Romania solo, I have 4 days to dispose, I pack Greta with full luggage and leave before dawn. Due to the lonely trip, I am not planing any difficult terrain, I intend to cover just about half of TET Romania. Krakow is a very good starting point, at 10:20 am I start the track near Satu Mare.
Day 1. My first day theme is decidedly The Maramures mountain pastures. I feel a lot of freedom. There are a few swampy places on the track, the road meanders and splits into many mud streams climbing in the same direction. It has been raining the last few days. I meet Stefan from Austria, he is on 790, also a solo rider, getting stuck on the very first climb. TET Romania can be demanding. I help him for a while, but eventually I'm going up alone, will wait while cooking dinner. There I meet the first herds of sheep. The shepherd dogs are furious and run striaght for me. Rallies with those dogs always bring me strong emotions, I'm looking for the best way to cope with them. In the meanwhile, It's getting early evening. After the Nateda Pass, I decide to take a difficult stretch full of mud and damaged by heavy timber vehicles. I attack the climbs rapidly, with momentum. I have a Motoz Desert on rear, which would otherwise be clogged up with mud immediately. I slide heavily a few times. Finally decide to withdraw, I don't want to spend the night in this area in such a remote place. After a few falls, I don't even have the strength to lift the motorcycle anymore, I can barely breathe, I'm wet with sweat. Traces of other motorbikes that were clearly visible only 20 km ago now do not exist. Well, I am exhausted, I withdraw and spend the night by the beautiful stream. I am happy. I watch a documentary about Jerzy Kukuczka, the water is soothingly hums, the moon is full and I have a bottle of wine. 673 km
Day 2. I get up really tired, yesterdays ride was a bike gig I like. The first muddy uphill among the fields and somehow I manage to turn Greta upside down, I have no photos, but it was quite tragic 🙂 From now on it gets smoother, the terrain is easier, there are also asphalt stretches. I'm resting and chilling. The day is wet, sky is steel. I see a lot of abandoned factories, the cities are gloomy. I drive quietly and calmly. Eventually, the weather clears, and the proudless industrial ruins give way to shepherd's farms and its gates. Each time I have to stop and open it and then close it. There are a dozens of them, after all it annoys me a bit. I wash the radiator, shop some supplies, and head towards Rezervaţia Lacul Iezer din Călimani. On the way, I also pass the village of Gura Haitii, I am sure that it will be my favorite village in Romania 🙂 The road leading to 1900m begins with concrete slabs but ends with a sign that says entering further is prohibited. However, after consulting with the locals, I decide to go for it. Mountain itself is amazing, its plateau is spectacular. I camp on top. There is a deafening silence. No people at all. I read "Kurz i Krew" (a book about Romania's difficult times), open the wine and listen to birds flying by. The sun is going down, the moon is rising, and the chill is getting strong, the bears do not come. 291 km
Day 3 I spend the morning watching the sun rise. Then I move on, make a downhill and take pictures of calm horses. I'm doing really fine and I'm going to cover some real distance today. It's wonderful. Suddenly I catch a nasty nail. Fortunately, I am near the village. Tube repairing begins. It turns out that I came to a village inhabited entirely by Hungarians, they help me by giving me a compressor as well as a kind of homemade Jagermaister and making my time pleasant with a conversation. Finally I move on again, slowly and without confidence, because the tube had two very large holes, the nail happened to split into two, I don't know if it will hold out. I am driving on a road consisting mainly of puddles, tire pressure is dropping. Then I reach the shepherds' pastures. The pressure drops even more. I meet some German on a bicycle, he has pepper spray with him and a good attitude, he goes far, straight ahead. I get to the Bicaz canyon, it's nice, even beautiful, but there are too many people and too little air in the tire, which I think mainly of. Fortunately, I reach a vulcanizer, that does the trick, I also drink coffee and learn a lot about life in Italy, Romania and the future that awaits us. I continue my ride hyped up, twisting throttle hard, sliding throught fast gravels, leaving dust and rain of stones. Again, I'am riding through mountain pastures, it is wonderful. I risk driving in the dark and decide to continue my way along the Nemira reserve. At the last moment I manage to find a shop and set off for the night. I pick the perfect hill, turn towards it, the road is just normal. Suddenly, Greta get stuck in some kind of clay sea, I try to fight it out, fumble with bare hands, try to tug sideways, but I have no power, it is firm as rock. I go back to the road, stop some driver, he takes off his shirt and helps me without hesitation. Thank you great man! I arrive for the night dressed in 20 kg of slime all over me, a helmet, a backpack, everywhere. The moon is already waiting on the sky. I'm preparing the biggest lyofood I have. Some horses play with me until late evening. 343km
Day 4. In the morning the horses are already there, staring at me with curiosity, we watch the morning mists together. From now on, I go back home, leave the TET and head west, toasting the track up just during the ride. It's very easy in Romania. This way, I pass 3 more beautiful mountain pastures, a deep forest, and many fast gravels. I don't touch the asphalt at all. At some point I come across difficult farms, full of water crossings, gates, ditches. On one of the gates, an electric wire gets in touch with the brake calliper, kicks me several times. Fortunately, the motorcycle's electronics did not suffer. It's already afternoon so I decide to go home and hit the asphalt. The road is monotonous, buildings stretch along it, but some sections are charmingly interesting. I'm home at midnight, I appreciate a really long reach of Greta on full tanks. 898km
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