The Chimera

Turkey seems to have a lot of rugged mountains that reach right down to the Mediterranean Sea. I like riding in them.

Not many guardrails though, so gotta' be careful in those curves.

One of my friends once said that it looked like I took pictures while riding. Nope. Not me. I am stopped each time I take a picture.

I was going down one steep mountain road when I spotted some wild turkeys. Scientists say that birds are the closest living relatives to the dinosaurs. I think this guy sure looks like a dinosaur.

I am pretty close to Mt. Ararat of Noah and the Ark fame. This mountain isn't it, and I won't be going there. Not enough time to see all of this vast country.

One of the greatest long-distance paths in the world, according to a poll done by USA Today, is the Lycian Way. It is 500 kilometers long. I don't think I much want to walk all that way.

I did want to walk a little of it though. I am headed up to the Chimera.

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Believe it or not, it is almost dark (these digital cameras can sure take shots the old film cameras couldn't). Everyone wants to arrive at the Chimera at night to see the flames in the dark.

I have learned that the ancient Romans and Greeks were great travelers too. They loved to take vacations and to go see things they read about. I can picture them in their togas, going up the Lycian way just like I did to see this burning mountain. They didn't understand why the flames came out of the earth like this, so they made up stories to explain it.

In their myth, there was a creature called the Chimaera. She was a strange looking thing made from the parts of several animals, and she could breathe out flames. The hero named Bellerophon, who liked to ride around on the winged horse Pegasus, speared the monster and forced her down underground where she lies still today, mortally wounded and breathing out fire that escapes through the cracks in the rocks.

I wonder if people back then believed those myths. I bet they did. After all, we have our own myths, legends, and fairy tales today and many people believe them. Repeat something often enough and people will start to think it is true.

Here is a trailside sign showing an analysis they did of some of the gases coming out of the Chaemera.

         

I am a pretty fair chemist, and I think I can tell you  that there are some strange things in this analysis. If you are a scientist, you can probably spot them.

I found a great place to stay for the night. It is run by a Canadian lady from Calgary and her husband, who comes from the funky little village close by the sea here in Turkey. They are very interesting people.

They have built a beautiful resort here where the mountains meet the Mediterranean Sea.

 

 

That pool sure felt good after riding and walking all day. It is very hot here. The temperature reminds me of the hot and humid summertime back home in Illinois.

 

Talk with you later.

Ron