Where's Mike?

Section 22: Poland, Russia, and the Baltic States

(Part One)

Click here to see Section 21: Germany

Click here to see Section 22a: Poland, Russia, and The Baltic States (Part Two)

Wednesday August 23rd

Dziwnowek, Poland: Got a fairly early start to the day and wound up needing it.

The roads (German Roads) turned to crap NE of Berlin on the main E-28. There are no major German cities up here so they just haven't gotten around to fixing them in the 15 years after reunification. Not very German.

Anyway, the drive to, and through, the border was uneventful other than that, and, once through, I headed north to the Baltic coast where I felt sure I could find a campground. I have decided to skip any "free" camping while in Eastern Europe. The price will be worth the security...I think?

I arrived in Dziwnowek got a campground next to the beach and took a walk around before dark. The town is just a bunch of tourist kiosks, bars, speeding military trucks, and hotels, but it does have a nice sandy beach which appears to get LOTS of use.

Exchange rate is roughly 3.5 ztoty to the euro

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 0

Fuel: 58.5e for 52l at 113608/480km

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 30e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 20e shoes, 4e map

Odometer: 113863

Thursday August 24th

Slupsk, Poland: Not many people over 30 speak English so the camp hostess was having her younger office helper translate our conversation as I was checking out. We were all chatting it up when the hostess said something which made the young woman, who was pretty cute, turn about five shades of red. The Hostess was simply pointing out to me that the young woman was free, and that her and I should "talk". Darn, too bad I had already checked out, and needed to get to St. Petersburg. :-)

I only drove about ten clicks before noticing a couple of pilots inflating near the shore. I stopped and found there was about a 40 foot hill over the ocean. The wind was cross, and light, but I managed to learn that the internet forecast was for straightening northerlies, so I grabbed my gear, grabbed a book, and grabbed a spot in the grass.

Periodically one of the three other pilots would give it a shot, but always wound up either not flying, or sinking out immediately. The steep bank back up top was impossible to climb and gaining the launch area came down to kiting the glider...ONLY...to the top, where we were able to grab the wing, bunch the lines, and then add a little tension as the wind dummy climbed up the mud bank. Else, he would simply fall down the mud bank to our amusement.

Eventually another pilot showed up, and fortunately, she spoke great English. Unfortunately her forecast was for lightening wind and that was becoming more and more true. With this being the case, she grabbed a quick flight right off the bat, but sunk out. Regardless of the conditions I took one in a cycle I thought I could manage, but only got about 30sec of airtime.

Shortly thereafter, the original three started packing. I slowly began to follow suit when Natasza told me it was getting better and encouraged me to stay. She was right, it did get better, and we managed a bunch of kiting practice, but it never got good enough for another flight.

Since I was only about 10 clicks away from last nights campground, I considered going back to last night's spot, but figured the girl would be mortified, and I really do want to get into Russia before winter hits, so I headed east toward Gdansk.

Snagged a few hitchhikers on the way and, after dropping the Polish one off, learned the other two Belgians were looking for a campground as well. We stayed at this out of the way location in someone's nicely landscaped backyard and had a BBQ

Camp Fee from prior night/s: ~11.5e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 113942

Friday August 25th

Gdansk, Poland: The camp last night was very attractive, very cheap, and the hosts were terrific. They have done a great job of landscaping the area to make it a park-like setting. That being said, there is absolutely NO reason to visit Slupsk unless it is for a simple stopover on your way to Gdansk.

We never got an early start, but once we got going it was fast, with the roads being pretty good. My original plan had been to just get to Gdansk, but since Natasza told me about a NE flying site near Wtadystawowo, on the beginning of the Mierzeja Helska peninsula, I was non-committal up until Reda. The moderate south wind meant I dropped the Belgians and continued to Gdansk on my own. I found a 24 hour secure parking in downtown that would let me camp

An afternoon walk rewarded me with great sights. The pedestrian only Dlugi Targ is a nice place to see some beautiful buildings, fountains (Neptune's Fountain is particularly good), and interesting people, as is ul Mariacka (St Mary's St.) for some amazing burgher houses from the 17th century. I was in awe.

