At check-in , West said today was the best weather day, yet. It's not quite T-shirt weather but getting close. Nights are still chilly but definately manageable. In Staritsa, while a small town (population 8607), the cathedrals are gorgeous. People are waving from the banks, once again. They are getting great photos and video. Yak Attack is one of our gear sponsors and the product they gave is working very well.
The river is bigger than ever and flowing well. The banks host Birch, Evergreen and Christmas Trees. I know I know, that's not what they are called but here, in Texas, that's what we call them. The banks of the river have been burned. It's obviously a managed burn because none of the trees are burned, at all. They said there is no one on the river. They've passed one row boat in the last 100 miles.
In the town of Zubtsov, West said there were incredibly large mansions. They are log cabin-type and appear to be 15,000 square feet or larger. He said they are Aspen, Colorado comparable (if you've been to Aspen, Co)
At the fork of the rivers, Volga and Vazuza, there was a huge stone mansion that was in disrepair. West commented that, if he ever has a large amount of money, he would go back and restore the mansion because they bones were just gorgeous. He said it look uninhabited.
Tomorrow, they should arrive in Tver. In Tver, they will (hopefully) meet up with a kayaking club where they can safely leave the Epic Kayaks while they resupply, shower and meet some of the locals.
--Barbara
