Digital Wanderer

We live as long as we fly

Latvia - bike trip to Aglona and two HPPs, day 2

2010-08-26

вылазки природа байк фото аглона латгале латвия

From here on out, just pics and a few comments.

Morning view of lake "Beshona".

 

A calm lake with sun glare on the water, framed by two young birch trees on the sides in the foreground. On the opposite shore, a dense forest is visible, shrouded in a light haze. 

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The landlady lives in a trailer. Hadn't really seen ones like that in Latvia before. View from a high rocky peak onto a deep fjord with blue water, surrounded by majestic mountains in a light haze.

The 6-lat tent from Maxima served us faithfully, but is already falling apart.

 

A blue camping tent with red trim is set up on a green clearing by a lake. In the background, birch trees growing near the water and the opposite shore with trees, shrouded in light mist, are visible. A wooden coat rack in the shape of a white duck is mounted on a wall made of dark brown wooden boards. A black-and-orange jacket hangs on one of the rack's hooks.

Clear blue sky with a few barely visible thin clouds and a tiny speck in the distance. 

Railway tracks at night, stretching into the distance towards brightly lit buildings and a bridge under a dark sky. Trees and a green traffic light are visible to the left of the tracks. 

A calm body of water with slight ripples on the surface, surrounded by green hills and a dense forest under a clear light-blue sky. A young weeping birch with drooping branches and bright green foliage grows on the grassy bank of a body of water. In the background, a calm water surface and the hazy outlines of the far shore are visible. A young bush with green leaves, hung with clusters of bright red berries, against a background of green grass. A green field with a row of trees leads down to a wide lake under a clear sky. A section of a dirt road is visible in the right foreground.

This is us going to the WWII museum in Aglona.

A gilded bust of Joseph Stalin in a general's uniform with a Hero star, looking to the right. A man in a blue tank top and glasses sits on a vintage military motorcycle, holding a black helmet. The scene takes place in a museum or exhibition against a background of a wall displaying small arms and military photos.

A man in glasses and a dark military helmet looks at the camera while standing in a museum with a camouflage ceiling. Large posters with military scenes and display cases with exhibits are visible in the background. 

A rust-covered German MG 34 machine gun with an ammo belt on a tripod mount, presented in a museum display among other military artifacts, including helmets and WWII-era gear.

Even with a replica, you feel more confident.

A man in glasses and a black t-shirt with the word 'LIVESTRONG' holds and examines an MP-40 submachine gun in a room with a military exhibit.

A man in a black t-shirt and shorts stands next to a homemade rusty metal contraption resembling a miniature steam locomotive, with the inscription 'TO BERLIN'. The structure is set up on a gravel lot against a backdrop of green trees and camouflage netting. A wide dirt road stretches to the horizon, flanked by dense green trees and meadows on both sides under a light sky.

This is the second HPP on our route, a big one, located on a no-name lake, right here 56.09570, 26.9636

You have to go under a boom barrier that's locked tight. You can't get through by car, but overall it's a short walk from the barrier.

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A narrow river flows between green-covered banks under a light sky. On the left bank, a forest and a few buildings in the distance are visible; on the right, a steep grassy slope. 

A blue metal structure with two tall pipes and two red supports, possibly part of a lock or spillway, sits on a concrete platform. A tall pole with floodlights stands nearby against a backdrop of dense green trees under a clear blue sky. 

A view from a concrete platform with a metal railing onto a calm, narrow body of water surrounded by green banks. Trees and a few buildings are visible far off on the left bank. A brick technical building with two large white pipes emerging from its concrete base. Grassy slopes surround the structure with a green forest in the background. A concrete spillway channel with a small flow of water curves through a green hill, heading towards the forest. A top-down view with a railing in the foreground. A calm river is bordered by dense forest in the distance and a grassy green bank with wildflowers in the foreground, all under a bright sky. A man in a bicycle helmet stands on the grassy shore of a lake next to his loaded touring bike and drinks from a bottle. Trees and wooden houses are visible on the opposite shore under a clear sky.

On the way back, the punk wiped out off his bike while riding down a hill  through thick sand, got scratched up pretty bad. Be careful, observe the speed limit in dangerous spots, and always wear a helmet. The punk didn't buckle his, so the helmet flew off, and he got a bump on his head too.

A young man in glasses and a blue tank top, with a band-aid on his shoulder and a green stain on his forehead, stands on a forest path, likely after falling off the bicycle lying behind him. A young man in glasses and a blue tank top stands on a forest path, his forehead and shoulder smeared with blue-green paint, and a band-aid is visible on his shoulder. Dense green trees are behind him under a clear sky.

This is how innocent the culprit of the incident looks.

A wide dirt road gently slopes uphill and curves to the right among scattered trees under a clear sky. Long shadows fall across the sandy surface of the road.

 A printed sheet of paper with a financial calculation table addressed to Vlad Kugelevich lies on a cardboard box. Below the table, the number '240' is handwritten in blue pen.

A dirt road passes through a forest clearing, flanked by stacks of sawn logs and piles of dry branches against a backdrop of tall pines.

 A long dirt road, lined with an avenue of trees, stretches into the distance. A large tree is visible in the left foreground, and on the right, a wooden utility pole with wires against a bright sky.

Country girls rule

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At the end of the trip, we got caught in a terrible storm that blew us right off the road. Luckily, we hadn't reached the thickets of trees yet, otherwise we'd have been in deep trouble, which I already wrote about.

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