Richard and Jude's travels continued...

After a wonderful week in Greece we headed for the Border with Albania, choosing to cross at a very small rural station hoping that it would be less busy but also we wanted to ride on one of Albania’s famous biking roads: the SH75.

The border crossing was as we hoped and there were no other vehicles, chatted with the Greek officials for a while and were introduced to their ginger cat. Yes it was that quiet. It was a similar experience on the Albanian side, minus the cat.

The SH75 is a tight winding road that climbs up through pine forest to the Albanian hinterlands with spectacular views. It was known for its poor condition but now most of it has recently been repaved and although narrow is an excellent ride despite the close encounter- see video.

We finished the day at a Homestay in the small town of Lin on the edge of lake Ohrid where we swam in its warm waters and sampled the local ale and fish.

Next: Montenegro
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Richard and Jude
#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Jude's travels continued...

The crossing into Greece from Türkiye took a bit longer than normal due to a massive traffic jam on both sides. Normally we bikers can jump to the front of the queue but it was just gridlocked. A pack of bikes from Italy joined us and we chatted until things got moving.

Being July it is high tourist season in Greece and summer at its hottest so it seemed like the best time to visit the mountains with no crowds, cooler temperatures and lower prices than the coastal regions.

We stayed about a week in the Ionniana and Pindus mountain region in the North of the country visiting mountain villages, hiking to natural spring pools in the Vikos gorge with lots of swimming, day excursions on the bike with twisting mountain roads and generally soaking up the wonderful relaxing atmosphere of this region. We are loving Greece

Albania next stop…
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Richard & Jude
#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Jude's travels continued...
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It’s been 165 days since we departed Sydney, sometimes it’s seems like more, sometimes less but today we are heading out of Turkey into our next country Greece! But before we do so we had one dutiful Australian thing to do and that was to visit the ANZAC Gallipoli memorial.

Before we caught the RORO ferry across the Dardanelles Strait and headed to ANZAC cove we checked out THE Trojan horse in Canakkale.

Most Australians will know the significance of Gallipoli where thousands of Australians, New Zealanders, other commonwealth forces and Turks died during WWI. The battlefields remain protected and very well kept with the trenches still visible and the many graves of fallen soldiers from all nations are honored with the many memorial sites on this peninsular. It’s truly heart wrenching to see the ages of these young lads so many in their early twenties. Will humanity ever learn?

The following is attributed to the Turkish Chief of Staff, Atatürk (Mustafa Kemal) of the conflict.

Those heroes that shed their blood and lost their lives ... You are now lying in the soil of a friendly country. Therefore rest in peace. There is no difference between the Johnnies and the Mehmets to us where they lie side by side here in this country of ours ... You, the mothers who sent their sons from faraway countries, wipe away your tears; your sons are now lying in our bosom and are in peace. After having lost their lives on this land they have become our sons as well.

#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Judes travels continued.

After the adrenaline infused ride through the Kemaliye Canyon we continued on the gravel road which eventually turned to rough single lane tarmac and then on to another good, winding, country road that took us to Goreme and Uchisar in Cappadocia which has been on our “must visit” list.

The area is know for its thousands of subterranean homes cut into the rocks, most are long abandoned but some of which are available to stay in. We were surprised to find that you can explore many of the abandoned homes on your own, wondering through the maze of tunnels, shafts and rooms and getting a sense of what it must have been like to live in one. Quite amazing really.

The town of Goreme is a bit of tourist town for those seeking hot air balloon adventures with the overpriced bars, restaurants and souvenir shops but some of the outlying towns like Uchisar offer more a pleasant experience along with the unique rock architecture and a great place to watch the sun set with a cold beer.

To take part in the daily hot air ballooning you have to be up at 4am with sunrise at just after 5am. So we were on the bike at 4:30am and headed out of town to where all the balloons congregate and watched the spectacle as their burner flames lit their vessels and the sky around them in their hundreds. As dawn broke the sky was peppered with the lantern like balloons drifting upwards above the unique landscape. A truly unforgettable experience.

