# Sina Fosdick. My Teachers: Meetings with the Roerichs

## Travel from Biisk to Upper Uimon

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**August 1, 1926** [Altayskoe](/#m=9/51.931062/85.336107&l=Gs&p=168/o) *Through: Krasnyi Yar*

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Next day, started later than planned. Mother disliked the driver, Edokoff, [and] said we
will have trouble, begged us to drop him and take other horses, driver, and carriages.
We did not listen to her, [but] her words as always were prophetic. We had a very
dangerous trip throughout because of Edokoff.

<p>
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Came late to Krasnyi Yar, could not find lodging for the night
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and
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had to go to a selo, Altayskoe, where there was a hut full of people; so N.K. and
Maurice had to sit half the night with their elbows on the table, and the rest—Mother,
George, and I, sat in the carriages. We began to see that Edokoff did not even know
the road, [and] that his horses were poor.
</span>
</p>

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**August 2, 1926** [Barancha](/#m=9/51.811438/85.028618&l=Gs&p=169/o)

Next morning after wondering in search of a road for several hours, he started on a most
awful road, full of stones, to Barancha, making ten versta in several hours.19
On the road, Avir. [Avirach] fell out of the carriage, but luckily he did not hurt
himself. [Right] before, Mother heard “My son, keep to the left.” It is astonishing
since Avirach sat to the right almost all the time [and] this is why he fell out. In
Barancha we stopped at the house of Bochkareff, a former regiment solder, a very clever
young man, who is running a newspaper there and a cooperative. A few Kerzhaks [Russian
Old Believers] came to see us.

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**August 3, 1926** [Mariinskoe](/#m=9/51.40514/84.96283&l=Gs&p=171/o) *Through: Taurag*

<p>
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Early morning we left for Taurag, where we stopped for a meal at the house of a young,
unmarried women teacher, who was very nice but rather sad. We started in the early
afternoon and immediately were met with pouring rain, one that was such that we had to
stop on the way in a little hut for an hour.
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Then went further, [and] on the road, the wheel, which we were suspicious of since
Biisk, broke, so we had to go in three carriages to the selo. [In ] Mariinskoe, we
slept in a wretched house of a Tatar woman.
</span>
</p>

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**August 4, 1926** [Ust-Muta](/#m=9/51.23161/84.75156&l=Gs&p=172/o) *Through: Cherny Anuy*

<p>
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In the morning the wheel was fixed, and we crossed over the Edin-gol [river].
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Nature is becoming more and more grandiose—such views, colors of mountains, and
carpets of all possible flowers.
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</p>

<p>
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Finally arrived in Cherny Anuy [Black Anuy], not so very beautiful but a very clean
house. Interesting that nearby are caves about 70 sazhen long bones and inscriptions
[can be] found there. Also noticeable is the change of climate, strong winds, and
mosquitoes.
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Leaving Cherny Anuy, we hoped to get by the same day to Ust-Kan [a place in Siberia],
but we did not calculate our awful driver and horses. On the road two horses stopped,
refused to go; [so we] had to go to Multa, hiring extra horses on the road. There we
slept pretty badly, not undressing—men on the tables, Mother and I on the beds.
</span>
</p>

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**August 5, 1926** [Kyrlyk](/#m=9/50.73397/84.93041&l=Gs&p=175/o) *Through: Ust-Kan*

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Early morning (fourth day of our trip), [we] went to Ust-Kan, came upon a very
hospitable old women, stopped for tea, milk, eggs; interesting meeting with an old
ex-teacher, a women, [and] former revolutionist who joined the V narod [movement] [who]
spoke very interestingly, saying that Christ was the first Teacher of Communism, and
that she and her [comrades] were the sowers and her grandchildren will be the reapers.
Her son is not so bold and energetic as his mother.

