World Race 2011

The drizzle continued, but it couldn’t dampen the spirits of what was about to happen.  We were on the “final-final” leg of a journey that has taken us across three continents.  It seems like only yesterday (actually it was April 14), when we were in Times Square drizzle and headed west.  Today we will see the equally iconic Eiffel Tower.  We could have never imagined how much there would be in between….

It would be 12:22 on July 21 that we first saw it.  The Tower was pretty easy to spot, even with the low hanging clouds. The GPS had done its job, as we were to meet the waiting families at 1 PM on the strip of green that runs from the base to the southeast.  Jan and Ed have lived in Paris for 5 years, so they took the lead once we entered the city center.  Jan warned that it would remind us of driving in Beijing, as the primary rule to remember is there are no rules!  In one of the traffic circles (round-about), Jack and the A had a close encounter with a Parisian driver.  He called Stewball on the radio asking what does it mean when a driver blows his horn and shakes his fist?  Ed’s classic reply; “It means he’s French”!

We made it to the finish line photo spot with nearly 2 minutes to spare.  Not bad when you consider we have come 19040 km (11831 miles) in 65 days.  We backed the cars in and the rain stopped.  It seems every time we have an outdoor event, the weather cooperates (it might be more than just luck)?  The first order of business was a round of handshakes, congratulatory hugs, slaps on the back, and kisses as Jack swept Mary off her feet. Ed embraced Jan and showed that even though there’s snow on the roof, there is still a fire in the furnace.  The families soon arrived, and it was time to get serious as Champagne toast got underway.  Husbands and wives were reunited after 2 months, so you get the idea…  It seemed like pictures might be in order, so the World Racers gathered around the cars with the Eiffel Tower as a back drop.

I had been carrying a large orange suitcase around the world.  Now everyone got an idea of what was inside. There were some very special flags.  The first was a US Flag that had flown over the Capitol Building in Washington, DC.  It had been presented by Congress on July 30, 2008 in honor of George Schuster on the Centennial Anniversary of winning the 1908 New York to Paris Race.  The second US flag was one that had flown over the Nevada State House, and was presented by the Governor.  That flag is destined for the National Automobile Museum in Reno, NV, home of the winning 1907 Thomas Flyer.  There was also the AACA flag given by the Executive Director of the largest antique automobile club in the US, which will be presented to theAACA Museum in Hershey, PA Museum this October.  The granddaddy of them all was a 45 star flag from 1908. There we actually 46 States at the start of the Race on February 12, but the new flags were not yet available so all the competing cars flew the 45 star.

In addition, you may recall the school kids in Hyde Park as we left New York City and traveled up the Hudson. Each of Erika Burkhalter’s 4th grade students signed a letter which we carried around the world.  It will be framed in the Hyde Park Elementary School this fall.  We also carried a letter from the Concord Historical Society (Great Gramp’s home town of Springville, NY).  It’s good that we all were using digital, as collectively I would guess well over 500 pictures were shot by the time everyone finished.

One of the classic images was a shot of a bicycle on the hood of the VW.  As you know, a pigeon broke the Beetle's left headlight in Russia, just like a pigeon broke the Thomas Flyer’s headlight outside of Moscow.  In 1908 a Paris Gendarme would not allow the Flyer to enter the city.  It was not until a Parisian offered his bicycle and lamp (which was hoisted on the hood of the Flyer), that the American Team was allowed to enter the city to win the Race!

You can legally drive in France after having 1 glass of wine, although we were all far higher from finally making our destination than from the champagne.  It was time to head to the Pullman Hotel for a reception.  Once again Doug and MIR worked some magic with the hotel located in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.  There we could begin to decompress

Friday:

This would be a go-go day.  At 8 AM Jack with the A and Jerry with the Vette headed out in search of the old Le Matin Office.  That newspaper had co-sponsored the original Race and was the final official destination of the Flyer.  We found it!  The building still stands, with its distinctive stone facade, although the entry and windows have been changed over the last century.  It was then back to the hotel for tour of the City.  We got to see all of the sights one associates with this City of Light.  The Arc de Triomphe, Champs-Elysees, Notre Dame, Napoleon’s Tomb, winding up near the Louvre for lunch.  We had an appointment for the Ralph Lauren L’Art De L’Automobile exhibit with some of the finest fast cars in the world (Bugatti, Ferrari, Bentley, and a Mercedes 300 SL-1955).  As our final victory celebration, Doug and Annie had arranged for a great French restaurant just a short distance from the hotel. 

