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21.Jun
1836 - SECOND DAY OF THE SECOND EXPEDITION
20 Jun
- 2016 -
Author
Andis Pikāns
2016-06-20
The thunderstorm that messed with our plans for the second expedition has passed and we continue our journey on an early summer morning. The motorcycles have been upgraded with Akrapovic Exhaust system, which has greatly improved the power and sound. The Huskies, as we call our rides, happily slash through the morning and are excited for the change of pavement from asphalt to dirt roads, which are their natural habitat. The team has been joined by Jānis Rozītis, who, as we like to joke, needs to be kept away from magnets, because his bones are still held together by metal parts. Jānis hasn’t been on a dirtbike for some time now, but he thinks all will be well.
On our way to Ipiķi, in a town called Vērsis, we stop at the old windmill to decide on a route for the day.
On Ķirbēni road, which goes in the direction of the old customs point, there are some parts of the old pavement left. The roads are slippery because of the rain and several trees have fallen in our way after yesterday’s storm. For several kilometers, we ride on the old train tracks, which are very slippery and that leads to many falls.
At midday, we roll into a mystical deserted place named Arakste. There are barely any remnants of what was once a beautiful estate complex.
We continue North, where Urgu Swede stone is marked on the map. The road ends by a rye field and we have to use a GPS device to find the stone by foot. We struggle to cross Urgas swamp for 900m. In spite of the swamp, wet feet, the swarms of flies and mosquitoes, we manage to find it in a clearing. It has teleported 200m from the place that the coordinates had given.
The stone searching expedition has taken sacrifices. Jānis has injured his eye on a tree branch in the forest and it appears as if there are splinters in it. At six pm we message Enriko and the hikers, who are walking the Salacgrīva route today. At seven pm there is a concert planned and Enriko invites us.
Let’s go! In the culture center, we share the day’s experiences before the concert and enjoy the amazing atmosphere.
Jānis eye doesn’t stop hurting and that means he must go to Riga to treat it.
Renārs, myself and the team of 1836 enjoy a beautiful sunset at the seaside and settle in to stay at the local guesthouse ‘Bērziņi’, where we listen to guitar sounds and one of the shortest nights of the year passes fast. After having woken the sun up, we ourselves go to sleep.