<p>
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Leaving in the afternoon, saw on the road a young eagle, cranes flying, many wild
geese. The road and scenery—such flowers: blue, purple, yellow, pink carpets! Mother,
most wonderful, almost wept from joy at the sight of this beauty. And mountains of
most unusual, exquisite contours—shapes of purple [and] dark-blue colors.
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Arrived unexpectedly at a place where the horses refused to go; the very poor horses
were almost dead anyhow, so had to stop in Kyrlyk. Edokoff had to ride to the next
village to prepare horses, and we had to stay overnight. Stopped at a yamschik’s
[coachman] post. Mother, George, and I stayed the whole night in the carriage.
Marvelous place saw many Kyrgyz that live there—very picturesque people. Five miles
from there is the place where the belief in the Bely [White] Burkhan began many deep
caves around.
</span>
</p>

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**August 6, 1926** [Ust-Koksa](/#m=9/50.26827/85.61842&l=Gs&p=178/o) *Through: Abay, Yustik*

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Started in the morning at five, with extra horses, to Abay, where [we] stopped at the
house of a
*maralovod*
Romanoff. He is a Turkman, a nice fellow [with a] nice wife. Ate there and got five new
carriages and men, paying Edokoff and getting rid of him, awful man, [and] paying the
other drivers, Vasily and Karpoff—decent fellows, but Alexander [is] also an awful one.
They are all Altaitsy [people from the Altai] from Oirot.

<p>
Got settled on new horses, packed into five carriages, and left.
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In Yustik, the carriage where the
gegen
sat was overturned. He jumped out and the horses rushed madly away. Luckily neither he
nor the driver (a very bad one) was hurt. We left the broken carriage and packing all
the baggage into four carriages, carried on.
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Had a very dangerous crossing toward night in fog over the Siny Yar [Blue Yar] and
Gramatukha [a mountain in the Altai].
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All the time [it was] pouring rain; had rain practically for four days, riding wet
through and through. God knows what happened to our baggage; the leather bags [are]
all wet and swollen. <…> Arrived very late, everyone wet to the bone in Koksa,
or Ust-Koksa (a town in Altai). Slept in the office of Gostorg [the state trading
agency in Soviet Russia], where the representative finally permitted use of the office
and foyer. Mother and I slept in the foyer on beds, men in the office on the tables.
</span>
</p>

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**August 7, 1926** [Verkhny Uimon](/#m=9/50.21396/85.74284&l=Gs&p=129/o)

Next day, it started pouring rain; went to Verkhny Uimon [village in the Altai], had to
cross in a
*parom*
[ferry], very difficult. Maurice, George, and the driver had to push. Crossed the Katun
[river in Altai] and got to Verkhny Uimon at about eleven o’clock. Pouring rain,
obtained two houses, very nice ones—we stopped in one, they in the other. Lovely place,
clean. Remarkable that all the villages are clean and [there are] no insects. We are now
stopping at the Kerzhaks [Russian Old Believers]. Altogether [we] drove seven days
through very dangerous and difficult roads. George said that it is right that obstacles
should be on the way to Shambhala. I traveled together with Mother. She taught me to
look and understand the harmony and combinations of various flowers, mountain shapes,
shadows, tones, opening my eyes to the beauty in nature. Now she knows and understands
nature and colors.

All the time she suffered from the heat, especially on the steamer; but on our trip
from Biisk, her heart was better but had trouble with her knee. Fell on the stairs in
Barancha and hurt the knee that had been hurt earlier. Suffered greatly, as we had to
walk on a dangerous crossing and she had to get down from the carriage. What a privilege
to be together with them. Father, so patient, wise and good. Mother, so loving. George,
thoughtfully helping. Everywhere she called me “her daughter.”

Sad about America’s light-mindedness—lost opportunities. <…>

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**August 17, 1926**

Today, in the morning, went across the river Katun, into the valley of Upper Uimon [a
village in the Altai] and saw beautifully her snowy peaks and the snow saddle in
between. Such a clear wonderful day we had and saw it splendidly. <…>

Had trouble on the *parom* [ferry], was very difficult, so all the men worked in
order to push it, as the river has little water in that spot.

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**August 20 — 24, 1926**

We traveled from Upper Uimon, on a new road—from Chernuy Anuy to Tumanovo, Matveevka,
Karpovo, Solonikha, Biisk [cities in the Altai Region]. Not to compare it with the awful
road taken before—a very good road. Much rain, beautiful country, sat all the time with
Mother. <…>

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**August 26, 1926**

26th of August. Started yesterday from Biisk on the steamer. The first day was fine, but
today, in the morning, [it] jumped on a sandbank, unloaded a lot on the shore, sat until
four in the afternoon, then went on. Worked with Mother all day.

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**August 27, 1926**

27th. Today, typical Asia—a very big *buran* [a sandstorm] [and] all covered with
dust. <…>

Arrived today in Novonikolaevsk [Novo Nikolayevsk, Altai], received a call from home. In
the evening was told that we should go home together because of the great importance of
strengthening the E.I. fund for the great purpose. <…>