The evening flowed as well as the Champagne and wine (beer in Roy’s case).  The three course meal was only topped by the toasts, stories, and anecdotes.   It was clear that this was going to be something we would all remember for a very long time.  It has been said that friendships forged in difficult situations (sometimes from necessity), are often the best and most enduring.  I think we proved that true, in the last few months of testing ourselves on a daily basis.

The time came to say good bye, and that was not easy.  We took some consolation that many of us would gather back in Milwaukee at the Safe House for our Welcome Home celebration.  Talk is already started of a reunion at some point in the future.  I’m sure we have all crossed some items off of our “Bucket List” in the last few months, but many have seemed to add more?  I think we’re all in need of group therapy!

Stay tuned for the Epilog which will be published later this weekend.  It will be an effort to bring this adventure of a lifetime into final perspective….

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

It’s starting to sink in.  After years of planning, we are now one day from Paris and the finish line.  Today, it is time to hop aboard Car 54, the Ford Coupe that has persevered through thick and thin since leaving Times Square nearly 4 months ago.  Blake and I have been trading good natured kidding about the BLOG ever since we left Beijing.  I think part of his plan was to use the time I was in the Ford to catch up on his postings.  Planned or not, it worked as I was fully engaged with learning more about the exploits of the ’32 Ford 3 Window Coupe from the inside.

Clay has been letting his beard grow the past 6 weeks, and if ever there was a twin for St. Nickolas he would be it.  I think the point could also be made that his heart is also what you would expect from Santa, as for years he has been the prime mover behind Primate Rescue Center 

We started out from our first fuel stop, and got into wide ranging conversation while just occasionally glancing at the GPS which had us right on track.  What we didn’t realize was the GPS had routed us on the 4 lane highway, which was much longer than a more direct 2 lane route.  So it was time to dig out the paper maps, and see what was actually possible?  A couple of exits later, it was off the 4 lane onto the 2 lane which became narrower and more winding.  We went through villages which were not even on the map, but beautiful.  About 12:30 food took higher priority than making time and we began our search.  It was nearly 1 PM when we saw in the distance what appeared to be a “longhorn” logo on the roof of a café.  We soon found out that we had struck gold!  It was a western themed BBQ place and from the look of the parking lot half the residents were there including the police.  That’s always a good sign.

The décor was early Cowboy and Indian, with a six-shooter and feather motif.  The waiter quickly replaced the French menu with an English one.  The choice was easy; two orders of half rack BBQ ribs.  My favorite back home are served at Fat Boy’s, and these were every bit as good.  In the heart of France we had found an oasis of ribs and “French” fries (which was close enough to qualify as French cuisine).  Sometimes, you just get lucky….   

Back to the task at hand, it was again time to head west.  The others had already arrived at the hotel when we pulled in.  After comparing notes on lunch, they had ordinary hamburgers while we had prize winning ribs.  No contest, we won the day hands-down!

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

As we pulled out this morning some of the group took a side trip to Dachau (about 30 miles from Munich) to visit the infamous WWII German concentration camp.  The rest of the group headed for Zurich, a place known for its snow capped peaks and beautiful alpine villages.  Jerry said it was time for me to spend some “quality autobahn time” behind the wheel of the 2007 Chevy Corvette.  There is no doubt that the Germans had vehicles like the Vette in mind when they designed this road.  In the past, stretches of this super highway had no speed limit.  Now most of it is limited to 120 kph (75 mph).  There were a couple of open safe stretches we needed to “clean the carbon out”, and the Vette was willing and ready!  Driving a car like this on the autobahn is what 21^st century driving was meant to be.

We arrived at the hotel in Zurich and it was not long before the group was back together.  A persistent drizzle was coming down, and it was time to resume our search for food.  With a train station nearby, the plan was to take it into the center of the city.  In a short, smooth 10 minute ride we arrived at the main station downtown.  The facility had 52 tracks (gates), so we noted that our arrival was on #3.  Dodging the rain, we made our way down the narrow winding streets.  As Swiss as you can get, church steeples, steep pitched roof lines, and homes with flower boxes still made for good shots.  Some blue sky would have made for terrific pictures, but that wasn’t in the cards for today.

