Back in the Saddle

Saki to Gabala
August 17th
92km (1,493m vertical)

I felt more human after a 8 hours sleep. With the 2 hour time change it was dark when we woke up at 6:30am. That should make it cooler on the roads in the morning.

Rode along the Caucasus mountains all day. Thankfully we weren't crossing through the mountains, so we had a pretty flat ride...although the scenery was pretty tame as well. There were a lot more trees and grasses then we'd seen recently in eastern Turkey, which gave some relief from the hot sun. It was 98F for much of the afternoon. There was snow on the peaks of the mountains...but that was little help.

In Turkey, the locals were always interested in seeing foreigners. In Azerbaijan, its like we are from another planet. Everyone stares, honks, waves, whistles, and yells. This is usually very welcoming...except for the loud car horns, which are really irritating. Several drivers stopped their cars and took photos of us. One guy got out a video camera and filmed us riding by.

Great campsite tonight beside a little hotel, so we can use their showers and toilets. Tents set up in a shady forest, which is lovely. I am happier camping than in really cheap hotels...providing there are showers and shade available. A restaurant for cold drinks is an added plus.

Joan, the trip doctor, won the lame duck award yesterday after she carried the emergency satellite phone all day without turning it on. (There were 14 missed “emergency” calls when she did.) Nick, one of the two new riders that joined us in Baku, took the lame duck tonight after missing the campsite and riding an extra 30km up a 20% grade rough gravel road.

Knut approaches an Azeri traffic jam:

The Caucasus mountains: