Journal

A few remaining details were left before our departure and then the truck and bus arrive for our trip to Ushki. Several members of the Paleo-Ecology Team pack their belongings onto the truck and climb aboard. Filling the back of the bus to the brim, the rest of us make our way out of town and head for the uncivilized peninsula.

Ready for departure
The group poses on the hotel steps before we leave Petropovlovsk.

The road shortly becomes a panoramic view in all directions. Along with the scenery is the realization that the unpaved road that we are on will make up the vast majority of our trip north today. Between the bus suspension, the gravel road and rapid rate of speed we are traveling there is an unfortunate constant shaking of every bone in our bodies. It’s a white knuckled, tooth rattling drive northward.

A view of the ridge from the bus
The mountains fly past as we head north.

Lunch stop
Along the road we stop for lunch where women sell pockets of dough filled with a variety of fillings.

Lunch choices
The woman who gets our business is the one who has taken the trouble to translate her choices into English.

bus ride
efore the gravel road everyone is still upright in their seats, after hours of bouncing people begin scrambling into any position that will allow them some relief from the constant jiggling.

traffic to Ushki
Along the way their appears dust clouds in the distance, as we continue the dust clouds turn into vehicles on the opposite side of the road.

After about 8 ½ hours we arrive at the ferry that will cross us where there once was a bridge. Apparently a bridge at this location does withstand the ice flows of spring so a ferry is necessary.

Amazing site
As we reach the ferry the sun illuminates the top of a spectacular volcano. It is not the largest will we see, but in the late day sun, it is the prettiest so far.

The Ferry
The bus backs onto the ferry for a short trip across the river.

As nightfall is upon us, we arrive at the turn into the Ushki site. The drive in from the lively jaunt on unpaved roads now turns to a series of bangs and clangs as we race past tree branches, shrubs and thick vegetation that swipe the bus on all directions. All of this has us arriving at Ushki just as night falls – and the epic mosquitoes launch their attack on us.

A line forms to unload all the baggage so that the bus drivers can head out to the road. We are shown to our rooms in almost complete darkness and fumble around over different level floorboards with our heavy packs.

The ferry
Ferry Crossing

Arrival in Ushki
The group unloads the bus.

The rest of the evening seems to make the bone-rattling journey worthwhile. There is a full camp style meal prepared for us. We toast the start of the field season and head out to a campfire and banya. A banya is a cabin with three rooms, hot, hotter, hottest. The hottest room is 100 degrees Celsius, the other rooms are progressively less hot, but cannot be mistaken as cool. We enjoy the banya and then spend some time near the campfire. The mood is almost giddy with the excitement of the start of the field season.

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