a few kiometres. The silver lining in all this were the rivers: Lots of them, nice concrete bridges providing smooth relief from the corrugations, and like an oasis in the desert. I'd look forward to an upcoming river, always stop and explore the area. With the river generally came a break in the forest line, and a broader horizon vision giving me a glimpse of the broader countryside I was in. It was generally inspiring landscape, but knowing the blinkers would soon be back on made me wonder whether this 'peep' was good or bad!
Arround 10h30 I come to what is shown a the village of Ganal on my map. Alwys nice to have the break of new surrondings, so I turn off and go in. Old Russian military base, not much there, but I find a cute little road stop restaurant, the interior décor could either be described as very tacky or 'art decor', but whatever it had huge character right down to the napkin holders. I order the meal of the day which is a tasty vegetable soup and the familiar russian, beef stew, with a tomato twist. All very tasty, and I order a second round. Thee woman seems taken that I like her food, and her and her 'waiter' husband warm up to my foreign-ness. On leaving he comes up to me and gives me a slab chocolate! Reverse tipping hey...very nice gesture, lovely people so far!
Back on the road searching for that best path over all the loose stonnes and corrugations, bone shaking stuff
By 1pm it was almost too hot to cycle, I was needing a rest and so at the next river I decided to stop for a break set up the tent shell as protection against the mozzies and have a nap. The site was perfect, lovely shaded area for the tent right next to the gurgling river. Wonderful pure, chilled water on tap, and suddenly all felt better.
I was suddenly rudely awoken out of my dream world by this loud diesel engined machine noise. Now the road was pretty quiet traffic wise, maybe one or two vehicles an hour, but this wasn't coming from the road side, it was in the forest and approaching me and the river! It got louder and louder, and there were soon workmen' voices around! Next thing I realise is that this alien machine is going through the river and will come out right next to my tent...! And so it does, making a huge noise as it ploughs its way through, clearly scouring a trench in the ground behind it. This machine is unstoppable and I fear for my bike parked a few hundred metres away almost on its rhumb line! So much for being alone in the Siberian wilderness, wary of bears! The biggest danger is Man and his Caterpillars, the yellow mechanical earth moving type..! .I find out that they are on a ruthless mission laying telephone cables right up the length of the road I'm going. This is a violent brutal operation that leaves a scar line, albeit a narrow one in pristine wilderness forest.
I sit back in my little tent and can't believe the coincidence! In all this huge open peninsula, wilderness, they happened to come through right where my tent was, at the exact time I was there, just when I was needing a nap, nd they changed my whole world! Someone is giving me a message, I don't know who, or what the message really is, but I'd better take note, and try and understand!
The nap moment has passed it's time to get back on the bike and tackle the challenge of the road ahead.
Another tough, attitude breaking 4 hours and at around 6pm and 86km for the day I find a lovely evening riverside camp setting. I must say without the oasis effect and tranquility of these rivers, I'd be really struggling. Each river is different, and has it's own soul and charm. Mozzies are always a problem and the attraction of the water to the grizzlies a worry, but the oasis effect far outweighs those negatives. Dinner at the river is a hearty experience, and I retire to bed strangely content with my day's achievement, my tranquil campsite, my freedom, and purposely push all thoughts about tomorrow away for tomorrow.
Inside my mosquito proof shell I look out at all the huge buggers buzzing around desperate to get through the netting to me! My garden sickle lies under the vestibule, ready for quick use should I need it in the night!
That's the end of my second day's cycling....