Then, an 82 meter climb of the St Mary's Church tower offered a spectacular panoramic view of the entire city. On a sunny day like this, it is not to be missed!

After gazing down on the city from above a quick glimpse inside the church showed your basic stuff...except for the realization that this is the largest brick building in the world, AND a really cool astronomical clock! It is pretty darn intricate, but I have no idea if, or how, it works. The church, however, was so impressed with it that they gouged out the maker's eyes so he could never create another! How's that for job satisfaction!?

Being a weekend, I headed out for dinner and then some music with a few Brits I met climbing the tower. Pretty fun, and I was totally thinking I could spend a few more days here in Gdansk.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: 3e

Fuel: 51e for 45l at 114019/411km

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 25e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 10e for 24hr secure parking

Odometer: 114065 (?)

Saturday August 26th

Kaliningrad, Russia: The angry rain kept me up much of the night...once I finally got back to my rig, and, since I was eager to get into Russia, I was out of my park/camping spot early. The pouring rain, low hanging clouds with diffused bases (if you could actually locate a base), periodic fog, and multiple construction & accident detours aided in getting me thoroughly lost on the way out of town which added an hour of joy to my trip.

Once on the road, additional construction, incredibly bumpy sections of crappy road surface built of lopsided blocks of concrete (think REALLY big cobblestones), and lots of detours all took their toll as well. However, it was worthwhile seeing five guys jumping up and down on a pre-fabricated concrete block of about 3 by 2 by .25 meters as a small crane unloaded another one for proper "leveling". I understand why the roads are not so smooth, and can appreciate the fact that people will be able to enjoy this "new" road for years to come.

Ultimately I did hit the border and it was quick and easy. I had heard horror stories of people taking hours, if not days, to make the crossing, and I am happy I found out for myself.

Upon arrival, there is a gate about 20 meters from the Polish check point and, after a brief stop, the gate came up and I moved forward to join a couple other cars in the queue. Then, the Polish authorities peeked inside my rig, stamped my passport and sent me on my way. Took less than ten minutes.

Another 50 meters on was the Russian check point and they too peeked inside my rig, checked my passport and car documents and waved me on. EASY! I am in Russia! Shortly thereafter, hidden around a jog in the road, I hit another, larger, station. Another peek inside my rig, and then a quick walk over to a window to get my passport stamped. Ok, NOW I am in Russia!

I hop in my rig and drive onward, passing three more check points, where they just waved me on instead of searching me, or checking documents, before actually seeing the fence-line and Welcome To Russia sign. Finally I am REALLY in Russia, and it took less than an hour. :-)

20 clicks, or so, down the road I stop to snap a few photos of a WWII memorial and, as I am contemplating why the guy is about to stab the woman with a flag and what the REAL story is with the guys on the ends (especially the left), when a car screeches to a halt in front of my rig, ceasing the non-PC alternative judgments in my mind.

Some guy in uniform jumps out and comes over. Uh Oh, he looks fairly upset about something and I start to think that maybe I was not supposed to be taking photos of the homosexual and woman stabbing soldiers in this area...or they saw me snapping them in the border area? He asks for my papers, and I am thrilled and relieved. I have heard stories about constantly being pulled over and having to produce papers, but I just crossed the border and know all of mine are in order. He is saying something about customs and the border, but we don't really understand each other all that well. I show him the stamp in my passport and then patiently try my best to explain, in the typical American fashion, slowly and loudly, that my documents are all in order.

Hmm, he still doesn't get it, and feels something is wrong, so takes my papers and indicates that I should follow him. We wind up going all the way back to the border! What the fuck! I really have no idea what is going on.

