08-21 Day 42 (Moscow arrival)

Can you believe it, Moscow?

Mileage

Date8/21/2019
Travel FromVyshny Volocheck
Intermediate Location 
Ending LocationMoscow
Starting Odometer29,558
Ending Odometer29,756
Miles Driven Today198 Miles
Total Trip Mileage5213 Miles
Countries visited Today 
Countries visited on trip US, Canada, UK, The Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Finland, Estonia, Russia

I’m now at day 42 of the trip, with about 78 days remaining in total. With today’s run into Moscow, the group has already gotten into a groove, where we are improving efficiency, establishing safety improvements, and getting better at predicting events, based on our individual riding styles. So, we’ve formed, then stormed, and now, we’re norming.

Leaving St. Vyshny Volocheck , Russia

Our day started a bit relaxed, with a 9:00 AM departure, and if there was any hesitation related to the sand from the night before, it was gone, and the riders rode like the wind, all the way to the main road.

We began our slow turn to the Southeast. Let’s take a look at the map of the progress throughout.

Reports from the road

Riding into Moscow

I was in a state of awe as I rode into Moscow. And so, with about 11 miles to go, I turned on the helmet cam, and started recording. I’ve tried to remove any of the boring stuff, but depending on your point of view, it will likely be the case that you’ll still find boring content. My hope is that you’ll find some, or maybe even most of this to be quite interesting. Here goes…

Arriving at the hotel

Our hotel arrival was at about 4:45, with a briefing scheduled for 6:00 PM, in one of the lounge rooms. Check-in was remarkably smooth, but it seems that with all my luggage, it’s tough to get everything to my room in one pass, so I enlisted the help of the Bell Staff, who carried the heavy panniers, while I took it easy, and only carried the helmet, North face bag, tank bag, and coat. Hmmm, maybe I didn’t get off that easy.

What will tomorrow bring

Back in January, I met Alex Nikonov through the BMW Motorcycle Owners Association. Alex is one of the principles of Russia Moto Travel, a company that runs motorcycle tours across Russia. Alex and his wife stayed with me at my home in South Carolina, after the BMW MOA rally in Tennessee, which took place in June.

Alex has been extremely helpful in many ways, but most recently, he offered to arrange for a guide to take our group around Moscow. So, tomorrow morning, at 8:30, Maria will meet us, and take us around Moscow on a walking tour. We expect to visit the Kremlin, Red Square, and numerous other places that are prominent in Moscow. I’m really excited, and really thankful to Alex for helping us out.

Alex is also the person that helped me secure some Vodka for my buddy Scott (Also my contractor). Scott is retired US Navy, and he spent time in Russia. As a way to give back to his fellow divers, and other vets, he’s asked that I bring back a few bottles of a special Vodka, which pays tribute to Russian Divers, so that he can offer them at Auction, in support of the folks mentioned. I’m really glad to be able to do this small thing to help Scott do what he does for the US and for his fellow divers.

About the Author

Cliff Musante

Cliff Musante is a technologist, business leader, motorcycle enthusiast, father, grandfather, and more. In June, 2013 his passion for motorcycles was revitalized, and he set out to ride across Patagonia. Since then, he's logged thousands of miles, ridden across the US, and on July 10, 2019, he began a 120 day trip through Europe, and then on to Russia, China, and parts East. This 'Blog is the story of all of his adventures.

Comments

  1. What an adventure Cliff! I’m enjoying following along vicariously. Great videos and interviews. Really curious what your impressions of Moscow will be. Enjoy the vodka. 🙂

    1. Hi Maria,
      We had fun in Moscow, but unfortunately, I had to visit the bike shop a couple of times, and did not get a chance to see it, as I had hoped. But, getting the rain gear was likely to prove to be really important.

  2. The top secret parking space is not so secret anymore. You video taped the where it is! I am enjoying your blog and admire all your creative problem solving and your great travel attitude.

    1. Thanks Marc,
      Perhaps you’re right. All of these super-secret parking places are less secret than they were yesterday. Maybe I should stop reporting on them, or perhaps just stop calling them secret.

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