Caravanning: "The Polar Express»

Automobile tourism as a form of recreation has appeared simultaneously with the car. And over its long history has not changed. And why does this change? Left in the car thing, put friends and rode to the south. That's only in our case a little differently: instead of a hot July we went to Sea icebound coast of the Arctic Ocean to celebrate the New Year. Early December morning Land Rover Defender 110 and the Nissan Patrol Y61 departed from the capital in Ekaterinburg. After one day, towards four adventurers from Moscow, joined three of Yekaterinburg in the Land Rover Defender 90. After the press conference in the showroom, "Krasnolesie" We turned to the northwest. Under our plan, the far point of the raid was supposed to be working village Yamburg on Taz peninsula. After spending the night in Tyumen to New Urengoi moving non-stop, taking turns behind the wheel. The road was covered with snow, groomed to perfection, ground wind raised the oncoming vehicles, windshields tried obmerznut completely, and all this greatly complicates the motion. But we were in the beginning, and the enthusiasm is not crushed fatigue. Cars rolled forward, stopping only at filling stations in da bushes. New Urengoy met tridtsatigradusnym frost and strong wind. Hotel royal feather beds appeared, and the heat from the batteries - manna from heaven. Morning frost yet. We gathered at a pace, had breakfast and hit the road. On the way we stopped at the gas station and filled the tanks and all the cans of Arctic diesel fuel. The road to Yamburg starts behind the picket from the gate. The fact that Yamburg - private settlement, and without special passes to get into it is not possible, but the gaps we have attended to in advance. The further north we climbed, the lower the temperature drops. Standalone oven interior are struggling to cope with the maintenance of the machine at a comfortable temperature. Hydraulic clutch too early freeze, and the gear shift required considerable effort. The sun had long disappeared behind the horizon, the tundra was plunged into gloom. In the stele the Arctic Circle stopped for a photo shoot. Drivers passing by the "Ural" looked at us with surprise: what they are doing here this strange cars plastered with additional lights and colorful stickers? Yes, we do not really know, but the pleasure of going on it is unbroken. Even after a hundred miles dark finally lights snatched from the snowy haze concrete roads, and fires lit up the horizon of the gas stations. In Yamburg arrived late at night. The store met with local residents - Khanty, who sold us the frozen fish, whitefish. Began to look for a parking space. After passing through and passing Yamburg port, went to the ice Ob. More roads was not only snowmobile trail confirmed the testimony of satellite navigation that we have it there. At the next kiddle head machine is jammed. Nailed northerly wind the snow - an insidious thing. Person holding it is easy, you can even jump and run, but worth the wheels falling into the machine slip as snow Gives Way and the car sits on its belly. Trees do not. "The Swan" can only be for the other cars, so we never stormed the ambush site en masse. While one machine goes through kiddle, others are waiting on level ground. If the machine gets stuck behind it pulls its winch. Pull rope is useless: the towing vehicle immediately sits herself. As soon as Nissan, which went first, broke Nast, I came out of the car to unwind the winch. But the frost has presented another surprise. Oil in the winch frozen, and switch to neutral mechanism for unwinding the cable failed. Hooked up the control panel and tried to unwind the rope engine. Drum stronulsya, but spun very slowly, jerkily, apparently the oil in the gearbox completely zakamenelo. Fearing burn engine, I unwound rope light impulses. Finally winch earned evenly dispersed oil on the walls. A few minutes later we pulled the car. To pass kiddle it took, driving a car, punching the snow, then repeat the procedure lebezheniya. On the third attempt managed to pass through the snowdrifts. Procedure described above have to travel quite often. After another kilometer camp site was found. In the light of car headlights set a tent, cut wood for the stove (they, incidentally, should be carried out Urengoi). Stretched around a snowy field with sticking here and there with gray pyramids hummocks. Here it is, purely masculine adventure, I thought. But then passed by Irina, navigator of the crew of Yekaterinburg, which carries a hefty pile of firewood. Okay, not entirely, but still harsh northern edge - a perfect place for a real adventure. Distracted from thinking the call Oleg sit at the table. Festive table after reaching the far point of the expedition covered in a tent. About her want to tell you more. This is not a simple eight-tent, but a whole life support system. Tent consists of three layers, and not blown, even the strongest wind. Comes with a special folding stove. To maintain a comfortable temperature in the tent quite a few pieces of firewood for the night. The only downside is that you need to wake up at night and lay a wood. The morning greeted us with new challenges. Cephalic Defender battery died: all the electricity out of it sucked left included heated seats. In addition, the weather turned bad. From yesterday's quiet cool (-20 without the wind) is not a trace remained. Mercury fell to -35, got heavy wind. While collecting the camp, the car failed to start, but it turned out that the standalone stove cabin has stopped working, apparently the local arctic diesel oil was higher than its understanding. To call in on the high bank, it took all the driving skills of our pilots. Finally, left the road and returned to Yamburg. Today we had to get to New Urengoi. In the third hour of the day darkness grim. The wind is so strong that, out of the car, it is necessary for something to hold otherwise stay on the ice is very difficult. Snowfall was not, but the wind raised lies in the tundra snow and drove him across a continuous white river. Visibility - 3-5 meters. First, turn off the high beam, then xenon, then melee. We go with one size, almost blindly. In the role of guiding thread of Ariadne supports track a satellite navigator, on which we traveled here, but the relief road: how to go uneven, then slid to the side, one must be chosen inversely. How much time we crawled the 300 miles, I do not remember, but very long. I think that this road has become our greatest challenge. After resting in Urengoi, went to Nadym, spend