On arrival I am promptly greeted by an English speaking military guy who asks me why I ran the border? I am confused by this since I have the stamp and, if I've passed one, I've passed through five Russian check points along the way! He explains that I cleared immigration, but then drove past the customs without stopping!!! Opps. In my defense, I am an idiot. Additionally their immigration and customs are less than one meter apart...in the same little hut. Oh, and the other guards at the three other check points before the actual border did wave me through. I am not even going to wonder why it took the Russian military 20 clicks to catch an old, slow, MoHo, which was, at that stage, parked!

I tell him I am really sorry and I had thought I had cleared everything correctly and he tells me "you are wrong". Oh shit! Now I know I am going to be tossed into some deep dark hole for the rest of my short, miserable, life, but he lets out this huge sigh, rolls his eyes, shakes his head, and suppresses a smile. You can tell he is a good guy, as was the commander that came and chased me down. Initially they had to be pissed, angry, and stern, but they could tell I was fairly innocent in the whole matter as well, so we just got on with what had to be done.

There are about 100 make-shift huts and cargo containers with doors cut in them, complete with rickety wooden steps leading up to them, scattered around in this thick border zone. I was told to take my passport and car documents to that hut and photo copy them, then go to that hut and pay 120 rubles and get insurance before coming back here and filling out a declaration. No Euro are taken, but that other hut will exchange it. Now this is more like the Russia I have heard about! :-)

Right out of the gate I hit the wrong hut and had to go over to the OTHER hut for my rubles. It was perfect timing, I got there and one guy was just leaving the window, and only one other was in line! The woman then closed the blind on us both and I waited around, assuming she was busy helping him, for about 15 minutes, as another five, then ten, people poured in. About that time I realized she was taking her half hour break. Another 15 minutes and I was trying to stuff 100euro through the slot on the window and she was babbling to me somethin' fierce. Rubles, I said, and she finally shrugged and exchanged the money.

My next stop was the photo copy center, which, at least, had a sign hanging on it. Initially, I thought the photo copy center was heaven as I saw this stunning 28 year old bombshell with a short camo skirt, tight matching top with USARMY embroidered into it, and black shiny boots. However, this woman could freeze vodka in hell with a look. As she copied my stuff, she never said a word nor gave anything but a suspicious glaring glance in my direction as I tried to slink under the floorboards.

At the insurance hut I learned insurance for a month on a company vehicle (Flight Design has registered it for me) is over 2100 Rubles and not the 120 I understood it to be by the customs guy! My God! Well, I've come this far, so I paid the 64 bucks and finally headed back to my English-speaking customs officer where I filled out my declaration too well. I did it again without claiming anything like my radio, bike, Garmin, variometer, herb garden, etc., and he was happier. I guess that just means less paperwork for both of us.

He then needed some sort of a permission slip saying it was ok for me to drive my MoHo since it is not registered in my name. Crystal, Regine, and Matthias had already taken care of me along those lines by sending me a PDF letter. That worked just fine and he watched while I burned a copy of the file on a CD. He then suggested I should get another hard copy in case the police stop me, and, I think I actually trembled on my walk over to the copy hut. Cold as ever she copied my form and glared me away.

He then sent me into another building in search of a window where I gave up all my paperwork. Opps, missing the 120 Ruble something, or another, fee so I have to got back at the currency exchange hut and finally realize what the woman was babbling about an hour ago, and what he, the customs agent, must have been referring to earlier! :-) I acquired six (Really! This is no shit!) more sheets of paper and went back to the little window in the other building before heading out to my customs guy for a final search of my MoHo and, ultimately, a big band sendoff without the band.

Just over four hours after initially getting to the border, I cross, legally and properly, for the second time.

Ok, this is a lot of rambling, but it gives an idea of what needs to be accomplished to visit the new and improved (open) Russia. About a dozen signatures, about 280euro (visa, invitation, insurance, fees), four hours (ok, maybe three if you do it right the first time) of crossing time, and a small ulcer. All in all a pretty fun day and I am the only person, I know of, who ran the Russian border and never got shot! :-)

Once inside Russia, and having learned my lesson well in the past, getting a map before arriving to Kaliningrad was a top priority. Unfortunately none of the half dozen gas stations and kiosks I stopped at had one. One of them did have a Polish map from 1999, though. A couple hours later when I finally located a map, I found I had traveled way outside of Kaliningrad and am up in OtpaAhoe on the Baltic.

