Driving around the Golden Ring Part 2

Uglich, Russia - Yesterday I took an inadvertent detour. As it turns out, my map of the Golden Ring roads does not include all of the towns of that I intended to visit. Up to this point, everything has been pretty well sign-posted so I ws not too worried. In most cases, there is really only one road anyway.

But Russia is changing. For example, they are building more roads, and apparently they are not all signposted yet. As I was leaving Myshkin heading to Uglich, there was no sign pointing me in one direction or another. But I knew I had to go south, so I looked at the sun, looked at my watch and headed south. (You can do that in the Russian countryside, unlike the Costa Rican rain forest.)

I was very impressed by the brand new, perfectly smooth road I was driving on, not to mention the lack of cars. It was starting to be late in the day, so I turned up the radio and went fast, speeding over the smooth surface. At this rate, I thought, I would be in Uglich in no time.

Fast forward about 20 minutes, when I did notice a big sign at the side of the road. But there were a lot of words in Russian and I sped right by before I could comprehend any of them. Still the road was smooth and straight.

And then it stopped. It just stopped. I could see it from a distance so I slowed to a halt before the asphalt ended. Ahead of me, it looked like the Gobi dessert, with mounds of sand stretching as far as I could see. 

Clearly, I should have read the sign. So I turned around and went back to do so. In my defense, it really was a lot of words, and I didn't understand many of them. But I did understand the first one: Zapreshenno. Forbidden. 

I continued to retrace my tracks. And when I came to a village, I learned that the road to Uglich is actually being built. For the timebeing, I would have to go back to Novoe Selo and pick up the old road there.

I guess I can't complain about a lack of signposting on a road that doesn't really exist yet. On the other hand, who was the eager beaver that took down the old signs that should have pointed me in the right direction to begin with?

Anyway, I made to to Uglich. For those of you who are following in your atlases, here is my complete route so far: Vladimir, Suzdal, Ivanovo, Plyos, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Myshkin, Uglich.