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Our Route
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China
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China
is a very large country with a 5,000
year history. But part of that
history seems to fascinate not only
us but a number of other adventurers
as well – the era of the Silk Road.
From about the 2nd or 3rd
century (some actually trace minimal
trade efforts was recorded as early
as 1,000 BC) until as late as the
early 16th Century, trade
between Asia and the west. To
follow such a route (some 6,000kms.
long) has become one of the central
themes in the Dragin’ Run.
From
Changchun we will head to Beijing
for a final check on the bike, visit
a few of the places left unseen
until then, arrange for the next
series of visas, and finally travel
to Chang’an, the traditional
start/stop point for all east and
west bound caravans. Modern day
Chang’an is known as Xi’an and is
home to the famous Qin Dynasty,
terra cotta warriors. Since we have
visited Xi’an in the past, we expect
to move NW along a longer and more
circuitous route crossing the
northern Gobi Desert (close enough
that I hope to sneak into Mongolia
just to say I’ve ridden there), and
passing through Hami on our way to
Urumqi (Wu-lu-mu-ch'i, capital of
Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region)
and very close to the border of
Kazakhstan.
We
are looking to stop here for a visit
with two former students, one a
neurosurgeon who studied English
with us and his wife. Serik has
promised an enjoyable time
introducing us to the traditions and
customs of his Kazakh family and
friends. This is what the Dragin’
Run is really all about. |
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Central Asia
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Central
Asia includes Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan
and Tajikistan (and sometimes
India). This region seemed to be a
major hub on the Silk Road with many
of the routes congregating here.
About
1100 Kms from Urumqi, across the
Tahla Makam Desert lays Kashi, an
important trading center on the Silk
Road. But rather than to brave the
rigors of many, many days of
dangerous desert travel, we are
opting for another part of the Silk
Road. We will cross between the
Tian Shan and Altay mountains into
Kazakhstan and then head south to
the ancient trading towns of
Toshkent, Samarqand and Bukhara.
From here we will follow the a
different leg of the Silk Road into
Turkmenistan and on to Turkmenbashi
where we will ferry across the
Caspian see to Baku, Azerbaijan,
stopping just long enough to see Mt.
Ararat and then west to Byzantium
(later Constantinople; now Istanbul,
Turkey).
In
ancient times, few merchants
traveled the entire route (remember,
there were many) from Chang’an to
western Asia. We on the other hand
have the benefit of technology—old
to be sure but much improved over
camels and horses. But even so, we
will search for oases, with supplies
of food, water, and fuel. And like
those who went before us, we hope to
promote communication and
friendliness with local the peoples. |
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The Middle East
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Let’s
see, where does Turkey fit? An
interesting question, one even being
debated as I write this and I’m sure
will continue to be debated as we
ride through its majestic
countryside. I have been to
Istanbul before and want to see it
again; to stand in the Hagia Sophia
and blue Mosque, walk through the
Grand Bazaar and have one foot in
Europe while the other is in Asia.
At
this point, we will part company
with Tamara so she can teach in
Turkey or Greece to make enough
money to afford the rest of the
journey (yes, Tamara worked for me
as a teacher at Perfect English and
I didn’t pay her enough or she
didn’t save enough). It will also
give her the opportunity to teach in
a different country and get a flavor
for education in an entirely
different environment that what she
was used to in China.
From
Istanbul we plan to ride along
Turkey’s eastern and southern coast
where we will board a ferry to
Cyprus. I can’t wait to ride
through the hills again or visit the
taverna where we had a fish mezzi
(feast), or walk on the shores of
the Med.
But
soon enough we will venture, by
ferry to Haifa, Israel for what may
be one of the most interesting
sections of the trip. There is so
much history in this little part of
the world, the birthplace of
Christianity, Judaism and Islam,
Holy cities and mysteries,
conspiracies, the Holy Grail,
Crusades and the list endlessly goes
on. We plan to spend a lot of time
here for two reasons: first to give
Tamara time to teach and earn money
and secondly, because it will be
WARM. We have had our fill of cold
winters and sweat will feel good.
But
is it also here that one of the
central cities of the Silk Road is
located — Petra in Jordan. Home to
several famous movie scenes, a
favorite place of one of my
Changchun friends, Marie, who is an
Akkadian scholar and went on raving
about how beautiful Petra was. I
have wanted to see Petra for a very
long time.