No camping to be found, despite the sign, so I wound up going to a hotel and paying about three bucks to park in their wooded lot behind the hotel. I still needed to register and this is a shot of the woman checking me in (that took about an hour) and all the other workers & guests coming to help...and mostly to see an American. I get the distinct impression that Americans are as common in this part of Russia as are MoHos.

Exchange is ~33.50 rubles to the euro.

Park Fee : 3e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: ~12e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 64e insurance, 3.5e entry (?) fee, 2e map,

Odometer: 114398

Sunday August 27th

Kaliningrad,Germany: For the past 50 years Kaliningrad has been home to the the Baltic USSR (former) and Russian (current) naval base. Kaliningrad, and it's surrounding "island" of territory, has only been part of the USSR/Russia for the past 60 years. Getting a chance to check out the port, and the spit leading off toward Poland, was my MAIN draw for getting a dual entry visa and visiting this area.

I was assuming that security would be about as lackadaisical as any US naval base. Ok, I may not be able to get on base, but will at least get close enough to smell some diesel, absorb some radiation, and snap a photo. No such joy.

All I was able to see were no trespassing signs, no photo signs, and the Russian military turning me around while I am still a good ten clicks away.

The best I managed was a mirror shot of the guard station on escape.

That little exploratory expedition did take me the better part of a day and my plan of being out of Russia tonight was quickly needing a revision. I found one of the three camping locations which were supposedly in Kaliningrad and was pleasantly surprised.

The Baltica Hotel is just outside of Kaliningrad, in fact about 50 meters past the, seemingly useless, police check point, on the Kaliningrad-Moscow Highway...AKA A-229/E-77. It is easy to find/see, but not as easy to get to. You must drive past it, hang a 180-left, drive back past it again, head into the gas station exit just before the check point, hang a 180-right, and you will then find it on the left.

Camping is by the lake behind the hotel, very clean WC/Showers are in room 210, security is great (I tried to take the back stairs down after using the facilities, and was chased down by a guard...makes me wonder if they were watching me during said use, and what they thought, if they were?).

A party at the dock-side recreation center brought me out for the evening.

Camp Fee: 10e

Fuel: 26e for 50l at 114485/465km CHEAP GAS!!! :-)

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 115514

Monday August 28th

Nida, Lithuania: Realizing how cheap things are in Russia, and having more than enough extra Rubles to spare, I stopped in the border town of Cobetck for a bit of shopping, before heading into the unknown Lithuania. Whoever thinks the Russians are lacking need only check the beer isle to be proven wrong. I, however, wound up with a half bottle of Russian vodka to break my week long fast from alcohol. The Vodka isle is even bigger, just less colorful.

I then headed on to the border.

This border is at the Hemah river and is physically much smaller than the one I entered Russia at, so I was also hoping it was going to be a bit faster than when I entered. You can actually see all the layers of Russian bureaucracy, and check points, in about 50 meters of depth. The Lithuanian entry check is on the other side of the bridge.

Just prior to the first gate I get stopped by some guy with a reflective vest on over an military-looking uniform. He asks me for something and I oblige by showing him ALL the paperwork I have...including my passport, car documents, receipts from what I paid while entering, the Russian vehicle registration form, the Russian insurance paperwork, my immigration paperwork...but nothing suffices.

He patiently digs out a a stack of papers, all with official blue stamps on it, and waves it at me. Russians LOVE their paperwork and stamps! So, at this point I know I must do something before driving the two meters to the stop line on the road, which is one meter from the entry gate to the customs and immigration area.

