I peaked out through the curtains and I could see some patches of blue sky, despite the fact we could hear raindrops on the roof.
We got ourselves up and decided to drive right away to warm up, and while we were doing that, the sun came out... but there were still a few raindrops around...
When you mix together raindrops and sunshine, you get a rainbow!
We got packed up and hit the road. The road up! We were about to attempt the Pereval Kara-Buura mountain pass. 4 wheel drive recommended! Especially at this time of year since the pass doesn't usually open until the beginning of June. By the way, this is a "primary road" in Kyrgyzstan.
The first part was a tough climb. We did it in 2 wheel drive, but it was steep. I had been in 2nd gear, but had to downshift to 1st. Ruth took a video for you...
Looking back down the valley we had come up on the day before.
Vladdy!
Scenery along the way, with another rainbow!
The main road through the pass!
Heading higher.
Vladdy!
Looking down on the road we came up on.
We are headed up there!
Another big herd of horses.
Can you count how many horses there are?
Click on the photo to make it full screen, then click again to zoom in.
A big flock of sheep. No need to count them!
I like this shot. Not a guardrail to be seen.
Looking down at the road we came up on.
The road ahead is deteriorating.
Still lots of snow up here. But they have had a bulldozer working the last two weeks or so.
Memorial to three people who died up here in 1988.
By the time we are done this trip, Vladdy will be the most photographed UAZ Buhanka in the world!
Yep, that's the road we came up on.
It was starting to get chilly up there.
Another view of our road. That's actually the second set of switchbacks.
Made it to the top!
Going down the other side looked like it was going to be much easier.
Wrong. In fact, it was even more exciting!
There were sections where the snow was still really deep.
Ruth took another couple of videos for you...
Most of the road was single lane with little opportunity to pass an oncoming vehicle. One of you would have to back up. Luckily, we only saw 4 or 5 other vehicles the entire time.
Sketchy looking bridge!
Waterfall in the distance.
Did I mention that this is a Primary Road?!
Yikes. The road goes right through that big snowbank!
Wow!
Eventually, the road widened and things became green. It took us two and a half hours to go 41 kms (25 miles)! Almost all of it in first or second gear. What a drive. But we're not done with the fun yet!
This guy has a lot of sheep!
We stopped here for brunch!
It would have been another great overnight spot, but it was too early to stop.
Scenery along the way.
The road ahead.
A common Kyrgyz summer residence!
We stopped at these abandoned buildings for another break.
While we were sitting there, a couple of young guys came up on horseback, guiding a few cows. They stopped to say hello, and even had cell phones using google translate. They asked "what do you think of our village", but we hadn't made it there yet... it was another five minutes down the road.
They insisted Ruth get up on the horse.
This is their village that we drove by... not much to see really!
We continued on to a campsite that was listed on iOverlander. It didn't have much of a description other than "great view", and it was 4 kms in, up a narrow dirt track. we decided to go for it...
They are right, we were starting to get a great view!
About half way, there was another campsite with a view overlooking the next town.
But we decided to carry on further.
Looking back at the road we came up on.
Vladdy and the view.
Heading higher.
Now this is a nice view... might have to come back down to this spot.
This was the view from the listing, but we like the other spot better, plus it was less windy.
This was as far as we drove, but we could have gone further.
Fantastic campsite!
GPS 41.827297, 71.13241
What a great spot. What an adventurous day! Fantastic views, and very quiet. Looking in the opposite direction were more mountains. More photos tomorrow!
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Great deal on this 8'x8' Screen House.
And in Canada...
Breath taking views but would be hesitant about running out of fuel.
ReplyDeleteStay Safe and Enjoy!
It's about time.
The views were stunning, such an amazing area.
DeleteWe made sure that we had lots of fuel before we left the village of Kyzyl-Adyr. from there to where we had breakfast the next day which was close to another village was only 90 kms so we knew that we would have plenty of fuel.
It was an adventure for me to watch the videos and really enjoy the area you are in.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful campsite you found and continue to enjoy your adventure !
Sue
We are glad that you enjoyed the ride along with us virtually as we did this mountain pass, it really is a stunning area and so very remote.
DeleteWe think that campsite was one of our best so far, mind you we also really loved the one in the meadow in the middle of the mountains as well.
so nice to see FREE animals not being abuse , harassed or tortured
ReplyDeleteLots of domestic animals here in the mountains, they normally have someone watching over them but not always.
DeleteYou did have a serious adventure driving over the mountain pass. Vladdy reminds me of a
ReplyDeletelittle tank... it just motors along. Good videos !
Sue
Yep, it was quite the adventurous drive over that mountain pass and down the other side. I don't think we have done one quite like that before and Vladdy stood up to the test excellently. He is a bit like a tank, he just crawls up almost anything. There was only one very small soft uphill section where we had to put him into 4 wheel drive other than that he did it all without having to use the 4 wheel drive but it is nice to know that we had it if we needed it.
DeleteOh wow, you two are much braver than I am! Love the campsite at the end, but that primary road you took through the pass with the high snow would have been very nerve-wracking! What would you have done if Vladdy had konked out in such a remote area? Would you know who to call if you could even get a cell signal? I've lost my zeal for that kind of adventure, I'm afraid, but good on you both for your adventurous spirits!
ReplyDeleteI guess we are a bit brave and definitely full of adventure. We more or less knew what we were getting into when we did that mountain pass, having said that we didn't expect the other side to be in worse shape than our steep climb up.
DeleteIf Vladdy had broken down, we would have been stuck, possibly for a few days, this is why we made sure we had food, water and fuel to do us. For most of the drive there was no cell signal but if we had one we would have called the rental people and they would send someone out or arrange to get us help. The only other help we would have got was if another vehicle was driving along and could give Kevin a ride for help, or they may have possibly been able to help us. Thankfully Vladdy performed amazingly for us.