Turkey (Days 28 – 34)

From the comfort of home, five months on the road seems a long time to be away. Now with five weeks already gone it seems Pink Floyd got it right. “You run, and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking, racing around to come up behind you again.” Five months is nowhere near enough time to see the wonders of Turkey and all the other places we hoped to see. We’re already beginning to hear the clock ticking. Small wonder most cyclists we’ve met have been out much longer…and have no end in sight! Not complaining – just commenting.

Monday (4/11). Dalyan didn’t impress at first glance, but it does have a certain charm. The river walk was pleasant. We were especially  impressed by the 4th century BCE burial tombs visible on the opposite bank.

A few hours later we were on Iztuzu Plaji. Once a popular place for humans to nest, now a protected sea turtle nesting area. We were able to meet some of the locals rehabbing after being injured in the wild.

Camping was strictly forbidden anywhere near the beach – and rightly so. Plan B landed us in Dalaman, a bit closer to our goal of Fethiye.

Tuesday (4/12). What a glorious day! Even the Buzz Lightyear hill (to infinity and beyond) didn’t matter. Snow capped peaks over here. Blue-green Mediterranean over there. A bit later $2 drafts on the shore. We keep pinching ourselves. When is the dream going to end?

Wednesday (4/13) Rest day…sort of. Our happy foursome explored local ruins and took steps to assure proper hydration. We all very much enjoyed Fethiye, especially the amazing waterfront park. Between running, hiking and cycling around town, we’d covered twenty miles on our “off” day.

Thursday (4/14). The short ride to Oludeniz – far and away everyone’s least favorite road. Insanely steep. Dusty. Hot. Loads of traffic. The payoff, however, was immense. By mid-day we were sitting on another lovely beach watching scores of paragliders land. Hanging with Chris and Patricia. Camping on the beach and listening to the waves roll in. Life is good.

Friday (4/15). We were all reluctant to leave the beauty of Oludeniz. In part because we were all mesmerized by the contrast of snow capped peaks looming over too blue to be real sea. Finally at noon we faced reality and started the long, veeeery slow slog south and up! Lots of hike-a-bike. Isn’t this supposed to be a “bike” ride? By the time we arrived at the tiny mountain village of Karaagac, we were all sporting stylish salt stained shirts. We’d also had more than our fill of defying gravity for one day. Pause for some fresh squeezed juice. Watch a virtuoso gozleme making performance at a road side stand. Then out of town a short distance to camp. Oh what a day! Glorious!

Saturday (4/16). Tempus Fugit. Time flies. Close to five weeks on the road. Ten days spent with Chris and Patricia. That last stat was about to change. They wanted to see some sites farther east. We wanted to continue down the coast. So with that plan in mind, we strapped on our hike a bike shoes, topped out just under 4000′ above the Mediterranean and we parted ways. We are all hoping it is auf wiedersehen rather than good-bye. Puppy Dog and Princess Knallhart are enchanting traveling companions. Hopefully our paths will cross once again.

Solo once again we enjoyed the fruits of two days of climbing. We coasted most of the way through stunning landscape, more friendly people, and rustic towns all the way to Patara. For a tourist town near a famous beach and ancient city, Patara seemed a bit…grim. The plaji (beach) was closed to camping so we found a very nice, very empty hotel. And that, dear readers, is where we will leave you. Tomorrow we will celebrate Easter. And depending on the rain…either relax in our hotel or visit the ancient city. Until next week – Happy Easter and STC!