J78 – 3/5/2006

The temperature was -12 degrees Celsius when we left this valley and the cold was reinforced by a light head wind.  Luckily, the sky was clear and the wind fell as we entered Askale.

At the 15th kilometer, Serge joined the national road 100 which crosses all of Turkey, from Istanbul to the Iranian border.  Joel ran with Serge for a few kilometers, a rare privilege which Joel savored like a child.  He was radiant.

The road fluctuated between 1600 and 1900 meters in altitude.  Serge was no more out of breath than normal, he drank a bit more than usual, as we all did because the air is very dry.  The Garmin heartbeat monitor shows, as it did yesterday, an average of 106 heartbeats per minute.  This average is the object of an effort to economize.  Economy is the key word in the repetition of Serge’s days.  The flat terrain allowed Serge to increase his speed somewhat; his stride was alert and supple.

A long straight line of 21 kilometers allowed us to go around the center of Erzurum.  5 kilometers to the south a ski resort is open.  From afar we could see the ski lifts.
We have begun to think about entering Iran.  This will take place at the end of the week.  We still have two big cities to go through in Turkey: Agri and Dogobuyazit.
Onward, ever onward …