29 May
- 2016 -
Author
Andis Pikāns
2016-05-30
The intrusive mosquitoes and the plops crucians make in the pond wake us and we enjoy one more beautiful Latvian May morning. We pack up and go explore the old Ipiķi School which was built in 1939. Sadly, it is vandalized and in bad condition. Another monument for migration in remote provinces. A stork sits in its nest on the roof of the school, the only loyal soul that has stayed in this place, no matter the empty classrooms and broken windows.
There are many remarkably large stones in surroundings of Ipiķi. In this secluded region, the stones were not destroyed and remain in their original locations. In the map of Ziemeļvidzemes geopark, we choose Pārrobežu great stone, which is located on the border between Latvia and Estonia and was officially examined quite recently, in 2011.
In the map, there is no trail or road to the stone, but we have GPS coordinates and the challenge to access it by motorcycle. We check our maps, agree on the route and start the adventure.
In close distance, there are the old train tracks, which used to connect Riga and Parnu, but ceased to exist in 1995. This is a great challenge for us and for our Husquarna motorcycles, it continues for 10 km until the furthermost north point of Latvia.
We get lost and find ourselves at the old customs building of Ramata. The search goes on for several hours, I and Renārs are ready to give up, but Fredis doesn’t even think about this option. We are in Estonian territory and Fredis decides to enter an Estonian household where an old Estonian woman who only speaks Estonian somehow understands his question and gives directions to the stone. We really do find it after a moment and feel like we have found the pirate chest of Blackbeard. We cheer in joy like little children.
One thing is clear – it’s impossible to access from Latvia.
At 4 pm, all three motorcycles have the fuel reserve indicator on, which means that we have around 3 liters of fuel left in our tanks. The nearest fuel station is located in Mazsalaca. We take the shortest route to Mazsalaca- the old train tracks. After 20 kilometers, we return on a country road and our hands, which have turned to putty, are thankful for it. Right before Mazsalaca, Fredis runs out of fuel and after a couple of kilometers, I have the same problem. We hold on to Renārs’s backpack straps and slowly, in second gear, roll forward. After two kilometers, there is the fuel station. Wooohooo! The first part of 1836 enduro expedition has come to an end.
We are preparing for the next one.
We thank all supporters, including Kurbads, DBC, Motosports, Motopower and Garmin.
