Since Goreme - Amaysa and Trabzon Turkey

Just wanted to get everyone up to speed since Goreme. We set out from Goreme to beautiful blue skies, puffy cottonball clouds and had one of the best days of riding since the beginning of our trip. From the support vehicle, Carmen noted large farmlands with farmers driving their tractors loaded with their workers behind in the trailers. Many tents on these farms suggesting that these workers may sleep there or possible refugee camps. Many herdsman walk along the roadside with their sheep and cows untied. The land moved through gentle slopes passing through various old villages. The support vehicle and bikes met up at a service station for lunch. Carried on to Amaysa, Turkey and aside from some light drizzling rain, it was a perfect day. The quaint town of Amaysa is really quite lovely and after another traditional turkish dinner a suprise birthday cake was brought to one of our riders, Jacquie. She was quite surpised. Next, Trabzon.

This was a day where riders and support vehicle did not meet. Instructions were to head north and travel along the coast road. The riders had beautiful sweeping curves that went along the entire Black Sea Coast stopping for lunch at a coast side restaurant with beautiful views of the Black Sea eating pizza and pitas. The support vehicle however took the long way around and ended up in the mountains with gravel narrow roads where one side of the road is straight cliff looking down. By the time the support vehicle arrived at the Secilya Hotel in Trabzon, the rest of the group was finishing their second pint of beer after showering. Now, we are sitting in the lobby, blogging as we wait for news on our ferry departure to Sochi, Russia. We've just heard that it might leave at midnight tomorrow and we have to be at the ferry for 2pm. It is a sixteen hour ferry ride to Russia where we will sleep on heaving deck in our sleeping bags. So, when we write next we will be in Russia beginning the next leg of our adventure. We'll keep our rubber side up until then.....