Solo Motorbiking through Chernobyl

Avant garde soloing no doubt but I'm glad she allowed us a peek.

Wow. 900 years is a long time.

I think I would be afraid of the wind coming up and blowing some dust around.

Tom

Fascinating!!! Excellent photo's & read!

Amazing. I was in Ukraine for almost a month two summers ago and had the chance to tour the Chernobyl museum. (It is in Kiev). What a tragedy. I have to say it was the most powerfully moving museum experience I have been to, moreso even than the Holocaust museum in Washington DC. The saddest part was the way the Soviet government deceived the people of Ukraine, and the world, about the incident, wishing it would "go away" and not embarrass them. They also decieved the rescuers and later forced Red Army soldiers to do cleanup work with minimal protective gear. Seeing the movies they have of the immediate aftermath of the explosions, and then the couple weeks following, is sickening to watch. People and kids out and about, while the government kept saying everything was OK.

Thanks for posting this.

[ QUOTE ]
naromtap said:
Fascinating!!! Excellent photo's & read!

[/ QUOTE ]

Thanks springnr, sent it to a couple active biker friends.

Larry

Any idea how to get a hold of her?

Her address is at the very end, bottom of page.
Or at least I assume it is. Maybe someone from the region can clarify:

"Ukraine 03187 Kiev-187 Zabolotnogo 20/A Post Box 25 Elena"

Good luck, her site has already been on Slashdot twice

http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/25/1441232

and every geek on slashdot is panting over her:

http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=101711&cid=8686483

Wow (Score:5, Funny)
by Snarfvs Maximvs (28022) on Friday March 26, @06:08PM (#8686483)

She's hot, she rides a motorcycle, and she has an accent.

I think I'm in love.

Of course, our kids will each have 9 heads. :-(

I was only 896 km from Kiev at that time (and about the same from Chernobyl - this is by car, the actual distance is probably 10-30% smaller). Lucky for me my parents knew it's not a good idea to stay out or to eat certain fruits/vegetables and were very strict.

FC.: You can mail her (she has a P.O. box on the last page). Yes, we can use snail mail to send information not only flashlights, that's interesting .
You can also try to PM her; she's Elena at

http://www.sport-touring.net/
(yes, you have to register to see the forum, not everybody is as nice as CPF).

Thanks, springr. That photoshoot was captivating.

itsme, privet iz odessi !

Great link. It's a fascinating read.

Very interesting read, Thanks!

Excellent link, it has to be one of the best I have seen in recent history. Thanks!

-Mike

I think she was foolhardy in doing what she did, particularly on a motorcycle. All she needs to do is to have one microscopic windborne radioactive particle to lodge in a lung and she could die a painful death from cancer 20 years from now. Nonetheless, the pictures were extremely interesting.

Chernobyl has to rank up there as one of the worst mistakes of all time.

That's one gutsy, independent gal. Very impressive.

Brightnorm

Very interesting photo-tour. Thanks

[ QUOTE ]
PhotonBoy said:
I think she was foolhardy in doing what she did, particularly on a motorcycle.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree, but hey somebody has got to take risks. But, like you, I kept thinking not "She's crazy! but "She's crazy to do that on a motorcycle."

I, for one, wouldn't be caught dead testing the performance and pushing the limits of my motorcycle in the heart of a radioactive city.

Her little photo essay got me thinking though, so I ended up doing a little research on Chernobyl. Do I understand correctly that they continued to send people into the power plant for several years after the accident in order to keep reactors 1,2, and 3 running? Now that is crazy!

They did indeed run the other reactors for a while, begging poverty. I believe the international community (mostly the US) coughed up several billions to help out. They still need $4 billion to replace or reinforce the sarcophagus.

saw the header ... WTF!

/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/huh.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

thanks for the neat link from us armchair adventurers!

also a nice reminder what a great idea MAD and "nuclear deterrence" is ... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/icon15.gif

hideo