He finally makes it clear that I just give him money and everything will be fine. DUH! How can I be so stupid. It just took me 10 minutes to figure that out...although I still don't know exactly what this scrap of paper is, or why I need it, but, on entry I paid for similar scraps of paper (100 for one, and 20 for another) so dig out 20 rubles and offer it up. My offering is rejected and he asks for something to write on. He writes 200 rubles and verbalizes two rubles. I let out a big smile, nod with understanding, and hand him two rubles. He too smiles, shakes his head with frustration, and shows me two, 100 ruble notes. I dig out a couple hundred rubles and hand them to him, but, instead of handing me one of these all important scrapes of paper with the blue stamp on it, which seem vital to my departure, he simply, and discretely, wads the money up, and pockets, it along with those all important scraps of stamped paper

I start to protest, but he raises his hands for silence and relaxation, directs me to drive two meters forward to the stop line, and walks away. I see him go into a little hut and then assume this is where he must be going to get my paperwork, but he comes out empty handed as the next car arrives and much more quickly collects a little something for his pocket.

I think I just got jacked for 200 rubles.

Unexpectedly, the rest of the Russian departure was exceedingly smooth and quick...only taking about an hour to complete the work. Expectedly, the entry into Lithuania was MUCH easier...at about ten minutes.

My first stop is, of course, to get a map and I found a great one including the three Baltic states.

Having a great map is a must, and I soon realized I needed this one a day sooner. It clearly shows the entire Curonian Spit coming all the way from the Kaliningrad Region. This map, unlike my European map, also shows a Russian-Lithuanian border crossing on the spit AND a ferry service connecting the spit to the mainland. I could have not only saved a few hours of driving, but also enjoyed the drive along the entire spit, with the Baltic beating one side and the Curonian lagoon lapping the other, from the Northern Kaliningrad Region into the Kursly Nerijos National Park of Lithuania.

I headed for Klaipeda to catch the ferry, visit the park, and see what I may have missed.

The majority of the dunes on the spit are covered with mountain pine...imported from Denmark about 100 years ago to keep the wind from constantly shifting the dunes toward settlements. The well developed root system near the surface tends to hold the dunes well, but the pine is not resistant to fire at all. Hundreds of fires over the years have worked to rid the dunes of this imported species, but the trees, with the help of mans fire suppression abilities, are currently ahead in the battle.

The May 2006 "Fire of the Century" destroyed ~236 hectares of trees and the residents are serious about educating everyone about fire prevention.

About half way to Nida, and the Russian border, Juodkrante is a pretty little town with lots of artwork on the lagoon-side walk/biking path, elk wandering on the edges of town, and easy access to the Baltic.

In Nida, I managed to find the only campground on the spit...sort of pricey, but there is no other choice available, and it is late.

1e is about 3.45 Litu.

Camp Fee for tonight: 16e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 26e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 6e Forced border-bribe, 4e map, 33e RT Ferry, 14e park entrance, 2.5e laundry,

Odometer: 114839

Tuesday August 29th

Nida, Lithuania: From camp I took a hike up to a pretty cool sundial perched atop the Parnidis Dune. At 52 meters it is, reportedly, the highest sand dune in Europe. Not really sure if it would still qualify as an active sand dune if they are capping the top with massive rock cobblestone and sundials, not to mention those resinous pines that love to burn so much, but from here you can look south toward Russia and view the only remaining natural, and shifting, dune in the few kilometers of the border region.

You are asked to not climb on the natural dunes since it is estimated that every person hiking up, or sliding down, moves several tons of sand. I actually heeded the advice and kept to the walkway, but there were lots of others playing on this Lithuanian Sahara.

One of those others was Max, a German guy camping next to me. We decided to stick together while we toured the rest of the town being as we both wanted to see the same things.

Tomas Mann, the German writer, had a summer home here back when this was part of Germany. The views from the home, now The Thomas Mann Museum, were better than anything inside, but it was a fairly cheap entry fee so I didn't mind. We also checked out the local cemetery and a bunch of houses with all sorts of classical Lithuanian wood carvings either on, or near, them before heading to the dock-side amusement area for a cold beer.

Not being a huge fan of beer, I would have been happy with just a small one, but, since Max is German, I was not able to pry him away until he had five large ones...and a shot of vodka. We had picked up a couple bottles of wine for a BBQ we decided upon, but I was wondering if we were even going to make it back to camp.

