The Baltics - Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and an old Academy friend

Distance: 22,800 kms/14,400 miles

Weather: 65-80 degrees F; Mostly very pleasant sunshine in the Baltics after plenty of rain in the Alps and Holland.

Traffic infractions: Convinced I'm now a celebrity in Europe, 'cuz every speed camera wants to take my picture

Losses: Baseball cap, GoPro flexible mount

Countries visited: 36 - US, Canada, Portugal, Morocco, Spain, France, Andorra, Monaco, Italy, San Marino, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Czech Republic

Day 93 - Grodno, Belarus to Cesis, Latvia - 6.5 hours, 320 miles. Highway...lots and lots of highway through Lithuania and into northern Latvia.

Nothing significant to report...aside from the deep, long stare-down at the Belarussian border.

Day 94 - Estonia day trip - 3 hours, 130 miles. A bit of off-roading. Second drone has proven it's broken. Ugh. Looking forward to getting Maverick back and handing off Goose. Clipping Estonia is the most northern portion of the trip, aside from the journey through Alaska. Surprisingly, it's also some of the warmest temps thus far. I'd debated on going northeast from here to visit St. Petersburg, but as previously mentioned, cities aren't my favorite to explore alone, and the miles are already stacking up quickly.

Day 95 - Cesis to Vilnius, Lithuania - 4.5 hours, 240 miles. Aaaah, and this is where it gets good. Jurgis Vegele and I graduated from West Point together in 2005. He is from Lithuania and would return to his country's military after graduation. During four years of misery, as comrades in the trenches, we became very close, and I vowed to visit him in Lithuania at some point in life. When I rolled into the capital city, it had been 12 years (that week) since we'd seen one another. He's still the same old guy--always laughing and joking, but still passionate about family and life. Man, I miss having him around.

It was a great reunion. Jurgis and his wife, Milda, put me up in their home. We took a day trip out to Trakai Castle and took a dip in the brisk lake. Really a lovely time. We also strolled around Vilnius, which is a beautiful, clean, and fun city...and unknown gem. I also realized how much I'd neglected to learn more about Jurgis' homeland throughout our four years in school. This visit would hopefully make up for that.

Day 96 - Vilnius. A day of chilling in Vilnius. Jurgis and I visited an old-school Russian sauna. I'm not talking about a resort spa...I'm talking about a real, raw sauna, chock-full of old men bantering about the most random subjects. Douse yourself with freezing water, enter the sauna for a few minutes, beat yourself with birch branches, and the air dry in the enclosed backyard. Towels and clothing of any sort are discouraged. One older gentleman insisted I was Mexican by my looks and then demanded to know my weightlifting stats. Due to the language barrier, he had to act out the movements, which was a bit awkward while standing naked in the backyard of the sauna. Needless to say, it was the most interesting and intimate cultural experience thus far.

Day 97 - Vilnius to Rēzekne, Latvia - 4 hours, 180 miles. There's actually a break before this day, when I went home to visit the family for Memorial Day weekend. Jurgis stored Green in a friend's garage. I was a bit uneasy at first, but then saw the guy had the exact same bike. After landing back in Vilnius, Jurgis picked me up from the airport like any loyal friend...in fact, he took a break from a family holiday and drove six hours roundtrip to be there. Can't thank him enough.

I was back on the bike and headed north after bidding Jurgis farewell. It's lifelong bonds with amazing comrades that made the entire West Point experience worthwhile.

Green and I bolted to the largest town before the Latvia/Russia border. The temps had dropped substantially when a storm front moved through, but the excitement to enter Russia the next morning overcame any thoughts of bad weather.