Turkey 🇹🇷 (Days 49 – 54 )

Sunday (5/1). Turns out Chris and Patricia’s super power is controlling the wind. I know you’re thinking, “Dave, that’s just not possible!” #1. I’ve seen Halle Berry do it in the X-Men movies! So clearly, it’s a real thing!  #2. Every time we ride with them – we have a tailwind. Every time we split up – we have a headwind. Coincidence? I think not! This Sunday we left Konya heading east without the kids. You guessed it – headwind! Speaking of: the aforementioned air movement gave us additional time to observe both the quantity and variety of garbage strewn across the plains here. It was especially noticeable around many of the tired looking villages. It’s never a good look when people dump trash, here or in the forests around Flagstaff.

Having said that, the people have not changed. After enduring the wind all day, we were eager to camp some place sheltered. Late afternoon we stopped at a gas station when a local inquired about our trip. Eventually he asked, “You camp?” We answered in the affirmative. “Then you camp here!” and proceeded to show us to a perfectly sheltered location. Thank you kind sir!

Monday (5/2). Down jackets were all the rage this morning. Clouds and contrary wind were compelling reasons to just get the miles done. So we did.  We were cheered on by dozens of children in some small villages. Countless drivers offered up friendly ‘beeps’ and waves. At one stop, a family gifted us with bread and pastry! Well played Turkey, well played! By mid afternoon we had reached two milestones. The city limits of Aksaray, and 1,000 miles on this trip.

It took us two long days to cover the 95 miles from Konya to Aksaray. Chris, Patricia and a new friend from Germany did it in one! Now, I don’t want to throw shade on what they accomplished, and it might seem a bit petty petty to mention it, but they did have favorable winds. Jus’ saying! Truly though, an amazing effort, which of course called for copious amounts of food – and beer to celebrate. Lots of German heritage in those youngsters.

Tuesday (5/3). Today was an errand and chore day. Chris, Patricia and I endeavored to resolve a shifting problem on Patricia’s bike. (success!) I searched local bike shops for spare spokes. (no luck). Sharon and Patricia took a deep dive into the local culture by visiting a hamam. They returned, cleansed and absolutely glowing!

People have lived in Aksaray since 8,000 BC! Much later it became an early center of Christianity. Later still, by the 11th century it was an important stop on the Silk Road trade route. All this history matters because at dinner time, we now have a rich and varied menu from which to choose. And having chosen lots of local food recently, the discovery of a decent pizza shop was reason to rejoice.

Wednesday (5/4). With ambitious goals in mind, Patricia and Chris needed to keep moving. We said yet another good-bye to our wonderful travel companions. It was such a random occurrence that our paths crossed in Bodrum, and that we began traveling together. Any one of hundreds of decisions made differently – and we might never have met. Instead we had the pleasure of their company for most of four weeks. We parted with promises to stay in touch and hopefully meet again!  Being under no time constraints we, however, were quite happy to spend another day in Aksaray.

Thursday (5/5). It never ceases to amaze and delight us – a day that started as one thing ended as something completely other. The day started with a plan to visit Selime and the Ihlara Valley. This area is famous for a monastery complex and homes carved inside rock. The valley was first inhabited in the early AD centuries by hermits and priests as a place of solitude. Eventually the safety offered by the rugged gorge attracted new converts to Christianity, some fleeing persecution by the Romans. At its peak Ihlara Valley is believed to have had 80,000 inhabitants, with a huge number of dwellings and churches cut directly into the rock.

After a cold windy ride to get there, Ihlara Valley offered exactly what we expected – an amazing glimpse into ancient life. Given the wind  weather, and forecast, however, it seemed prudent to move on. Here’s where things got interesting. Aided by local knowledge we took a short cut out of the Valley which involved walking and pushing, but saved us many miles.

A few hours later, we began looking for a sheltered spot to spend the night. We weren’t having much luck when Unal stopped to offer advice. He told us of a volcanic lake with hot springs and hotels only 10 kilometers up the road (more like 20)! Sounded promising! Just then Antoine and Guenola stopped. They’d spent the last half year cycling from France. They also were interested in Unal’s information. We set off together and rode several miles when the skies opened. While we rushed to put on rain gear, Ali stopped. Normally he carries twenty tons of potatoes to Ankara in his truck. Today in an act of kindness, he insisted on carrying four soggy cyclists twenty miles into Derinkuyu! Amazing! So, we ended the day in place we hadn’t planned, in a manner we could not have anticipated, having unexpectedly made several new friends. How can you not love bicycle touring?

Friday (5/6). Rain. Temp: 39.  Wind chill: 32. Wind: 15 mph from the north (aka head wind). What would you do? Antoine and Guenola would probably say, “suck it up you wimpy Americans!” No, they wouldn’t. They are far too nice. However, they were going to press on to Goreme while we waited for better weather.

But first we visited a large underground city. Various people groups have been excavating living spaces here since 2,000 BC. The Derinkuyu site is the largest in the region. It encompasses an area of 4-5 square kilometers and eight levels reaching a depth of 280 feet underground. The city includes living spaces, animal pens, storage areas, kitchens, wineries, churches, schools,  and even a morgue. All this was meant to be a place of refuge when enemies arrived intent on doing harm. When danger appeared, people headed underground for up to three weeks at a time until it was safe to emerge. Hard to get your head around how difficult and dangerous life must have been that it made sense to expend all the time and energy necessary to excavate such a massive  area. Kind of puts some of our first world problems into perspective.

Saturday (5/7). This morning was very much like yesterday morning. Key difference? No  rain!!! We’ll take it! Several hours of cold, but pleasant biking brought us to Uchisar, a village perched above the valleys most people associate with Cappadocia. Long ago a volcanic eruption laid down a thick layer of ash which eventually hardened onto ‘tuff.’ Wind, water, and humans have sculpted tuff into an other wordly landscape. Descending from Uchisar to Goreme revealed a small sample of the visual buffet we hope to feast on for the next few days.

So, looks like we have our work cut out for us. Supposedly the rain will be on vacation for a few days. In its absence we need to find a base camp near town, then get to work exploring. “Tough job, but somebody has to do it!” Right? Until next week – STC!