From
Petra we will cross through the
southern tip of Israel and enter the
Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, another
area full of history and magnificent
barrenness. Imagine riding to the
summit of Mt. Sinai to watch a
sunrise. Then we travel on to Cairo
and into the Valley of the Kings and
then further south to Aswan and Abu
Simbal which is less than 100 Kms.
from the Sudanese border.
Our
departure from the Middle East will
be via Alexandria, skirting the Gaza
Strip to catch a ferry to Greece
again via Cyprus with maybe a quick
stop to fuel the body and mind with
one more night in a Taverna. |
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Europe
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We
have made a tentative decision to go
directly to southern Italy, via
ferry, from Greece. However,
depending on the political climate
and time, we could travel north
through southeast Europe and enter
Italy through its far eastern
border. In any case, once in Italy
we will make our final plans as to
what countries and cities we will
visit. We do know that we like warm
salt water so our excursions will
never take us too far or to long
from the Med. But we will visit as
many countries as we can.
As
we travel the coastline, we do plan
to stop in at Rennes Le-Chateau, the
famous town where Dan Brown’s, The
Holy Blood and The Holy Grail by
Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and
Henry Lincoln begins and the story
line for Dan Brown’s DaVinci Code
has its foundation. Then it’s down
the west coast of Spain until we
reach Gibraltar for the crossing
into Morocco. Even now the sound of
Casablanca and Marrakech spawn
memories of movies and books read so
long ago but still hold honored
places in my mind.
We
return to Spain and Portugal for a
quick run through France, Belgium
and Holland so we can visit Denmark,
Norway, Sweden and Finland before
entering Russia to visit St.
Petersburg and maybe Moscow.
Our
trip across northern Europe portends
exciting visits to old capitals and
new cities, the remembrance of WWII
(yes, we are old enough to remember
the stories from friends and
relatives who were a part of this)
and visits with the locals. Finally
we arrive back in France and Paris
(I plan to save some money for
several good bottles of wine to be
consumed with bread and real cheese)
and the Chunnel so we can cross to
the UK.
After
visiting all four countries, we will
load the bike on a ship bound for
Quebec and ship it to Canada where
we will finish the last leg of the
trip and I’m sure that by this time,
these two old folks will, like the
name of this ride, be dragin’ their
butts behind them |
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The US
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Janet
has a brother in New Hampshire who
has promised to meet us in Quebec
when we arrive and we plan to stop
in to Salem (Bob rides a Harley but
we will let him ride with us any
way—should be good for a couple of
laughs when he realizes that our top
speed may be as high as 55mph) for a
bit of R&R. She also has a sister
in Florida so when we finish resting
and eating our fill of Maine lobster
we head off to Palm Bay and then on
to Key West, FL. By now, New
Orleans should have somewhat
recovered from the devastation of
Hurricane Rita so we will stop there
(or somewhere close) for shrimp and
beer. Sounds like a good idea!
In
keeping with our plans to visit
Sturgis, ND for their annual Rally
we will first travel to Dallas where
out oldest son now lives because of
a company promotion, then to
Memphis, TN for the best dry
barbeque at the Rendezvous
Restaurant. Then we head northeast
to Kansas City, MO and visit Arthur
Bryant’s for the best “wet” barbeque
in the country. Sounds like we are
eating our way across America?
Remember, we have been gone for over
5 years by this time.
We
also plan a quick stop in Duluth, MN
to see the good folks at AEROstich
who were so good to us by being an
excellent Sponsor. We plan to be in
Sturgis before the Rally begins so
we can get a good camping spot (or
maybe by now we will opt for a bed
somewhere). Bob says he will ride
to Sturgis with us but honestly, I
don’t think he has the stamina.
(How’s that for an international
challenge?)
After
Sturgis, we plan to ride through
Yellowstone and then head to
Washington to see Mario at LDComfort
and then head south visiting the
wine country for sure, through San
Francisco for some west coast
seafood and on to LA to see Andy at
BAR, our youngest son and catch up
with friends.
Finally
we head off to Cabo San Lucas, Baja
Sur, Mexico where I plan to do some
real damage to the local dorado
(mahi mahi for those who don’t know
the local name) population and have
them cooked fresh from the water and
washed down with local beer.
Finally
it will be time to look for a place
to live until Janet gets tired of
the solitary life and we head off
again. |
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The Dragin' Run
If it's worth doin,
do it to excess |
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