78 | AUSTRALIAN ROAD RIDERSERIOUS ADVENTURE
were averaging a fl at tyre every 100 kays
and were quickly falling behind as we
changed up to 11 fl ats in one day!
The extremely remote area of the
Kolyma region is li ered with abandoned
se lements and a number of huge
former cities; entire cities stood u erly
deserted. It was as if the residents had
fl ed from an imminent disaster. Riding
through them was both surreal and
strangely eerie.
One city that does indeed remain
is Ust-Nera, and a more forlorn,
godforsaken se lement would be hard
to imagine. All around stood crumbling
buildings and everywhere one looked
were heaps of rusting scrap metal, car
bodies, trucks and skeletons of factories.
Black coal dust permeated every inch
of Ust-Nera and we couldn’t wait to
leave. Our desperation to escape was
exacerbated when Walt hit a pedestrian,bringing them both crashing to the
ground. The pedestrian ran away and
Walt rode off to a quiet place to repair
his bike and gather his thoughts, but
not before locals asked Walt if he
wanted a priest.
We rode into Magadan a day late a er
riding 28,500 kays and suff ering 18 fl at
tyres in the fi nal fi ve days. Arriving is
always the pinnacle of the expedition
and as we neared, I thought of all that
we had experienced since leaving the Ace
Cafe 106 days earlier. From the tragedies
to the triumphs, I became immediately
overwhelmed. It was a surprisingly
emotional moment; we had made it to
Magadan! ARRCompass Expeditions runs the Road
of Bones Expedition every two years.
See compassexpeditions.com for more
information.“The riding was magnificent as we rode among larch- and
fir-covered mountains dissected by wild rivers. The colours
of autumn were highlighted by the ever-present blue
Kolyma skies, and we wished these days would never end”■ The legendary Registan on the
historic Silk Road, Uzbekistan■ Riding the Georgian
Military HighwayARR112_068-078_Road of Bones.indd 78ARR112_068-078_Road of Bones.indd 78 2/3/2015 9:51:35 AM2/3/2015 9:51:35 AM