Day 204 - Enwahka to Krasnoarmeysk - Sun 15 Sept

Day 204 - Enwahka to Krasnoarmeysk - Sun 15 Sept
Both woke before dawn (jet lag is weird) breakfast of baked beans and vegemite (can't believe we forgot to bring more of the latter back from Australia!) and on road early. Cheap fuel at 25.50 one side of road and 31.50 on other (although it may be Euro5??) Sun struggling through haze - another dull morning made prettier by colourful patches of autumn trees. Sister recovering well. Off towards Syzran and Volsk today. Syzran drab and industrial, yellow pipes from house to house or apartment blocks, and forming arches across narrow side roads (carrying gas??) Much larger pipes for heated water wrapped in thick plastered gauze. Honey (mea) sellers on side of road with mobile apiaries - on trailers with a cabin on one end.

We are going to follow Volga – should be good campsites along river. Bypassed Volsk on way to Sokolov (tender beef and pasta lunch at cafe) and Saratov (where first cosmonaut in space Yuri Gagarin used to live). Wow – when Russians say “Stop” at train crossing they ensure you do!!!

Breeze came up in afternoon (not going to be fun plunging hands into cold water to rinse out washing when we stop...) Traffic at standstill - front end loader trying to lift prime mover that had gone over the embankment on the wrong side of road. Police stopped traffic in both directions until truck completely in middle of road, then sat in car and had a smoke, other cars came up from behind and pushed into line ahead of us. Why is there no road rage in this country?? 

Finally moved truck out of both lanes and let other line of traffic go completely before ours could move- lost the last hour, we would have made it to Kamishin otherwise! Pulled off road behind trees a short distance on and rinsed out and hung clothes before making chicken and crisp garden salad dinner. Just finishing dishes when rain started and had to bring clothes inside -fortunately the breeze had half dried them by then.