August, 2010 Working at Lake Teletskoye G Tuesday, August 31st, 2010 We started our day looking for information about Uchar Waterfall. Our investigation turned up some interesting news: the falls are very young, just a few hundred years old, and they were only discov... To the Cabin G Monday, August 30th, 2010 Back when we were planning our trip, Russia was this mammoth lumbering place I wasn't excited about visiting. Tyler always wanted to go, but I saw the vast landmass as something to "get through" in ... Backtracking G Sunday, August 29th, 2010 This morning, we continued our drive through the Altay Mountains, enjoying the scenery of Chuisky Trakt for a second time. After passing the spot where we turned around yesterday, we felt a bit bett... Camping on the Katun G Saturday, August 28th, 2010 This morning, our car caught the fallen evidence of changing seasons – it is getting more autumny here in Russia by the day! Amidst orange leaves drifting softly to the ground, we left our farm fi... The Way to Mongolia G Friday, August 27th, 2010 As Tyler journaled this morning, I began doing some research about the next phase of our road trip: the Altay region of Siberia. As I did so, I noticed that Chuisky Trakt, billed as one of the most ... Stuck in the Woods G Thursday, August 26th, 2010 Tyler: We'll, it was bound to happen eventually. Off-roading through the forests and fields of Russia in a tiny hatchback isn't exactly the most prudent plan (but it sure is fun). While piloting ou... Morning Chai G Wednesday, August 25th, 2010 It is a chilly grey morning. Heavy clouds hang overhead, threatening rain. Even so, we pack our camp at a leisurely pace, paying no mind to the potential deluge. Once everything is in order, I dir... Off the Beaten Path PG Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 Our last adventure in the Siberian countryside left us feeling like it might be a good idea to stick to the highway for at least a few days. Though off-roading in our LRC is exciting, we want to be ... Things We Don't Know G Monday, August 23rd, 2010 Two years ago, the sheer number of unknowns regarding this adventure were mind blowing. We had no first-hand knowledge, no experience, and honestly, for all of our preparation, no idea what we were ... MobilityPass: Global Internet & Cellular Service G Sunday, August 22nd, 2010 MobilityPass claims to offer cellular phone and internet access with a single SIM card in more than 100 countries– they also advertise free incoming calls for many of them. Wanting to provide the ... In Search of Rest G Saturday, August 21st, 2010 Tyler: Our goal this morning is simple: get to Omsk and check into a hotel. We've had enough excitement in the last 24 hours to last a month (okay, not a month, but at least a few days!). It has be... Fire on the Border G Friday, August 20th, 2010 I messed up when publishing our previous entry, Racing Through Russia's Heartland. It is fixed now! Tyler: While making our way back to the highway leading into Omsk, we spot a grey plume of smok... Racing Through Russia's Heartland G Friday, August 20th, 2010 It is a sleepy day in Siberia. A recent series of several time-zone crossings have disoriented me a bit, and I find myself battling odd patterns of sleep and wakefulness. This, combined with a quie... Are We There Yet? G Thursday, August 19th, 2010 Last night, another pesky cop pulled us over. During the time we'd normally spend searching for a safe place to sleep, we were patiently doling out our paperwork, tapping our feet surreptitiously, a... Yekaterinburg G Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 We're on a major road in the outskirts of Yekaterinburg. The main highway has morphed into speeding city traffic – Tara is navigating as we make our way to the city center. "Okay," she instructs,... We're In ASIA! G Wednesday, August 18th, 2010 I'm driving to Yekaterinburg while Tara sits in the passenger's seat, reading to me about the busy city from our Trans-Siberian Railway guide. Even though we aren't on the train, we're inordinately ... Home in the Woods G Tuesday, August 17th, 2010 Yesterday, we left the Kungur Ice Cave and headed eastwards, driving until dusk. When we spied what looked like a tractor's path snaking into the hills nearby, we pulled off the main road with high ... Kungur Ice Cave G Monday, August 16th, 2010 Destination: Kungur Ice Cave. With an epic-sounding name, and the mystique of being located in what one would think is the middle of nowhere, we spent the morning entertaining fantasies of arriving ... Distractions G Sunday, August 15th, 2010 Tyler: I possess a strange affinity for taking unassuming vehicles to places where they might not belong. For reasons I can't really articulate, I was ecstatic about driving off-road in our trusty l... Friendly Russia