The smell of fresh bread indicated this was a good place to head inside the small café.  It was warm and dry, all the more reason to find a table.  After dinner, it was time to head back in the direction of the station. Passing a chocolate shop, Mary’s antenna went up (I wasn’t far behind) and dessert was on the agenda. Tough decisions when you’re confronted with mounds of Swiss chocolate?  Jack had the solution; one of each might be a good strategy? 

Once back inside the train station, we headed for track #3.  Something didn’t seem right?  With all of the signs and schedules in German, it looked like track #53 might be a better choice?  We crossed the stadium sized terminal to find that train had just left.  Now what?  We went back to #3, and found a waiting passenger in his mid 30’s, who “looked” like he could speak English.  He said the train we needed was on track #21 or 23 so we headed in that direction.  It was time to cross the terminal again, which required another energy dose of chocolate from our stash.  Arriving at #21, the sign flashed 10 minutes to the next train.  Mary didn't look convinced, and I knew if this wasn't the proper train we would be in *big* trouble. The train pulled in right on time; we boarded and hoped for the best. 

Fortunately for us, we were going in the right direction, and soon we were back at the hotel!

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

Today we would come full circle with seeing the number two competitor in the 1908 New York to Paris Race.  We had seen the champion American Thomas Flyer which came out of the National Automobile Museum to lead us through the city of Reno, NV.  Now we were headed for the Deutsches Museum in Munich (Germany’s National Museum), to see the 1908 German entry.  The Protos represented the ultimate in German automotive technology, and carried the hopes of the Fatherland in the epic international competition around the world.  This was in many ways a military operation for the Germans, with the army crew headed by Lt. Hans Koeppen on leave from the German General Staff in Berlin. 

As we made our way to Munich, we stopped for lunch in the small German village of Siegellburg (“Siegell” means winner city and “burg” is for “castle”), at a 300 year old inn.  We would have missed it entirely, except for the aid of a British expatriate who pointed us in the proper direction and told us this area was the center of the German hops region.  They are grown on trellises a bit like grapes, but much taller at up to 20 feet high.  Roy, our connoisseur of fine beers is ready to move here to await the next harvest.

The waitress could speak only a little English but with help of a local patron, we were able to order bratwurst.  I must admit it was far better than the package stuff we get back home!

It was then off to the Deutsches where we had a 3 PM appointment.  We arrived to see a 1926 Protos parked directly in front of the Museum entrance.  The man in the driver’s seat was Herr Von Siemens himself.  Yes, the very same Siemens as in the multinational company named after his Great Grandfather who established the company in 1847 by building a telegraph line between Bonn (the old capitol) and Frankfort. That humble beginning led to the company which today now specializes in electrical and other high tech products sold throughout the world.  This was an unexpected honor to not only meet Von Siemens, but to see three of the remaining 18 Protos left in the world.  The 1908 Protos placed second in the legendary run and has its own place of honor at the Deutsches (pictured above with Von Siemens and myself).  The auto was acquired by Siemens in 1909, when they bought the Protos company just months after the Race ended.

We went inside to be introduced to the collection by Dr. Gundler the Museum Curator, and then preceded to the Protos exhibit.  I have heard about this car ever since Great Gramp started telling the story of the Race to me as a youngster.  Now, to actually see it caused me to take a very deep breath.  He often spoke of Lieutenant Koeppen, and the hardships the German Team endured.  The shared struggle in taking horseless carriages around the world earned the mutual respect these two competitors had for each other.   The Museum staff even opened the hood (with white gloves) to reveal the massive dual ignition 4 cylinder 40 HP engine, which used an advanced shaft drive.  The Flyer ultimately won the Race by 26 days, over the rival German machine.  For me the best part of this experience was sharing it with my fellow World Racers, who knew the story before the Museum guide uttered a word.  It was a moment I certainly will never forget….

We then proceeded to rest of the exhibits, which is done not in the typical model year by model year but rather to show how various modes of transportation influenced daily life.  The tour was made complete with a toast of red and white “Protos” (a very good wine from Spain), with real German pretzels!    

Since we were in Munich, the legendary home of October Fest we had to pay our respects to the Hofbrauhaus where every night is Oktoberfest complete with lederhosen, and tubas. Frauleins hoisted full liter beer steins (8 at a time) with ease. Von Siemens joined us, and ordered the house specialties for the table with pork, beef, sausages, sauerkraut, dumplings, and potatoes.  Conversation flowed along with the beer and capped off a terrific day in the heart of Bavaria….

