Tag: Mike

Pat had the only detailed map amongst us. My 1:70 billion bizzaro projection map was all I could find before I left. It was the same one Tom and I had used on the Mongol Rally. Back then we ultimately …

The drive was cold. We hit the main highway and headed east. There is nothing remarkable about Russian roads. In general they are well maintained and signposted, with the same twee blue signage that they use all over Europe. Conditions, …

Monday duly rolled around. By now we were getting used to the way the sun meandered over the eastern horizon and brought a cautious start to the working day. It was fully 9:30 before there was enough light to call …

The phone rang and rang and rang again. Staggering around the bags strewn around our room I groggily picked up the receiver. A Russian accent on the other end spoke in English: This is Sergei, Oleg’s friend. We have Zaya …

Our introduction to the motorcycles now complete, we made our way to the Ural factory museum where a truly splendid collection of antique motorcycles was on display. The entire history of Urals was there, right back to its origins with …

– This shouldn’t be all that hard, after all we did the Mototaxi Junket and survived that. – Can we take Eric’s motorcycle from last year? He said all the mechanics were rebuilt and aside from the electrics it’s in …

During our overnight stay in Yekaterinburg, Zaya admitted that she’d been to see the doctor in Ulaanbaatar for a chest infection. With my medical background I’m leery of anyone that says they’re sick and about to embrace an adventure that …

Aeroflot’s one bag rule was my introduction to Russia’s general hatred of luggage. The next time I found it was getting on the bus in Yekaterinburg that was heading downtown from the airport. Stern-looking and solidly built as she was, …

To Build a Fire is a short story by Jack London that describes an arrogant man’s walk from one trading post to the next in the dead of a winter along the Yukon Trail. London is unsympathetic to his central …

Itchy feet is a chronic condition in my family, and I’m not talking about the athlete’s kind. We are in varying degrees a band of wanderers, seekers of adventure with a commonly held curiosity about the world and other people …