Day 38: Team XPD covers 952 km from Belogorsk to Mogocha

The team left the hotel at 8 am after breakfast. The hotel was a tiny one, and the guys did not even have an en-suite bathroom. Belogorsk is a small town with 65,000 population with nothing much to see or do.

Meenakshi found it challenging to find vegetarian food except for the potatoes.

The team had a long drive. The team had a lot of fuel stops and a few bio breaks.

Gas stations are sparse, and so the team filled up fuel three times for safer side. The drive from Belogorsk to Mogocha was a pretty one. The colours are astounding as autumn was in full swing. Yellow is predominantly dotted with reds here and there.

Late summer into early autumn is an optimum time climatically with the bonus of the autumn colours —if your timing is right, to do the Trans-Siberian.

The continent is so damn vast that localized geographical sub-climates are strong factors and it's very evident as we attempt to cross the continent from one end to the other.

The highways P 297 is devoid of humans and animals alike. The team just saw one squirrel cross the road and the traffic was meagre too. The roads are incredibly straight, and they don't build roads like ghat roads in India. Inclines are a steady climb up and steady climb down.

The team had a picnic lunch in the car. It was raining with the temperature around 10 - 12 C. In spite of the rains the team witnessed a stunning sunset today.

Painted skies with the colours of the trees combined are ethereal. The team reached Mogocha at 7.45 pm and checked in at Yalta Inn and had dinner at a restaurant around the corner.

The remoteness of Mogocha, combined with the harsh climatic conditions gave rise to the Soviet military slang expression “God created Sochi and Satan Mogocha”.

By night, the temperature dipped down to 6 degrees Celsius.