Cross Winds: Adventure and Entrepreneurship in the Russian Far East by Myers Steven

Author:Myers, Steven [Myers, Steven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bletchley Press
Published: 2020-08-12T16:00:00+00:00

PHOTOGRAPHS

Entrepreneurial Inspiration

I began pacing quickly down the runway, lost in thought. “Kamchatka is California before the Gold Rush!”

O n the evening of the tenth day, our team of five Americans, plus Viktor #1, appeared on TVK in Petropavlovsk for a two-hour live special. Vladimir Efimov, the chief editor of TVK, personally conducted the interview. He was a delightful personality, even if he did wear sunglasses on the set. After the initial introductions, Vlad asked me to explain why we had come to Kamchatka and what we hoped to accomplish during our visit. Viktor #1, as usual, assisted with the translation.

Our trip had three primary objectives: first, to be the first Americans to fly into the Kamchatka peninsula and demonstrate that it could be done safely; second, to learn all we could about Kamchatka and share what we learned with the people of the United States; third, to understand the potential for tourism and commercial opportunities in the region.

Vlad eventually turned the discussion to our impressions of Kamchatka. We all had very positive things to say about our experiences. None of our group, except for Tom, had ever been to Kamchatka. We had no preconceived ideas of what we would find. We found the region beautiful, the people warm and hospitable, and the opportunities for development innumerable.

Then I said something that piqued Vlad’s interest, that Kamchatka reminded me very much of California. He wanted to hear much more about that. Remembering that Santa Barbara was the number one TV program in the Russian Far East, I explained how the general topography of the peninsula was very similar to many of the features of California.

For example, Kamchatka’s eastern mountain range is much like the Sierra Nevadas, and Kamchatka’s central range is very much like the coastal mountain range of California. The central Kamchatka River Valley is much like the San Joaquin Valley, but much more forested, perhaps as the San Joaquin Valley might have been in the distant past. Kamchatka’s eastern shoreline resembles California’s Pacific coastline. The birds and sea life along the Kamchatka coastline are amazing to behold. Avacha Bay looked similar to how San Francisco Bay would have looked before being developed and dredged.

Some of Kamchatka’s other features reminded me of other parts of the western US. The Kamchatka River, which has some of the best salmon fishing in the world, is similar to the Columbia River, which divides Oregon and Washington states. Geyser Valley is reminiscent of places I had visited in Yellowstone. I also had to confess to the TV audience that, in this case, it was a limited comparison. Geyser Valley is quite beautiful but covers only a tiny fraction of the vast area Yellowstone National Park covers. Vlad reacted very positively to my comparative descriptions. He hoped such visual comparisons might help attract visitors.

Vlad was a most gracious host and the program a mutual love fest. He could not have been more positive and supportive. Tom was already having discussions with him about a deal for a taped SM&A segment to appear weekly on TVK.

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