Artic up and down
Well I am way behind in my blogging again, so I am going to try and get it all updated. I did not get as many pictures and travel where I would have liked in the Baltic countries as we continued to have problems with the radiator on the F700. It would be fine as long as we were moving down the road but in the stop and go of the cities we had to keep stopping and filling it up. Tried five times, with two different epoxies to seal up the broken spot. Just could not get anything to bond with the polypropylene plastic. I know they make something that will because I have used it to fix plastic fuel tanks on tractors. Will get some and carry with me next time with as much plastic there is on the modern motos.
More on my interest in the Baltic countries. In January 1992, just six months after the collapse of the Soviet system, I was here with Washington Agriculture and Forestry Leadership program. We also spent a few days in St. Petersburg. This was an amazing time to be in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. The Russians siezed these counties in 1939 and it had been a military occupation until the summer of 91 when they got their country back.
Just one story of many stories of what it was like to be here in Jan. of 92. As our group was being shown around an arboreum in Estonia the director that was leading us arround talking about the cold war and stated that we had nothing to fear from the Russians, he had been in the Russian army and only met one smart Russian officer, and he was from Belarus. Then a few steps along he stopped and just stood there for a moment with a blank look on his face. It had sunk in what he had just said and he stated If I had said that six months ago, I would have been sent to Siberia. It was hard for us to understand what it was like under the Soviet controlled system, and even harder for me to try to put into words the electric atmospher that existed when we were here in 92.
Many things were like walking through a time warp. Like everything stopped in 1939. The collective farms were in shambles. Milk production for example what at 3000 to 3500 pounds per cow per year where the USA average at that time was 22,000 pounds per year. Some small farms were starting up, mostly by the managers that were leaving the collectives or families that were getting their farms back.
So that was my background as I came into Lithuania. I was amazed at how far they had come. And this applies to the other Eastern Block former Soviet controlled counties as well. In 24 years they have transformed their counties. Modernized their farms and entered the European Union. I was very impressed with what they have been able to do in a short time. The transformation was dramatic.
There were massive road construction projects underway in Poland and through the Baltic States. I was told that this was European Union projects. Not sure how this all works but with fuel more than twice the cost it is in the USA, they should have lots of tax money to invest in roads. On the subject of fuel costs, why is diesel more expensive that gas in the states but less than gas here?
This is the first Lota (Russian) car I have seen, this was all they had in '92
Camp site in Estonia
Sign entering Latvia, this is all we would see at most EU borders, no customs to deal with.
St. Petersburg Things have changed a great deal here since 92, they are doing much better than I expected them to do.
Summer Palace This should be on everyone's "bucket list"
Damage to Martha's F700, got a headlight in Poland, radiator in Russia and plastic in Sweden.
Finland
TouraTech rally in Germany
Camping at Touratech Rally
Farms in Luxembourg
Bikers Loft, a youth hostel for adults with motorcycles, was a wonderful place. In Denmark
THE ARCTIC ADVENTURE
Several years ago Martha and I road up to Alaska, but we never continued up the haul
road from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle. So for a long time I thought I would need to return to Alaska and up to the Arctic Circle so it could be checked off my bucket list. But when I started looking at the maps and planning where to go when in St. Petersburg it looked like an easy run to make the Arctic Circle. Martha was not to hot on the idea due to concerns about it being cold and stating plainly that she was not riding in snow. But I her to agree to at least run up aways to see what it was like.
We decided to cross into Sweden before turning north. It did turn a little colder but we made the Arctic Circle and it was 13 C. So we stayed the night in a cabin, rustic is a good word for it, but it did have heat.
