Digital Wanderer

We live as long as we fly

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Latvia - bike trip to Kalupe and Nīcgale

2010-08-30

фото природа байк латгале ницгале калупе латвия вылазки

The plan was to check out the lakes beyond Kalupe, and take the train back. But the proud punk said "let's ride the bikes all the way", as a result of which we didn't see the lakes, but rode 100 km instead. It rained in the morning and towards the evening, it was also cold in the evening. Bing with its Navteq led us into the woods again, which made us lose an hour.

Google Maps:


View Kalupe, Baltezers, forest in a larger map

EveryTrail:

 

 Kalupe Forest


Plan your trips with EveryTrail iPhone Travel Guides

 

A man in a wet black-and-white bike helmet and glasses with raindrops on the lenses, wearing a dark jacket over bright yellow clothes, is taking a selfie. In the background — a forest and a sandy slope. Fresh logging site with dark, plowed soil and young seedlings in the center, surrounded by green undergrowth and a few coniferous trees in the foreground. In the background, a thick wall of mature pine forest is visible under an overcast sky.

Later on we rode on much worse roads, here it's just beautiful

A sandy forest road runs along the border between a dense pine-birch forest on the left and a logging site with stumps and young undergrowth on the right. In the distance, a silhouette of a person in dark clothes is visible on the road. A man in glasses, a bicycle helmet, and a sports jacket stands in a clearing in a pine forest against a backdrop of fallen trees.

Because of the aftermath of the recent storm, we often had to climb over fallen trees

Fallen forest after a storm. A large broken birch trunk lies across, and the ground is strewn with many coniferous branches and greenery.

 A mixed forest with birches and coniferous trees, where one large tree lies fallen across the frame. On the right, a dirt road stretches along the edge of the forest. 

A serious bicycle tourist, not just some random dude

A man in glasses, a bicycle helmet, and a jacket rides a bicycle against a backdrop of blurred forest and dry grass. The shot was taken in motion, creating a sense of speed. 

A regular muddy road. With wide knobby tires it rolls fine.

A cyclist in a black jacket and helmet rides along a muddy, winding dirt road that stretches across wide fields towards a forest under a gray, overcast sky.

 A young man in a helmet and glasses stands with a bicycle on a winding forest trail. In the distance, the path is blocked by a fallen tree, surrounded by dense trees and grass.

This house was in such a wild thicket that it's just amazing people live there.

An abandoned or unfinished one-story brick house with a wooden attic, situated amidst dense green vegetation, young trees, and shrubs. 

Wow, what a windfall.

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Little Red Riding Hood, pretty much.

A girl in red pants and a red hat is walking along a dirt road, her movement slightly blurred. In the background, lush green trees and bushes with pink flowers are visible, and a brown cow grazes in the meadow. 

The church is well preserved, probably someone lives there.

An old wooden Orthodox church with dark log walls, a red roof, and a golden dome with a cross. It stands among the trees under an overcast sky, behind a wooden fence. 

A forest clearing with fallen pine branches and a dirt road, next to which a gray triangular road sign is installed, facing backwards. In the background, a dense mixed forest with tall birches is visible under a cloudy sky.

Looks funny, sort of like Sauron cast a spell, and everyone bowed down.

A forest landscape with many pines broken or severely bent after a storm. In the foreground, sawn birch and coniferous logs lie along a muddy forest trail. 

Near a small lake, a friendly guy told us about how they live and swim here, and also about his plans to build a guesthouse on the other shore.

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The footbridges are rickety, but holding for now.

A wooden pier with rustic furniture made from tree trunks juts into a lake, densely dotted with water lilies, against a backdrop of forest and overcast sky.

The grounds are well-kept.

A wooden pier leads to the water, surrounded by tall thickets of reeds, with a wooden boat by the shore. In the background, a green lawn with a two-story light-colored house and trees under an overcast sky is visible. 

The swans were hissing fiercely, but they always take the bread. Better not to habituate them, otherwise they won't want to fly away later.

Two white swans swim on the dark surface of the lake by a wooden pier. In the distance on the water, green lily pads and the reflection of the forest are visible. 

Baltezers (Riga also has its own, bigger than this one). The picture on the horizon isn't too cheerful.

A calm lake with water lilies in the foreground and a dense forest on the horizon under a heavy, leaden-gray stormy sky. 

I'm all overgrown. Finally tested out membrane clothing in harsh conditions. Seems cool, it really doesn't let water through (despite how much they scared me). Sweating it out, however, is far from ideal - you sweat quite a bit. For those interested, my jacket is Integral Designs, pants are Endura. Both wardrobe items are made of eEvent fabric.

A smiling man in glasses and a khaki jacket sits by the water, holding a bicycle helmet in his hands. In the background, a wooded shore and an overcast sky are visible. 

Meanwhile, the punk's clothes are almost regular, and he got way more soaked.

A selfie of a man in glasses and a black jacket against the backdrop of a lake and a dark stormy sky. In the background, another man is visible, photographing something.

This is where Bing Maps led us into a creepy forest, we barely made it out. It's funny that even amidst the thicket there are ruins of a house and an orchard, where we met a guy interested in apples.

A person in a helmet leads a mountain bike through the dense thickets of a green forest. 

Especially for lisjonka@@@@lj, look at the last word in the Russian text.

A paper announcement in Latvian and Russian about bush clearing and grass mowing, placed in a plastic sleeve and pinned to a wooden board. At the bottom of the announcement are tear-off slips with a phone number, some of which have already been torn off.

Overall, we had a decent ride, though riding in the rain is way more dreary than in the heat. Not nearly as fun. So our intensity will inevitably wane, unless we specifically go out to churn some mud for a bit, or the weather turns out good. It was also a bit chilly at the end of the day, which wasn't pleasant either.

Membrane clothing lets you ride in the rain, but I don't have Gore-Tex boots — good thing I at least have membrane socks, but they eventually get soaked anyway.

All in all, summer is over. Need to come up with a weekend activity that lets you properly rest, otherwise depression will catch up again.

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