post and photos by: Chuck Turkington
Before the spring thaw sets in, I jumped in a huge Ural truck with friends and we took a trip up to Zyuratkul Park. We were on a mission to see the frozen fountain, and we were a bit worried that it might already be melting away. Since the streets are starting to thaw, and icycles are falling in Miass and Chelyabinsk city, it marks the end of winter. That means there’s one last chance to see the remarkable area of Zuratkul, as a winter wonderland.
No worries, the fountain is still frozen solid in mid-March and as tall as the trees!
From what I read, and see on the internet, the park is also a big attraction during summer. The fountain is thawed and pushes water up about 2 meters. It’s not the winter wonder, but there’s much more to this huge park anyway. There’s cool mountain hikes, and a crystal clear lake good for swimming and fishing, there’s even 11 sites that have been excavated which show evidence of stone-age human habitation. It’s an ancient hangout spot!
Along the way we cross the Euro-Asia line, which marks the middle of the continetal divide of..you guessed it, Europe and Asia. The Ural Mountain Range is the natural border, but there’s a large marker to help people understand this fact.
It’s a three hour drive, from Miass, and it’s bouncy as hell in the back of an oversized transport truck! I was travelling with a group that works in one of the factories that makes these behemouth trucks. The company supplied two brand new trucks for us to take on this adventure. It definetely had that new car smell!
Our ride to Zyuratkul Park, a large Ural transport truck!
