25.08.10

After four days of river, sun and forest, we arrived at Ust Kut, paid our 4600 ruble fare and rode the bikes off the barge at the front of the disembarking queue.  Oddly enough, I bumped into a trucker I knew waiting for the next barge … a familiar face from last years barge ride.  I needed to top up credit levels on my internet modem sim card, and SJ needed some water.

The first day back on the road was a short day.  By 12:30pm we had reached Magistralny.  The last 30 minutes were in rain.  Magistralny had been my soft target for the day.  It was an easy one, just 165km from Ust Kut.  We stopped for lunch and a chance to sit out the rain.

When it was still raining when we came out, I asked SJ what she wanted to do.  We still had over 6 hours of daylight, but there was only one small village between here and out next target, Zhigalovo, and it would have neither food nor accommodation.  I recommended we stay.  She concurred.

– – –

26.08.10

It was still light rain when we awoke.  But the thought of staying in Magistralny another night offended my sensibilities.  When by 9am the rain had effectively ceased, I turned to Sherri Jo and said “OK, we go now.”

She looked at me and said “Somehow I thought you’d say that.”

And so we hit the road, topped up with fuel and headed down towards the Zhigalovo Road turnoff.   The Zhigalovo Road last year was a pretty tame affair, but a lot can change with Siberian roads in a year, as I had seen many times earlier on this ride.  The Zhigalovo Road this year was a rocky, potholed, brutal road that had become a real suspension killer.  While there was very little rain about, most of the road was above 900 metres in altitude, which seemed to be the cloud base level today … so most of the ride was through saturated fog, on a brutal muddy, rocky, wet road.  I didn’t enjoy it at all.

With 200 km down and just 100 to go, we passed two German cyclists coming the other way.  The guy walked over to me and asked “Walter?”  As it turns out it was a guy who had written to me earlier in the year asking for information about the BAM Road.  We chatted for 10 minutes before heading off.  I was keen to get warm, dry and clean in Zhigalovo.  The last 60-70 km into Zhigalovo was much better than the previous 230, and the last 30km was even dry.

A fast dry gravel road with lots of bends.  It was my first chance of the day to have some fun in the dirt and I lapped it up, charging ahead towards Zhigalovo at high speed.  I waited just outside Zhigalovo for Sherri Jo and we road together into town to look for either a place to stay, or a trio of riders heading the other way I had half suggested we meet here.

Sure enough on the road into town a KTM 950 Super Enduro was being welded by the side of the road.  I stopped and saw a guy in BMW riding pants grinding some subframe bracing piece.  “You must be Walter” he said.  I guess I had found the guys.

Two Australian guys, Dean and Paul had ridden up through Africa and were now heading towards Magadan.  They had hooked up in Mongolia with Barton, a guy I had met in Vienna in May, as I was finishing my last trip and he was starting his Trans-Eurasian ride.  The three of them were staying at a truckers hotel just around the corner from the metal shop where I saw Dean.

That evening, over a few beers, all three of the guys, Dean, Paul and Barton all were clearly up for as much challenging riding as the timeframe allowed.  All were finishing their trips in Magadan, and had about 2 weeks left.  They needed as much action as could be packed into that last two weeks.  I told them about various options.  Definitely they were up for the Old Summer Road on the Road of Bones.  Then I told them about the BAM Road.  “Sounds interesting” said Paul.  Barton, who had followed last year BAM Road thread on ADVrider told me to show them the fotos.  I explained there are two halves to the BAM Road … the western half to Tynda, which is a 6 day ride, and the eastern half, after Tynda, which you need to allow a few weeks for, and want to have a very fresh, properly prepped bike for.

The guys faces lit up on seeing the fotos, and it was agreed.  Take the BAM Road from Severobaikalsk to Tynda, then a day or two fast ride north to Yakutsk, and then the Old Road to Magadan.  It was a good, challenging way to finish their trips.  I will look forward to reading the blog on that one!  www.donkeyandthemule.com.au.

– – –

27.08.10 – 28.08.10

We all left Zhigalovo at the same time; Barton on his 640 Adventure and Paul and Dean on their 950 SEs all heading North East, and Sherri Jo and I headed South towards Lake Baikal.  As we filled up with fuel, I told SJ that she had ridden her last full day on dirt … at least with me.

130 km down the road we came to the town of Kachug and I gave her the news that it was asphalt from here – with the exception of 40 km of dirt roads on Olkhon Island, the largest island in Lake Baikal and our destination for the day.

We got to ride a highway sitting down for the first time since leaving Magadan, and cruised onto the Olkhon Ferry in good time.  I discovered my starter button was jammed.  Tapping it made the starter work … it should be enough to get me 40km further to the town of Khuzhir.  I can pull it apart and try to fix it there.

The Khuzhir town sign is wearing a few more stickers this year than it did last year, but I am pleased to report that the Sibirsky Extreme sticker is still holding firm.

We pulled into Nikita’s place, a hostel / hotel with wifi internet and popular with Russian travellers and foreign backpackers alike, and were greeted at reception in English.  It was quite a shock and announced we were now back in the parts of Russia where you are not the first foreigner locals have ever seen.  Sherri Jo noted as we unpacked that it feels like a double edged sword … while conveniences like wifi internet, and other travel conveniences would be really handy, the novelty and the pioneering feel you get travelling in the more remote parts of Siberia, and the unique hospitality locals can afford you because you are so unique, would now be gone.  From here on, it would be a different world.

I fixed my starter button … the spring behind it is toast, and would fail again before too long, but I stretched it out to buy a bit more time.  Then I went out for a solo ride and explored the island.

Olkhon Island and the Eastern side in particular is mostly cliffs.  It made for some spectacular vantage points, looking out over this massive lake.

– – –

29.08.10

The last riding day with Sherri Jo, saw use take off in the afternoon and cruise into Irkutsk.

We went to the Baik-Konur bike club house, but it was closed.  Apparently shut down 2 months ago after disputes between the 2 main guys who ran it.  I tried some other accommodation options but they were full.  In the end we met some bikers on the street and they told us to wait for Petya, one of the former guys behind Baik-Konur.

Apparently the 29^th of August is celebrated as the birthday of the motorcycle in Russia, and we spent hours that evening following bikers from one party to another.  Eventually at 11pm, more than 6 hours after arriving in Irkutsk, we got to Petya’s garage, which had a couple of beds, and we able to relax and unwind.