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

The Sunday morning start out of Berlin was smooth and we were on our way to the Czech Republic.  Though it was 349 km (217 miles), the run was easy on near perfect autobahn highways.  Fun to drive, with no tolls!  Prague takes top honors as a beautifully preserved city.  Dating back to 1355 when Czech king Charles IV was crowned Holy Roman Emperor, the city has a lot to offer.

Our hotel is the Vltava River and I couldn’t help but get a bit homesick for the water.  The river is navigable, with a lot of barge and overnight cruise boats in the 50 cabin range.  The locks were located just across the street from the hotel, so of course I could not resist and had to check them out.  Locking through were some up-bound barge traffic, which just cleared the width of the locks.  Small, but efficient tugs were set to push the barges with a two man crew onboard.  Adjacent to the locks were a first for me.  It was a white water rapids, setup with a marked slalom course to practice “shooting the rapids”.  Looked like fun, especially on a warm mid-summer afternoon like this.

We encountered a number of British hotel guests who had just come off a 5 day Viking River Cruise and were preparing to head back home.  One couple was from Brickson, England, and the husband had flown for the RAF during the Berlin Airlift.  As we had just come from Berlin, we already had a lot in common.  They said that Prague was a very popular destination for the Brits, particularly during the Christmas when the city boasted to be the ultimate spot in Europe for holiday decoration and festivities.  This made perfect sense when you consider the setting of this place.

The hotel parking lot was filled with white tents, and a “circus”.  This was not the type with clowns and trained elephants.  This was a film shooting “circus”, movie slang for the equipment, crew, actors, and support (including catering) as they move to a set location. Turns out they were shooting a TV coffee commercial in one of the hotel gardens and from the look of the equipment they were using and number of extras, it was a high end production.

Dinner tonight was on our own, so Jack, Mary and I took the recommendation of Roy and tried out a nearby restaurant.  The dining area was located in a cellar straight out of the movies.  Huge brick arches well over 100 years old and nearly 4 feet thick divided the dining area into several rooms.  The waitress brought a menu in Czech and English with plenty to choose from.  We settled on the local beer with sausage and sauerkraut.  Turned out to be a great choice!

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

The next world capitol we head for is Berlin.  This was an important stop for the American Thomas Flyer in 1908.  George Schuster would tell of their arrival on July 27.  At that point, they did not know the location of the rival German team on the Protos.  It was not until the father of Lieutenant Koeppen (a white-haired retired German army colonel) introduced himself and announced that his son had that very day arrived in Paris to win the New York to Paris Race!  Of course the German Team had been penalized 30 days by the Race Committee for transporting the Protos on a rail car in the US, as well for as not having made the trip to Alaska.  When Great Gramp heard of the claim to victory he was surrounded by Germans, so he thought it best to refrain from explaining the penalties the German Team had accumulated.  The Flyer Team politely thanked for the German reception and quickly departed Berlin in the direction of Paris.

Germany is all about precision.  With a landscape and climate very similar to upstate New York, I’m amazed not to have seen a pothole in the hundreds of miles of German roads we have traveled.  Service areas are well above US standards.  Clean with modern equipment and uncluttered layouts, they are easy-in, easy out.  Fuel grades with more octane ranges were available, although very expensive by our standards. The Corvette picked up some 102 octane at over $10 per gallon.  Even the economy 85 octane is 1.60 euro / liter ($8.66 per gallon).  As a result, Germans are running a lot of electric as well as diesel vehicles getting 65 mpg.  The same makes are offered in the US, but those only get 40 mpg?  It does make you wonder about our auto manufactures….

Much of Germany outside the cities has not changed in the last hundred years.  Large forests, farmlands, and small villages are the norm.  We approached Berlin from what was former East Germany before the reunification.  The east of Germany was always behind the west in economic development especially during Soviet times, and it will likely be sometime if those areas every catch up.  Homes are “tidy”, often brick or well painted.

We are lucky as we enter the city.  It is Friday afternoon and all of the traffic is headed out of town, while we are going into the city.  For some reason I always thought of Berlin as “gray”.  Maybe it was from the black and white images of the Berlin airlift, Kennedy’s visit and his famous words “Ich bin ein Berliner”, or maybe it was the Wall itself which graphically symbolized the iron curtain separating democracy from communism.  We were entering what would have been the western sectors (under US, French and British control) of the city, which were anything but gray.  Of course, 75% of Berlin was in total ruin at the end of WWII, so much of what we see today is relatively new.  Modern office buildings, with upscale shopping, and numerous hotels are on tree lined boulevards.