G Saturday, August 14th, 2010 It seems that anyone who has traveled far and wide eventually comes to the conclusion that no matter where you roam, people are very much the same. Having heard variations of this idea my entire lif... VIGILANCE! G Friday, August 13th, 2010 We milked our expensive hotel stay for all it was worth, working in the lobby on their wireless internet connection for most of the morning. After we published a few entries, we struck up conversati... A Brief Walk in Kazan G Friday, August 13th, 2010 We woke early today, and headed into the city for some sight-seeing. Off to the Kremlin we walked, along a canal and past several churches. Tyler was excited when we saw an onion dome which was onl... Parental Controls G Thursday, August 12th, 2010 If you are a parent or teacher who is sharing Going Slowly with your children or students, please be aware that there is some adult content contained within. We want to help, but rather than censor ... Into Kazan G Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 More and more, Russia is reminding me of Romania. In both countries, back-aching manual labor in the fields is the norm, and yet old and young alike seem to spend much of their days quietly resting ... Down for the Count G Tuesday, August 10th, 2010 When I am writing, I sometimes imagine that we are talking to our families, to our friends, or maybe even to ourselves in twenty years. Occasionally, I like to pretend that our future offspring will... Russia's Golden Ring: Suzdal G Monday, August 9th, 2010 The tiny town of Suzdal is purportedly the home of more than one hundred architectural monuments (and fifteen monasteries too). We're still a little unclear on what actually constitutes a monument, ... To the Swimming Hole G Sunday, August 8th, 2010 We start our morning by returning to Hundertwasser: Coffee & Blah Blah Blah to enjoy a few more cappuccinos. Not exactly eager leave our climate controlled surroundings, we procrastinate, putting of... Camped on the Volga G Saturday, August 7th, 2010 We slept in this morning, awakening when Russia's heat wave gathered enough steam to smother us inside our tent. After yesterday's accidental twelve hour marathon of sight-seeing, we wanted to take ... Russia's Beautiful Homes G Saturday, August 7th, 2010 Before coming to Russia, I really had no idea what to expect outside of some vague notions of Soviet apartment buildings, lots of blocky concrete structures and the endless steppe of Siberia. I was ... Russia's Golden Ring: Yaroslavl G Friday, August 6th, 2010 We leave the Kremlin of Rostov, and hop in our LRC for some more driving. The next stop in our Golden Ring tour, turns out to be too big a city for our tastes. To do it justice, we'll have to spend... Russia's Golden Ring: Rostov PG Friday, August 6th, 2010 The cities on our Golden Ring tour are teeming with ancient architecture, including loads of Russia's iconic onion domes. Leaving Petroslavl-Zalessky, Tara read from a website I'd saved about our ne... Russia's Golden Ring: Pereslavl-Zalessky G Friday, August 6th, 2010 In spite of the difficulty, getting out of Moscow last night was an excellent plan. We're told the smoke, smog and heat (caused by the forest fires covering Western Russia) escalated to new levels o... Absurd G Thursday, August 5th, 2010 We dismiss Evgeniy's wise warning about traffic, and our own rule about not rushing, and leave Moscow at precisely the wrong time. We've stayed in the city until five o'clock, and are now running ar... This is Elizabeth G Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 When Tyler and Tara pulled up in their red Corolla, I was glad to see them, and impressed that they'd navigated their way through crazy Moscow traffic to my husband and my apartment. I didn't know T... A Day in Moscow G Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 This morning, Elizabeth taught me how to make syrniki, or sweet cheese fritters, for breakfast. She learned the recipe from her Russian in-laws, and as a fellow cooking lover, she was excited to sha... Americans in Russia G Monday, August 2nd, 2010 Tyler's cousin, an ex-pat working as a journalist and English teacher in Moscow, lives less than a kilometer from Evgeniy. They haven't seen each other since they were twelve, and we're all going to... Objectification 101 G Monday, August 2nd, 2010 This morning, while Tyler showers, our host Evgeniy begins earnestly instructing me on the merits of various breast shapes and sizes. As he scrolls through an online forum where Russian women regula... TGI Friday's on Sunday G Sunday, August 1st, 2010 This morning, Evgeniy came up with a brilliant idea. He suggested we buy a fishing pole to take advantage of all the lakes and rivers in Siberia! He and his wife Svetlana were planning on going sho...