We got going this morning early, at 7.30am, and returned to the gravel roads. They were good – allowing us to travel at up to 70kph – and then dreadful. We crept along at just 15kph for an hour, trying to avoid the potholes and corrugations.
When we saw the cars driving towards us on our side of the road we realised that our side must be the smoothest side!Corrugations make us all creep along at only 15kph with no dust being thrown up behindWe caught up to two empty car carriers as they weaved their way over the corrugations and pot holesCorrugations and pot holes cause the vehicle tracks to weave all over the road
It was a lovely sunny day and as we travelled south, we dropped in altitude and noticed an increase in the temperature. We also noticed the presence of insects and every now and again we saw a ‘V’ formation of birds flying north to the Russian Arctic.
We stopped at 11am near the Trans-Siberian Railway line for our good old cup of Aussie tea and toast with vegemite and watched two freight trains go past. We were very excited when we hit the bitumen near ROHXA and travelled along it for 33 kilometres before the dirt returned. However we found this section of gravel to be well graded and we reached 70kph for a short time.
We stopped in the sun for a cup of Aussie tea and a Sao with VegemiteWe drove over a very rough old section of bitumenBuilding a new bridge
We stopped beside the road at 1.12pm in the warm sunshine, and made a cup of soup and some fresh salad for lunch. We had been travelling on a good section of gravel, but the road soon after turned into another horror stretch.
We stopped for lunch on a good section of gravel road and noticed it was much warmer with insects flying around
Today we saw very few houses or towns, just beautiful trees, grasslands, lakes and streams, plus the constant passing of Japanese cars, a few trucks and lots of dust.
Thin ice on top of the waterThis truck even has a Japanese jet ski loaded on the top
We also passed a number of road construction workers using modern machinery to lay asphalt – we just wished we could have driven on it!!!
A team of men laying asphaltA small lake beside the roadThe photos of the road really don’t show how rough it is – however if you look at the shadow of the railing you might notice the corrugations
We were delighted to reach new bitumen at a major and newly constructed intersection at WNMAHCBCK. We kept smiling as the new bitumen ran onto old bitumen, not dirt!
Some new bitumen being layed
However we soon discovered a new problem – here in Russia it seems that when the road maintenance men find holes in the bitumen road, they dig them out (up to 150mm deep) and give them rectangular edges. They then leave them, with no warning signs or markings on the road, until they return to fill them with asphalt on another day. So we had to be on our guard to avoid damaging a wheel if we happened to drive into one of these traps.
We travelled along for 28 kilometres and came to another new major road intersection. The sign said “Khabarovsk 751 kilometres” with an arrow pointing straight ahead, but there was a barricade with a red circle in the middle of the road. We were unsure which way to go. Dick first asked a local man walking nearby, who indicated to go straight ahead on the dirt road and ignore the barricade. However we thought this was rather strange, so Dick then stopped one of the Japanese cars and managed to ask the Russian driver which way to go as they were all coming from Vladivostok. We then noticed this sign and turned right for Yephobka. Nowhere are there any signs in English.
The detour sign we had to follow – nothing in EnglishHomes in the village of YEPHOBKA
It was a lovely detour that took us along an old bitumen road past people’s homes. We stopped to say hello to some children playing on their bicycles. It was a nice change to see people and houses after a day of seeing very little civilisation.
Children playing on their bicycles in YEPHOBKA
We drove into CBObOAHbIN and followed the signs to Khabarovsk on a part bitumen, part dirt country road. We eventually joined back onto the new highway.
Cultivated fields reminded us of England
After a few kilometres we noticed a large café/truck stop and decided to call it a day, so we pulled into the car park. This was a popular place for many of the Russian car drivers (who were ferrying the Japanese cars) to eat and stay overnight. We joined them in the café and managed to order a delicious meal of stewed steak and rice with a salad and a cup of tea – costing $7.00 AUD for the two of us.
We stopped for the night at another car driver’s caféWe met up again with the Russian drivers who helped us order our dinner last night, 536kms back
As usual, our vehicle attracted a lot of attention, with many of the Russian men coming over to have a look and wish us a safe journey. Many of them produced their mobile phones and took photos of the Earthroamer. We closed our screens, locked the doors and enjoyed the security and comfort of our little home on wheels for the night. The temperature was so mild that we didn’t need to turn the heater on – for the first time on this trip.
Today 536 kms. 30,223 kms since Anchorage, Alaska.
