Lasīt tālāk
12.Aug
1836 - THIRD DAY OF THE FOURTH EXPEDITION
11 Aug
- 2016 -
Author
Andis Pikāns
2016-08-12
Our sleep in the bunker is interrupted by small rodents that are running on the roof and by rain drops that are falling in our room from the open hatch. Fredis says that he saw bats and is cautious about his nose because he has read that bats like to gnaw noses of sleeping people. But Renārs is glad about sausages that are still intact under the Fredis’ pillow. Our team’s spirit is high and we are ready to go!
We say goodbye to Matīss and head for Ķauķu hill. GPS shows the shortest route through Vaidava river. Fredis has found remains of an old bridge and tries to cross the river. It looks knee deep in this place but the looks are deceiving – Fredis sinks deeper and deeper until loses his balance and falls in the river. Weather is nice and we all have a good laugh! We pull our angry and soaking wet Fredis out of the Vaidava and inspect the motorcycle.
It is clear that filter is filled with water so we can’t start it as it would result in a hydro blast in the engine. We need to disassemble the engine to get to the spark plug. We don’t have the tools to do it but Latvia is only 1836 long around the perimeter and we have friends in a lot of places. Matīss returns with his fathers’s brother Ilgonis who has a huge arsenal of tools. Ilgonis has won Vaidavas kauss race several times and is enjoying motorcycles ever since. Yamaha loses the battle against so qualified mechanics and specialists. The motorcycle blows out water from the cylinder.
Yes! Our road continues!
We couldn’t force Vaidava but we conquered Ķauķu hill. Not without falls. Interesting fact – motorcycle crashes are a part of the Ķauķu kalns everyday life as from 2007 several hill climb races have been organized here in the winters. The fastest racer to the hilltop is the winner. We ride up the mountain from the East side. There is a beautiful sight of North Eastern Vidzeme’s highland.
Our road leads to Drusku mound – one of the steepest mounds in Latvia. It’s height is 246 m above the sea level. From three hillocks of the mound we can Alūksnes hillocks and Hanju Mountain in Estonia. We had a crash while riding on top of the mountain and our rear brake pedal is bent. At the nearby village, we try to fix it with brute force but the aluminum alloy cracks under pressure and splits in half. We have to continue using only front brakes.
On our way to Latvia’s, Estonia’s and Russia’s border stone we find a road sign to Lakšu old mill with a picturesque river next to it.
Our North Vidzeme stage has ended with a border stone and now we start to explore West Latgale border zone.
It’s 7 o’clock in the evening, storm clouds gather around us and we have to think about shelter for the night. While looking for a hay barn we enter a country house’s yard where we meet the owner Antoņina and her angry dog Barbosa. There is no hay barn but Antoņina kindly shows us room in her garden house that is decorated with wall carpets and icons.
There is no electricity, shower or the Internet but we have firewood, fireplace, potatoes in a field and fresh cherries.
Aleksis swaps the Internet with firewood chopping and does it marvelous. By the fire, under the leafy branches of an oak we watch the spectacle in the sky where the lead roles are played by a thunder and lightning.
