1836 – SECOND DAY

We have breakfast near the big orange elm tree, which brought joy to boaters for many years, but was taken down during a storm recently. 

We pack, hop on our rides and head to Kuiviži port, where we meet one of the last mohicans, a fisherman named Visvaldis, who uses risers for fishing in the sea. This method of fishing has no future and it is dying out. Visvaldis has a phylosophical view on this, he says everything has its time. By the old Ainaži pier, Elīna is waiting for us with a cameraman from Vidzemes TV and interviews us about the 1836 project.

The lenght of the old pier on mainland is 361 meters, but further in the bay it reaches the length of 482 meters. The construction of the pier is connected to the construction of the old railway that connected Ainaži train station with the breakwater to make unloading cargo from ships easier.

During the first world war, the temporary pier was destroyed and two big gaps blown out. Fredis challenges his skill by riding on the rocky surface of the breakwater. Renārs and myself follow. Quite extreme, this would be better suited for moto trial. As a result, Renārs’s sump shield is ripped off. 

We wave goodbye to the Baltic sea and return to the mainland where we ride through wild forest clearings that border with Estonia. After a few kilometers, we find the great oak of Ūkaji, which we measure by spreading out our arms and hugging the tree. It is so wide that we barely manage to intertwine our hands. 

We find a 5 km trail that is not marked on Baltic maps. It is interesting and only suited for enduro motorcycles.

At five pm we spot the old school of Līči, which is glowing in the evening sunlight. It was founded in 1856 and it ran until the end of sixties. On the other side of the road, in a picturesque location, we notice ‘’Jaunlīči’ household, where the the owner Māra Ošeniece greets us and tells beautiful stories of people who have come here. One of these people is Imants Ziedonis, who gave Māra one of his poems as a gift while visiting.

At seven pm, the sun is setting we continue our journey on dusty country roads and search for a camp spot. There are several abandoned houses along the way where we could stay but we choose a location next to a pond not far from Ipiķi. 

The spooky form of old Ipiķi school lurks behind the trees. Not far from here we find a house and its caretakers, two kind Ukranians, Dusya and Mitya, and they give us firewood, potatoes and ukranian bacon. They have been living in Latvia for 30 years, speak Latvian and are Latvia patriots. A campfire and camfire talks. Everything a tired rider needs!