Saturday:

Today was open, which meant that we could get the cars serviced.  I went with Jan and Ed to get the oil changed on the ’67 Beetle.  We thought we were going to a “shop” which Klaus had arranged for Saturday service work.  We ended up at Classic Depot, an “over the top” facility in the renovated former Berlin Train Station.  It was not just service facilities, but Ferrari and Maserati dealerships with several dozen brand new models of each ready for delivery.  Then we entered the second terminal bay (more than 100 yards long) which was filled with vintage models of just about every make you could imagine.  They ranged from a Alfa Romeno Spider Cabriolet to a VW Karmann Ghia Coupe with Bentleys, Cadillacs, Jags, Lotus, Mercedes, Porches and Rolls in between.   There was more than enough eye candy to keep us fully occupied while the Beetle was on the lift.  When the work was finished, it was back to the hotel for lunch (just what we needed – more food).

Tatiana arranged a special “overview” tour of Berlin.  At two hours, it was go-go-go but we did get to see the Brandenburg Gate, Reichstag, and Victory Monument.  The former KGB headquarters still stands.  Our guide (who was born and raised in Berlin), said just like in the movies the CIA rented an apartment across the street to spy on the Russians while they were spying on West Berlin.  We then went to what was most recent in our memories, the Berlin Wall (1961-1989).  The majority of the Wall has long since been demolished, but a section has been preserved as a reminder to future generations.  We stopped at “Check Point Charlie”, one of the few openings in the Wall which allowed Germans to cross from East to West without getting shot.  The group was then headed back to the hotel, but Jack and I decided to spend a little more time at the Wall.

Just past the checkpoint was a memorial depicting the rise and fall of the Hitler and the Nazi Third Reich.  We were in what remained of the Gestapo Headquarters basement.  If there is a definition for evil, this place is it.  From 1922 when Hitler was actually jailed for a short time because of his Nazi activity, to 1933 when he announced himself “Fuhrer” there was a cold and calculated progression of events.  There seemed to be no one to stop him as he amassed power and began to conquer Europe, exterminating numerous “categories” of people he considered “unfit” along the way.  Early on many didn’t consider Hitler a threat.  He certainly took full advantage of the World’s inaction to achieve his objectives, and even today it’s hard to believe he almost got away with it….

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

We’re headed for Poland’s capitol city of Warsaw.  It’s going to be a long run 489 km (305 miles).  We had just stopped for fuel and were rolling along in good shape, then a radio call from Blake.  They pulled to the roadside and had to stop.  It was a stabilizer bar that had been welded back in Kazan.  The broken bracket and bar was now hanging on the pavement.  No problem said Clay; they didn’t really need it anyway.  A few minutes later, the assembly was removed and once again we were on our way.

Warsaw was founded in 1374, and has been overrun by numerous invaders from the west, then from the east and back again for much of its history.  It became Poland’s capitol when King Zygmunt III moved here in 1596.  By the end of World War II nearly 85% of the city was totally destroyed.  Warsaw was then under Soviet control until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.  Today, it’s hard to imagine the devastation that occurred.  The city has been restored to a modern business center, and the historic sections are carefully preserved.  Once again Doug and MIR found a great hotel for us in the heart of Warsaw.  We were next door to an unusual office building. Decorated with what looked like gargoyles, the imposing building was a gift from Stalin to Warsaw.   Apparently, it is nearly identical to one he gave to St. Petersburg and two other Russian cities.  The reasons are still not clear, although it may have been a feeble effort to make up for the numerous atrocities he committed.  It’s hard for us to even imagine the scope of his terror.  Stalin called religion the “opium of the masses” and destroyed the majority of churches, mosques and synagogues in Eastern Europe.  He then had over 3,000 priests and monks killed.

We went out for dinner tonight at a great downtown restaurant called Delicja Polska.  As you might remember, we have gone from famine to feast as we work our way westward from Beijing.  Tonight was no exception with terrific pork chops and apple pie alamode.  On the way back to the vehicles, there was a local rock group performing on a stage in the city park.  Jerry and the girls (Mary, Jan, Tatiana, & Alice) decided to work off some of the dinner, dancing to the music which the local spectators seemed to find as entertaining as the band….

