The Stone Penis's

The day started with Thorpy waking me for a morning walk ... did I really ask him to do that ?  Had a good look around the old city,   Bought some bread and eggs for out hungry companions, then got on the road about 10am.

Dave had mentioned going to see the "Stone Penis's" which were close by.  I confess to thinking we were goind to see a rock concert, not some geological feature. 

Anyway, just 5 mins away we entered the Red Valley, which was pretty spectacular.  Had a brief recce on some of the dirt trails, which led to some decent photo opportunities if nothing else...

cud this be the Stone Penis's ?

End of the line for me

From there, we rode through Goreme, which is the tourist magnet for this area,  Its the place where more cave dwelings exist, which having seen enough, we just rode through .... the cobbled hairpin bends producing a few butt-clenching moments for Neil & Thorpy...

I thought that was it, as we left the Tourist coaches behind, but then round another bend, and there they were ... the Stone Penis's ...

The real thing.

Moving swiftly by, with just enough time for a quick snap at a distance, we pushed on using some main roads to make up time ....

Eventually we turned off to explore some mountain passes that Dave had found on the map.  Thorpy had requested we avoid the loose stuff for a while, and in fairness, there was no indication on the map that these were any different.  However, about 10km, the tar gave way to dirt and gravel...

We had a conflab, and with 40km ahead of potentially loose stuff, decided it was best to let Thorpy ride on to the hotel, using the asphalt option.  We said our byes, and the three of us headed for the hills.  It was a challenging track, but rewarded us with spectacular views....

Rain started to threaten our enjoyment, but held off long enough to find another, this time, tarmac, mountain pass.  Harris & me duelled it out on the empty road, in a fitting finish to the day,,,

We reached the summit, took a pic, and decended the other side into Ankara, and the mother of all rainstorms.  Soaked in seconds, we took shelter under a car park ramp, but it was too late.  20 mins later, when the floodwater had subsided, we braved the last 10 km to the hotel.

The hotel was in a non-descript area of the city, but was clean & comfortable, with safe bike parking,  So it was a case of grabbing a taxi out to our night entertainment area .... usual scam involved where we were dropped outside the drivers mates restaurant, but as they were unfolding the napkins on our barely seated laps, I saw the scam, and called time on it...  we soon found far better places to eat and drink.

Cheers.