I’ll begin with some shots from our trip along the Pechora river. The Pechora is a truly grand river – extremely wide, over 2000 Kilometers long (over 1200 miles), heading from the southern part of the Komi Republic of Russia to the north, winding across the north of the Republic (near the arctic circle) before heading out to the Barents Sea. Fish is the staple food for people living along the northern Pechora, though Reindeer herds, farther north in the summer, come down in winter to the region, with Reindeer meat a delicacy we enjoyed. Most of the villages can’t be reached by train or car. During Soviet times small plans connected them, but now air service has ceased to all but a few major centers, and the only way to reach these places is through boat in the summer, or snow mobile in the winter. Economically times are extremely tough in the region; during Soviet times they were subsidized, now they survive by fishing, growing crops, and herding Reindeer. Our trip started by train in the Komi capital of Syktyvkar, heading on a night train to the small town of Ireal. From there we drove by car to Shchelyayur. We boarded the ship Taejnik (picture #1), to go on our trip to Mutni Materik and Ust-Cilma. Picture two is Natasha and I on deck as the journey begins: