14-10-2006
Irbit - Ekatarinburg - Chelyabinsk
After breakfast Seryosha shows up to take me to the hangar. I start getting ready for take off. Vasili, his wife and two guys I met at the birthday party yesterday show up in a small OKA. They will escort me to the city limits. Vasili also gives me 2 liters of juice for the road. Russians like to give. Seryosha gives me a waterproof coat. One of those oversized Russian chemical warfare coats. He does not have a lot of confidence in my Rev'it waterproof riding suit. I must actually agree, nothing beats this coat, the only problem is that it does not 'breathe' like our modern waterproof gear. I will never leave home without this anymore.
I say goodbye to Seryosha and thank him. I cannot help but feel silly as nothing I can do or say will ever repay what he did for me. The rest of the gang somehow manage to get back in the little car and take me to the city limits where we take one last photo. Saying goodbye has now become a little bit different for me. I am heading for the Russian border. The end of my trip is nearing. I am leaving. I will probably not be back here for a while, maybe never. Don't get me wrong, I will be back to see Nadya that is for sure, but will I ever really visit Russia again with a motorcycle? I want to, but will I be able to? The goodbyes are now more serious. It might even be my last meet with bikers in Russia. I will probably not stay with Russian bikers anymore. It is just a different feeling I have now when saying goodbye.
Anyway, when I leave Irbit it is raining a bit. The clouds are sometimes dark around me while I ride to Ekatarinburg, but it stays relatively dry.
In Ekatarinburg, Nadya has contacted a biker named Artyum. He will be waiting for me near the city. Vasili has also contacted him to give more specific info on my arrival time. When I reach Ekatarinburg, I spot him and pull over. Nadya wants me to spend the night here, but I want to go on. My schedule is pretty tight and I want to get across the Urals as soon as possible. It is too cold here and they are expecting snow for tomorrow. Artyum offers me to spend the night at his place, but however much I like to meet with bikers, I refuse politely and inform him of my reasons. He and his wife talk to me for a bit, take some pictures and escort me to the road that will take me to Chelyabinsk. I thank him for his trouble and we say goodbye. I head for Chelyabinsk on the double, but have to make a stop. The guys that installed my engine in my motorcycle did not do a good job on synchronizing my carbs. They did not retighten the screws and so my synchronization is way off. This minor set back does not prevent me from reaching a nice hotel just outside of Chelyabinsk at a reasonable hour. I check in and have a good nights sleep.
After breakfast Seryosha shows up to take me to the hangar. I start getting ready for take off. Vasili, his wife and two guys I met at the birthday party yesterday show up in a small OKA. They will escort me to the city limits. Vasili also gives me 2 liters of juice for the road. Russians like to give. Seryosha gives me a waterproof coat. One of those oversized Russian chemical warfare coats. He does not have a lot of confidence in my Rev'it waterproof riding suit. I must actually agree, nothing beats this coat, the only problem is that it does not 'breathe' like our modern waterproof gear. I will never leave home without this anymore.
I say goodbye to Seryosha and thank him. I cannot help but feel silly as nothing I can do or say will ever repay what he did for me. The rest of the gang somehow manage to get back in the little car and take me to the city limits where we take one last photo. Saying goodbye has now become a little bit different for me. I am heading for the Russian border. The end of my trip is nearing. I am leaving. I will probably not be back here for a while, maybe never. Don't get me wrong, I will be back to see Nadya that is for sure, but will I ever really visit Russia again with a motorcycle? I want to, but will I be able to? The goodbyes are now more serious. It might even be my last meet with bikers in Russia. I will probably not stay with Russian bikers anymore. It is just a different feeling I have now when saying goodbye.
Anyway, when I leave Irbit it is raining a bit. The clouds are sometimes dark around me while I ride to Ekatarinburg, but it stays relatively dry.
In Ekatarinburg, Nadya has contacted a biker named Artyum. He will be waiting for me near the city. Vasili has also contacted him to give more specific info on my arrival time. When I reach Ekatarinburg, I spot him and pull over. Nadya wants me to spend the night here, but I want to go on. My schedule is pretty tight and I want to get across the Urals as soon as possible. It is too cold here and they are expecting snow for tomorrow. Artyum offers me to spend the night at his place, but however much I like to meet with bikers, I refuse politely and inform him of my reasons. He and his wife talk to me for a bit, take some pictures and escort me to the road that will take me to Chelyabinsk. I thank him for his trouble and we say goodbye. I head for Chelyabinsk on the double, but have to make a stop. The guys that installed my engine in my motorcycle did not do a good job on synchronizing my carbs. They did not retighten the screws and so my synchronization is way off. This minor set back does not prevent me from reaching a nice hotel just outside of Chelyabinsk at a reasonable hour. I check in and have a good nights sleep.
posted by Anonymous | 1:02 pm
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