Richard and Jude.
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#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Jude’s travels continued.

Listed as one of the world‘s most dangerous roads, taking 132 years to build and has 38 tunnels this gravel track runs high above the upper Euphrates River in one of the top 5 deepest canyons of the world.

We had stayed the night in the town of Kemaliye which is a few kilometers from the southern end of the Canyon, had an early breakfast and set off to ride this famous canyon.

I was definitely nervous to ride this track. As one report said “one wrong move could see you plummeting 400 mts to the Euphrates River”. As much as I like a dirt road, riding a fully loaded GSA 2up weighing near half a tonne on gravel I don’t find easy. I have already had a couple of spills on gravel but the consequence of another on this road would not be good.

The track starts off going through the first of the tunnels all of which are rough-hewn out of the mountain. Light in the tunnels is non existent and the track is rough with large rocks unseen. You then come out into the open with the Euphrates River to your right on a cliff edge only a few feet away. I tried to keep to the left of the track hoping no other vehicles would be coming the other way.

We had one moment where we hit a patch of deep gravel. A large rock in front of the rear wheel stopped us in our tracks but I somehow managed to keep the bike upright. The bike would not budge so Jude got off and removed the rock and off we set again, our hearts racing.

The tunnels along the track reduce the adrenalin rush being enclosed and are spectacular in themselves and have exits to the right that drop down to the river below and provide great viewing areas.

Exiting the final tunnel we stopped to take in the wonderful view of the Canyon, this famous river and take some photos and were shortly joined by two other couples on their bikes, one from Poland and one from Romania. We had a good chat, exchanged stories, favorite spots and contact details. It’s always wonderful to meet fellow bikers along the way.

What a ride! Likely the most spectacular section of road on our trip.

Tonight we will be in Cappadocia, renowned for its subterranean settlements and hot air balloons…..
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Richard and Jude.
#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Jude’s travels continued.

We awoke in Stepantsminda at 7am with the sound of heavy rain and anticipating a wet ride but by the time we finished breakfast the skies had cleared and Gergeti Trinity church was visible from our room along with the snow capped Mt Kazbegi so off we set on our journey from the northern border with Russia towards the southern border with Turkey.

We booked ourselves into a Homestay just outside of the spa town of Borjomi, renowned for its healing mineral springs where the Russian Imperial Romanov’s came to “take the waters” and now gives its name to a Georgian bottled mineral water. After a walk up the river we were yet again treated to another Georgian feast on the balcony of our Homestay by our wonderful hosts washed down with some home made wine.

This would be our last night in Georgia and although we had extended our stay here several times we had to move on but we could have stayed much longer as there is just so much to see and do here. It’s definitely on the “Return to” list.

The next morning we followed the road along the river, twisting, turning, rising and falling through the renowned hardwood forests of this region and through the 10th Century town of Vale, close to the small border crossing with Turkey. There were no other vehicles at the crossing so we sailed through easily on both sides, exchanged our Georgian Lari for Turkish Lira and said our fond farewells to Georgia (you’re on my mind) and set off for for our first adventure in Turkey.

As we crossed into Turkey we climbed up to over 2000mts with very little traffic on the wonderful roads, some of the best (tarmac roads) I have ridden on for quite sometime. A bikers dream, with long sweeping bends and great scenery although there were signs of the conflict with the Kurdish PKK: military checkpoints and barricades, hilltop lookout posts, and barbed wired compounds.

We arrived at our hotel in a picturesque mountain village on the banks of the Euphrates River just as the afternoon thunderstorms broke out. We showered and changed and went in search of a drink and food. Beer is not that easy to find in this part of the world.

Tomorrow we will ride one of the world’s most dangerous roads - apparently, where one wrong move could end in disaster. I am nervous and I had not told Jude about it yet ….

Richard & Jude
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#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Jude’s travels continued

We set out of Tbilisi early and headed north skirting the Russian controlled area of South Ossetia and winding our way up into the snow capped Caucus mountains to the Russian Border with much to stop off and have a look at along the way. The road is one of the many well known scenic routes in Georgia and passes through Stepantsminda / Kazbegi which is where we spent the next two nights allowing ourselves a full day of hiking up the Kazbek mountain trail.

