I pressed on toward Adana and on the way noticed a massive castle flying the Turkish flag sitting high atop a hill. It was my first meal in Turkey and I donвЂ™t think any other could match the flavors nor the company. With the food spread out on a large circular stainless platter, each of us armed with a spoon, bread and a smaller plate, everyone dove their forks into the grain and the vegetables and ate what we wanted. I didnвЂ™t realize how hungry I was until I started eating. With fresh cucumber, flatbread, tomato and bulgar. The owner and a few local farmers were having lunch and insisted I join them. I stopped at a farm area gas station to check pressure and add air. Worried about my rear tire, it seemed washy as I rode. Armed with tips and ideas for the roads around the south western part of Turkey I bid farewell and headed on.Д«ut something was funny. Passing through the dusty outpost of Bab Al Hawa, I made a brief stop in Reyhanli where I met a couple young kids on motorcycles who helped me find a road map of Turkey and introduced me to a shop owner who heads a local motocross/enduro motorcycle club. Though most of the land borders I crossed were remote and IвЂ™m sure these countries have more sophisticated systems at air or sea ports. There was a similar snafu in Ethiopia and before that I think South Africa was the only other country computerized. Funny, itвЂ™s been a while since a computer was used to log me in or out of country. Lots of smiles, hugs and questions but this would be my last contact with a Syrian on his soil until the next time.Д«order procedures were fairly smooth save that the final customs clearance officer failed to hit enter on his computer so when trying to get the gate guard to release me into the wild lands of Turkey, I had to turn around and go back to the customs agent and have him re-enter my date into the computer. Sucked into the history, architecture, landscapes and people of Syria I made tracks for the Turkish border where before crossing I met a farmer and his kids herding goats down the road.

Butchering buff durango wild lands