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Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  #196  
Old 20 Aug 2013
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thanks,

we will leave tomorrow hopefully. everyone in mirny has been fantastic. we got the window sorted out with a plastic replacement and as it was my birthday we got taken out for food and then to the zoo. one place even gave us a whole cake! not put my hand in my pocket once either.

we have an interview with the news tv soon also. not sure were going to be able to leave!
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  #197  
Old 20 Aug 2013
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Originally Posted by Griffdowg View Post
thanks,

we will leave tomorrow hopefully. everyone in mirny has been fantastic. we got the window sorted out with a plastic replacement and as it was my birthday we got taken out for food and then to the zoo. one place even gave us a whole cake! not put my hand in my pocket once either.

we have an interview with the news tv soon also. not sure were going to be able to leave!
I have always enjoyed my stays in Mirny too
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  #198  
Old 21 Aug 2013
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Hey there Gareth

A belated happy birthday.

Good to see things are going well for you

Regards

Callum
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  #199  
Old 21 Aug 2013
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Whew, just got caught up, lots of action!
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  #200  
Old 22 Aug 2013
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A few pics.... Most taken by Felix



My fav pic. Just before the Vitim River Bridge. Interestingly this is the puddle that my Transalp refused in and where I turned her round


Vitim



Vitim, indicating right



Digging the bike out the mud.Took 4 hours overnight



It's behind you...



Taking a break at Kuanda



Monument on the BAM



Felix walking his bike across a road bridge



No bridge and huge water in the river


Ideal for the terrain





Dunnit
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  #201  
Old 23 Aug 2013
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Some more pics that overlap the ones above... Quite a few by Felix



Todor and Alexy, 2 Russian truckers whom I helped change my Transalp clutch after taking the detour through the river and not the bridge




Horses, weather is still ok




The road got progressively harder. This is real easy.




A road sign on the BAM





Don't ever call me fat



Sorry, another Vitim pic



Despite his 1980s Russian mullet, Felix is a great bloke




Doing the PETE BERRY Bottom Dance at Kuanda. Nobody slapped me! ;-)



We are not worthy! The kids were overawed, I think.



Womens' work. Painting the seaplane monument at Taksimo




Mum, dad and kids return home from the supermarket



Lunch of Happy Cow cheese sandwiches with salami on the bridge where I toasted the trannie clutch on the detour next to it 10 days before.



Another down bridge near Chara



My new motor. Mk3?




In Tynda while trying to buy a new back tyre I ended in the local bike clubhouse garage. At first I though it was a flag pole holder, but baseball bats fit in too :-)
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  #202  
Old 23 Aug 2013
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The puddles must have made me batshit crazy.I just tried to paddle across a deep fast river and get to where i could stand. Then i would have pulled my bike across using the panniers to hopefully float it. I didnt plan it perfectly and I paddled across with a few metres less rope than I needed and was anchored by the bike whoch fortunately didn't get pulled in.I didn't take into account that I would float downstream in my rope lenth estimation.I may try again tomorrow when I'm not rushed by the sunset with a beautiful campsite just the other side of a river instead of the muddy mosquite infested spot on this side.

In other news I am only a few km from fevralsk. Just need to get across the river. The bridge has guards who arent able to let me cross.if I come to my senses tomorrow ill ride back to a siding station and catch a train across.if not ots more stupid adventure.
I've been up all night sitting by a campfire looking at the river and just realised I had reception.
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  #203  
Old 28 Aug 2013
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Vil. trakt done in 4 days of pouring rain. It was not much fun in a 4x4, it would have been miserable on 2 wheels! Recovered a few local vehicles in the sandpit. We finished off all brake pads down to the metal. I replaced a rear pad 2 days before we got to Yakutsk (used with 3-4mm left) and it was metal when we got here!

Barge costs (Rb) for a 4x4 from west to east were: 450, 500, free (the bloke liked us), 500.

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  #204  
Old 29 Aug 2013
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Grinding Paste...

Quote:
Originally Posted by Griffdowg View Post
Vil. trakt done in 4 days of pouring rain. It was not much fun in a 4x4, it would have been miserable on 2 wheels! Recovered a few local vehicles in the sandpit. We finished off all brake pads down to the metal. I replaced a rear pad 2 days before we got to Yakutsk (used with 3-4mm left) and it was metal when we got here!

Barge costs (Rb) for a 4x4 from west to east were: 450, 500, free (the bloke liked us), 500.

G
That whole region is grinding paste in the rain...a real vehicle wrecker

Tynda - Yakutsk : Khandyga - Yakutsk and the above

Heading back to Irkutsk along the Trans Siberian we were lucky enough to be hosted by two bike clubs (Mogocha & Ulan Ude) and we also spent an evening with the Irkutsk club. All asked us the same question...

"Why the f@#* did you ride to Magadan???"

Its a fair question, and one we've been asking ourselves for the past 5000km!!!
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  #205  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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Tynda,
just arrived.... will be here for a two days, and then BAM.....
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  #206  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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Tynda,
just arrived.... will be here for a two days, and then BAM.....
bloody hell mate ... havent heard from your tracker since you returned to Khandyga and the Aldan River.... all ok?
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  #207  
Old 2 Sep 2013
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bloody hell mate ... havent heard from your tracker since you returned to Khandyga and the Aldan River.... all ok?
September seems late, will look forward to the report on weather conditions.
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  #208  
Old 3 Sep 2013
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a little kid was sitting on my bike while I was waiting for the ferry, (unknowingly at the time) he pushed the help button, and I haven't been able to turn it back on. have spoken to SPOT about it, and they will send me another one, if I can get a mailing address, im thinking the Oasis guesthouse in Ulaanbaatar.

the bike and I are fine, just minor fixes needed from the vibrations..

have learned a lot from that road..... I NEED better suspension, front and rear set up to work together, looking foward to riding it again


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bloody hell mate ... havent heard from your tracker since you returned to Khandyga and the Aldan River.... all ok?
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  #209  
Old 3 Sep 2013
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night before last, I wild camped about 60km south of Aldan, medium frost in the morning, i don't get up early, so it's not an issue for me. 10am - 8pm, fur now it's comfortable to ride in, after 8, the temp drops quickly.

if you camp, just make sure your tent has a good view east for the morning Sun to burn off the frost...


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September seems late, will look forward to the report on weather conditions.
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  #210  
Old 3 Sep 2013
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strange, my SPOT tracker also died on the Aldan river, never to recover...
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