Rudnaya Pristan is a small port on the Sea of Japan, set at the mouth of the Rudnaya River on the rugged coast of northern Primorsky Krai. The name means ore landing, and it tells you what the place is for. For decades the lead and zinc concentrate mined and processed in Dalnegorsk, about twenty-seven kilometres inland, has been trucked down the valley and loaded onto ships here. About two and a half thousand people live in the town, and the working harbour dominates the view, with cranes, storage sheds and the occasional bulk carrier waiting at anchor.
The road from Dalnegorsk follows the river downstream between steep, forested hills, and it is a surprisingly pleasant ride on a quiet day. The surface is mixed, with good asphalt and some rough patches caused by heavy trucks, and the corners are moderate with the odd tight bend near the coast. Ore lorries are the main traffic, so keep right on blind curves and give them room. In summer the valley is warm and humid, with fog rolling in from the sea; in autumn the weather clears, and the hillsides turn gold and red. Winters are cold with snow, and the coast is exposed to harsh north winds.
Services are modest in the port, but enough for a stop: a few shops, a small cafe or two, and a couple of places to buy fuel, though you should not rely on them late in the evening. Dalnegorsk, with more than thirty-eight thousand people, is the real centre, with larger shops, a market and proper garages. Fill the tank there, buy food and water, and treat Rudnaya Pristan as the place where you reach the sea rather than a place to stock up.
Dalnegorsk has a surprising claim to fame. On a winter night in 1986 residents reported a glowing object over a hill outside town, which is still known as Height 611, and the story has become one of the best-known UFO tales in Russia. Whatever you make of it, the hills here have a strange atmosphere, especially at dusk, when mist gathers in the valleys and the sea beyond turns the colour of pewter. Take a few minutes at the shore, listen to the gulls and cranes, and then turn back up the river.