the night there and spent half a day for easy repair of motor vehicles: Loose lights fastened to the upper trunk of Yekaterinburg and unsuccessfully attempted to repair Webasto on our machine. At Salehardsky zimnik left when it was quite dark. Due to the fact that the sun appears here only a few hours, very hard to keep count of time. It seems that even late at night, looking at his watch, turns out to be another day, but the body is sure: if the dark - it's time to sleep, we're always sleepy, and often have to change the wheel. Overnight rose, driving a hundred miles - a third way. In some places the road went out of the woods, and then began kiddle. Really never got stuck, but several times had to unwind the winch. Originally intended to spend the night on the item rest of drivers, but the faces of local peasants, we were not particularly liked. We decided to drive another few miles and get on the winter roads. Selecting a suitable location, moved out of the road rammed into the soft snow on the roadside and set up camp. Agreeing to leave early tomorrow, lay down - Moscow in the machines, and Yekaterinburg on the snow at the car, under the awning. In the morning, despite the fact that all were up early, just could not leave. It turned out that by shaking and cold plastic boxes with food in our car flew up into small pieces. Had to completely unload the cabin and move stuff over again. Finally, we set off. Half of the remaining path traveled pretty quickly, but as soon as the forest ended and began kiddle, speed dropped to a crawl. Promotion complicated tractor drags, rams winter road. They compared a rut and had to punch her again. We went to Paul first. Despite the fact that yesterday a flat tire, the car always "sit" in the deep snow - running track Patrol had to pull us to a winch. When to exit from the winter road was no more than fifty miles, we put both cars. The reserve has remained Defender Oleg Mayorov, but we do not use it in a hurry: if a third car gets stuck in a rut, pull out we will vigorously to no one. And as luck would have a single tree, nothing to catch on the winch. Once again, I looked around the neighborhood of a lantern, and then flashed a ray of the skeleton of GTT, frozen into the tundra, just fifty meters away from us. We brought him winch rope and ten minutes later safely removed both cars. If not, he knows how much time we spent would remove the jammed machine. In Salekhard arrived in the morning. And fell on the hotel bed without back legs ... After visiting the local sights and visit the Emergency department, where we found out that the road to Vorkuta from Salekhard does not exist, again left on the winter road, leading to Nadym. Once again I spent the night on the road, and long-awaited meeting took place this morning: we have gathered a convoy going from Novosibirsk. It was decided to set up camp and spend the evening together. In the pot boiled Siberian dumplings, on the bonnet was a laptop - were films about off-road adventures, and we excitedly talked about himself, cars and clubs. In the evening, an empty bottle in a circle. There were privestviya from each city represented at this meeting. Each other's celebrated New Urengoi, Nadym Pangody, Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Noyabrsk, Tomsk, Nizhnevartovsk, Novosibirsk, Purpe. Such large-scale meeting in forwarding mode was not even ever. Cheers, guys, we're the first! Closer to the night of Novosibirsk have gone further in Salekhard, they were severely limited in time, and we went to bed. Morning we hit the minus forty Celsius. Forgotten on the hood of vodka turned to ice. When they came to fry an egg, it was found that gasoline in the burner refuses to ignite. Came out of the situation, soaking a cloth with gasoline and setting it on the stove top. Gradually, she divorced. The first time I saw that the frying pan, which is fried eggs, was half covered with frost machine wound up at once, but the doors on both the Land Rover did not want to close: o gum zadubeli in the cold. In the end, the doors just pulled with ropes from the inside and drove on. Standalone oven interior has not worked since Christmas night, a full-time did not include the engine and so nedogreval, despite the heated antifreeze is permanently enabled. Inside, it was fair -10 degrees. By the evening were in Nadym. There and stayed the night. And early in the morning went on a winter road in the direction of Nyagan laid along the pipeline. Overboard -45. Diesel oil in the engine burned pretty quickly. During a regular stop for refueling, it became clear that the fuel in jerry cans from frost zaparafinilos. Pour it into the tank in such a way was like death. For luck we still had fuel for a few tens of kilometers. Them, we traveled with canisters in an embrace. For half an hour fuel warmed, and generously spiced with Antigel, went into the tanks. Since the cold intensified, and time is running out, we decided to move back home without stopping. Pulled watches at the wheel, interrupted by half-asleep. Organism, exhausted the road, refused to rest when the same overwrought brain is still switched off, even in a dream before my eyes ran an endless ribbon of the road. I lost track of time and kilometers, looking at the GPS-navigator and did not realize how much rode for the watch - whether a hundred kilometers, or a thousand. Near the village of October crossed the Ob River. Next came Betonka at which reached Yugorsk, then began again the winter road. A day later came to Ivdel. Next began the road to the finish. In the area of ??Kachkanar said goodbye to the crew, Oleg Mayorov. The boys went to the south, in Yekaterinburg native, and our path lay in Perm. Further to the Nizhny Novgorod and Vladimir. By evening the next day we were at home. Driving Nadym - London took 60 hours. The road on which we have directed three weeks ago to meet adventure, scroll down under the wheels of car 10? 000 kilometers and took us back home. The route is not presented any surprises. Gathering in the road, we were preparing for a much more serious tests, but the North was gracious to us. And looking at the path, I can say that it was the most exciting winter adventure of them all, which I visited. At the entrance to Moscow, we stopped, got out and, arm in arm, shouted: "Guys, we did it!" Then he shook hands and went home. Our journey ended, but the adventure is infinite. Once again we will come together and go to distant lands, we can not otherwise. The road beckons us. Leonid Mindel Photo by Vladimir Pavelko and author of the