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Romania - Clive's House and Excursions

Hey Clive, sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family.
 
It’s been quite a sobering experience receiving all these kind wishes from many of you I’ve never even met as well as those I have, and folks who barely knew the man as well as those that met him.

He was a man of presence, his hard-headed approach to everything he did ensured that nothing would stand in the way.

A prime example was his idea to build the Transfagarasan as a tourist road for the benefit of Romanians to see close up the beauty of the Carpathian Mountains. His expertise of building forest roads as Minister of Forestry and Agriculture (at that time) meant that he was the main man for the job, but Ceausescu couldn't sanction the idea unless the proposal could be supported by some other means, so he said no.

Aurel then put it to the military, and lobbied that such a road could have some strategic benefits. At that time in the late 60s, the Russians had made clear their intentions in the former Czechoslovakia, and such countries, and in the face of a possible Russian invasion into Romania, the military rubber-stamped their support for an alternative means of getting troops across the mountains.

So Ceausescu approved the idea, and Aurel walked the route he had in mind, on foot and on horseback, mapping the sheep and goat trails that could eventually be graded to form a roadway. The biggest problem was the highest point which try as he did, could not be navigated other than by an alpinist. The decision was taken for the upper part of the road to pass through a tunnel at something like 2,200m above sea level.

The rest is history to those that have driven it. I took him back there about 3 years ago, and he was so excited and enthusiastic to see it again in the flesh, so to speak. At every turn of the road (and there are many) he described to us how they got the bulldozer (they only had one) into position with ropes, chains and hand winching with turfurs and pulleys. The majority of materials were hauled up the sheep tracks by donkey ‘caravans’ can you imagine. Bags of cement, sand and aggregates slung over the backs of over 100 donkeys. Amazing. I think some 12,000 kg of dynamite was used to blast rock on the route, and the tunnel section at the top was hand dug and blasted.
 
We are a community Clive it's no wonder that we all feel your loss as one of our own.
Thank you for that insight into the history of the Transfag.
 
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Here’s a few photos of his last visit to the Transfagarasan...

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The trick is to drive to Clives via the Transfagarasan because its a long haul as a round trip , typically you will drive straight past the right turn that puts you on it .
 
Sorry for your loss Clive. He seems to have lived a full life, and left quite a mark on the world. Thoughts are with you and your family.
 
I must admit we’ve never been, but every year, at the highest point on the Transfagarasan, they build an ice hotel for visitors, usually to spend Christmas / New Year there.

This year, it was too warm for the first time in memory, not enough ice on the lake to cut and construct the hotel.

Instead, they had to make do with an igloo village...

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It was a bit of a let-down for the organizers, but it got built and folks stayed there, but it’s nothing quite like the usual experience. Some photos from previous years...

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I stumbled on this today, browsing....

Check-out the bear at 3:47 or thereabouts, I think it’s at a place very close to where Nick @fbnss saw one on his last visit, likely the same critter...

low volume recommended, there’s no dialogue, only “music”...

 
We were the other side near the dam

Really?

From your vid I always imagined it to be on the climb about half way to the top going from North to South, Nick.

I thought the cam guy did well on a bicycle, that’s a long haul, all the way...
 
Sure is! after we'd done the interesting part we pulled into a layby and i said to Trev, your choice, in 30 miles theres a dam and then we turn round and come back again. I f you want to see it I will happily go, if not, then weve still got about 8 hours drive to camp so equally happy not to.
After about 29 miles was the bear :)
 
Well the dam is quite impressive, and the tunnels. I’m told that as you cross the dam, there’s a right turn (at a junction where most folks go straight on) through a tunnel, and that road goes back along the lake-shore on the other side. It’s supposed to be very scenic and a bit naughty in places...
It’s an old maintenance track... I might try to explore it one day, you can see it in white on your map.... :thumbup:
 
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