Ultimately we did make it back, and, as we got to work on starting a fire, a couple of German girls (Katrin and Joy) camped on the other side of me came over to ask if they could join us and cook up their marshmallows. But of course, I had planned on inviting them over anyway.

We managed to kill a whole bag of marshmallows, a freshly cracked half-bottle of vodka I picked up in Russia, several armloads of firewood, a few bottles of wine, and countless brain cells by the time the sun came up...although Max went missing early on...something about wanting to check out the Nida (population 150) night life. Crazy! Katrin and Joy, however, were troupers till the end! :-)

Camp Fee: 16e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 15.5e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 1e museum

Odometer: 114839

Wednesday August 30th

Jelgava, Latvia: Up at the crack of noon, I just barely made the camp check-out time. Max was still sleeping, or dead, and the girls, after saying our goodbyes a few hours earlier, had caught a couple hours of sleep, and then quietly biked away so they could make their ferry back to Germany.

Not long after being on the road, I crossed into Latvia and snagged a roadside camping area near Riga.

Camp/park Fee: 4.5e

Fuel: 36e for 51l at 114938/453km

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 2e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 115164

Thursday August 31st

Riga, Latvia: Having spent last night just outside of Riga gave me an easy drive into town. I went straight into the center, found an easy parking area, and hit the TI. I was happy to learn that Riga City Camping is on Kipsala Island in the Daugava River. About a two click walk to the heart of old-town.

I just checked in and the rain came down in buckets! The camp was filled with puddles in about ten minutes and remained flooded till I drifted off to the thundering rain.

Exchange is ~.7e to the Lati.

Camp Fee for tonight and Friday: 26e!!!!

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 10

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer:115212

Friday, September 1st

Riga, Latvia: Riga is a beautiful city. Period. No wonder the old downtown is a Unesco World Heritage site. Just walking the streets is an amazing visual delight. Who needs museums with all the Art Nouveau on every street?

After the quick walk from the campground (over the Vansu Bridge spanning the Daugava River from Kipsala Island) I hit the tourist center for a small booklet, with two city walks outlined step by step, and maps galore. Each building, statue, church, or street of importance was described in detail...and in English, no less.

The Statue of Roland is in the center of Town hall Square and also serves as a drinking fountain for those brave souls with hardened stomachs. St Peter's steeple, and the restored Blackheads' House are also fairly stunning...much more so than the Riga Town Hall on the northern boundary of the square.

Liv Square, a short distance from Town Hall Square, is small and colorful. Filled with flowers, touts, pickpockets, picturesque houses, the cat building, and the Small & Large Guilds. The large guild was built in the 50's & 60's, but retained the Neo-Gothic forms of the original guild and bordering buildings.

Not actually an official part of the city tour, but interesting to me, was this massive mural on the a building bordering yet another square. Not sure if this was done by the city, or a building owner with too much money?

The Riga Dome, the Latvian Evangelical Church's Archbishop's Cathedral, is pretty amazing. The surprisingly sunny, and quiet, courtyard housed the first school in Riga, established in 1211 as well as the first city library in 1524.

The founder of the Dome, Bishop Albert, laid the foundations of the church the same year the school was established, and is the subject the statue.

In visual comparison to other building in Riga, the castle left me unimpressed. It does have a few museums inside, and is still actually used as the chancellery of the state president.

The more blocky and modern (1860's) palazzo Renaissance building which houses the current Latvian Parliament, or Saeima, is actually more interesting to me. Back in its day, it was the Vidzeme Knighthood building. Vidzeme is one of the three historical regions of Lithuania.

And, since my brother doesn't have email, and I write few letters, I had to take a photo of the copper-topped St Joseph's Church. Happy birthday!

Of course, dozens of other ornately decorated Art Nouveau buildings abound and, if you look long enough you can definitely find something interesting.

The monstrous brick Gothic building is currently the State Academy of Arts, but was originally the Riga Stock Exchange.