The next morning we were up early and headed out by 6:15, actually thought it was after 7 but we had crossed a time zone. It was 8 C, (that is 8*1.8+32 for the metric challenged), and I assured Martha that it would warm up as the day went on. By 7:30 we stopped for fuel and breakfast, it was down to 5.5 degrees. But once started on a mission you cant stop, right? So we pushed on, climbing up in elevation and the temperature dropping as we went. Down to 3 degrees and started raining, on we went, now 2 degrees and snowing. Snow was not sticking to road but had to keep wiping it off of face shield, so I did not giver Martha an opportunity to turn around and pushed onward. Now down to 0 degrees but soon the snow stopped and we started dropping in elevation and into Norway.
The arctic scenery and roads were wonderful. There is enough mining going on up north that they have good roads. Once down to the coast of Norway the roads were wonderful, if I ever get to picking the top five roads I have traveled this will be one to consider. It was a long day, traveled over 650 km in the arctic wonderland. I will mark this day off as the best day of adventure so far this trip. Now Martha may not agree, but this is my blog and it did warm up to 9.5 degrees for the last 7 km to where I found a hotell, (they put two ls on hotel here), where I got us an expensive room with a bath tub so Martha could get warmed up.
The next day we again started out at 8 degrees, heading south it will get warmer, right? Well it might have if the road had not gone up in the mountains. I think it only got down to 2 degrees as we crossed back over the Arctic Circle heading south in Norway. The wonderful roads just kept coming. Everyone should put this route on their bucket list. If you ride Europe, dont forget northern Norway. Europe has a lot of tunnels compared to the states, there were at least 20 in one day. Some several km long. One in the south part of E6 is close to 12 km. But it was closed for work and we took the old road that wound 500 m up and over the mountain. Two tunnels that they were working on had the lights off. It is real hard for the eyes to adjust from bright sunlight to dark as you enter the tunnel, just slow down and hope you dont run into the wall. If we had stopped to take a photo every time we saw a great view it would have taken weeks to travel our route. Finally found a campground about 17:00 and set up camp, over 500 km. And so ends the Arctic Adventure.
We have seen at least a thousand signs warning of moose from the Baltic to Sweden but have yet to see one. Decided there are way more warning signs than real moose. Have twice seen reindeer. Seen a pair of swans and few other birds but all in all there seems to be very little wildlife.
I hate to write about the weather as it may jink it and make it change. For the most part it has been perfect the whole trip. When we have hit rain it been short duration and back in the sun. The locals have said that it is unusually good weather for this time of year. Part of what makes it so beautiful here is the green fields so it must rain sometime.
Has been interesting to watch the crops as we went north. Around Roma and northern Italia the winter grain was already headed out, by mid July they will be combining. The farther north the less growth we see in the fields and from Estonia north they were still tilling and planting crops. The later planting will be compensated by longer days.
I checked my never lie GPS for sunrise, sunset times about 200k south of the Arctic Circle. Said sunrise was 12:13 and sunset was 1:37, thought that was good the sun rises before it has set from the previous day. We are now far enough south in Sweden that if I stayed up to watch we would get a few hours of darkness.
Comment on accommodations and costs. In eastern Europe the cost for hotel or camping is close to what we would pay in the states. In western Europe expect all costs for camping, cabin or hotel to be twice what we would pay at home. Fuel has been from 1.20 per liter to 1.60 Euro. That puts it at m/l $5.00 a gallon. Food is another sticker shock with costs running more or less twice US prices. Last time I saw numbers on farm subsidies the farmers here get about 37% of their income from the government. The small farms the seem to be doing well here could not even break even back home. The USA has supported efficient, large scale farms and reap the benefit of cheaper food. But we also lost something in the process.
Went into Stockholm and get plastic parts that I have ordered for the F700. Then we can fix up the bruises from Marthas fight with the guard rail. Marthas leg is also about back to normal.
From Sweden we crossed into Denmark and down to the Bikers Loft. This is a gem of a place, should start up something like it in the US.
Crossed to Dover and been getting wet. Weather has been very good to us, especially up in the north and Norway coast that can get nasty, so if we must take our share of rain England is the right place.
More pictures from Norway and the north
Cattle in Germany
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