Mt Kazbek is 5,054 mts high and the trail to the top takes 3 days, crossing into Russia, with mountain huts along the way. We will only walk part of this trail which passes another famous Georgian landmark, the spectacularly located medieval Gergeti Trinity Church perched on another mountain overlooking the town of Stepantsminda.
Stepantsminda is now a hub for hiking and other outdoor activities with a few restaurants and lots of eager taxi drivers looking to take you to the many trail heads or other activities in the area.

Next we make our way south to the border with Turkey….
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Richard and Jude

#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Tbilisi. Capital city of Georgia.

After a long day on the bike and visiting various sights along the way from Lagodekhi we were ready for a few cold beers on our arrival in Tbilisi.

We ended up staying in the city for 3 nights as it is another wonderful place with rich history, great architecture, street art, restaurants, bars and music and we caught up with an old acquaintance from North Wales: Luca and his wife Khatuna who kindly wined and dined us, showed us around and gave us some great tips as to where to go in Georgia. Thanks very much guys!

Luca has a friend who owns a Georgian motorcycle tour company so if anybody is interested in seeing the wonderful sights by motorcycle check them out. https://www.onwardmotorcycletours.com

We have been seeing and chatting to lots of other people on motorcycles from all over the world. We met Morteza & Razieh who are 2up on the bike from Iran and listened to their amazing adventures, along with quite a few people from Russia and Czech Republic.

​Next we head up into the mountains near the Russian border….
Richard and Jude
#mentalhealthmotorbike #blackdogride

Firstly congratulations to Lobo and Linda on their arrival back in Wales. You are no doubt enjoying seeing your family and the dogs and the comforts of home (two pillows, sink plug etc) Well done.

We said our farewells to our hosts, David and Maria, in Lagodekhi and they very kindly gave us a bottle of their home made, oak aged, Chacha (like brandy) with instructions that it is to be drunk on our arrival in Wales and headed out on our scenic route to Tbilisi. (Not sure if I will be able to resist the temptation)

With great roads, wonderful scenery and delicious food, there is much to love about this country. We took the back roads to Tbilisi via the historic town of Signaghi along with a couple of hilltop monasteries and a 20km dirt road before arriving in Tbilisi.

We originally only planned 3 days in Georgia but we are going to extend our time here.
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Richard and Jude
#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike

Richard and Jude’s travels continued..

The small town of Lagodekhi, just across the border, caught our attention when we were looking for our first nights accommodation in Georgia due to its wonderful scenery, nature reserve and many hikes so we booked two nights and planned a full day of hiking in the mountains the following day.
Davit and Maria, our hosts, truly spoilt us during our stay with so many delicious Georgian dishes, great company and home made wine and Chacha and true Georgian hospitality saying we could not leave Georgia unless we put on 2kgs.

Both Jude and I love a good hike up a river to a waterfall so the following morning we set off, with packed lunch provided by Maria, through the town to the trail head. No sooner had we started a friendly dog joined us. Great we thought. Then another joined and another and another. By the time we arrived at the trail head we had 5 wonderful companions. How good is that! So off we all set, up the steep valley through the leafy deciduous forest following and crossing the clear mountain river to the waterfall where we all had lunch and rested. Jude and I both thoroughly enjoyed having the dogs along, each with their own characters and it reminded us of the walks with our dogs when we lived in Wales. Such great company. All 5 of them came with us the whole way on our 14km hike and when we arrived back in town they went back to their respective homes exhausted (they were not strays). We chatted to a couple of their owners and learned of their names. Their company made a great hike very special for us and we were sad to say goodbye.

With its wonderful mountain scenery and legendary hospitality Georgia has exceeded our expectations and it’s only day 2 so we can see ourselves spending longer here than planned.

​Richard and Jude.
#blackdogride #mentalhealthmotorbike