A glass of wine at a small sidewalk cafe, frequented by young, trendy, things, perfected the day.

Camp Fee from prior night/s: --

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 7.5

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 115212

Saturday September 2nd

Sigulda, Latvia: After getting a jump for my dead battery, I paid my camping bill and drove the short distance into town. There were still a few things I wanted to see before departure.

The Monument to Freedom was designed in the early 30's and has been accompanied by an honor guard 24-7 both before and after Soviet occupation.

The 19th century Russian Orthodox Cathedral is stunningly beautiful in bright sunlight and I was a bit bummed it was so cloudy today. I had a chance to snap some shots yesterday, in the sun, but I failed to make that small detour as I was doing my City Walk.

The Occupation Museum offers a disturbing account of life under Soviet, and Nazi, rule. The thumbnail gives just a small bit of info.

After Riga, I drove east to Sigulda and Gauja Valley National Park. Rain, with filtered sunlight through the trees, greeted me at Makara Kempings.

Camp Fee: 10e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 38.5

Supplies: 0

Misc: 1.5 parking

Odometer: 115301

Sunday, September 3rd

Sigulda, Latvia: Although the town of Sigulda itself is just a sneeze, its location above the shores of the slowly meandering Gauja River, and associated wooded hillsides, makes it must-see.

The folks at Makara Kempings can arrange canoe, kayak, or raft rentals, including upstream transport, for trips anywhere from one to seven days. Tents, waterproof bags, and just about anything else you may need on the trip, can also be acquired.

I chose the five hour paddle, and the farmer's daughter was happy to give me a ride to the put-in.

Along the way, the views were great, although the flow was a bit lower/slower than I would have liked. The day, however, was spectacular! I never would have thought the rain from yesterday would have ceased in such an abrupt manner. The sun and sky were perfect.

I saw lots of birdlife along the way, although digging out the camera took too long to capture most. The river also passed the old medieval castle, mostly un-restored ruins, which is a nice view from the water.

The trip took me about four hours to complete, and I was paddling most of the way. Others this same day took anywhere from four to SEVEN hours to do! All-in-all it is a beautiful trip, but more relaxing than exhilarating. The only white water, if you could call a small rapid "white water", was just prior to the take out. I would do it again, but would hesitate at more than one day.

Camp Fee: 10e

Fuel: 0

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 0

Supplies: 0

Misc: 40e for canoe rental & transport

Odometer: 115301

Monday September 4th

Vosu, Estonia: Headed away from the Latvian Gauja National Park and into Estonia. All these borders are both intriguing and a pain in the ass. They are definitely an added adventure, but also add a touch of stress on each crossing as well. The difference in currency also makes for added work. That said I am happy to be doing Eastern Europe now with its challenges, as I was happy to do Western Europe prior to the European Union.

The above is not an excuse, but more of an explanation for the inordinate number of border photos taken through my dirty windshield. It wont be long before these borders, too, are history.

So, the border was a snap, and I headed to Tallin where I had hoped to spend a few days. Damn, I missed the turn off for the campground on the west side of town, and construction and traffic kept me from getting back, so I kept heading east and into Lahemaa National Park.

Exchange is about 15 EEK Kroons to the euro.

Camp Fee: 12e

Fuel: 33e for 36l at 115485/547km. Not filled.

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 11.5e

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 115718

Tuesday September 5th

Limala, Estonia: Took a nice drive through the park to the east, had an ok walk on the Kahuma peninsula, and then drove to just shy of the Russian border. A gray day, weather-wise, and full of angst for me, as I hit mainland Russia in the morning.

Camped out at a family run backyard place right on the beach. Black algae creating dark water as a backdrop for the former guard towers protecting the murky shores of the Baltic approach to Petersburg.

Camp Fee: 6.5e

Fuel: 58e for 62l at 115796/858km

Tolls: 0

Food/Drink: 12

Supplies: 0

Misc: 0

Odometer: 115808

Click here to see Section 22a: Poland, Russia, and The Baltic States (Part Two)