Barnaul to Aktru (25-26.07.2013)

DSCN7950 cpy cover photo 2013-07-25 11.11.06 24 hours after leaving Naryn I was in Barnaul, in Siberia buying a SIM card with Natalia Kharlomova, a climatologist from Altai State University 2013-07-25 17.47.43 A famous roadside stand reminiscent of Granzella's in the Sacto Valley- everybody stops here on their way to the Altai 2013-07-25 17.57.00 Ginormous buckwheat fields along the road in Altaisk Krai
2013-07-25 19.08.32 Gazprom sponsored a gorgeous museum in Gorno-Altaisk, the capital city of the Altai Republic 2013-07-25 19.14.14 The museum had great displays about all aspects of the region. 2013-07-25 19.23.34 and art too! If I could've read Russian, I would've really learned something. But the art shows Russians working with local peoples as opposed to killing them 2013-07-25 19.35.03 and there were skis!
2013-07-25 19.47.09 Some time ago a mummy was excavated in the Altai from an elaborate tomb. This is a reconstruction. 2013-07-25 19.50.43 As is this of her garg. The mummy itself has been repatriated to this museum. See http://siberiantimes.com/culture/others/features/siberian-princess-reveals-her-2500-year-old-tattoos/ 2013-07-25 19.52.59 The motif of her tattoos - red deer 2013-07-25 21.17.54 We spent the night at the camp of the Siberian branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences
2013-07-26 08.12.12 As was the case nearly everywhere we went, there was no indoor plumbing. The water came from this well. The two-seater privy is on the other side of the pool. 2013-07-26 08.01.31 In lieu of pipes, we got water from the galvanized tanks attached to the side of the building, one for water warmed over the stove inside, another for cold water 2013-07-25 21.20.43 Dinner time with the climatologist/cook 2013-07-25 21.24.56 Most of our crew: L to R, Elena, Natalia, Galia, Sergei (driver) Oleg and Irena
2013-07-26 07.35.28 Next morning, I was pleasantly surprised! 2013-07-26 08.24.33 A look around the neighborhood shows a very Canadian scene DSCN7888 and elaborate woodwork behind the satellite dish DSCN7889 We drove along the Chuiskiy Trakt, a very old route into Mongolia and crossed the Seminiski Pass, where we were still closer to Moscow (3168 mk) than to Vladivostok (3562 km): Peking (2679 km) is right around the corner
DSCN7890 Apparently the Altai people asked to join Russia in 1756 to counter pressure from the Mongols DSCN7892 Transit food: bread, cheese and ham DSCN7900 Typical landscape DSCN7903 A field of oats below the forested ridge
DSCN7912 Our crew again, with the addition of Dimitry on the right at a second pass DSCN7913 Any place that cars stop is fair game for an impromptu market DSCN7914 Mongolia is not far DSCN7915 Local people tie shreds of cloth to trees when they cross an important threshold, like a pass. A caterpillar invasion was attacking these willows.
DSCN7924 Along the Katun River were huge old beach deposits far above the current river. DSCN7927 These are evidence of now long-gone lakes created by glacial dams in the last ice age. There is also evidence of catastrophic floods similar to those that occurred in the Columbia basin in Washington. (see http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=27BP4CL66Tk) 2013-07-26 14.33.37 outhouse behind our lunch restaurant DSCN7928 Rain had set in by the time we had reach Aktash
DSCN7931 a brilliant rainbow ensued DSCN7932 more rainbow DSCN7933 it became a bit other worldly DSCN7934 we switched form our Pavement Queen to a Russian 6WD truck
DSCN7935 quite the bruiser! DSCN7937 inside however it was quite civilized DSCN7939 rain over the SEvero-Chuiskiy Range DSCN7945 The Chuya River valley
DSCN7947 it seemed all rather northern DSCN7948 with lots of standing water DSCN7950 wind and rain DSCN7953 below the lower tree line
DSCN7957 steppes into the distance DSCN7959 we must cross the river bottom forest and the steppe DSCN7962 the Chuya River DSCN7965 and the one bridge
DSCN7968 as was often said, "we don't have roads, we have directions" DSCN7969 sometimes the direction takes one through a river DSCN7971 view from the truck window as we cross/follow the river DSCN7972 here at least the road coalesced into one rocky passage
video-2013-07-26-19-51-28 a video gives you a better sense of what riding in the truck was like.