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

There is no doubt we are now in Europe.  The roads steadily improve, the gas stations have well stocked convenience stores (with working toilets!), and the great food causes increasing concern for our expanding waistlines.  Now we’re passing through miles of pine forests, dairy farms with fences (no more cattle in the roads), and familiar traffic signs.  The country side and villages remind me of upstate New York with piles of split winter wood and comfortable well kept homes.

It’s a short driving day for us with only 253 km (158 miles) to cover.  In our “country a day” run through Europe we cross from Latvia into Lithuania.  The indication of the border crossing is not the familiar barbed wire and guards, only a blue sign with a circle of 14 gold stars (the number of EU countries) and the word “Lietuva”.  The name comes from the Lithuanian word for rain and literally means the country of a lot of rain.

We arrive at the hotel in Vilnius which is the capitol of this country of 2.6 million.  It was up to 3 million until the economic crisis hit Europe.  Many left for jobs in Germany and England.  The city is beautiful with classic narrow streets, numerous churches, parks and public squares.  Outdoor cafes with brightly colored umbrella tables, and pedestrian only boulevards lined with shops make for a great place to get some exercise with a long walk.

We took a short tour of the city, and came to the “White House” where President Dalia Grybauskaite resides. Today she is out of the country, but we arrived just in time for the changing of the Lithuanian flag.  Similar to, but quite a bit more involved than “Colors” back home with the simultaneous changing of 3 Lithuanian flags instead of the one flag on US military installations.  It was accomplished with the precision you would expect from the Presidential Guard detail.

Then it was off to a traditional Lithuanian supper in a park like setting complete with a water wheel, stone and timber banquet facilities, and picnic pavilions.  We ate outside under a covered area, where they were grilling salmon steaks over an open wood fire.  The appetizers were all made out of potato (the staple ingredient of Lithuanian food).  The potato pancakes had a meat filling, and were the best I have ever tasted.  The potato dumplings were called “zeppelins” and looked like a 1 pound blimp.  It’s said a Lithuanian man is considered worthy if he can eat 15 of these during celebrations like weddings.  I think they would have to carry me out with a fork-lift after just 3…

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.

Today is boarder time, something we have learned can be a fairly painless process or your worst nightmare.  For us the issue today would also be about the weather, as it started to rain when we left the hotel. The drizzle turned into periods of heavy downpours while we covered the 150 km (93 miles) to the Russian border.

At 10 AM, another milestone.  We had rolled exactly 10,000 miles from Times Square in New York City some 89 days ago.  There have been times it seems more like 189 days, especially on border days!

As we were cruising along, a call came over the radio. It was Clay, andCar 54 had lost oil pressure.  The last time that happened, they suffered major damage to the engine which put them days behind.  Surely, lightning can't strike twice?   A check under the hood revealed the clamps on the oil pressure sending unit hose had slipped loose, and the dip stick was now bone dry.  Jack and Clay made the necessary road side repairs.  After adding 4 liters of oil, the engine was cranked.  This time it turned over, and a collective sigh of relief made the rounds.

Like most borders outside of the EU (European Union), there is a neutral zone between Russia and Latvia of about 1 km.  You can't ride across this one like we did in China; everyone except the vehicle drivers had to walk across with their luggage.

What we didn't expect was that this was going to be more like the China/Kazakhstan border than the Kazakhstan/Russia crossing.  For those walking across, it was fairly simple and painless.  We patiently waited on the Latvian side of “no-man’s land”.  After 3 hours into the process, we're taking bets on whether this will become the China sequel?

Once again paperwork on the vehicles is the issue.  It seems that the Kazakhstan officials should have applied a special vehicle tracking number to one of the declarations before we crossed over into Russia. With the changeover to the new Customs/Immigration system on July 1 (the day we crossed), it seems the Kazakh officials missed than one detail which is causing a *major* problem for us today.  The Russian authorities had to check with the Kazakh authorities to ensure that our vehicles were in Russia legally. 

Fortunately, Tatiana our MIR manager jumped into action.  Now we have watched her gracefully engage police as well as other officials on several occasions, and soon their stern expressions turn to accommodating smiles.  It is her artistic and very persuasive skill that has helped on several occasions.  Today would be no exception.  Finally, after Tatiana engaged senior Immigration officials they started making the necessary calls.  The cars were released to cross the border into Latvia!  The Chief of the Russian Border Unit even came out of his office to personally apologize to Tatiana for the delay.  Needless to say, we are very happy she will be with us all the way to Paris…   

For additional information visit: TheGreatAutoRace.com

For prior daily events, go to News BLOG and scroll down.