I’m in Narva, an Estonian border town with Russia. The border crossing was long, hot, and challenging. The bike starting issue has gone from intermittent to only “bump starting” works. “Bump starting” essentially means you push the bike in gear with clutch pulled in, release the clutch and hope she fires – complete with 100+ pounds of gear. I was drenched in sweat after the first border stage.

我的文件不是100％所以守卫在外面坐在外面，同时他们在进入俄罗斯时看起来。最终，我被警告，劝告，但最终释放了将我的自行车推入爱沙尼亚。

iroll into Narva finding the apartment inside a well-architected building and haul the gear upstairs. I open the door into a clean entrance with fridge, microwave, and lots of hooks and hangers. Further inside, beds, table, chairs, and balcony. The shower is large and bright. Good, I’ll be comfortable here to get the bike sorted. Once settled I meet Aleksei. Literally a bear of a man, 40 something, former Russian military officer, boxer and owner of this building. He’s heard I have some bike troubles and helps me extend the stay for a couple days. As quick as that Alex is gone for the evening.

I spent the rest of the night reading the bike manual and studying the wiring diagram (plus WhatsApp calls to Vicki and Marnie for moral support). I bought a volt-ohm meter in Saint Petersburg and so begins the search for short, open or something else. The load test on the battery shows it as marginal. Not surprising, I’ve got high-intensity headlights, secondary LED foglights, heated gloves, and iPhone power all add to the little KLR’s original electrical load. Plus, I tortured that battery in Mongolia last year then let it sit for the winter. I plan to search for a battery in the morning.

当我在停车场中与自行车开始的那一天，追踪电线一个大哈雷，骑手同样大的骑手拉起。Aleksei，他有限的英语被他的非语言勇敢，公园和拆卸完全黯然失色。他在手机上，在我的头盔，哈雷的背部，我们休息了。他的手臂上的墨水，同样大胆，在拉丁语中宣布：讲话/法案，以及英语：永远的自由 - 有趣 - 前苏联军队。

Two parts stores and a mechanics shop later, the recovery plan is coming together. At each business and points between Alex knows not only the staff but pretty much every person that comes and goes. He greets each with the sincerity of family – it’s classic small-town culture. Pretty lucky for me, the guy who just happened to need some help. I’ve probably gone on a bit more than I should but indulge me. The mechanic not only changed the battery but located a harness short. I’m good to go. Meanwhile, Alex and I cruised around in his snow-white AMG Mercedes Coupe. Entering the Merc I did double-take when I saw the license plate: “911 XXX”, then as we drove around the corner to his building I saw the front for the first time complete with marquee carrying a single word “Casino”, I pointed, “Legal in Estonia?”, “100%” from Alex. I smiled and said, “Alex, you’re a bit of a gangster”, Alex grinned “noooo, only a little, maybe”.

机械师确实需要一段时间才能找到短暂的，我问亚历克斯我们来自波罗的海的距离。这就是它所花了一切，我们回到了哈利，我在Barcalounger后座中包裹 - 什么奢侈品 - 我可以在交通的交通方面向一边摆动我的头部！

狭窄的Blacktop蛇穿过浓密的松树林，可能是50-75岁 - 重新造林 - 没有任何树枝上50英尺的树干，松树针底与傍晚阳光突破。一条河流在我的右边，我们拉过来，亚历克斯解释说，纳尔瓦河流，流向波罗的海，将爱沙尼亚和俄罗斯分开，正如军事巡逻艇每公里左右都证明。我们旁边是纳尔瓦坦克的纪念碑，是一辆二战两栖车，用于战斗和捍卫这些海岸。随着我们进一步骑行，我看到了河边，古老的墓地，旧的，但仍然严重缠绕 - 这是几公里。我问亚历克斯，“etonians？”，“没有德意志和俄语”。我不是属灵的，但在一个小美丽的地区度过了如此多的生活的力量，因为这抚摸着我。

We emerged from the tall pine canopy to a fine sand beach that stretches for miles. The Gulf of Finland off the Baltic Sea.